THERE are those who may eulogise Mary Whitehouse, but I saw her as being in the vanguard of the ban-it brigade. Thanks, in part, to the activities of the NVLA, it is now impossible to buy video, or DVD versions, of some films passed for public exhibition in a cinema.

Feature films for home use have to be "butchered", to accord with someone else's vision of what is "acceptable".

I also bitterly resent the fact that I have to listen to the Big Brother voice of the video standards council, advising us, in formal tones, that such and such a film is of a certain category.

To me that is an unwarranted and unacceptable intrusion, into my home, by the State.

Adults choose freely to appear in films publicly exhibited in cinemas and I don't see why the State, at the behest of the ban-it brigade should be telling adults what they can, and cannot watch, in the privacy of their homes.

At that level, I am of the opinion that the National Viewers and Listener's Association has robbed me of my human rights. Moreover, not once have I ever seen "members" of the NVLA, or Mediawatch defend their stance in public debate - indeed they seem to scuttle away from debate, lest the public at large begin to see just how unrepresentative their views are. They are a minute minority, and like empty vessels, make the most noise.

N TAYLOR,

Worcester.