If civil servants have to make the grade, MPs should too
I see that the government is planning a cull of civil servants and will be aiming to incentivise underperformers to leave (9 March). I wonder whether a similar plan is envisaged to deal with politicians of a likewise disposition. If so, we had better prepare for general elections on a much more frequent basis – provided of course that they can be arranged by civil servants of an acceptable standard.Nigel JordanCrowthorne, Berkshire
Reading the letters expressing different points of view on Jack Vettriano (Letters, 9 March) I was reminded of an old cartoon that shows two people in a gallery looking at John Constable's The Hay Wain, with one asking the other: 'It's a lovely picture, but what does it mean?'Peter PhilpottPatrick Brompton, North Yorkshire
Re Jack Vettriano's work, I recalled my 1950s physicist headmaster quoting Claude Bernard's 'Art is I; science is we' after trying to explain Boyle's law to fledgling sixth formers.Dr Roger MerryBath
'Laura has a pleasing voice' (Letters, 9 March) reminds me of my brief stint in the school choir. I lasted until they worked out where that 'bloody row' was coming from.Ian GarnerOxenhope, West Yorkshire
I felt a tinge of sadness that King Charles chose a cover of Little Eva's song, The Loco-Motion, rather than the original (King Charles pays tribute to 'marvellous' Bob Marley as he shares favourite songs, 10 March).Linda RheadHampton, London
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