Letter: Royal riposte

I Was in the audience during the Carlton Television debate ("Monarchy? On TV, only the mob rules", Real Life, 12 January) and feel, as a republican, that certain things have not been said about the programme and the voting discrepancies. Friends tell me they were unable to get through to the operator and place their vote, so their (republican) votes weren't recorded.

The seating arrangements in the studio were a nightmare, the catering was woefully inadequate, and the microphone system was barely audible. The audience was told to barrack and show its appreciation or distaste at anything said by the panel and other audience members, and - believe it or not - a comedian was sent in as a "warm-up".

Furthermore, when everyone was sitting down at 7.30pm we were told that no one could leave their places until 10pm. So you can imagine the chagrin of the audience even before the event started. Cattle have to be treated better than this!

D E Gresty

Irlam, Manchester