Letters From A Tory Daily views on British politics and the Conservative Party from a centre-right thinker who writes letters on his blog to politicians, journalists and many others.

Dear readers,
If you – like me – spent far too much time yesterday pouring over the details of the Budget, you might have missed a few other interesting headlines that slipped through the media net while everyone’s eyes were firmly focused on Alistair Darling’s eyebrows.  Here is a quick summary of what else happened on [...]

Dear ASH,
As a renowned ‘fake charity’, which relies on the classic trick of claiming to be independent when it actually relies heavily on government funding, you rarely miss an opportunity to draw attention to yourself.  Yesterday was no exception, as you called for Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn to be prosecuted for smoking a cigarette on stage on the [...]

From the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website:
Now you see it (taken at 10am):
 
 Now you don’t (taken at 3:30pm):

Dear Christine Pratt,
I have no doubt that your anger at the denials by No 10 about Gordon Brown’s alleged bullying is very genuine, because your role as chief executive of the National Bullying Helpline demonstrates a genuine concern about these sorts of cases.  However, I feel extremely uneasy about your intervention in what was a [...]

Dear Andy Burnham,
Now that the likes of Harman and Balls have upped the ante in the race to succeed Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour Party, those lower down the chain like yourself are struggling to get headlines.  Unfortunately, your appearance in the newspapers today suggests that not only are you unfit to lead [...]

Dear David Cameron,
A sense of bemusement still surrounds your recent announcement that only the NHS and international development funding are protected from cuts in a future Conservative government.  While I understand the political importance of these two issues, I really don’t think that these two areas deserve special protection.  In fact, I could reasonably argue [...]

“It is unnecessary interference from a public authority in Mrs Bear’s private life that is in breach of her human rights.”
- Mike Barratt, of the UK Deed Poll Service, criticising the decision by the Identity & Passport Service to refuse a new passport to a mother who raised £4,000 for Children In Need by altering her name [...]

Dear Liam Byrne,
I understand that the moral justification for supporting charities through this financial crisis is a compelling one.  No-one wants to see good intentioned and often successful charities either downsize or disappear completely during these difficult times.  Unfortunately, the moral case becomes considerably more complicated when it is taxpayers’ money that is used to [...]

Dear Charity Commission,
Thank you for finally pushing private schools into the real world this morning.  I have long advocated making private schools offer more to their local community and it seems that you have taken a similar stance on this delicate issue.
As a Conservative I very much support the existence of private schools, as parents [...]