29 JUNE 1996, page 25

Once Bitten . . .

Sir: Mr Hockney is right about quarantined dogs and rabies (`Britain: a dog's life for so many', 15 June). California has, as he says, plenty of rabies among its wildlife. But......

Pleasantly Brutish

Sir: If I am not mistaken, Alan Watkins not long ago used the phrase 'genial brutality' in your pages to describe the manner of Yorkshiremen in general and Denis Healey in......

Italians Can Take It

Sir: How interesting to see The Spectator belatedly following in the footsteps of one of its great confreres (Politics, 22 June). The non-quoted Senor Westendorp apart, it was......

Letters Bill's Bill

Sir: Bruce Anderson clearly has not read or comprehended my speech on my Referen- dum Bill (Politics, 15 June). This is all my fault. He conveniently overlooks the fact that the......

Sir: A Less Than Attractive Aspect Of The Spectator Is

its tendency to fawn over celebrities. David Hockney's pathetic little whinge about his pet dogs and the imagined terrors that could be inflicted on them is just the latest......