THE murky surrounds in which the business world of Sir Philip Green and his wife, Tina, are enmeshed, ie the High Street shop empires involving Burtons, Bhs, Top Shop etc, are unfortunately redolent of a prevailing ethos where enough is never enough ("Arcadia slides into administration as Topshop boss says downfall inevitable due to lack of investment", the Herald, December 1). It is rife in politics as it too often is in commerce and industry too, though thankfully there are many not thus afflicted. Revelations about contracts awarded for supply of equipment and various services ostensibly to help the NHS cope with the virus crisis, and these awarded without competitive tender, instead because of donations to Tory party funds, and family and friends favours further reflect this ethos. Likewise. Brexit strongly exudes an odour of personal enrichment among its core promoters. While millions of people have been and will be adversely affected by such events, millions of pounds are also being seen in the murky goings-on attending these events.

When will those who demonstrably already have enough, whether these be billionaire business people, well-off politicians, super wealthy landowners, rich fishing boat owners, city financiers, and whoever else might attain to Forbes or Sunday Times top 100 rich lists – when will they settle for enough?

As Chief Albert Luthuli was quoted as saying, in the era of South African apartheid: he could understand a man with one farm wanting two, but not a man who had four farms wanting five.

Ian Johnstone, Peterhead.

2+0 =?

OUR esteemed Diary editor informs us that "we once received a crash course in elementary arithmetic" (The Diary, The Herald, November 28). I am fairly certain that "elementary arithmetic" figured somewhere in my primary school days. I do recall being told that the number 2 (two) when placed before the number 0 (zero) meant that I was supposed to assume that the result was 20 (twenty.)

Recently in these airts we have been tested, for the vehicle speeds being used, by the laying of cables across the roads. After a while the cables vanished and lots of little white and red signs bearing the numbers 2 and 0 appeared on poles everywhere. Presumably we are intended to see them as 20mph signs and drive at no more than that speed. Unfortunately there appears to be many people who did not learn about the 2 and the 0 making 20 at school, and just drive at whatever speed they like. The cables are back again.

I realise that it is no fun driving in town, or through the little villages, as if one is a trainee hearse-driver but, as in the lockdowns, we have to just thole it and behave as told.

Thelma Edwards, Kelso.

MOVING TRIBUTE

I NOTE that your regular, entertaining and (self-confessed) elderly correspondent R Russell Smith has moved from Kilbirnie to the retirement haven of Largs. Let's hope that this simply means that he is only geographically “over the hill” and will continue to amuse Herald readers for many years to come.

Dr David K Gemmell, Lanark.

A DROP TOO MUCH

AS of Friday, Glasgow Airport is increasing the drop-off charge by 100 per cent, from £2 to £4. How can this be justified?

At least Dick Turpin wore a mask.

James Martin, Bearsden.