ON reading Alison Rowat's article ("Why the Clinton-Lewinsky affair still matters years on..." The Herald, October 14) I feel that some additional perspective is appropriate in order that we do not continue to demonise Monica Lewinsky while Hillary Clinton is still admired by many.

Hillary Clinton, the nearly president, was never going to "kick him to the kerb" over the affair. She was well aware of his philandering back when he was running for Governor of Arkansas. His election agent advised Ms Clinton that there was a major problem with her husband's affairs. When asked in which county, he answered "all of them" and there are 75 counties in Arkansas. One can only conclude that power was the deciding factor in their relationship. This would explain the many stories alleging that Ms Clinton was willing to attack the women involved.

John F Kennedy was a similar serial sex predator who is still revered by many who would damn any current politician who even mildly stayed from the straight and narrow.

Ms Rowat's reference to President Trump's locker room boasting which occurred years before he became president is an interesting parallel. There has never been any proof that Donald Trump actually physically touched anyone, so it is logical to consider this to be locker room/changing room male boasting which invariably has little basis in fact. However, I wonder that Ms Rowat ignores the current President's actions. Among other matters the FBI are investigating that President Biden paid more than $25,000 for his son's alleged drug-fuelled prostitution binge in the Chateau Marmot in Los Angeles. Couple that with the accusations of inappropriate touching of several women by members of his staff which have been conveniently swept under the carpet. If that is not worthy of comment, then standards have indeed sunk to an all-time low.

It does appear that politicians are judged by very different standards dependent upon which party they represent.

David Stubley, Prestwick.

DIGGING HOLES FOR THE FUTURE

IT'S not so long since we were being urged to lodge compensation claims against financial institutions which had conned customers into buying PPI, in some cases without them even knowing about it. It now looks like the "Guarantor Loan" providers are the next lot about to be exposed.

Despite all this we're subjected to a daily barrage of TV adverts encouraging us to take out deals to "pay for our funerals", "ensure our successors aren't burdened with high costs" or simply "insurance cover".

Closer examination of the small print suggests that many have no cash-in value; the final value paid out may fall short of the total payments made; the final payment might not cover the cost of the funeral; and the lump sum payout quoted is only applicable in the first 24 months of the policy.

Some of these adverts are fronted by former celebrities who clearly have few alternative employment options.

In my youth we used a saying "at least Dirk Turpin wore a mask" when it was clear we were being ripped off.

Are some people taken in by this baloney? If so, then surely this industry needs more regulation (there's also an issue that the funeral industry is fuelling it with its charges). The only difference between this and the mortgage protection fiasco is that nobody can say they weren't warned beforehand.

John F Crawford, Lytham.

HIGH-RISES NOT FOR THEM

MARK Smith's enthusiastic defence of high-rise flats ("The ‘ugly’ high-rises that I would fight to save", The Herald, October 14)contains the telling phrase: "I never lived in any of the eight blocks myself, although I knew people who did." That summarises the experience of those who commissioned them, of the architects who designed them, of the officials who sanctioned their construction and of the builders who made a good profit by building them. Obviously, none of these people realised what they were missing.

Peter M Dryburgh, Edinburgh.

A DANGEROUS STRATEGY

OUR Government is pushing us towards replacing our gas boilers with electrically-driven heat pumps and replacing our fossil-fuelled vehicles with electrically-driven vehicles, both with inordinate haste.

All this when the National Grid is alerting us to the safety margin between electricity supply and demand forecast being lower than last winter, where emergency measures had to be taken to avoid lights-out.

What could possibly go wrong?

GM Lindsay, Kinross.

SAVE CHILDHOOD INNOCENCE

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with the letters from Jane Lax and Thelma Edwards (October 13) and regarding recent suggestions to introduce trans-sexual issues in education at primary school ("Primary schools to receive free book explaining LGBT+ issues", The Herald, September 18), may I relate the following true story? Imagine if you will, a primary school, West Highlands, induction day for P1. Headmistress, mother and child are seated.

Head: "Name? Address? DOB? Nationality?"

Mother supplies details. "Nationality? She was born in England but then we moved to Scotland."

Head: "Shall we just say British?"

Mother: "Oh no! She must be allowed to choose."

Head sighs and smiling turns to the little girl: "What would you like to be?"

Little girl thinks and then states: "A flower."

There is such a thing as innocence. A five-year-old's world is a simple and uncomplicated space. To those who suggest such initiatives, could you kindly leave them to enjoy their innocence, unfettered by concepts beyond their understanding.

Maureen McGarry-O'Hanlon, Balloch.

* REGARDING the recent gender nonsense: may I suggest that anyone with an Adam’s apple come forward for a prostate cancer test?

Gordon Casely, Crathes.