The UK parliament is not the oldest in the world as Theresa May claimed (Report, 24 March); that is the Tynwald in the Isle of Man. Tynwald is of Norse origin, meaning “place of the assembly”. It’s more than 1,000 years old.
Rosemary Bentley
Egham, Surrey
• Noel Hodson (Letters, 28 March) was fortunate in his Catholic upbringing, as in the small Scottish town where I grew up we were “belted” for missing Sunday mass. Our old drunk of a priest would resoundingly punch any child foolish enough to own up. No turning the other cheek there, and unbelievers, ie our nice non-Catholic neighbours, were destined for the fires of hell.
Geraldine Blake
Worthing, West Sussex
• There are pros and cons to Philip Groves’ arguments on becoming a Swedish citizen (Letters, 28 March). Readers should be aware that, if recent TV reports are to be believed, the country’s population is over-endowed with serial killers. But it also has many fine and interesting detectives, who seem able to catch them after there have been only a dozen or so victims.
John Dinning
Cardiff
• The cannabis trade is massively profitable, there being millions of regular cannabis users in this country (Letters, 28 March). The present policy of attempting to prevent supply simply serves to increase the potential profits for organised crime to milk. There is only one way to end the criminal involvement in production, and that is to end the prohibition of cannabis.
Derek Williams
Norwich
• I would like to reassure Martin James that he should not worry too much about underestimating his alcohol intake at his next GP visit (Letters, 28 March), as providing he’s drinking less than his doctor he does not have an alcohol problem.
Dr Robert Boon
Manchester
• I have no problem with “anent”, and only admiration for Father Alec’s “ingravescent” (Letters, 28 March). But I am still troubled by Laurie Penny’s “cod-libertarian douchebaggery” (4 March).
Derek Long
Liverpool
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