REGARDING the British institution of annually bestowing honour and status on selected persons such as the Beatles who got OBEs in the 1960s, I recall it was they that almost snubbed this award as being "hollow."

Also they talked of themselves and their associates from this "corrupt" establishment buying an island and forming their own colony and values - one of which was legalising drugs.

The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley and other such pop groups openly promoted and encouraged the deluded juvenile and adolescent fanatics into the partaking of drugs as the "in thing" to do, interwoven with their political songs of protest and freedom from discipline and authority, thus sowing the bitter seeds of the mayhem of today.

To honour those who are devoid of respect is a mockery to those who genuinely deserve recognition.

J A MARSDEN, Scarborough Road, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.