I do not share in the excitement for the Olympics

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The Olympic Opening Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro (Felipe Dana/AP)

Thank you, Sean O’Grady, for articulating my own deep revulsion at the prospect of weeks of an Olympics yawnfest. I can only manage a strangled yelp of “athletes – tedious, self-centred – yuck”.

Just the saturation of press coverage and smug TV ads are already winding me up. I must remember that “this too will pass”. Unfortunately, some other allegedly great sporting tournament drivel will no doubt follow it.

Penny Little
Great Haseley

Corbyn cannot convert mass support into votes

Bill Geddes suggests that 550 new members of the Labour Party in Worthing shows that Jeremy Corbyn is reaching out to voters rather than living in a fan bubble. At the last election 26,000 people voted Conservative while 8,000 voted Labour in Worthing. Simple arithmetic makes clear that 550 new Labour votes will not change the outcome at the next election. Even if there are 10 Labour voters for every new member, the outcome will remain the same.

The reality is that Jeremy Corbyn preaches to and enthuses the converted. He does not convert the waverers or the undecided, who are what is needed if the Labour Party is ever to effect the kind of changes to our society that Mr Corbyn says he wants.

Michael Silverleaf
London

The Ofsted chairman's comments about the Isle of Wight are stereotyping

I cannot fathom a universe in which an Ofsted chairman thinks it is remotely acceptable to describe a deprived area such as the Isle of Wight as a “ghetto” that suffers from “inbreeding”. This is not a joke. This concerns people's lives and children's futures.

Beautiful beaches aside, growing up on the Isle of Wight presents numerous obstacles very specific to the area, often rooted in the monopolising of the crossing to the mainland. The ticket prices are so high that many people simply cannot afford to get off. The resulting overwhelming feeling of isolation was ever-present at my underperforming high school, and of course contributed to students’ attitudes towards the second-rate education on offer. Rather than proffering solutions to this social crisis, it appears the people in power are using this as a dinner party conversation starter. David Hoare should be ashamed of himself. This is just another example of middle-class privilege blindly bashing the most vulnerable groups in society as if it is their life choices that have created this situation, rather than lucking out on the postcode lottery.

When I left the island for university at 18, I was baffled by the number of my peers who were completely unaware of their fortunate access to a high level of education and the resulting favourable implications on their futures. Perhaps we need to be educating everyone on the reality of not having access to good schools, the impact this has on the social groups and maybe throw in a little empathy for good measure. Perhaps then viable solutions can be offered by the people with the power to change things, rather than damning social commentary.

Miriam Nerval
Wembley

Where is the Bank of England finding this excess money?

If the Bank of England can find £170bn from somewhere, why can’t it use some of that to build a nuclear power station? Or perhaps a few high-speed railway lines?

Keith Morrill
Ipswich

Expensive watches are not cost-effective

The mugging in Paris of a Saudi Prince for his £1m watch raises the question as to why such expensive timepieces are worn. For that price he could employ somebody for 20 years at £50,000 a year to follow him around to tell His Highness the time whenever he wants to know it, and they could protect him from muggers while they were at it.

Colin Burke
Manchester

Lowell Goddard’s resignation speaks a thousand words

At the time she was appointed head of the independent inquiry into historical child sex abuse, Lowell Goddard talked a really good job before the media. It was all the usual “I mean business” stuff, “no stone would be left unturned”, this “would reach to the very top”, there would be “no hiding place”, etc.

But the outcome was so predictable. As soon as her nose got too near any of the “big boys”, the ranks would be closed and the brick walls would go up.

Was Ms Goddard really naïve enough to think this was ever going anywhere? What a farcical waste of public funding.

Patrick McKay
Bedfordshire