Brown's tactics no worse than Cameron's

According to your front page (30 April), the Prime Minister retreated to negative tactics when he criticised Tory policies, while David Cameron's tactics were praised as "aggressive" when he made personal attacks on Gordon Brown to avoid giving straight answers to questions.

Am I missing something?

HENRY L PHILIP

Grange Loan

Edinburgh

It doesn't appear to be enough that viewers can decide for themselves who comes across to them most effectively in these operatic political debates. Polling seems to have to follow each debate and its result is put over as some kind of conclusive verdict that carries the message that it doesn't matter what are our private conclusions; it is the poll thatdecides.

IAN JOHNSTONE

Forman Drive

Peterhead

Andrew HN Gray (Letters, 30 April) says the SNP "are in danger of becoming the Lost Party". This, of course, is what was intended, and exactly why they, along with others, were excluded from the TV debates.

Mr Gray may have noticed the increase in support for the Liberal Democrats brought about by the debates. Compared with the amount of money MPs at Westminster have lifted from the public pocket – "wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred in connection with parliamentary duties" – 50,000 is little to pay in pursuit of democracy, which appears to have become as rare as integrity at Westminster.

I contributed to the "wise use of the money"; I believe in democracy, not dogma.

BILL McLEAN

Rosemill Court

Dunfermline

After remembering that many of the people who listened to Richard Nixon's debates with John F Kennedy on the radio thought the former had done quite well (compared with those who interpreted his television performance as being shifty), I thought I'd listen to Thursday's debates on the wireless to test my response.

Whereas I found myself being irritated by the way the three communicated on TV the first time round, I am now merely irritated by what they say.

KAREN FOSTER

Ashley Drive

Edinburgh