Letter: The pros and cons of Red Hot Dutch

Sir: The Rt Rev David Sheppard (Letters, 25 January) appeals for the explicit pornography of the Red Hot Dutch satellite television channel to be banned in Britain 'as an expression of the shared values on which we want our society to be based' and according to the 'laws and regulations' of 'this country' which 'define what is decent and permissible in the light of our own moral and spiritual beliefs'.

One of the shared values and moral beliefs of many people in this country is that what consenting adults wish to do or hear or see in private is their own business, however unpleasant or indecent or offensive it may be, and that it should not be the subject of laws or regulations imposed by other people.

In such a case and from such a perspective, what should prevail is not the emotional dogmatism of the minority, stimulated by the mass media and the religious establishment, but the personal freedom of individuals who only wish to mind their own business.

Yours faithfully,

NICOLAS WALTER

London, N1

25 January