Dear The Prodigy,

We note with interest your recent comments in the press. Here at the Mercury Music Prize nominations board, we couldn't help but read them as "Boo hoo hoo we didn't get nominated boo hoo it's not fair *sniffle* boo hoo". We all dearly hope that when you made these comments you were looking at the floor looking dejected whilst scuffing your shoes and avoiding eye contact.

You're noted as saying "the Mercury Prize should make more effort to include dance music in its shortlist because that's the type of music that stirs up the emotion" - We ask the honourable gentlemen to refer to your two previous (failed, no hard feelings, ho ho ho) nominations in 1994 and 1997 respectively, and previous nominations for Underworld, The Chemical Brothers, Talvin Singh, Faithless, Leftfield, Basement Jaxx and many other acts that could be categorized as dance music. We believe, and feel free to correct us if we're wrong, that what you meant to say was "the Mercury Prize should make more effort to include our new album "Invaders must die" in its shortlist because we'd really like to win a Mercury Music Prize".

We at the Mercury Board did consider your new album for the briefest of periods - although the general concensus was that we'd all heard the Prodigy Experience back in 1992 and didn't see the point in giving a nomination for what, to all intents and purpose, is the same album.

Yours sincerely,
The Mercury Music Prize