PERHAPS Guy Mitchinson's letter suggesting that the Tories and Lib Dems stand down in Little Parndon is but a part of the long suicide note of the Tory Party nationally as it plummets further into un-electability, but as the unconsulted and unwilling recipients of his rather barmy largesse we can't let it pass without comment.

Let's spell it out in easy words for Guy and his colleagues.

We in the Socialist Alliance loathe and despise the Tories and all their works. The Tories have been and continue to be the A team of the Fat Cat capitalist, the warmonger, the bigot and the little Englander.

It is true that we are bitterly opposed to the current direction of New Labour but only an idiot could fail to see that our main (though not our only) beef with Blair and his pals is that they are attempting with a great measure of success to convert Labour into a kind of alternative Tory party with privatisation, xenophobia and warmongering as core values.

Mr Mitchinson you and your pals do what you like; we may or may not stand in Little Parndon; if we do, we seek no help.

Our motivation as always will be defending the rights and conditions of working people and especially fighting against privatisation (originally a Tory policy, remember?), struggling against bigotry of all kinds and above all trying to stop the current senseless and brutal war.

MICHAEL SZPAKOWSKI,

Harlow Socialist Alliance,

Altham Grove,

Harlow