29 JANUARY 1994, Page 24

Hefferism

Sir: Simon Heifer, an Essex man, may never have travelled on a no. 12 westwards to Shepherd's Bush, and thus not witnessed the bus-conducting of Tony Severin MBE, whose gentle courtesy and unfailing help- fulness which I have experienced really can turn a journey on a bus into a civilised plea- sure. It is disgraceful of him to write of `stunts and frauds that include doling out MBEs to bus conductors' (Politics, 15 Jan- uary). What figure of speech, by the way, should this be called that rudely substitutes `doles out' for `awards'? A hefferism, per- haps?

Oliver Knox

38b Linden Gardens, London W2