I HAVE been reading, with great interest and mild amusement, the response by Mr Lansdell to my recent letter to the Tavistock Times and I feel that I must take issue with some of his comments.

If Mr Lansdell had read carefully my letter, he would realise that I do, in fact, agree with his outrageous car-sharing proposition and that far from ?riding rough-shod over his freedom of speech? I was merely playing Devil?s Advocate in pointing out the pitfalls of his argument.

Indeed, I am a believer (as the Monkees once sang) in Voltaire?s maxim, which states: ?I may not agree with anything you say but I will defend to the death your right to be a complete idiot. ? Mr Lansdell should not be so sensitive, worse things (I am told) happen at sea.

Regarding my use of lyrics, I believe that popular music is more than just mere aural wallpaper and has much to contribute to modern philosophy. For example, on the Rolling Stones album ?Exile on Main Street?, Keith Richards sang ?I Need Love To Keep Me Happy?. A few years later St Winifred?s School Choir sang ?Grandma, We Love You?. Who among us can honestly disagree with such sentiments?

Mr Lansdell, however, claims that this use of such lyrics ?underlines my inability to employ my own opinions and thoughts?. Nothing could be further from the truth; many song lyrics reflect popular attitudes to various facets of modern society as much as the writings of Shakespeare reflected English society of the 17th century.

In response to Mr Lansdell?s reference to the quote by

Shakespeare to ?tread strongly ?long the road of invention?? was it not Frank Zappa, one of the Mothers of Invention, who warned, ?Let?s go down the road where the wild huskies go, but don?t you go eating that yellow snow?. Wise words indeed.

On a personal note, so impressed am I with the standard of healthy debate within the Tavistock Times that I am planning a visit to the area in the very near future. During this proposed visit I would be delighted to meet with Mr Lansdell and hopefully engage him in robust intellectual intercourse, the exchange of ideologies and the opportunity to ?push back the boundaries of innovation?.

Richard Wall

Suckley

Worcestershire