SIR – I am pleased to see that Mike Pollard (Letters, June 22) has taken exception to my accusing him of being against social mobility because of his allegedly light-hearted reference to John Prescott.
Mr Pollard is not the only commentator to have used the former Deputy Prime Minister as a reason for us not opting to become a republic on the unspoken but seriously-implied grounds that he is a figure of fun.
There is of course an element of intellectual snobbery here which cannot be excused by pretending it was all a joke.
President George W Bush, he might remember, was another who suffered similar criticism because he too was wont to mangle his syntax.
If Mr Pollard wants to make a serious point about the drawbacks of republicanism, he should produce some real evidence rather than rely on what is nothing more than rather cruel character assassination.
Brian Holmans, Langley Road, Bingley
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