LETTERS The Tory future
Sir: Peter Lilley tries to separate the ques- tion of how he would oppose New Labour in Parliament from the question of how 'to reunite, rebuild and renew the party' in the country (`I choose freedom', 31 May).
But the Conservative party has been los- ing members for years, and at the latest count the average age of the remainder was 64. So if this decline is to be reversed and we are to have a party capable of running a strong campaign in every constituency, then it has to recruit a mass of new younger members. But since New Labour has aban- doned all the policies which made many people sufficiently angry to join and work for an opposing party, the only future I can see for the Conservative party is to become again a national party concerned above all for the interests and independence of the United Kingdom.
In that case, the first step towards rebuilding the party is to rule out absolutely and unconditionally any abandonment of the national currency. After all, Chancellor Kohl and all the other federalists want the euro precisely because they believe that this is a necessary condition for the erection of a United States of Europe with a single government.
Antony Flew
26 Alexandra Road, Reading, Berkshire
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