Sir: What a short memory John Major has Blair and Major battle over pensions 26 April

Sir: What a short memory John Major has ("Blair and Major battle over pensions", 26 April). It is not so long ago that his government raised the retirement age for women from 60 to 65, effectively abolishing the state pension for this age group. He now has the effrontery to attack other politicians and to suggest that he would resign rather than endanger the state pension. In an election where he has made "trust" an issue he has forfeited the right to be trusted. J E SMITHSutton, Surrey. Sir: May a voice from the viewing public answer David Lister's article, "When treasure becomes a burden" (16 April).

With today's ease of travel, why may people not see art where it belongs, as at the Wallace Collection? Paying for entrance to galleries (as happens more and more) the visitor is not told when half the gallery is closed, or rooms are closed for redecoration, for rehanging or for preparing a temporary extraneous exhibition There is no indication of what can or cannot be seen. With constant movement nothing is predictable, which may be a director's dream but is a visitor's nightmare. Do these spectacular exhibitions really bring in the desired money, despite insurance and other expenses? The visitor has to book the day and hour of visit in advance, only to find himself in a milling crowd, trying to get a glimpse of exhibits. For this he has had to travel to London or Paris, Madrid or Amsterdam.This modern picture circus moves from one grand venue to another while behind the scenes a director says: "If you do not lend me X, I will not lend Y", leading to the qualms over keeping or breaking the conditions of a bequest.Sir William Burrell, singled out as a short-sighted donor, was a businessman and a realist. Accidents should not happen, but on occasions they can, and do, wherever works of art are handled. To deny it is either crass lack of awareness or economy with the truth.If the envisaged end is art on the Internet, why worry? You needn't go to the theatre, because you can see it on TV.

You needn't go to a museum because you can have it on computer screen. Who cares? Then real art can be left in place, in peace, for real appreciation.Mrs KATE HELLBiggar, Lanarkshire. Sir: On the Continent, should you reach the traffic warden while he is writing your parking ticket it will be destroyed as long as you move on. In Germany, if the parking meter is out of order one has the right to park there until the meter resumes working. In this country, there seems to be no human or social angle in the approach of traffic wardens and their employers. Isn't enough money bled from car owners to allow a little space for a more human approach? Could we not learn from our European partners? JEREMY GARSONLondon SW11. Sir: Labour was not the only party speaking for victims of crime in Folkestone and Hythe yesterday ("Tea and sympathy for victims who live in Howard's back yard", 26 April).

Liberal Democrats in a packed meeting in Hythe town hall attacked Michael Howard for cutting criminal injuries compensation. Victims of crime have learnt that there is no such thing as a free tax cut. We argued that a home secretary trying to control crime by sentences alone is like a golfer who drives off the tee with his putter. You cannot sentence criminals unless you can catch them first. You say Michael Howard's majority is "unassailable", I spent yesterday watching Liberal Democrats assailing it with skill and determination. It is no more unassailable than Nigel Lawson was before Mrs Thatcher fired him.Lord RUSSELLLiberal DemocratSocial Security spokespersonHouse of LordsLondon SW1. Sir: Mrs D E Cartman (Letters, 24 April) is wrong to suggest that there is no suitable palliative care outside the hospice movement.

The Registered Nursing Home Association (RNHA), in conjunction with the Cancer Relief MacMillan Fund, is currently training nursing home staff in palliative care nursing. Nursing homes do of course nurse their residents to the end, not "striving officiously to keep alive", but accepting death as the natural end of a relationship with both patient and family, which may have lasted several years. Unlike patients in the National Health Service, our patients are also our customers, and customers are free to go elsewhere. Private sector homes providing the kind of care described by your correspondents would go out of business, and the sooner the better. Dare we hope that the same would be true of incompetent hospital wards? Perhaps there is something to be said for market forces after all.ANDREW MAKINYorkshire Branch SecretaryRegistered Nursing Home AssociationKeighley, West Yorkshire.