THE columns of Hear All Sides seem to be nearly full of descriptions of the personality of Gordon Brown. I question whether it is useful to make him the focus of the problems associated with the Labour Party.

Within its rules, the coronation of this man without any contest or vote by the membership has meant that there has been no real discussion about whether the socalled New Labour project continues to have any shelf life.

It came about because the Labour Party lost successive elections, and the idea took shape that it would have a better chance if it changed into a political party modelled on the Conservative Party, putting the interests of the wealthy and well connected as its guideline and sidelining the labour movement.

This enabled it to win elections with Tony Blair in command, but it seems to me that if the Labour Party is to have any future it needs to return to first principles, and the tragedy seems to me that it has not yet found the route back.

Geoffrey Bulmer, Billingham.