3 FEBRUARY 2001, Page 25

From Mr George Pitcher Sir: I was a libertarian on

the hunting issue until I read Charles Moore's emetic article. His dewy-eyed nostalgia for the old social order (in which, naturally, he would appear near the top) admires the professional huntsman, 'a low-paid countryman, probably without education'. Would he choose the job, then, if he were educated? Mr Moore applauds hunting because it regulates itself. But self-regulation has not demonstrably best served the interests of the nation — witness the Stock Exchange and the financial services industry.

There are good arguments for hunting, but Mr Moore doesn't make them. Rather, his is the kind of Olde England charm that swells the ranks of the antis.

George Pitcher

London SE24