I read Jonathan Goldsmith’s article about the growing number of ‘rights’ with interest.

Can I ask what has happened to a person’s responsibilities, which is the other side of the coin?

If EU citizens expect their rights to be honoured, then surely they should accept the responsibility of paying taxes and being aware of their neighbour’s ‘rights’.

They should also accept that everyone should enjoy the benefit of a country’s freedoms and not just try to enforce individual rights.

Yes, respect another’s religion, but if this means noisy bells causing disturbance early on a Sunday morning (a frequent complaint I had as a teenager living opposite a church) whose rights should be respected?

My right to have peace or the church’s right to welcome its worshippers?

Jonathan mentions that the Chinese government does not accept ‘rights’.

But what is recognised by the Chinese individual is that they have to work, not just for their own support and self-respect, but for the honour of their country and their families.

I compare this with the civil servants and others in European countries who go on strike for their own ends – the fact that they have to work longer before they receive their pensions – when it is well known that most countries are suffering from debt and recession.

I am not saying that we should embrace the Chinese way of lack of rights; but it would be a step forward if we all recognised the responsibilities that go with rights.

Jennifer Margrave,Jennifer Margrave Solicitors, Guildford