To BP, or not to BP: Was RSC right to dump firm?

THE Royal Shakespeare Company has ended its deal with BP (which gave £1 million for subsidies for young people’s tickets) because it disapproves of the energy firm. Do any RSC high-ups or actors or luvvies ever travel by jet aircraft or BP-fuelled limo or car? How else do they get to awards ceremonies overseas? Do any of their audience use BP products to get to their theatres? Or is it merely virtue-signalling by the rich at the expense of the involvement of poorer young people in Shakespeare? SIMON CAMPBELL, Glasgow.

IT SADDENS me that a group of young activists have forced the RSC to sever ties with BP over fossil fuel issues. I have been a fan of the Bard since 1953 when Mrs McMullan, my english Literature teacher, had us all read from Shakespeare’s plays to learn about his wonderful use of language. We became so enthusiastic under her guidance that it was decided our school, The hundred of hoo County Secondary School in Wainscott, Kent, would enter that year’s Medway Schools acting competition. We won! To think that young activists, not much older than myself, then 13, could force a theatrical company as large as the RSC to take this action is terrible. A sad reflection of the very politically correct times that we now live in. ALAN MUDGE, Pentney, Norfolk.

FOLLOWING a campaign of vilification by certain actors and climate change protesters the RSC has severed all connections with BP. As The Mail comments, the RSC has links with China which is the country responsible for 30 per cent of global emissions and is still increasing them by building yet more coal-fired power plants, importing coal from America, and has openly declared it will not start reducing its emissions until possibly after 2030. Will these green killjoys now boycott iPhones, computers and other goods bought from China? CLARK CROSS, Linlithgow, edinburgh.