IT was fascinating to read in the Packet (June 16) those letters pouring scorn, disgust, etc, on the Skipper's views on the Cornish language. Long before the Skipper came over the horizon and docked in the Packet, I was saying, and still say, the Cornish language was only revived by a few intellectual idiots (not all of them even Cornish) and for their own, vested reasons. That the correspondents in question all chose to voice their disgust with the Skipper in English, just confirms my contention.

As I've stated on many occasions, there are three curses that beset us all: the world in which we all have to live, politics, religions and languages.

All of these divide people, rather than uniting us in order that we may all prosper, endure less friction and conflict and in the case of language(s), get to know each other better and live in harmony together.

But then, this is not what politicians, religious leaders and linguists want; each have their own reasons for wanting to keep us and the rest of the world's population divided. If we are unable to understand the existing plethora of languages spoken throughout the world, how are we going to understand fully each other's problems and solve them?

Common sense tells me that an international language is the goal we should all be striding toward and not resurrecting dead languages. If it were not for those three groups mentioned, it would be the policy of educationalists in every country to teach just two languages to each and every one of their pupils, ie their own national native tongue and an international one, which I'm not ashamed to contend should be English.

How much more simple, how much more practical but, how much more dangerous for that comparative handful of politicians and religious fanatics who control millions in our respective countries and of course others who have sought over the years to dream up new languages and now - here in Cornwall - those seeking to feist Cornish onto others whilst trying to make their case, voice their criticism, air their comments, etc, in good old English!

Peter Mahoney, Reawla Lane, Reawla, Hayle