27 NOVEMBER 1976, Page 19

Buy it!

Sir: Your issue of 6 November quotes Mr John Lindsay as saying there is much to be said for forbidding presidential candidates from buying expensive television time to advertise themselves. Surely in a free society politicians should be able to take advertising time on radio/TV if they wish and therefore it makes sense not for America to copy us but for us to copy them? Free speech in broadcasting in this country is well overdue as is the private ownership of radio/TV stations and the introduction of sponsorship on such stations.

J. T. Bardsley 28 Gateways, Epsom Road, Guildford, Surrey