Letter: Taxi is cheaper, Ministers

Sir: It's worrying that J M Murphy (letter, 1 February) evokes that old chestnut, the "taxpayer" argument, to justify misgivings over the A30 protesters.

All Swampy and colleagues did was to exercise their right in a democratic society to freedom of speech.

The sinister but logical extension of the Murphy view is that we, as taxpayers, should not support any form of protest - for example by funding the policing of marches.

Freedom of speech is use-dependent: we either use it or lose it.

If the Murphy view is upheld, it will be lost, and we'll all end up doing what we're told.

TIM CHEEK

Cambridge