To my knowledge, there has been no direct action on the Hastings bypass issue and the case against it has been carefully and laboriously won over six years of hard research and presentation.

And, for heaven's sake, since when has direct action been "terrorism" (as defined by the Tory leader of East Sussex County Council)? Ghandi would turn in his grave.

The reality is the Government found the economic case for the bypass convincing, in addition to accepting the overwhelming environmental case.

Jobs will not go to the needy and what jobs are created will be matched by jobs lost and transferred out.

It is not "lack of access" which disadvantages Hastings. Under capitalism, economies always develop unevenly, with rich and swollen metropolitan areas and deprived peripheral regions.

Bypass schemes often exacerbate these regional and class disparities rather than ameliorate them.

There are many factors in Hastings' decline, yet the level of public transport investment has been appalling too.

It is not by chance the London-Brighton rail line was electrified 65 years ago and the Hastings-Ashford line still awaits this. One law for the posh resort, another for its "provincial" cousin along the coast.

But Hastings has one fantastic asset - its environment.

And its bone-headed business community is seeking to trash the very woods, hills and quiet, wildlife-rich river valley that could make it a centre of attraction across the whole of Europe. Thank heavens these people's "tyranny" has at last been dented.

-Shanti Haft, Brighton and Hove Socialist Alliance Green Caucus