I Laughed so Much at Ipswich Labour's Rose - Now Here's the Truth

As a rule, I don't often feel compelled to reply to any of the usual Labour B.S. that I read in their Rose but I'm afraid today, all decorum is going to go out of the window to burn off in the midday sunshine.

I laughed so much at all the latest triumphs Ipswich Labour have tried to hoodwink you into believing was all down to them, that I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd also announced that the sunshine in the last week was down to them campaigning to the Great Sun God himself!

Where do I begin?

The item you might have expected me to reply to - yes, that good old number bus route 16 - is not the one that finally made me keel over. As I've said before, it was down to the petition that I instigated and the signatures I received, and since passed onto IBC, that got things moving. Thanks to the resounding return from residents, Ipswich Labour moved very quickly and Ipswich Buses changed it's mind in a matter of days.
They also want you to believe that they are awaiting a reply from SCC on bus no 22 but fail to mention that SCC asked them for help on another route and were refused.

No - It wasn't even the fact that at the SW committee where we ALL agreed (yes, they forget that there is one Tory councillor - little ol' me) to fund various projects such as goal posts at Lavenham Road, A CCTV camera at Lavender Hill etc that prompted me to write this blog post.
Not even the fact that Councillor Barry Studd took all the credit for raising the issue of the need for renovation of a bus shelter in Stoke Park Drive - the real person was a resident in Whitland close who then reprimanded councillor Studd and Councillor Ellesmere for not stating that it was he who brought this to a councillors attention. It will be corrected at the next meeting, because of that confrontation, and if the resident wants to make himself known then he can reply in the comments.

This proves that they are not worried about bringing people closer to the decisions making. If that had been me, I would've told everyone in the room 'See you can make a difference - a resident has asked for this and got what he asked for'. No, not Labour councillors, the chief makers of all that is good and useful.

It wasn't even the fact that, with all their failings in the NHS - and boy, are they big ones, they have the audacity to talk about asking David Cameron to listen to them. There are no cuts to the NHS, Labour had an open door policy that has seen our NHS groan under the strain, as well as our schools and other public services and they completely ignore Andy Burnham's role in so many deaths. It is the Coalition that has carried out reviews but councillor Ellesmere would have you believe that the demise of the NHS is down to the Coalition. Not so laughable. That's when the smile started to be wiped from my face.

But it wasn't even that which prompted me to put digit to keyboard. It was the final story. 'New Building At Last for Suffolk New Academy (Chantry High)'.

They have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with this new build. It has taken a while but that decision was accomplished by Ben Gummer MP - He fought hard and long to get the government to agree to a new build. He brought Gove to our town to show him why it was a priority. He talked and talked and talked about it at Westminster until we got the go ahead many months ago. We had done leaflets to that effect at the time. HOW DARE THEY TAKE CREDIT FOR THIS ONE!!! I was so shocked but then I laughed - it dawned on me then they will take the credit for absolutely anything. Perhaps, as well as the sun, they might want to pat themselves on the back for the reduction in crime that has been so massive in our town, and all that success with less money and a PCC (Tim Passmore), even though they were against elected PCCs in the first place. Look out for the crime stats in the near future and know this - They had nothing to do with that either.

So ladies and gentlemen - they have stepped up their sleight of hand, misdirection and downright fibs (meaning the witholding of relevant information that would change the meaning of what is being read) on their leaflets for several reasons but the number 1 is the fact that councillor Ellesmere is using his position as leader of the council and the exaggeration of anything good happening in this town being down to him and his colleagues, so that he can win in the General Election. Watch this space and mark my words. I will be highlighting more of the same if they shove more of this rubbish through my door.

When that happens I might resurrect that good old song I used to sing in the playground.

Pants on Fire Councillor Ellesmere - Pants on Fire...