7 MAY 2005, Page 23

Cheltenham races

From Ralph Prothero Sir: Germaine Greer implied, in her article about William Shakespeare (‘The man who made England’, 23 April), that John Taylor, who stood as the Tory candidate in Cheltenham in 1992, lost the election there because he was black. Greer should not jump to conclusions. Look at Gloucester. Gloucester is the closest constituency to Cheltenham, in terms of character as well as geography. The swing against the Tories was bigger in Gloucester than in Cheltenham, and the Tory candidate there was white. Perhaps Greer should apologise to Cheltenham?

Ralph Prothero

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire