I am appalled at the apparent suggestion that it is not acceptable for a Labour party member to be opposed to Nato (Corbyn will not regain Labour whip while endorsing Stop the War, suggests Starmer, 11 April). I distinctly remember speaking against Nato at a national conference of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the late 1960s, and that view has never changed. I have been a Labour member since 1971 and I have never had any indication from the party that that view was inconsistent with membership.
Simon Fowler
Lamberhurst, Kent
• It was refreshing to read Oleksandr Ruchko’s piece from Lviv (Country diary, 14 April), and to hear of the white stork, the national bird of Ukraine and a symbol of freedom. It brought to mind folk songs of the Tchyka bird, a poetical name for Ukraine itself.
Paul Salt
London
• Never mind about silent characters in The Archers (Letters, 13 April). What about a thought for an unheard and unseen character frequently mentioned in the 60-odd years Coronation Street has been on – Willie Eckerslike.
Tim Lane
Storrington, West Sussex
• I couldn’t help thinking of Vladimir Putin as I watched the wicked Gellert Grindelwald, played by Mads Mikkelsen, in the latest Fantastic Beasts film.
Canon Cecil Heatley
Bromley, London
• David J Bray doesn’t know how lucky he is, with one column on seven county cricket matches (Letters, 12 April). Try being a rugby league supporter.
Frank Turton
Upton, Nottinghamshire
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