Fame at last

With reams being written by Rod Liddle (“Family Guy”, News Review, last week) and India Knight (“Boozy, sexed-up Sally, the sinner we all need”, Comment, last week) about the jolly sexual antics of people in the news, the kids can be forgiven for thinking it is the way to go. Forget dire posters in doctors’ waiting rooms, a bit of information from these “celebs” concerning which condom, protection or partners they select would go a long way to reducing the queue at the venereal diseases clinic.

It takes cold calculation to stay healthy while putting it about, which should be shared with the rest of us. If we are force-fed their lives, with all their inanities, the least they can do is let us in on how they remain alive and well.

Mary Hodgson
Coventry

Birdie magnets
Nick Faldo’s private life has also been complicated. He has been married and divorced three times, yet still went on to be knighted. I think using racism as a reason for deflecting criticism is often a cop-out, but the schadenfreude has a hint of racism.

Paul Nash
Hatfield, Hertfordshire

Teed off
Liddle states that “he knows nothing of the sport” and crucially, this inhibits his commentary. Television viewing figures are phenomenally high when Woods plays (interestingly, they slumped dramatically during his enforced injury lay-off last year). He dares to try seemingly impossible shots. Invariably he succeeds and it is the sheer audacity of his shot-making that delights the crowds and, I suspect, why they will continue to pay to watch him in the future.

Chris Burch
Perth

Rough justice
Woods has transgressed, to suffer from the pens of countless hacks who doubtless lead fault-free lives. But the jibes at golf were unnecessary. Liddle doesn’t play the game, but why the condemnation of all who sail in her?

Anthony French
via email