Why sleeping rough was rare in the 70s

One reason why sleeping rough was a rare sight in the 1970s (Letters, 26 November) was because squatting was then legitimate, with about 30,000 squatters in London alone in 1979. Subsequent governments made things harder, and the enactment of section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 effectively made squatting illegal.
Kevin Bannon (former squatter)
London

• With the first night of Hanukkah on Sunday, I looked to your food pages for inspiration. The weekend editions were loaded with ideas for Christmas. But whither kugel, matzo ball soup and latkes? Odd, as the Guardian has worked hard to highlight politicians’ lack of regard to the multiple faiths that make up this country.
Allison Dutoit
Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan

• A very good point, Toby Wood, on great sex v food (Letters, 28 November). The imbalance speaks to the quote from George Meredith’s book The Ordeal of Richard Feverel: “Kissing don’t last: cookery do.”
Siobhán Ní Chuanaigh
Dublin

• Presumably the Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott expeditions used quill pens because fountain pens would become inoperable at sub-zero temperatures (Letters, 28 November).
Dr Brigid Purcell
Norwich

• Since masks become mandatory on Tuesday, surely it would be sensible to provide free masks at stations, bus depots and other locations?
Harry Miller
London

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