I AM responding to the letter from Keith Ratcliffe of Highworth in the EA of July 4, relative to the House of Lords.

Your correspondent has repeatedly used your columns, as can be confirmed by referring to your back copies, to attack left wing politicians and now he advocates keeping the House of Lords free of interference. Suspicious duplicity this.

He seeks to draw the analogy with aldermen who were once the higher elected body of local government to support his views.

Reference to Mr Ratcliffe's previous letters of which there are many he has concentrated his attack on the leadership of the borough council criticising the Government in a relentless attack on our democratically elected representatives.

Any person who claims that councils/

governments should not be political seeks to alter society by other means. As a representative of the Highworth ward on the borough council for many years I experienced Mr Ratcliffe's claims that councils are too political only to find him promoting the status quo.

He should be aware that democracy never comes cheap and differences should be expressed and all the representatives should be accountable and elected by the public.

That is far healthier than appointments by self-styled barons, seeking to secure an establishment-lead society.

DERRICK BYE

Former borough councillor/ town mayor

Thresher Drive

Swindon