What is a true socialist?

MAY I begin with an apology to Dave Platts. Given his opinion that we have never had the chance to vote for a socialist prime minister, whether he be Atlee, Wilson, Callaghan, Foot, Kinnock or anybody else, I now admit his definition is somewhat different

I do have to wonder, however, how the aforementioned might have responded to his notion of what it takes to be regarded as a true socialist. Michael Foot, in particular, must be spinning in his grave given he was carried to the leadership on the electoral machinations of Tony Benn, the hard left’s most revered multi-millionaire class warrior, before being humiliated at the polls in Labour’s worst ever showing.

Inferring the old buffer wasn’t socialist enough seems to me a pretty shoddy attempt to shift blame from whence it lay, the previously mentioned twilight zone peopled by the delusional and dinosauric. Once again socialism, as even I understand it, died out decades ago as an election winner.

Mr Platts can continue being selective and inventive with the facts, as he was also on Iraq and in his hilarious summation of the UKIP issue. Lack of space prevents me from addressing the latter this time out but I’m sure I’ll get around to it.

Ian Hoyle, Broom Valley Road, Rotherham