'Fascist!' and 'Faggot!', two insults from opposite ends of the political spectrum, both come from words meaning 'a bundle of sticks': are they in fact derived from the same word, way, way back?

Kevin Hobbs, Glasgow

• What makes you say faggot and fascist come from opposite ends of the political spectrum? Given that I take it you mean faggot is slang for a homosexual, could there not easily be a faggot fascist? (a few names do spring to mind).

  Richard, London UK