Ellee Seymour

It’s not just hospitals in Conservative constituencies that have been targeted by the government, our post offices are set to bear the brunt too following latest plans to close 2,500 throughout the country.

The Daily Mail’s study of government spending has discovered that astonishingly, out of 1,122 post offices in the 25 worst-hit constituencies, 608 are in Lib Dem seats and 338 in Conservative heartlands - compared to only 39 in Labour hotspots.

And out of 105 hospitals threatened with closure, 76 are in Tory constituencies, compared to 18 Labour. My area in East Anglia is particularly  badly affected with up to 19 hospitals facing closure or downgrading. At the same time, 83 hospital building programmes are planned for Labour compared to 30 in Conservative areas.
Here are the study’s main findings:

• More than 90 per cent of social security jobs relocated from London have gone to Labour constituencies.
• National Lottery grants to constituencies represented by members of the Cabinet are nearly double those to seats held by the Shadow Cabinet.
• More than 70 per cent of community hospitals earmarked for closure are in Tory seats.
• More than 70 per cent of new hospitals being built are in Labour seats.
• Police forces in Labour-controlled areas top the funding league, while those in opposition areas come bottom.
• Post office cuts and rail station closures are overwhelmingly in opposition seats.

No wonder Shadow Transport Secretary Chris Grayling accuses ministers of deliberating targeting taxpayers’ money on public services in areas that are of political importance to them, forcing major cutbacks to public services in Conservative and Lib Dem areas.

Has a government ever failed its citizens in such an undemocratic way before? Unfortunately for Labour, voters will be able to see through this thinly guised ploy of using taxpayers’ money as a political tool.

Transexual Drusilla Marland has won almost £65,000 compensation for enduring ‘an atmosphere of intimidation and hostility’ while working for P&O Ferries.

She worked as a repairer and suffered verbal and physical harassment from the engine room crew while undergoing gender-reassignment. It seems her managers turned a blind eye, insisting that she should use a male changing room.

I imagine that’s how most blokes would react, and transexuals must surely have counselling to prepare them for this kind of reaction. I wonder why Drusilla continued to work in a male dominated area, surely she would have been better off considering retraining and finding work in a more sympathetic environment.

I have met a few transexuals and always found them to be very gentle people who desperately want to fit in and be accepted, they take immaculate care over their appearance.

Drusilla should be heartened by the success of transvestive Grayson Perry, an outstanding potter who has a female alter-ego called Claire and has won the Turner Prize. He wears the most outlandish “little girl” frocks, I would just adore one of his fabulous ceramic pots. But it must help to be self-employed and famous so you can do your own thing.

Our society is very accepting on the whole, but I would suggest transexuals make their life as easy as possible by finding work in a more tolerant environment, I guess this means choosing female colleagues who would feel intrigued and be more accepting.

Transexuals in the workplace is still very much new territory and bosses need to be aware of their legal obligations. All I can say is, Rome wasn’t built in a day, it takes time to develop mutual understanding and respect.