6 I WRITE in response to your Opinion column (Evening News, Thursday, December 21) on hunting.

As you may know from much of the correspondence that you have received from me over the last few years, I do not concur with some of what you write, especially with your final paragraph where you state the following: "Pest Control must happen, but not in pomp and glory. Ultimately, that is something we can't defend. The thought leaves us with no alternative but to support the fullest ban."

I am the first person to respect your right to your views and I will continue to campaign and fight for your freedom to express your point of view on whatever subject you wish.

You are probably right to come off the fence on this issue, although I do not know how your newspaper came to this conclusion.

Did you run a poll of all of your employees? Did you have a show of hands or a secret ballot, or is it that the author of the Opinion column just happens to be anti-hunting? Many national newspapers have come out against a ban on hunting, mainly on libertarian grounds. Some have stated that they find hunting to be unpleasant, but that they strongly support the rights of those who do go hunting to do so.

I think that we are living in a dangerous society when it can ban something on a whim just because it does not happen to approve of it.

What about the tolerant society that we are supposed to live in as championed by Tony Blair?

TIM PINNEY,

Chairman,

Worcestershire Countryside Alliance.