If you earn less than £35,000 a year you are superfluous to requirements (Report, 29 February). If you are poor and in receipt of state benefits, you had better go live north of Hull. If you are rich you are entitled to as much labour, paid by the taxpayer, as you could wish for (and we're paying some very nice people zillions a year to make sure you are not getting left out. Don't worry, the poor are going to pay tax to fund it all.) If you still think government is going to have any responsibility for providing health or education, you just haven't been paying attention; and if you protest about anything, you are unpatriotic, totally unacceptable and wrong. If you don't like any of it, you're just too poor to matter. Now, is that all clearly understood?
Martin London
Henllan, Denbighshire
• Having lived in England for 35 years, I'm afraid I have had plenty of opportunities to learn first hand that "the English stereotype Spanish people as backward, stupid, and animalistic" (Liverpool's Reina caught in race row after Spanish TV advert is pulled, 1 March). I haven't seen the ad and I'm sure it's stupid, but don't add insult to injury by pretending that the English have never stereotyped Spanish people, or anyone else for that matter.
Maite Lorés
Barcelona, Spain
• Is it mandatory for Republican presidential candidates (Report, 1 March) to have monosyllabic first names (Mitt; Rick; Newt; Ron)? Incidentally, together they sound like a newly discovered subatomic particle: Mittrick neutron. Takes up space, but neither positive nor negative.
Bob Gough
Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
• Ian Jack (25 February) can get delicious West Cork white puddings at Mackens' Butchers, Chiswick.
NP Murphy
Perivale, Middlesex
• Government influenced by "the vagaries of public opinion" (Letters, 27 February)? Didn't the ancient Athenians have a word for that?
Stuart Darmon
Coventry
• Ice cream van, Exeter University, 1 March (Letters, 1 March).
Steve Purves
Exmouth, Devon