A free press is the last bastion of democracy

Please stay firm and keep your journalistic integrity in the face of anti-democratic campaigns by trade unions, the Guardianistas and anarchist websites. A free press is the last bastion of democracy. Accept that you may have to stand up to attacks on you by the Searchlight-controlled NUJ.

It is crucial in a democracy that a legal political party fighting elections once it reaches a certain size and degree of support has to be given access to the media.

For me there can be no ifs or buts about allowing the party to make its case to your readers. If a party with support is suppressed then we're simply not living in a free and fair democracy with free and fair elections.

Most people don't know about the Searchlight edict to journalists on how they must portray the BNP. If they did they would be disgusted to know an unaccountable third party organisation was compromising our notion of a free press.

Even the BNP leafleteers get harassed from time to time by the police even though no charges of illegality against their election material are ever brought. Like Putin's Russia I suppose.

As a journalist it's down to you to make a stand for free and fair democratic values or else simply to toe the line and accept in effect that Britain shall be nothing more than a Russian style 'managed democracy'.

I understand you ran an hostile editorial in response to the BNP advert - it could be argued that in an ideal society the party would be allowed further access to reply. to whatever you might have said in your editorial but alas in this day and age I'm sure they're thankful for small mercies.

Alan Lee

West Street, Sheffield