Letters: Briefly

WHILE I acknowledge that the Mini was a substantial step forward in car design, it is beyond me that anybody should mourn its imminent demise ('Mini fans fear the end of the road', Business, 28 August). This mechanically archaic and thoroughly uncomfortable car has fallen well behind contemporary standards, and should have been replaced long ago.

D G Hill, London E1

I WONDER how long Allison Pearson thinks Coronation Street has operated a whites- only policy (Critics, 28 August)? Has she seen Fiona in Denise's salon? I agree that integration as practised by Coronation Street ignores some of society's problems, but at least the programmes refuse to hijack the plot for ideological reasons.

Steve Blower, N Yorks

NEAL ASCHERSON says that one of his ancestors 'neither married nor had a family' ('Do me a favour, forget my name', 28 August). Is he implying by this that his was an immaculate conception?

A Lam, Vaud, Switzerland

AS THE husband of an Alzheimer sufferer with five years' experience I would like to say that if Ernest Saunders ('Upwardly mobile', Business, 28 August) has made a recovery, maybe he should share his good fortune with all of us and let the medical world know his secret.

Jeff Hickey, Hove, Sussex

ONE action that would help to curb population growth ('Too small a world', 28 August) is the removal of all legal and cultural restraints upon lesbian and gay unions.

Allan Horsfall, Bolton, Lancs

MAY I congratulate Tamsin Blanchard for expressing at least some enthusiasm for high heels ('These shoes aren't made for walking', 28 August). Wearing them is often considered a surrender to male dominance and yet, as Tamsin points out, they allow you to look men straight in the eye as an equal. They reduce men to a state of helplessness and give women surprising allure.

They can be more comfortable to stand in, as they distribute your weight evenly between heel and toe.

Pat Holmes, Surrey