Dear Sir,
In a recent issue Cllr. John D. Clare ‘rubbished’ the UKIP manifesto as lacking in strategy as how to achieve its aims. This is the same manifesto written and costed for the last General Election which attracted 4m votes (and many ex. Labour voters). This, despite the Conservative Party having adopted the main plank of the UKIP manifesto, the EU Referendum.. Subsequently, the majority of voters backed the UKIP proposal to LEAVE the EU. Get used to it Cllr. Clare, many Labour voters voted alongside UKIP supporters for Leave. They clearly preferred this UKIP offer! I would love to invite readers to compare the UKIP manifesto with Labour’s manifesto. However, every time a member of Labour’s shadow cabinet is asked about their policies we are told they are still being discussed! As I understand it, Corbyn wants: – Unilateral Nuclear Disarmament, regardless of the effects on our safety or jobs! – Re-nationalisation of the Railways. It has been tried before and failed. Just as nationalisation of the Steel Industry failed. – To borrow and spend an additional £500 Billion. This is ‘Old Labour’ and then ‘New Labour’ with knobson!
Labour are so bad on the national economy they blame the banks. It ill behoves Cllr. Clare to cast aspersions on UKIP’s stance on worker’s rights or local Government. His Labour controlled Durham County Council’s record to date is:- Privatised care home provision. This was preausterity! One Councillor said they had to do it as each place in a DCC care home cost more than three times the cost in a private care home (and the Private provider was still making a profit)! Gross inefficiency! – One of the poorest outcomes in the country for numeracy and literacy among primary school leavers. The Cabinet Member for Education should resign! – Over-paying Teaching Assistants and then trying to renew their Contracts on lower salaries. Note: When the TAs went on strike, some schools could not function without them. Have DCC abused the role of TAs and are employing them instead of properly qualified teachers? Those responsible should resign!
Is this how Labour look after worker’s rights? – We now pay twice for the maintenance of the A167 road lighting! Once to DCC and once to the Town Council. Cllr. Clare attended a GARA meeting where Labour Councillors were begging the public to complain the DCC Labour Cabinet! Labour duplicity and a lack of democratic control of the Cabinet! – The Durham Cricket Club scandal. Despite imposing the full effects of austerity on the local population DCC managed to find £3.74m to lend to the struggling Durham County Cricket Club. When the club continued to struggle DCC agreed with the other main lender (the ECB) to transfer the loan into shares in a new “Community Interest Company”. However, the ECB appear not to want the new company to survive. They relegated the Cricket team from top flight cricket and imposed a 48 point penalty in the second flight. Also, the Club will only be viable if Test Matches are staged at Chester-le-Street. Have DCC got any assurances from the ECB about future Test Matches? Not according to the Northern Echo sports reporter.
He thinks that the ECB want to establish 8 solvent Cricketing Franchises. Unfortunately, Durham will be No. 9 and the least solvent. Clueless! Is this one for the Local Authorities’ Ombudsman? – Allowed the Brown Labour Government to close local Post Offices. No opposition from our local Labour Council or our MP!Labour established the undemocratic Cabinet System in Durham County Council. I would suggest that when the country voted for Brexit they voted for a UKIP proposal to take back control from the undemocratic EU. It will not be long before these same voters will want proper democratic accountability at local level too. Alastair P.G. Welsh
