LEE Prescott’s rant against my alleged “rants” (letters, May 10) is deeply informative.

Unsurprisingly, Lee’s approach is very much taken from the Lynton Crosby Dark Arts school of political campaigning: completely ignore the arguments, and merely attack and “take out” your opponent.

This is the nasty propagandist strategy that the Tories have been adopting with Jeremy Corbyn for several years; and now they’re subjecting letter-writers who dare to challenge the Tories’ shameful record in the same way.

Letter writers from the Left typically offer arguments to give readers different perspectives on issues and events.

All letter writers from the Right ever do (along with Tory politicians) is ignore the arguments, and use demonisation and fear in an attempt to control and close down people’s thinking.

I only wish letter-writers had the influence on local election results that Lee bizarrely seems to believe they do!

But what Right wingers just can’t bear is when progressive, thoughtful people take the opportunity to wake people up to the abominations happening under this government – abominations that most of the national press will never report.

So in an open democracy, we can and do get under their radar through the local press in ways that national propaganda sheets, owned by five non-dom right-wing billionaires, have no control over.

I’m also intensely relaxed about having my alleged “rants” put alongside Lee’s letters, and leaving the intelligent and progressive people of this great town to decide which of us is committed to waking people up, and which is determined to demonise, close down thinking and control through fear.

Finally, Lee should have researched my credentials more carefully.

Not that it has any relevance to anything, but for the record I’m a doctor of philosophy in environmental sciences and a chartered psychologist with the British Psychological Society.

Dr Richard House

Stroud