Football: John Taylor must make a choice

Sir: I find John Taylor's comments ('Tory lawyer accuses party leadership of racial insensitivity' 13 October) quite ludicrous and his views totally out of step with the modern Conservative Party. Mr Taylor is well aware that the Conservative Party is a multi-racial political party, as illustrated by his own selection for Cheltenham. His observation that there were no black or brown faces on the conference platform is true.

However, as we are a meritocratic party, the Conservatives would not seek to be so patronising as to place 'token' non- whites or other 'minorities' on the platform (or elsewhere) merely to please the politically correct.

Mr Taylor implies that the Conservatives view 'black people (as) scroungers and spongers' - a comment which is totally absurd. His view that 'Many of the nation's heroes are black' is unquestionable. However, to modern-day Conservatives (who are not as sensitive to the issue of skin colour as Mr Taylor is) our heroes are British - not black or white.

My suggestion to Mr Taylor is that he makes a choice - is he with us or against us. Either he (like other activists be they black or white) works for the electoral success of the Conservatives, or backs another political party. Judging from his comment that he left the conference feeling 'physically ill' perhaps it is better he remove himself from the heat of the political kitchen altogether.

Yours faithfully,

MICHAEL J. BRENNAN

London, SW6

13 October

The writer was Conservative parliamentary candidate for Wentworth, 1992.