Letter: Peer pressures

Sir: The correspondent who questions your criticism of the hereditary principle in the House of Lords (letter, 19 October) is quite right when he writes, "In what way is it indefensible for children to inherit talents, abilities and wealth from their forebears?" Unfortunately the good Lord in His wisdom has decreed that sometimes talented fathers may have foolish sons and foolish fathers talented sons. If we poor mortals want good government then we must find some way of separating the talented from the foolish.

ALAN WILKINSON

Sevenoaks, Kent