Coalition nostalgia

SIR – Lord Hague’s attempt to put a gloss on the Coalition years (Comment, September 18) does not really bear close scrutiny.

In failing to win a majority in the 2010 election, the Tories missed an open goal – largely because of a failure to embrace a coherent strategy on Europe.

Many Coalition policies – such as the “ring-fencing” of major departmental budgets, which led to harsh cuts in other areas such as defence and law and order – were flawed. The reduction of the Lifetime Allowance for pensions to £1 million spurred many medics in their 50s to retire early from the NHS. The ludicrous Act requiring a minimum of 0.7 per cent of GDP to be spent on overseas aid has added further to cost pressures in other areas.

The Coalition years were an important stage in the Conservative Party’s movement away from its traditional values, as so eloquently defined by Allister Heath in his article last Thursday. Peter Crawford

Sheffield, South Yorkshire