Letter: Labour tradition

Letter: Labour tradition

Sir: Ken Livingstone's campaign of vitriol against the Labour Party continues with this latest attack ("New Labour's newest campaign is based on immaturity and innuendo", 19 August).

He persists in the ridiculous claim that the candidates he is supporting for Labour's NEC is somehow representative of party members. The Grassroots Alliance does not consist of genuine grassroots activists - Mark Seddon is editor of Tribune, Liz Davies supports Labour Left Briefing, Pete Williamson is a long-standing leader of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy.

A look at the index of many of the histories of the Labour Party over the last 20 years will throw up all three names. All three are leaders of the hard left of the Labour Party, the clandestine network of extremist publications and groupings on the fringes of politics dedicated to an agenda wholly at variance to mainstream Labourism and the Government's policies.

These are the people who attacked the reforms of Neil Kinnock, lambasted John Smith and would remove Tony Blair if they saw a chance to do so.

They do not represent party members, only themselves.

PAUL RICHARDS

London W6