The ridiculous notion of ‘illegitimate’ children lingered for too long
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Version 0 of 1. Registering babies | Farage’s pub crawl | Medics in crisis | Weeding out thieves | Weighing up the cost of papers Ideas of “illegitimacy” (Letters, 17 April) remained potent for some at least as late as the 1990s. When I registered my firstborn, I refused to say whether I was married and insisted my partner’s name also go on the certificate. The registrar, horrified, told me: “But then your child will be registered as illegitimate!” I had to point out to her that illegitimacy had not been a legal category for some time. But I didn’t tell her that I’d been born in a mother-and-baby home. I found her words ridiculous, but they could as easily have been an unnecessary (and inaccurate) cruelty.Naomi StandenBirmingham As the 1 May local elections near, Nigel Farage’s campaign is featured in every media outlet. The reports seem to suggest that it consists of a pub crawl around the country. I wonder if Farage is aware of the Alex Glasgow song As Soon As This Pub Closes (The Revolution Starts)?Keith FlettTottenham, London Lucy Mangan has done it again. Her review of 999: The Critical List (21 April) is so beautifully written, so sympathetic and so despairing that it had me in tears. And that’s before I watch the show.Deirdre BurrellMortimer, Berkshire An engineer says the use of stolen electricity to power marijuana farms is “a growing problem” (Report, 22 April). Well, quite.Philip ClarkeEast Bridgford, Nottinghamshire Londoner Terry Bates informs us that newspapers cost less than a cup of coffee (Letters, 20 April). Up here, it’s less than a pint.Pete BibbySheffield Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section. |