WHAT a very brave Opinion column on January 16! Political correctness has never been so eloquently and intelligently dealt with. Sadly, those within the stranglehold of PC, quite cynically, derive great satisfaction from the humiliation and loss of livelihood of others daring to speak the truth.

The silent majority in this country however, believe passionately in free speech which is in danger of being eroded, jointly, by Trevor Phillips' Commission for Racial Equality and The Muslim Council of Great Britain.

Surely they would be better employed gagging the infamous Abu Hamza and other 'holy men' of his ilk before having the gall to interfere with our use of language, our freedoms, our very lives!

In the meantime, I shall, without guilt, display my beloved golliwog, Christmas crib and a flag of which I'm proud. My sheep will remain black as will my coffee and blackboard. This is the England I've known and loved for over 70 years. It must never become a dictatorship.

J CROWTHER, Warmden Gardens, Little Harwood, Blackburn.