THE Countryside March was at times a stirring and moving occasion as well as a depressing one.

The whole crass stupidity of this awful government was encapsulated by the fact that within five minutes of leaving Waterloo to walk to the start of the march at Blackfriars, I had to step round or over numerous sets of homeless bodies sleeping in cardboard cartons on the pavement.

Would Blair not be better employed solving the problems of the homeless and the 'druggies', the schools and the hospitals, the lawlessness and countless other problems that beset this country, than spending time trying to create a new criminal class with which he will then expect his already overworked and undermanned police force to cope?

R A Neon Reynolds

Close Hill

Bridestowe