SIR: Harold Wilson once remarked that the Labour Party was more influenced by Methodism than Marx. Nowadays it seems to be more influenced by Saatchi and Saatchi than by socialism. Tony Blair's agreement with Kim Howell's idea of Labour dropping the term 'socialism' is yet more evidence of this. They argue socialism is outdated and irrelevant. Let's be logical about this.

In a recent poll, more than 75 per cent of people questioned thought there was a struggle between rich and poor. This is higher than 10 or 20 years ago. The reason for this is simple, the rich have been getting richer at the expense of the poor. Twenty five per cent of people in Britain now own 75 per cent of the financial wealth. Far from being outdated, the need for socialism is seen in every town and city. The thirst for alternatives is testified in the fact that the Communist manifesto has sold over 70,000 copies in the past 18 months.

Things don't change by smiling sweetly and saying don't worry, they change when people stand up against an unjust system and declare "from each according to his ability to each according to his needs."

Michael Woulfe, Bolton

Socialist Workers Party, Calvert Road, Great Lever, Bolton.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.