The Spectator

Spectator letters: Scottish Tories, ambulances and Florence Nightingale

The other Tory split

Sir: With regard to the article by James Forsyth (‘The great Tory split’, 6 September), there is another dimension to the future of the Conservative party of which the Scottish independence vote is symbolic. The Conservative and Unionist party looks as though it lacks the leadership and the political skills to keep the Union together, certainly to make a convincing job of it. Whichever way the vote goes, it will not reflect well on the Conservative leadership. They are seen as part of an ‘out of touch’ Westminster elite which has neglected not just Scotland but much of England, becoming a party of the south-east rather than a genuinely national/UK wide party; what is more they do not seem even to mind that this is the case.
William Burke

Castor, Peterborough

They started it!

Sir: Pavel Stroilov’s commentary on Russia and Nato (‘Russia’s Nato myth’, 6 September) falls at the first hurdle. Any analysis of what is happening in Ukraine which fails to acknowledge that the confrontation started with the insurrection on the Maidan, leading to the overthrow of the democratically elected, if unlovely, government, at the very least encouraged by the West, is disingenuous. And goodness me, there is a lot of disingenuousness about on this point. Mr Stroilov’s failure to mention this and his insistence that Russia has invaded Ukraine devalue whatever credibility one would be inclined to give to his interpretation of the Kremlin documents he took. He may be the Russians’ Edward Snowden, but he may not be. I hope we resist any calls to send him back from Mr Putin in any event.
Jonathan Wynne Evans

Drumnadrochit

Dawkins’s sinister idea

Sir: Thank goodness for Simon Barnes (‘A life worth living’, 6 September). As the father of an autistic boy myself, his compassion and good sense struck a real chord.

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