Politics for peace 1

Paul Julian Smith is plain wrong to say that the Association of University Teachers demonises Israel (Letters, May 20). As for the amount of time it spends on "political" issues rather than "representing members interests", I suggest that he asks one of Cambridge AUT's executive how much time they spend on casework, local pay negotiations, campaigns and so on. I believe that political campaigns are a legitimate and important part of the AUT's role but these comprise only a small part of its work. We could still do more for our members but only if we can increase the number of AUT activists. Perhaps Smith would volunteer to be a rep?

Nick Savage. Cambridge University