Letter: Changing countryside

This country-dweller is sick of having his views "represented" by others. First it was the hunting lobby. Now I see that the Country Landowners Association and the National Farmers Union are claiming to speak for me ("When the wrath of the country people will be set ablaze", 7 February).

I love the landscape and the villages in my part of England. I like to walk in the woods and experience the passing of the seasons. I do not complain about the noise of tractors nor the smell of slurry. At the same time, I enjoy rock concerts and the cinema and the theatre. I travel to watch Premier League football. I vote Labour. I can't remember the last time I tugged my forelock. And I am realistic enough to recognise that, if it is to thrive, the countryside has to change.

A majority of country people oppose hunting with hounds. Quite apart from the obvious, the hunt is a nuisance and an inconvenience to those of us who live here. My guess is that a majority also want to see the "right-to-roam" enshrined in law - a manifesto commitment on which the Government seems to be planning to renege.

DAVID WILKINS

Berwick St Leonard, Wiltshire