THE media seems to need to "pigeon-hole" minor political parties.

So Greens are "leftwing environmentalists". Seems fair enough.

The BNP are "hard right". True enough, I suppose, but this overlooks their illiberal statism which owes far more to the Left than the Right.

It is with UKIP where they are really confused.They are customarily portrayed as "disillusioned Tories" and although inevitably this will contain a certain truth, both Labour and Lib Dems are only too happy to perpetuate the myth.

Blair and Kennedy are desperate to conceal the fact that they are losing voters in droves to UKIP as well.

Any analysis of results in Sheffield, Hull, Grimsby, Scunthorpe and indeed, Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire in general, makes disturbing reading for all three major parties.

Activists from the major parties are so concerned that their typical tactics in the letters' pages of most newspapers is to smear The UKIP as "BNP in suits".

There is evidence from the EU Elections that this dishonest tactic may have backfired.

LES ARNOTT, Sheffield