LETTERS Ulster Tories
Sir: Noel Malcolm raised a very interesting question by asking why Michael Heseltine, as a vote-seeking entrepreneurial Tory politician, had been as indifferent to the emergence of the Northern Ireland Con- servatives as the officers of the National Union (Politics, 14 October).
In the jostling for popularity with the ordinary party members Mr Heseltine has been formidable and energetic yet, like most of his fellow MPs, he was obtuse not to detect the popular tide of sentiment in the constituencies.
I can think of two explanations. Either Tory MPs are remarkably obtuse or they receive guidance from the Northern Ire- land Office which intimidates them. The People of Ulster are the only significant Population in the Western world excluded from voting for or joining govern ment- forming parties. The Scottish Conservative Party voted almost unanimously at its Perth conference in May to organise in Northern Ireland, yet there has been no allocation of resources or personnel. I hope Smith Square does not dissemble and stumble in a similar manner. If the Tories campaign in the 17 new constituencies with real Unionist credentials we can easily return more Conservative MPs than either Scotland or Wales.
Peter Clarke
Kirkton House, Kirkton Manor, Peebles
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