In a lively letters section, Metro readers tackle a range of topics from Olivia Wilde's comments on orgies to the definition of 'best' films, rent controls, and Junior ISAs.
Orgies and romance don't mix
Julie from the West Midlands strongly disagreed with director-star Olivia Wilde, who suggested in an interview about her film The Invite that 'everyone's thought about an orgy of some kind.' Julie retorted: 'Romance and orgy don't belong in the same sentence… yuk!'
Julian Self from Wolverton, however, welcomed a more relaxed attitude, referencing a French acquaintance who complained that the worst part of orgies in England was 'all the queuing.' He concluded: 'About time, too.'
Questioning 'best' film lists
Colin from London praised chief film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh for interrogating the concept of 'best' films. He argued that lists often reflect personal taste, and proposed that compilers should justify each choice. He offered examples from his own list: Sunrise (1927) for the country-city divide, Ulzana's Raid (1972) for its authentic portrayal of Apache culture, Ashes And Diamonds (1958) for post-war Polish politics, Le Samourai (1967) as a gangster genre endpoint, and Far From Heaven (2002) for its reworking of Douglas Sirk's All That Heaven Allows for a changed culture.
Rent controls need more housing
P Royan from London argued that Generation Rent's call for rent controls misses the point. 'It's not rents that are too expensive but property prices,' he wrote, noting that landlords in the south-east can expect a yield of around four per cent before tax. Squeezing that would lead to sell-offs, leaving 'no point in having cheap, regulated rents if there is nowhere to rent.' His solution: build more housing, whether council or private.
Junior ISAs should be promoted
Miles Thomas from London disagreed with Rosie Murray-West's claim that targeting financial advertising at the old was wasteful. He advocated promoting Junior ISAs (Jisas) and Junior Self-Invested Personal Pensions (Jsipps) as tax-efficient ways to transfer inter-generational wealth. He called for rule changes to allow young people to draw from these accounts for post-secondary education, trade skills, home-schooling exam fees, and training for neurodiverse children not covered by Education, Health and Care Plans.
