When Hazel Blears talks of “Estates that have been ignored for decades; voters taken for granted; local services that have failed; white working-class voters who feel politicians live on a different planet....” she struggles pathetically to palm a share of the blame onto other political parties.

Tories have never pretended to be interested in these people, Liberals have rarely been numerous enough on the ground to take on the union-funded Labour Party machine in such areas (where they do, in places such large parts of the North West, they often win).

Why Ms Blears excludes black and Asian working people from this alienation from Labour is beyond me.

The only thing which keeps many black voters loyal to Labour is fear that the unknown may be worse than the familiar.

Is Ms Blears not bothered about alienated non-white people because they are not potential BNP vote-fodder?

It is Labour's fault. Period.

The last decade in particular has seen Labour politicians like Blair, Milburn, Hain, Blunkett, Reid, Prescott, Byers, Woolas, Byrne, Hodge – and even Gordon Brown and Ms Blears herself – seem to ordinary people like they would fit far better, and far rather be hob-nobbing on that yacht in the Med, with Peter Mandelson and George Osborne than with British people who are facing the harsh realities of life today.

Tony Dawson (address received).