AFTER reading Duncan McVee's attack on John Blunt (Letters, January 23) for saying that the Labour Party was still in the pocket of the unions, I have only one thing to say - "don't make me laugh - my lips are chapped!"

Labour always has been and always will be led by the nose by the trade unions, whatever Mr McVee says.

We may see the likes of Rodney Bickerstaff keeping quiet at present, but if ever there was a Labour government, we would hear plenty - and so would Tony Blair.

As for the Labour Party being democratic, half of them can't spell the word, let alone know what it means. The unions still have a major say in Labour party policy, never mind "one member, one vote." The Labour Party conference is the only place, apart from the TUC conference, where you can have millions of votes cast in a hall that only holds two thousand - and that's democracy?

I have friends who are Tory Party supporters and trade union members - yet their union uses their vote for Labour Party policy-making. What a laugh!

In defence of John Blunt, he attacks anything which he thinks is not right. In the past he has attacked the Tories and the Liberals, but it is easy to tell when he hits a Labour Party nerve - we get letters from "knee-jerk" politicians such as Mr McVee.

JOHN FARRER, Mallard Place, Oswaldtwistle.

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