Letter: Unfair to Straw

Sir: Your criticism of Jack Straw, "The saloon bar `wisdom' of the Home Secretary" (20 August), is unduly harsh, and to suggest that Mr Straw is "looking at the world through stereotypes" is unfair.

The remarks of the Home Secretary about Gypsies and Travellers were made in answer to questions on a radio station about a local police chief who had sent a force of 100 officers to police a Gypsy wedding in Coventry.

There is nothing in his statement that even implies that the law for travelling people should be different from the law for everyone else. The New Labour government is far more positive on issues relating to race than the previous 18 years of a Conservative government.

TARA KUMAR MUKHERJEE

President, Confederation of Indian Organisations (UK)

London SE1