Letters In Brief

Sir: Prue Skinner (letter, 14 January) might be interested to know that immobilising breathalysers have been tried out in New Zealand. Successful? Not really, humans being what they are. Delinquent drivers usually got their passengers - or even passers by - to blow on their behalf!

J D SLOAN

Pulborough, West Sussex

Sir: Matt Cavanagh attributes Tony Blair's habit of stating everything in threes to religiosity (letter, 13 January). Is it not more likely that he is modelling himself on the Bellman, the leader of those hunting the Snark? He told his men: "What I tell you three times is true." His map was one the crew could understand, for it was "the best - a perfect and absolute blank". Sounds like New Labour philosophy to me.

KIRSTEN ELLIOTT

Bath

Sir: Lawrence Roberts is missing the point; the Robin Cook saga and the relevance of the private lives of public personalities is not about drink, sex or even drugs (letter, 14 January). The issue is about betrayal of trust, deceit and concealment, traits undesirable in any person. We teach our children not to lie because it is habit-forming.

HUSSAIN RUSTAM

New Malden,

Surrey