I read with interest T Reynolds' letter in the Evening Advertiser recently, claiming that if the Labour party was to stand a parrot in the Gorse Hill ward and stick a red rosette on it, then people would still vote for it.

Well, I find T Reynolds' comments particularly interesting and amusing, as I would regard all the candidates in the Gorse Hill 2002 local elections, as being on parity with one another.

First there is Maurice Fanning, who was the Labour candidate and is now the serving Labour councillor. Then we have Mark Furkins, the Conservative candidate, and ex-Labour councillor. Then there's Andrew Newman, the Socialist Alliance candidate, who claimed to have sympathised with, and voted for Labour all his voting life. And I would also bet that if the Liberals had put up a woman candidate, she would have been in Labour at some time in her life as well.

So in the light of these facts, we would probably all be better off voting for a flea ridden parrot, but that's Polly-ticks.

A King

Park Lane

Swindon