Speculating on the benefits of the crude oil market price crash (G2, 14 January) is pointless. We’re in a poker game – the Middle East Opec producers have already said openly it doesn’t matter to them how low the price falls; they won’t cut production. It’s clear the aim is to ruin the producers who can only function at high prices. Once they fold their hands, Opec can set the price back up where they want it. Perhaps G2 should run a feature instead on what will happen when our oil industry collapses.
Mark Lewinski
Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire
• Suzanne Moore’s neologism, faithophobia (15 January), is a wonderfully apt term for describing the aversion atheists have towards respecting ideas based upon myth and superstition, in other words religions. Might I propose an antonym: atheophobia, a term for those who fear ideas based upon reason and rationality?
John Dillon
Birmingham
• Being barged out of the way on pavements is, it seems to me, more prevalent nowadays (Manslamming? Come off it, 13 January). The worst are often either those immersed in texting, or groups talking among themselves three abreast. A good technique I’ve found is to stand stock still as you come up to them. They will then go around you instead of bumping you out of the way. Try it.
Michael Miller
Sheffield
• I certainly remember the French labelling on one side of the HP bottle (Letters, 14 January). Aged seven, I impressed my dad, who was reading the French side, by translating all the ingredients for him. He hadn’t realised the label was in English on the other side (my side) of the bottle. One of the few times I ever managed to impress him.
Alison Dempster
Huddersfield
• It’s been a few days since you’ve printed a seasonal photo of the deer in Richmond Park. I hope they are all doing fine. Perhaps you could commission a photo of some really wild deer in Scotland. Then you wouldn’t need to crop out the dog-walkers. An otter would be nice.
Juliet Clark
Twickenham, Middlesex
