Letter: Short's antics are a threat to Labour victory

Letter: Short's antics are a threat to Labour victory

Sir: I am bemused by the likes of Brian Mawhinney (6 August) and now Clare Short who seem to think it a shortcoming in Tony Blair that he seeks power.

They have obviously failed to observe a principle which is demonstrable in every walk of life and at every level of social organisation: power is never given, it is taken, usually by those who are the most determined and ruthless. Despite pious protestations to the contrary, the surest guide to understanding such matters remains in the realism of Machiavelli, for while "everyone will admit that it would be most laudable to find all the good qualities combined in a prince... human nature does not allow it".

Fr DOMINIC KIRKHAM

Corpus Christi Priory

Manchester