I was very disappointed to read the two letters in last week’s Gazette which (intentionally?) misunderstood and misquoted my previous week’s column.

The letters tried to make out that I was madly in favour of the higher taxes which we are all now having to face thanks to the last Government’s ‘tax and spend mentality’ which has come close to wrecking our economy. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Of course I am wholly opposed to the higher taxes which we all now face, and the very regrettable cuts in public services which are being progressively announced. Of course I regret those things as any sensible person would. But like most sensible people, I also understand how necessary this bitter pill is if we are to avoid driving our nation over the edge and into bankruptcy.

The purpose behind the column was not to seek to justify, nor to condemn, the Budget proposals. The idea was to comment on the starkly contrasting treatment by the press of our disastrous World Cup performance, and the reasonably easygoing way they had portrayed the harsh but necessary Budget.

I suspect that your correspondents Mr Garraway, and Labour’s Mr Lovell knew that perfectly well, but nonetheless chose to use your columns for a piece of party political knockabout. It is my view that these matters are much too serious to be used in that way.

James Gray MP.