Letter: Don't ask us to mourn for Tories

Don't ask us to mourn for Tories

Sir: I am compelled to reply to Tristan Garel-Jones's plea for sympathy towards the routed Tories ("That's politics, but it hurts", 5 May) to explain why I find it impossible to oblige.

When my husband and I lost our business and were forced to make 25 people redundant five years ago, at the height of the Tory-led recession - funny, I don't remember Mr Garel-Jones or his friends sparing us any thoughts. We, too, had given our all to our business and our employees and then had everything we had worked for snatched away from us overnight.

Did Ken Clarke feel a pang of anything when we had to pack our belongings into a van and leave our much-loved home? I think not.

When we found ourselves, as grandparents, having reared a family responsibly and without ever being a burden to the country, suffering the ignominy of signing on and claiming Income Support, how much sympathy do you think we received from the then Government? Not a lot.

As Mr Garel-Jones says, "middle-aged, past their best, accustomed to a demanding but zany way of life" - yes we can identify with that. And, yes, it hurts like hell. We, too, had a mortgage, a son still at school and a large debt to the bank.

So, I am sure you will understand when I say I feel that justice is now being seen to be done.

Mrs LINDA M COCKSHAW

Staines,

Middlesex