4 MAY 1974, Page 4

Powell and Ulster

Sir: Although not agreeing entirely with Mr Enoch Powell's economic philosophy, one nevertheless respected him because of his attacks on the conventional wisdom in the economic sphere. It is therefore with some concern, not to say alarm that one views his attempt to play the Ulster card. The politicians he has aligned himself with lack Mr Powell's political sophistication and intellectual distinction; for all their protestations, they are not culturally British and are implicitly committed to a policy of virtual apartheid. Ulster "Loyalism" is Poujadist, not Tory, in its assumptions and appeal. If Mr Powell continues to flirt with these men, he will have ceased to be a Tory. S. J. Lawson 146 Queen's Drive, Bedford