Alcohol consumption and a dash of deceit | Brief letters

Emma Laughton (Letters, 27 March) makes the mistake of including the costs of policing society with the costs of maintaining a military able to invade other nations. The internal policing of a society is an essential part of monitoring its many institutions. The defence of those institutions from external interference is also necessary. Expansionist aggression against other societies and the destruction of their institutions (as in Iraq) is not acceptable. It is this latter aspect that I do not want my taxes to support and which Mark Rylance (Opinion, 23 March) is very correct about.
Robin Le Mare
Allithwaite, Cumbria

• Linda Hawes (Letters, 27 March) is confused and Natalie Nougayrède (Opinion, 25 March) is right. Britain “stayed aloof” in 1950 from the first steps towards European unity. Trying to catch up later, it was vetoed by Charles De Gaulle in 1963 and again in 1967. Now, it has just given up in pursuit of a fantasy.
Roger Broad
(European commission staff 1964-73; European parliament staff 1973-86) London

• Useful to know my GP is likely to magnify my hitherto accurately detailed alcohol consumption by “two, three or four times” (Letters, 27 March). So when next I see him, in order to achieve an accurate health assessment, I should presumably understate to the same degree. Wondered why he gave me that leaflet.
Martin James
Haslemere, Surrey

• Why are Scandinavians so happy, given the price of beer (Letters, 27 March)? Maybe the price of their beer encourages them to switch to HB (hjemmebrent, home-distilled liquor), wherein lies true happiness.
Barry Mellor
London

• Good for you, Adam Lawson (Letters, 25 March). I’m 78, and I’ve been with my partner for 49 years. There are plenty of other men like us, bonding for life.
John Wells
London

• I’m enjoying the correspondence about “anent”, a word seldom seen outwith or furth of Scotland.
Harry Watson
Edinburgh

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