Daniel Lavelle is right: we should be beyond worrying about regional accents (The ugly rise of ‘accent softening’, G2, 20 March). One of the joys of being elected a member of the European parliament was that for the first time in my working life, my cockney accent didn’t matter. Most Europeans don’t understand the social nuances of our accents, especially when speaking through interpretation. The only complaint came from the interpreters: would I give them notice if I was going to use rhyming slang?
David Hallam
Labour MEP, Herefordshire and Shropshire, 1994-99
• Your article on “accent softening” overlooks the deliberate appointment of Wilfred Pickles in the second world war as a BBC newsreader. Wilfred had a broad Halifax/Yorkshire accent in a time of public school accents only. It has been said that his appointment was (a) to confuse the Germans listening in and (b) to engage with the British soldiers listening in. The establishment knows how to use regional accents when it chooses.
Terry Thomas
Leeds
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