REBECCA ROOD'S MAILBAG...............

Dear Rebecca ,

Over the last fifty years or so I've seen bridge standards slowly but surely going down the pan.
And I can tell you that I am appalled by the sheer scale of their demise .
Male members turn up to the club in clothes that have never seen an ironing board in a month of Sundays. Most of them are completely lacking in dress sense , and in urgent need of some re-education in personal hygiene . Half the field haven't got a bloody clue about the rules of the game , or they just don't give a damn . Then , of course , we all have to endure the constant rudeness , bickering , harassment , and bullying that goes on at the table , not to mention the slow play , coffee-housing , and widespread cheating . 
What on earth has happened to this once treasured and beautiful game , played by ladies and gentlemen who were polite , respectful , refined and intelligent ? Tell me Rebecca what triggered this destructive cancer that is now condemning bridge to an inglorious death ?

Yours  I. Askew 

Dear IA ,
Put it all down to two irrefutable facts. Firstly,  that the only constant thing in life is change. And secondly , as growing populations compete for a bigger share of material wealth on a planet where resources are rapidly drying up, it's inevitable that people succumb to ditching all their moral and ethical values . 
Therefore , now that society has become so amoral , how can you expect the world of bridge to be any different.

Yours putting it all into perspective , Rebecca Rood