“RESPECT” (Oxford Dictionary definition: Deferential esteem felt or shown towards others).

A simple word but with such meaning, or it was until present times.

From the way tennis players at Wimbledon knowing they were not match fit played a couple of games then retired hurt, to Lewis Hamilton going on holiday rather than appearing in London with all the other F1 drivers, right down to the ever-increasing tieless appearance of people in the public eye.

Playing a couple of games of tennis in order to collect appearance money showed scant to no respect for the fans who had paid a lot of money to watch them play.

That admittance money would go a long way toward those hurt players’ prize money.

Hamilton, in his protestations as to why he didn’t turn up in London said he wanted to prepare himself for the upcoming British GP at Silverstone.

This begs the obvious question, why didn’t all the other drivers do the same?

That appears to demonstrate the lack of respect he should hold his fans in.

Speaker in the House of Commons John Bercow has given his permission to MPs to go tieless if they so wish.

Surely a lack of respect at their being an MP.

Speaker Bercow demonstrated his lack of respect to his position when, on being elected as Speaker, he refused to wear the wig which is part of the Speaker’s attire.

The eroding of respect is getting more and more prevalent but, unfortunately, is all one can expect in the modern age.

Philip Roe, Roman Avenue South, Stamford Bridge