What a bunch of crooks!

Politics excluded, what is the most dishonest occupation?

The ratio of honest people to scoundrels varies from occupation to occupation, place to place and time to time. In particular circumstances the politicians involved might all be honest, all be scoundrels, or a mix in between.

On the other hand, based on an unfortunate experience in Rome last year, I can confirm that pickpockets universally are scoundrels.
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia

• Car salesperson, estate agent, financial adviser ...
Philip Stigger, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

• Shepherds – as they always go around with crooks.
David Tucker, Halle, Germany

• Psychology, in accepting all realities.
Mary Oates, Perth, Western Australia

• Psychiatry.
Stephen D Shenfield, Providence, Rhode Island, US

• Taxi driver – because every time we get into a cab they take us for a ride.
Stuart Powell, St Albans, UK

• There is no dishonest occupation nor an honest one, as it is the occupants that are flawed.
R De Braganza, Kilifi, Kenya

• In the old English counting rhyme, “Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief”, the most dishonest is left for last. Of course, people in other occupations may be thieves.
David Isaacs, Sydney, Australia

• Economist. Not many of that crowd would get anywhere by being honest, either.
Donna Samoyloff, Toronto, Canada

• The answer is that many dishonest politicians are also lawyers.
Richard Orlando, Westmount, Quebec, Canada

• Parenting. We say “Do as I say,” and don’t add “not as I did.” Then we pray they don’t find out.
Margaret Wyeth, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Sitting around a campfire

Is there such a thing as fun for the whole family?

My tribe of godchildren swear by their joint enjoyment of camping trips, sailing and canoeing and the annual outing to the local pantomime. With my family of friends I recently shared an evening of delicious curries and poetry reading – either self-selected old favourites or others that, as host, I had on hand. We started with a hilarious rendition of The Daniel Jazz.
Ursula Nixon, Bodalla, NSW, Australia

• Yes, according to our local fast-food outlet.
Pat Phillips, Adelaide, South Australia

• It all depends to which species you belong. Primate families love reciprocal grooming although bonobos are partial to sex; elephant families love a mutual mud bath. As for human families, only tired, hungry children and cynical adults deny the many familial pleasures available to us: listening, enthralled, to an audiobook on a long road trip; “last-one-in-does-the-washing-up” races into chilly water; sitting around a campfire listening to lions roaring ...
Stuart Williams, Kampala, Uganda