Shifting shame
Sir: It was sweetly misleading of Anne McElvoy to credit me, having been spoon- fed by Central Office staff, as a reporter who had gone off their absurd 'just forget the government's cockups' message because I had been captivated by the prospect of a Labour victory (Strife after death', 10 May).
I did indeed say in a live report that Tory protestations over pensions may not be believed by an electorate which had been misled by previous passionate denials, par- ticularly on tax and VAT.
Not only was this a glimpse of the glar- ingly obvious; in the midst of the Conserva- tive post mortem, it's an analysis endlessly repeated by the vanquished. The first to do so was Michael Portillo, just moments after his defeat.
What I explicitly did not do was question John Major's sincerity in the matter; indeed i exempted him specifically from doubts voters may have on the issue of trust.
It's quite understandable that Central Office staff, thrashing about in their misery, should want to spin a partial tale, to try and shift the burden of their shame. Still, it is a sad reflection of their abilities in this regard that failed even to pass on my name cor- rectly to your correspondent.
Judith Dawson
British Sky Broadcasting Ltd, 4 Millbank, London SW1
Anne McElvoy writes: This correspondent is, alas, perfectly capable of mistyping Miss Dawson's name without any help from Conservative Central Office. Apologies for that. Perhaps any further confusion stemmed from her misuse of 'may not' when she meant to say 'might not'. The lat- ter is more correctly used to suggest tenta- tive speculation —assuming that was her approach.
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