Letter : Come back Billy Bragg, Labour can't afford to lose you

It is typical of a party spokeswoman to brush off Billy Bragg's disenchantment with New Labour by saying that "more than 100,000 members have joined since Tony Blair became leader, and there has been a big increase in the number of young members, so he is obviously not reflecting any trends".

For though I wouldn't disagree with membership figures, I know there are many who are increasingly unhappy about the direction Labour is taking - in- cluding myself. It wouldn't take much for us to leave the party, perhaps even joining the Liberal Democrats if we felt they offered a genuinely radical alternative.

So Mr Blair should be careful about losing the support of experienced activists, whether they are well known like Mr Bragg or not. After all, we've a past record of party enthusiasm, rather than being political virgins seduced by a supposed attractive leader. I recall the SDP in the early 1980s, with members joining who'd also never previously allied themselves to a political party. And look what happened to them!

Tim Mickleburgh

Grimsby, Lincolnshire