Letter: Labour tradition

Letter: Labour tradition

Sir: David Aaronovitch obviously accessed Labour Left Briefing's excellent and very popular web site (www.llb.labournet.org.uk), lifted a few quotes out of their context and produced a tabloid style "loony left" scare story.

A large part of Aaronovitch article was devoted to Labour Left Briefing's coverage of Northern Ireland and attempted to suggest that LLB is opposed to the peace process. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Aaronovitch misrepresents the articles he quotes, he also fails to present a balanced picture of Briefing's coverage. LLB is an open and pluralistic journal; as such it carries many different opinions on Ireland as on any other issue.

Over the last few years I have written a number of articles in LLB calling for an end to the Republican and Loyalist bombing campaigns and more recently supporting the yes campaign in the referendum on the Good Friday agreement. LLB has carried a range of articles from many different points of view.

David Aaronovitch suggests that LLB's coverage of the Manchester bombing "will be read with interest by Labour Party members in Manchester". Yes it was. I can say this with confidence because I'm a member of the Labour Party in Manchester and I'm also a member of LLB's editorial board.

As a socialist born and brought up in Belfast I want to see immediate ceasefires by all Republican and Loyalists groups, as a Labour Party socialist I want to see Liz Davies and other candidates of the Grassroots Alliance elected on to Labour's NEC.

TONY DALE

Manchester