ROBIN Cook has said that the Conservatives are "running scared" on the EU and that Tory Eurosceptics are the "Militant Tendency" of their party.

With 80 per cent of the public opposed to the Single Currency, and wide public distrust of the European Union, the one area that the Conservatives are definitely not "running scared" is the EU.

If Labour has strong voter support on Europe and the Single Currency, why is Mr Blair desperate to keep the subject out of the public's mind on the run-up to the election?

Incidentally, the dictionary defines a "militant" as "a strenuously active supporter of a particular cause", which perfectly describes both Mr Blair and Mr Hague, with regard to the Single Currency.

The dictionary also defines "Militant Tendency" as "an extreme left-wing organisation, formerly within the Labour Party".

I would be surprised if Mr Blair would want the term "Militant Tendency", with its left-wing Labour Party connotations, in the forefront of voters' minds when they go to the polling stations.

TERENCE MILES,

Teak Street, Bury.