Sir: As one who entered psychiatry in the early 1970s, I have always felt that R D Laing (“The man who abolished madness”, 13 May) offered a way of making sense of madness instead of just observing and labelling it from the outside. Ten passed through red lights, six used the pavement, and one managed to travel through a red light and across two pedestrian ways, all against the flow of traffic. A slightly better 56 per cent correct but still appalling.One disturbing conclusion that might be drawn from these admittedly unscientific findings is that the more cycle-friendly a street is, the more that cyclists will abuse it.PD MILLERLondon W2. Results: 63 per cent of bicycles and less than 2 per cent of cars were behaving badly.Moving to the much less cycle-friendly Five-Ways junction at Chepstow Road and Westbourne Grove, I was unable to count the cars, but during my 40 minutes of observation none committed an actual offence, though one performed a stunningly stupid manoeuvre.As for the cyclists – of 39 passing through the junction, 22 did so correctly. Sir: Prompted by Edwin Kilby’s letter (15 May) I set out to do as he suggested and observe for a few minutes two road junctions I use regularly as a pedestrian and as a motorist.
My findings may not make comfortable reading for the cycling community. When I read the letter I was at the junction of Portobello Road and Blenheim Crescent in London, so I set to my task immediately, watching both cars and bicycles for 30 minutes.
Of 43 bicycles passing through this junction, 26 were travelling the wrong way on a one-way street and one contrived to ride on the pavement – a spectacularly inconsiderate feat in view of the crowded pedestrian way.During the same time, 56 cars passed through the junction with only one (a police car) failing to slow down adequately. Millions are already expended in the pursuit of power – what might an unscrupulous party spend to detect an electronic count?KEN BLANSHARD,Burgess Hill, West Sussex. Running totals physically exist throughout electronic voting, but not in a ballot box. While this is irrelevant for public voting in a debating chamber, there is potential for abuse in general elections with polling open for 15 hours.
It is not simply that the result might be faked.
Mere detection of running totals would be of immense value to party machines: workers could be deployed with absolute certainty; voters might be influenced. Sir: Bob Young (letter, 15 May), extols the “Theatre of the Count”, and his comments on the visible checks and balances provided by paper ballots are pertinent. Further points differentiate electronic and paper voting. Sir: The Weasel (Magazine, 10 May) says America would never have horror legends to brighten up its “dreary” stamps. In fact, the US mail currently has a set of horror stamps infinitely better than the safe, wishy-washy illustrations on the new British stamps. At least in the US, living people can appear on stamps, while we continually have the dead (with one exception)
IAN SCOTT
Edinburgh. In the words of the Charity Commissioners, “effective and efficient administration cannot be bought on the cheap” (1990, para.
82).MARY NEWBURNHead of Policy ResearchThe National Childbirth TrustLondon W3. This year alone, we have published research and made recommendations on antenatal screening, lobbied for a reduction in the caesarean section rate and an end to court-ordered caesareans, and created a “breastfeeding- friendly” symbol with Waterstone’s to be launched in breastfeeding awareness week, 19-24 May. We do all this with only 27.5 whole-time equivalent paid staff and many thousands of hours of volunteers’ time.
At present those who use our services and become members of the NCT do not fully reflect the diversity of parents in the UK. We have planned for a balance between increasing membership rates and extending sponsorship arrangements.Ironically, if there had been a greater investment in the centre sooner, our management and financial planning would have been smoother and more clearly communicated. We need to broaden our fundraising base if we are to offer accessible, affirmative and affordable services to the parents of all 700,000 new babies each year.
Sir: The letter from Diana Winstanley (10 May) accuses the National Childbirth Trust of having become “an increasingly top-heavy centralised operation”. Fragmentation of responsibility is not what is needed.PAT ZADORA, National President, Business and Professional Women UK; ANNETTE LAWSON, Chair, Fawcett; SANDRA HARRIS, President, League of Jewish Women; ROZ FRASER, Chair, National Alliance of Women’s Organisations; GRACE WEDEKIND, President, National Council of Women of GB; SUSAN KNOX, National Vice- Chair, National Federation of Women’s Institutes; KANCHAN JADEJA, Director, Sia; OLIVE NEWTON, President, Soroptomist International of GB and Ireland; IRIS SHANAHAN, National Chairman, Townswomen’s Guilds; LUCILLE HUGHES, Chair, Welsh Assembly of Women; LIZ BAVIDGE, Co-Chair, VALERIE EVANS, Co-Chair elect, Women’s National CommissionLondon W9. It provides services (antenatal classes, breastfeeding counselling and local support networks), publishes reliable information, and campaigns for improvements in maternity care and support for parenting. I would like to know on what evidence she makes this assertion The NCT has 55,000 members and 400 branches. We consider this is likely both to marginalise it and affect its independence.There are no “women’s issues” but there are issues of special concern to women: they all have to do with continuing inequities and inequalities.