Letter: Urban louts, rural hunters

Sir: As Polly Toynbee has pointed out, the most powerful argument in defence of hunting is human freedom. The rejection by Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs of any Bill to ban hunting will be a means of forging a left/right consensus on human rights.

Many supporters of country sports on the right are not sympathetic to abortion and gay rights, and are suspicious of press freedom. A decision by Parliament not to interfere in the rights of hunting people will be an important lesson to right-wingers that minority rights are as important to them as to homosexuals and women with unwanted pregnancies. Parliament has no business legislating on such a matter.

P E SHIRLEY

London W6