IN reply to Norman Roper (last Tuesday’s ViewPoints), could I please make one thing clear.

In my sixth decade of life I have never been a supporter nor member of the Communist, Marxist, Stalinist or Socialist Workers parties.

Though there are, I’m sure, decent members of our society to be found in all those groups, despite Mr Roper’s inference, I belong to none of them.

He is right that I see no problem with policemen heckling an out-of-touch, affluent Home Secretary, possibly slightly more than “three or four”, but he is wrong to suggest that behaviour is not intelligent.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say that is a totally ridiculous statement. Why can’t Mr Roper debate the issues I highlighted as regards the rich getting richer, while people like police officers pay for it?

Or how about answering the point about the huge amount of uncollected tax?

The comment “everyone knows due to the financial mess in Europe, cuts have to be made” is both naïve and untrue: see Spanish, French and Greek workers’ response – and many Oxford Mail readers don’t accept that view.

As my original reply states, there must be an alternative to the ordinary person paying for the banking crisis.

Is there any chance of debating the true picture?

As long as people like Mr Roper continue to digest what the powers that be feed them, then it is ordinary people, like me and millions of others, who will pay for it.

And yes, I obviously do have a much higher regard for our bobbies than Mr Roper does.

TIM SIRET, Millmoor Crescent, Eynsham