Get facts right

HAVING not read Cyril Wise s original letter (June 13), I cannot comment on its content, only to say that I abhor racism in all shapes and forms. What I also object to is people who object other people s letters and use incorrect quotes attributed to the

HAVING not read Cyril Wise's original letter (June 13), I cannot comment on its content, only to say that I abhor racism in all shapes and forms.

What I also object to is people who object other people's letters and use incorrect quotes attributed to the wrong person to make themselves appear more intelligent than they actually are (Timothy Elder's letter, July 4).

The quote should have read: "Nationalism (not patriotism as quoted) is the last refuge of a scoundrel," and it was written by Samuel Johnson, not Oscar Wilde.

It's all right to be patriotic but not nationalistic. Next time he writes a letter to the paper he should make sure he gets his facts right.

STEVE MITCHELL, Oilmills Road, Ramsey Mereside

Editor's note: While Mr Mitchell is correct in attributing the quotation to Dr Johnson, every authority we can find, including his biographer Boswell, says Johnson was referring to patriotism, not nationalism - unless any other reader knows differently.

* TIMOTHY Elder called me a racist and a bigot (Letters, July 4). Would he explain how calling myself an Englishman is racist.

I was born in England with full English parents, and I have proof that my great-great-great-grandfather and mother were English, so why cannot I call myself English without Timothy Elder call me a bigot?

I am not a bigot or a scoundrel. I am just a decent-living Englishman.

C J WISE, Stirling Road, St Ives