Letter: What millennium?

Sir: Amid all the hoo-ha about the millennium, it seems to be overlooked that the event smacks of religious discrimination. It will be a millennium only according to the Christian calendar. Clearly it would not help to switch to the Islamic, Jewish, or any other religion-based calendar. What we need is a purely secular and neutral calendar.

Fortunately the very thing already exists. The Roman civil calendar commences from the founding of the city (ab urbe condita) in 753BC and its year coincides with that already in general use.

It has two other advantages: it is associated with the last previous period when Europe was united ; and it postpones the millennium fuss - next year will be 2753 ab urbe condita, a wholly unremarkable number. For this alone it would be worth it.

N A WALTER

Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex