Letter: British republic would be split

LET'S FACE up to this brave new republican world Stephen Haseler dreams of ('Let's talk about a British republic', 13 December) and greet the 21st century with our already fragmented society split from top to bottom by a new and permanent rift. What loyalty are embittered royalists going to show to a president appointed through a divisive and expensive process suited only to politicians? As Professor Haseler has lived in the United States, he must know that only candidates with vast financial resources can compete under that costly and time-consuming electoral system.

Jennifer Miller

Putney, London