THE motorist is the most despised and hated member of the public, despite the tax they pay.

I suppose if Councillor Gavin Dick peddles the myth that "wheel clamping plans are not about money'' (Daily Echo, August 28) for long enough, en the motorist will eventually start believing him.

I have proof that the motorist is the most despised and hated member of the public.

On the front page of the Daily Telegraph (August 25), it was reported that a 172mph Porsche driver faced a custodial sentence.

On the previous evening's Radio 4 news a convicted paedophile, whose youngest victim was 18 months, received a non-custodial sentence.

Apparently this is fair and represents British justice.

The most worrying aspect of this is the fact that the people in command of this nation sit in their ivory towers, and wonder about this "broken society'' and what can be done about it.

It is difficult to believe that unimaginative people are in any position to come up with provocative ideas. Here's one: throw into the dustbin all speed cameras and their associated revenue raising partnerships.

Stop regarding the motorist as the John Dillinger of society, and start trusting him again.

This may cost the Treasury £300m a year (300 war days in Iraq), but will immediately release ten million motorists from the marginal community.

With the subsequent des-truction of all that cynicism, it is conceivable that the damage to society may be repair-able. There are far more worthy criminals out there - murderers, rapists, paedophiles and international terrorists to name but four - or are those in command too stupid and too rapacious to realise this?

D N GRANT, Oliver's Battery, Winchester.