Sir, When the late Lord Beloff wrote in The Times that there was something dangerously fascist about the new Labour Government (Comment, February 9, 1999) he drew scorn in these columns.

I hope that those who then scoffed watched as 82-year-old Walter Wolfgang was manhandled from the (new) Labour conference hall (report, September 29) and heard the excuses which accompanied the grudging and delayed apology.

I trust that they also noted that the police banned Mr Wolfgang from returning to the conference under the authority of the anti-terror laws.

PETER FULLERTON
Kennington, London
pgracchus@aol.com

From Mr Alun Morris

Sir, What better place to demonstrate that the anti-terror laws are bound to be abused than at Labour’s annual conference?

ALUN MORRIS
Cambridge

From Mr Mike Heenan

Sir, Last week a young lady was detained by the police for wearing a shirt with an anti-Tony Blair slogan (letters, September 27 and 29).

Now an 82-year-old man is ejected from the Labour Party conference for heckling. What has happened to freedom of speech in this country?

MIKE HEENAN
Highnam, Gloucestershire

From Mr Paul M. Thomas

Sir, Earlier this week I had to endure a tedious and long-winded lecture on the intricacies of Third World tariff barriers but did not have the nerve to make my discomfort public.

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