Time for Jeremy Corbyn to end the sideshow

Bravo, Gary Younge (Jeremy Corbyn needs to take on his critics with a major speech… , 17 August). Yes to acknowledging mistakes and putting them in context. Yes to insisting on civil discourse about Israel without resorting to antisemitism. Yes to making central the history of opposition to oppression by Corbyn and the Labour party. Do it, Jeremy. Please end this sideshow when so many main shows need attention.
Harriet Friedmann
Professor emeritus, University of Toronto

• Now that gender choices are off-limits, psychiatrists have found another human foible to ply their trade on (Hoarding disorder, 18 August). How does one categorise Charles Saatchi? The royal family? The difference between a “collector” and a “hoarder” is simply that the former can afford to pay someone else to tidy up.
Eva Lawrence
St Albans, Hertfordshire

• Good lord! The Guardian has recognised the existence of the word “heroine” (Headline, G2, 17 August). Were the style police asleep? Whatever next – “actress”?
Ian Wishart
Chislehurst, Kent

• In 1974 we set ourselves the challenge of naming a kitten after something on the BBC Six O’Clock news. The last item was Brian Clough being sacked as manager of Leeds United. Thus Cloughie was named, narrowly beating Sunny Periods (Letters, passim).
Toby Wood
Peterborough

• Su and Eric Seeley (Letters, 17 August) should think themselves lucky they didn’t have our cat to take to the vet. We named her Fartypants and cringed at her first appointment.
Karin Nutting
Leeds

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