• THE first sentence of Jef Smith’s letter (About that propaganda, August 15) was hard to take in, partly because it was ungrammatical and partly because it required first researching the previous week’s issue.

It did however already cast aspersions on the widely respected candidate Andrew Feinstein by accusing him and his supporters of having shown “enduring guile”.

It then goes on to speak of Robert West having tried to discredit Martin Plaut, the week before, for “citing the divisiveness wrought by Feinstein and his fellow populist far-left travellers”, (A lesson in propaganda, August 8).

Three more words with loaded negative connotations packed into one sentence, but still no clue as to how Smith actually disagrees with Feinstein.

He then goes on to accuse Feinstein supporters of three more alleged sins, of “offensive flyposting anti-Sir Keir Starmer graffiti and intimidating conduct”, which he claims were “not imaginary” because they were “seen and experienced by many of us”.

As an active “Sir Keir” supporter it was admittedly Smith’s job to promote Starmer, but now that Starmer has been installed as PM why does he feel it necessary to continue to attack his opponents with this stream of petty and unsubstantiated accusations?

Perhaps Smith should listen to his own advice, “get beyond the ad hominem… and focus on how [what] we have in common, can be achieved”.

ANDREW MORRIS, NW1