In view of Gordon Brown's refusal to honour the 2005 election manifesto and give the British people a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, could Labour Party activist Simon Battle explain how he has the audacity to point the finger at one of the opposition parties for refusing to honour their election manifesto (Letters, March 4)?

May I remind Mr Battle that when we worked together prior to the 1997 election, he thought that I was barking mad when I said that Hove would be won by Labour.

My accurate prediction was based on listening to ordinary people. By the same method, may I advise Mr Battle and all remaining Labour Party activists that the only reason Labour has stayed in office for so long is because there was no effective opposition.

Gordon Brown has now ensured that no matter how ineffective the opposition, Labour will be destroyed at the next election. The public will never forget that on February 7, Gordon Brown paid a barrister to stand up in open court and say that the Labour Party manifesto cannot give grounds for legitimate expectations that the promises will be kept.

  • Stuart Bower, UKIP prospective parliamentary candidate for Hove