An Open Letter To Katie Hopkins

Good afternoon,

I happened to come across your Twitter account yesterday and I felt it important that I raise the following questions and concerns around the comments you placed on @KTHopkins throughout the day of Public Sector strike action on 30th November 2011.

Firstly, the use of the terminology "the striking class". This to me seems very inflammatory, giving the perception that you feel that Public Sector workers are somehow beneath you in stature and credentials. Although I do not work in the public sector, I do have family members and close friends that do. Personally I feel your use of the phrase "striking class" indicates your total lack of understanding of the issues that are affecting many public and private sector workers during these difficult economic times.

Soon after you tweeted "Strike fools now complaining to HR that they are not getting a proper lunch hour" and "Strikers waving placards starting to call it the end of the day. Nearly three pm and what with that missed lunch hour and everything...."

The soon after the following appeared "HMRC can't answer my call because they are on strike. And there was me trying to pay tax into your pensions" 

Now, I am assuming that these were meant to be humorous remarks, but as you proclaim, among other things, to "tell it like it is" I am sure there are people would actually take these comments as actual fact. I am sure someone who is a 'social commentator' and 'celebrity speaker' would realise how quickly rumour can turn into fact.

For example, your website states that you are a 'graduate of The Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst', yet there are also reports elsewhere on the internet that you actually failed to pass the Officer Cadet Training. Now this could of course be complete lies, but like many people, I know which one I believe.

I very much doubt any of what you tweeted was true, I very much doubt you even saw a picket line yesterday so either you were joking and showing complete snobbery at those who are perhaps not as privileged as you have been throughout your life or, you really did try and call the HMRC yesterday, which if you did is a very silly thing to do considering you knew there was a strike on.

I just can't help wondering if these are appropriate comments for someone who believes themselves to be in the public eye to make. Of course being a self styled "TV Personality" is would seem you sometimes you go slightly against your anti public sector morals by appearing on an episode of BBC TV's (publicly funded) 'Inside Out' programme to "help save a struggling Post Office" (which is of course part of Royal Mail which happens to be a state owned company). This raises the question in my mind that with your anti public sector views were you just doing this to try and raise your profile, and actually didn't care one bit whether this Post Office stayed open or not.

Of course, without going into too much detail at this time, there are many people out there who strongly believe that the greed and continual need for wealth within the private sector you love so dearly was the cause of the current financial situation many of us have been faced with over recent years. I am sure you know, with the company you no doubt keep, there are many businesses operating in the United Kingdom who are registered abroad so they are not bound under the terms of UK tax laws. This means that billions of GBP per year are taken out of this country and placed into the pockets of the rich and very rich without any taxable deductions. 

This behaviour restricts income to many vital services many people rely on such as Education and Health Care, but I guess that does not matter to much to you - as long as you can continue to enjoy, as it states on your website, "beautiful shoes".

You and I will never see eye to eye but all I ask is that as someone who feels they are in the public eye to try and refrain from criticising and belittling those people who gave you your perceived elevated sense of public importance. People like me, who watched The Apprentice. A programme I and many others paid for through public funding.

Yours faithfully

ps: It would seem that Clarkson trumped you suggesting the strikers should be shot. You only suggested they should be 'shoved in a bush'. I bet you are kicking yourself at all the publicity he is getting.