Inequality

al election was called. What a coincidence! cartoon character Lobey Dosser brought back a schoolday memory from about 1949 when the Citizen’s Theatre mounted a morning performance of The Merchant of Venice for an audience of Glasgow school pupils. Stanley Baxter, in his early twenties and before he became internationally known (though wellenough known locally as an excellent budding comedian), played Launcelot Gobbo. His first entry caused a sensation, dressed as he was in the tightest of tights which left no doubts as to his gender. Before he could say anything, a callow youth in the stalls jeered “Haw! Wee Lobey!” which corpsed not only Stanley but the entire audience. Ibetstanley,now91, still remembers it.

ANDREW BROOM Traquair Park West, Edinburgh Mary of Argyle. Amusing as it was, I confess I have never heard of any of them. Did any of them say “What’s up doc ?” on a regular basis ? No? Oh I really must get out more. Anyway, it makes a pleasant change from Scottish politics, Indyref2 and Brexit, doesn’t it? Well done Ron. Nearly 60 years ago when I started working in the British Linen Bank there was a separate salary scale for males and females which, considering that they were both working the same hours and the same time, I considered to be grossly unfair.

However, this was soon rectified and and everyone was on the same salary scale, which is as it should be so long as they are doing the same work and in the same time, which they were. Nowadays in this ridiculously politically correct era it seems we have gone back in time at Wimbledon, with the males now being treated unfairly, with the prize money for both singles events being the same and I know that if I was working a five-day week and a female doing the same job was working a three day week I would be extremely unhappy which, of course, is a similar situation at Wimbledon, with men playing the best of five sets and women playing only the best of three.

It is obvious to anyone with half a brain that this is totally ludicrous and it would appear that Scotland’s Andy Murray has joined the ranks of the politically correct zealots – or is he just trying to curry favour with the opposite sex in case deserved popularity suffers. If this is so it is a sad reflection on modern Britain. GEORGE STOREY Glebe View

Hawick