I read the eulogy to Tony Blair by R Jenkins (Letters, April 15) with a great deal of incredulity. I admit I was also pleased, at first, to see Blair become Prime Minister but subsequent events have destroyed my faith in New Labour.

Why did the old Labour Party allow itself to be hijacked?

I would like to briefly mention a few disturbing facts, although I could cite many others.

Blair said he would be tough on crime but only one burglar is convicted now for every 57 robbed homes and violent muggers are let out of jail early to commit more crimes.

It is now Labour policy to keep offenders out of jail, although teenage vandalism is clearly out of control.

Immigrants flood into this country unchecked and unrecorded every week and they are now becoming highly visible in many Sussex towns.

Hundreds of thousands more from Africa are said to be heading here soon via Spain.

Blair said education would be one of his priorities, yet many young people are leaving school barely able to read or write or are unable to converse intelligently.

Practically all handwritten notices in shop windows now contain at least one obvious spelling mistake.

All this is a complete disgrace even without the disastrous and illegal war on Iraq, the shockingly low old-age pensions, the crisis in the NHS and dentistry and the chaos on our roads and railways.

-John Handley, Withdean, Brighton