Letter: Fear of reform

Sir: When Mr Major says that constitutional reform is profoundly dangerous ("Major takes a lesson ..." 6 January) he is only the latest in a line of unsuccessful rulers to hold this opinion. King John held it particularly strongly about Magna Carta and so did King Henry III about the summons of the first Parliament. Edmund Burke was quite right that "whatever now is established once was innovation".

Earl RUSSELL

Liberal Democrat Social Security spokesman

House of Lords

London SW1