Category ConDem Watch
Two Gloucestershire Tory MPs accepted donations from controversial super-rich private health investor
Political donations totalling £8000 were made by controversial hedge fund manager Crispin Odey to two Gloucestershire Conservative constituency parties. The Electoral Commission`s website reveals that Forest of Dean MP Mark Harper received £5,000 on 09/02/2010 – just 3 months before the general election, while Gloucester Conservative constituency party received £3,000 on 03/12/2007. Richard Graham was […]
Will Martin Horwood pledge to keep Gloucestershire’s NHS public?
The following letter was sent to Martin Horwood on 27th March 2012. He has yet to respond. ————————- Dear Martin, We are writing to invite you to make the following pledge, which has been launched following last month’s ruling by the High Court that local people MUST be properly consulted on whether our health services […]
Getting it wrong on unemployment – an email to Martin Horwood
Dear Martin, In July 2011 you left a comment at our blog as follows: “Unemployment is falling. Public sector job cuts – which are very painful – haven’t stopped new jobs in the private sector” In light of the fact that unemployment has risen steadily ever since to a current 16 year […]
Response to Martin Horwood’s comments on this blog
Martin Horwood has left a long comment on this website in response to a blog posted in March, entitled “Martin Horwood gives cuts the thumbs up”. He makes a number of points (on the NHS, Unemployment, Taxation, Green Investment Bank, etc.). Our response to each is as follows. 1. Yes, cuts are necessary because we’ve […]
The “structural deficit” – setting the record straight
The Gloucestershire Echo recently published an article by John Webster in which he argued that cuts were justified on grounds of the UK having a “structural deficit”. It’s a silly argument, and we’re grateful to the Echo for publishing our response in today’s paper. Since the letter won’t be available electronically for a few days, here it is […]
More revealing correspondence with Councillor John Webster
Councillor John Webster (LibDem), Cheltenham Borough Council`s Cabinet Member for Finance, has deigned to respond to one of our number. As usual he manages to be both incoherent and incorrect. Look out for this bit, where he includes his own party in his criticism: “None of the three main party’s (sic) have policies that address […]
Councillor John “Slasher” Webster to retire from politics next year
A member of Cheltenham Against Cuts was amongst those who received an email from Councillor John Webster (the council’s Cabinet Member for Finance) today in which he informs us he won`t be standing for re-election next year. He writes: After two terms of office and having been a Cabinet member for 6 of those 8 […]
Martin Horwood gives cuts the thumbs up
In a chirpy interview with Leckhampton online, Martin Horwood has rated the coalition at 8.5 out of 10. To be clear, that’s a ringing endorsement of the following: Colossal cuts to council spending (that’s your libraries, youth centres, rubbish collection, paving, street-lighting, social care and housing etc.), trading standards, education, benefits, environmental spending, justice (police), etc. […]
The unravelling of the Lib Dems – Part III
Arrogance often masks ignorance, and most politicians are very ignorant on the subject of Economics. A display of arrogance by John Webster, Cheltenham Borough Council`s Cabinet Member for Finance, was revealed in the previous post entitled “The unravelling of the Lib Dems – Part II”. Here`s the latest email to Councillor Webster from a different […]
The unravelling of the Lib Dems – Part II
Most will be aware that Lib Dem controlled Cheltenham Borough council has sung to the government’s tune and signed off a cuts package totalling 3 million pounds over the next two years. The council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, John Webster, revealed that there was much more to come: “I am much more confident that we […]
Cheltenham & Gloucester Against Cuts 