not really all that puzzling (Score 0)

Well, I cant speak for the British "Tories", but as an American, it all depends on how you view both 'open source' and the 'right'. I for one am pretty 'right wing' and 'libertarian' in my political stances, but I have been using open source software for all most 7 years (the last version of windows I bought was win2k but haven't had windows on any of my computers in years). In my opinion 'open source' isn't communism, its just another variable in the greater 'free market' system. If you see 'open source' as in a mandatory monetary cost free thing and the 'right' as being greedy corporate shills, then yeah, this would be quite puzzling. But then you are looking at the two in a narrow and simplistic way, as a 'right' minded person, I see 'open source' as a thing of choice, were each person/group can do as they please. Whether they are the developers (whom may choice to release their work with or without a set monetary value or restriction in use) or the users (whom may choice to use and agree to the set monetary price and or restriction in use (or lack there of)). Its all just about choice.