What a crew

Helen Sharman, Britain’s first cosmonaut, at the Baikonur space port in Kazakhstan, 1991. Photograph: Sipa Press /Rex Features

To add to Martin Kettle’s thoughtful piece about the role of the SNP (29 May), as the third biggest Commons party by far, the SNP will presumably now be given significant nominating rights to the Lords, in line with the Lib Dems in the last parliament. Given the way he drew on the SNP in his election campaign, David Cameron should have little difficulty in conceding that right.
Robin Wendt
Chester

• Surely Sheffielder Helen Sharman, in your birthday column (30 May), should be called a cosmonaut rather than an astronaut. After all, she was part of a Soviet space crew.
John Smith
Sheffield