THE BRITISH RADICAL
SIR,—The recent correspondence in your columns concerning the appellative 'Radical' must have been a little confusing for any political 'fringer' who is contemplating adopting it to describe his own lean- ings. Assuming, however, that it has valid and recog- nisable connotations and in the absence of a Radical Party as such, and therefore of an obvious pole of attraction, a prospective Radical has a choice to make —but not, I should have thought, a difficult one. May I add my attempt at guidance.
Mr. Roy Jenkins has rightly suggested that the Radical tradition remains centred well to the left of the Conservative Party. In that Radicalism is foe to reactionary dogmatism and vested interest, it is surely also to the left of the Labour Party. Despite what Mr. Robin Morris -may be going to say, the Liberal PO would seem at present to be the least unsatisfacte home for those who, like Mr. Thomson, are discipl of Keynes and Beveridge or who agree with Mr. le kins that the Labour Party is 'far from perfect ail libertarian instrument.'
May I take this opportunity of correcting 1111 Firth who stated that 'the last Radical Group of so' cient standing to print its own literature, elect office and hold meetings was formed about 1925.' As NI! Desmond Banks recently pointed out in your coluol. there exists the Radical Reform Group (1952 111 1925), of which he is chairman and I am hon. secret) and which conforms with Mr. Firth's qualificatiooi I can assure him that we are not 'frenzied factiond but then we are, perhaps, Radical Reforn1 rather than reforming Radicals! You pays Y° money . . .!—Yours faithfully,
PETER GRAFI' 42 Westmoreland Road, Bromley, Kent
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