I READ with interest the Inside Politics column in today's Evening News (Monday, June 11) and would like to take this opportunity to add to the observations made by Gabrielle Fagan.

First, it is wildly off-beam to suggest that the present predicament of the Conservative Party is life-threatening, even if it is accepted that the party has lost its focus.

There was never any doubt in the minds of serious and politically-educated commentators and observers that the Labour Party, even in its darkest days during the 1980s would re-emerge as a serious, credible and electable force within a short time. Given certain criteria, so will the Conservative Party.

There is no doubt that the party does need to take stock of what has happened, particularly in this last election. But knee-jerk reaction and panic is the last thing needed. A sensible and calm look at the whole structure of the party is required.

This should not only include the selection of a new leader but also how the party and policy is structured. When William Hague was elected leader, he undertook a radical re-structuring, a move that handed, in the opinion of many within the party, too much power to the parliamentary party at the expense of the constituency activists.

Any political party is only as good as the volunteers it can carry with it. The mass re-organisation alienated many of those who spent their time working for and supporting the party in all weathers and at all functions.

Confidence

The Conservative Party will elect a new leader. This person must not only unite a parliamentary party factionalised by two severe defeats but also renew the confidence in the activists that their voice will be listened to and that never again will they be marginalised.

Policy must be coherent and in tune with the demands and wishes of the electorate. It should not be the personal hobbyhorse of self-promoting ideologists from whichever side of the political spectrum they reside.

The new leader of the party must not only be aware of all the pitfalls that befell the previous occupant of the post but also must be strong enough to resist compromising what the party has always stood for in deference to electoral success.

STEVE CONWAY,

Wolverley,

Worcestershire