Roy White, of Naseby Drive, Heathfield, writes:

Our democracy requires freedom and liberty within the law. But to work the law must be respected, and to be respected the laws must be fair and necessary, and based on common sense.

There is too much alcohol-fuelled bad behaviour, but rather than enforce the existing drunk and disorderly laws, the government will enact legislation to raise the price of alcohol and penalise those who don't break any laws, along with the miscreants that do. Such a law will not be respected and will not work. This is an example of the legislative diarrhoea this country suffers from.

Certain journalists and their editors behaved horribly to a large number of people, including those already at horrifically low points: the families of crime victims. This reprehensible behaviour broke the law. When another journalist made this known, the lawbreakers should have been charged and tried, but with highly ranked politicians cosying up to press barons, and some policemen in the pay of journalists, this did not happen.

There have been charges brought now under already existing law, so there is no need for new law; just vigorously apply what exists already. After all there is no honour among thieves of other people's dignity – they will cheerfully report on one another's misdeeds.

The press must remain free; the right to report on the misdeeds of our rulers must be maintained; the smallest breach in this freedom will eventually lead to a legislative flood, and a fully controlled press needed by any dictatorship.

When people as wide apart as Ian Hislop (Private Eye), Shami Chakrabarti (Liberty) and David Cameron (leading legislative diarrhoea sufferer) all agree it would be wrong to legislate, who am I to disagree? MORE LETTERS IN OUR DIGITAL EDITION