HUGH WILSON (Letters, 16 April) shows himself dimly aware of the distinction between "conservative" and Conservative by using the capital "C" to refer to his party. But perhaps the difference needs to be made clearer to him.

Non-Conservatives can be conservative on many points, thoughtfully so and not "unthinkingly", as he would have it. They wish to conserve what is valuable for the many - the health service and social security, an education system open to all and free speech in the media; along with other institutions and traditions such as the Post Office and the right to pay bills in cash.

Maybe Conservatives all have telephones, fax machines, e-mail facilities and bank accounts which are always in the black, not to mention private health insurance and an educational trust fund, and therefore don't need to be particularly conservative.

G K Chesterton - not a Conservative - once wrote: "Only a fool says, `This is good because it is old'. And only a bigger fool says, `This is better because it is new'."

Joe Martin

Wirral, Cheshire