Out of FOCUS II

At last the Lib Dems have put some 'literature' through my door. Previously I have had to comment only on what was delivered elsewhere.

The latest effort is called the 'Surrey Express'. They must think people are simpletons and believe that this is a bona fide newspaper commenting objectively in a 'FREE Local Election Special' (sic) - as though people would otherwise have to pay for it and would willingly do so.

Interestingly they do admit that there is a 'neck and neck race' for control of the Borough. Considering they are defending an overall majority of 12 and currently have twice as many councillors as the Tories and 10-times the number of Labour, this is quite an astonishing admission of how vulnerable their deplorable administration of the Borough has made them.

Again they try to change the subject and divert attention from their failures into a campaign for a 'fair deal for Kingston'. They completely fail to note that the funding imbalances to which they draw attention are nothing new. Outer London Boroughs have been significantly worse funded by central government since the present London Local Government set-up was established in 1963. They therefore emphatically do not explain why a party with such overwhelming power as they have had has so signally failed to get a grip on the Borough's finances.

We have also further attempts to smear the Conservative Minority administration between 1998 and 2002. They don't admit that it was a minority administration and that THEY, year on year, kept it in being. This time they produce some figures about responsibility allowances paid to our Leaders during that time. What they don't say is how much was paid in responsibility allwances to Derek Osbourne and Roger Hayes (their leaders) during the same period. Not much less actually. Nor do they point out that from 2000 onwards their members chaired the Overview Panels, one being Labour, and were paid responsibility allowances at the same rate as Cabinet members.

But most risible of all is a call from the ineffable Edward Davey MP to 're-elect a Council that's kept its promises.' What about its promise not to sink any more public money into the Theatre project - broken shamelessly last year to the tune of £3,000,000 or £250,000 a year in interest alone? All this without ever once allowing the elected representatives of the Council Tax payers a single opportunity to debate the issue in the open in full Council.

Mr. Davey should be ashamed of himself for putting his name to such hypocritical nonsense as this.