‘Why is there a test to drive but not to decide fate of UK?’

The topic of whether or not the electorate should take IQ tests before we’re eligible to vote is still occupying Metro readers’ minds.

Meanwhile, others are discussing prime minister Rishi Sunak being caught out not wearing a seatbelt, and King Charles’s upcoming coronation.

Also a hot topic is whether smokers or vapers are more tolerated by non-smokers.

Read on to see what else people are fuming about.

■ Mike (MetroTalk, Mon) suggests voters should have to pass an IQ test because he was asked daft questions while a presiding officer at a polling station. I’m struggling to disagree but the trouble is, where would you draw the ‘pass line’ and who would agree with it?

We require qualifications to do our jobs and even to drive a car, but we need none to decide on a government. There should be a test on people’s comprehension of what government is and how different choices can decide a nation’s fate or fortunes. Pass the test and you’re fit to vote, regardless of age or IQ. Ian, Croydon

■ Perhaps a test to see whether the potential voter knows what an IQ test actually measures or a test on how the British democratic process works might be a good idea. The IQ test measures only a certain type of mental ability – the ability to solve certain types of logic puzzles. A test based on the ability to complete crosswords is of equal validity.

Many people who have scored above 100 on an IQ test could easily struggle to understand how economics or international trade works. They could also fail in understanding politics, history, classics or even some of the sciences, whereas some who would struggle with an IQ test could excel in other areas. I should know – I struggle with the type of logic that IQ tests work on and I have a master’s degree. Nick, Manchester

■ Instead of sneering about people who are unsure of the correct voting procedure, such as the Brexit referendum voter who asked what ‘Remain’ meant, Mike from Stockport should instead be gratified that they actually turned up to cast their votes. Next he’ll be complaining about voter apathy. Tansy, Colchester

■ One example of voter ignorance Mike gave related to a student being registered to vote at home as well as at university.

He said he explained to her that people must be registered in one place but she tried to convince him that many students were registered at both locations.

As a presiding officer, Mike should have been aware that university students can register at university and home addresses, although they can only vote in one location. Karen, Hornchurch

■ Mike might be surprised to learn that when I was at university from 1971 to 1975, it was common for students to be registered automatically at their college while parents continued to register them at home.

At the time of the 1975 EEC referendum, I asked a couple of my lecturers which vote I should use. They replied ‘both’. I didn’t use both but I wonder how many people did. Valerie, London

‘Below the belt to slam Rishi Sunak and not cyclists’

■ I feel that with all the problems this country has, the last thing we should be bothered about is Rishi Sunak not wearing a seatbelt (Metro, Fri). If you argue that no one is above the law, what about all the cyclists running red lights across London? Nothing is done about them but they clearly cause more danger every single day. John, Bromley

‘People not eating healthy food is a matter of choice, not money’

■ To Liz (MetroTalk, Fri), instead of focusing on the weight of an air passenger, increased pricing based on the amount of noise, dress code and unpleasant odours they emit would lead to better flights. Don, Braintree

■ Sorry, Summer (MetroTalk, Mon) but your comment has forced me to write in. You say that to lower obesity levels, don’t weigh air passengers but make healthy food ‘more accessible and more affordable’. What is the first section you see when you enter a supermarket? Answer: the fruit and veg section. Also, do you know much a kilo of carrots costs in Asda? Answer: 50p.

It’s not about making this food more affordable and ‘accessible’, it’s about putting effort into cooking. There are loads of online recipes for budget meals. People just need to put the effort in. Frank, Kent

‘Woke-up call needed for coronation’

■ Stefan Badham (MetroTalk, Tue) says that with King Charles’s coronation celebrating refugees, multiculturalism and the NHS, it will be as ‘cringeworthy’ as the ‘woke opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics’. Perhaps he would like to offer a definition of what he thinks ‘woke’ means.

In most dictionaries, it’s defined as being alert to social injustices, especially those regarding race – which is a good thing. Unless, like many Conservatives, he’s using it as a pejorative for things he doesn’t like. Ash, Derby

And another thing…

■ I answered the door to someone who was exactly 3ft and 3in tall. I asked, ‘Who are you?’ and he said, ‘I’m the meter man’. Jeff, Nuneaton

■ Regarding the butter debate in MetroTalk, some of us – me included – love to have butter on sandwiches. Especially chip butties and bacon sandwiches. And I’m not a big, fat person either. Diane Webb, Wakefield

■ I am not a smoker and have never touched a cigarette in my life but I must admit I prefer smokers to vapers. Smokers at least try to take into account other people. Vapers just continually emit huge clouds of smoke. Data is not yet available on the damage that vaping is doing to people and the planet, but I am sure it must impact both. Paul, London

■ I just wanted to say what a blessing it is to have Metro to read while travelling on public transport. I am unable to drive at the moment and reading Metro really brightens the bus journeys on these dark and dismal days. L Kelly, by email

■ Since the pandemic we seem to have slipped into a parallel universe where everything looks familiar but nothing feels right. Alan Cheesman, Orpington

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