Letter:L The spirit of the SDP lives on

Sir: Polly Toynbee ("We lost, but Son of SDP will win", 21 June) needs to visit the opticians.

She may not see former SDP members being active in the Liberal Democrats, but they are. At all levels, in Parliament, in county halls and town halls and at constituency level, former SDP members are playing a full part in the party which they helped to create.

We may take some satisfaction that Tony Blair is moving his party towards policies which we have consistently espoused: it certainly does not follow that we are about to join Labour.

Yours faithfully,

Dick Newby

London, SE19

23 June

The writer was SDP National Secretary from 1981-88 and is the Deputy Chair of the Liberal Democrats general election

campaign team.