Sir:

Prime Minister David Cameron is said to be urgently scrambling towards the right on issues such as immigration and the EU in a desperate last minute bid to keep UKIP from stealing Conservative party votes en masse at the next General Election in May 2015.

Following the defeat in Clacton, Mr Cameron is believed to be working on a major new immigration plan to unveil to voters over the next few weeks. Voters may regard this as an electoral strategy rather than one that Mr Cameron believes in and has implemented over his entire term of office.

It is interesting to read in the WEN Worcester's parliamentary candidate Joy Squires remark that people are "tempted to vote for UKIP, both Labour and Tory voters". Sadly she (re)cites the hoary old bogyman of immigration as the main concern about UKIP policies: "Immigration is a problem, pull out of Europe and it will be solved and that is not being honest with people".

Nigel Farage has commented that "UKIP is the most national of all parties". A quick reference to the OED tells us that "nationalism" can mean "loyalty'; "patriotic feeling, principles or efforts"; "policy of national independence". "Nationhood ( origin ME. OF. and latin) "Nasci: be born." "Patriot" one who defends or is zealous for his country's freedom or rights". (from Greek patriotes, patrios "of one's father"). Also closely related is the notion of "the common weal", welfare and prosperity.

None of this sounds remotely negative to me.

Wendy Hands

Upton-upon-Severn