Stop hounding us
From Simon Hart
Sir: Ever since he was sacked by Radio 4’s Today programme for his obsession with the Countryside Alliance, Rod Liddle has not been able to leave us alone (‘At least they understand democracy’, 5 January).
The problem is that it suits Liddle to pillory us as a single-issue pressure group when he knows full well that the truth is somewhat different. While no one would deny that we have played an active and key role in the hunting debate up to and beyond the introduction of the largely ridiculed Hunting Act 2004, we have been far from ‘utterly silent on the real problems which this government (and previous governments) have inflicted upon our rural areas’.
If he had taken a moment to have a quick glance at our website, he would have noticed our continuing campaign to save rural post offices; our ‘Best Rural Retailer’ competition and a host of other campaigns. But that would spoil his fun. A closer look at the Rural Jigsaw, the Alliance’s policy document, would have explained the ways in which the Alliance strives to highlight and alleviate the problems facing rural communities that he refers to, and more.
Nevertheless, I suppose we should be grateful for the weekly name checks, and for Liddle’s fascination with those who wish to ‘dress up as idiots and go about maiming foxes’. His strident tone has the effect of encouraging the undecided to support us far more than anything we could ever say.
Simon Hart
Chief Executive, Countryside Alliance
London SE11
The cost of class
From Andrew Nash
Sir: Matthew Lynn’s bafflement at the cost of school fees (‘Why we need no-frills, low-cost private schools’, 13 January) would soon be solved if he actually had to run an independent school.
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