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.
What’s most worrying is that the tactic might actually work. Residents in areas that have benefited from government corruption may just decide that, even though they know it’s wrong, they’d best stick with a government that looks after them.
Cameron needs to make much of this before too long.
The Labour spin will work overtime in the run up to any election to make it look like sour grapes on behalf of the conservatives.
Buster George, Yes, let’s hope we do make capital of it, especially bearing in mind this list o almost 1,000 questions the Labour govt won’t answer which I posted on recenty:
https://elleeseymour.com/2006/12/15/questions-the-government-wont-answer/
How blatant is this? The Conservatives really want to highlight this, and not just let it happen.
…Has a government ever failed its citizens in such an undemocratic way before?…
The short answer is no and I’ve ranted about this man at length today.
I feel sorry at the loss of so many post offices. I was brought up as a child in a village post office/general stores (= sweet shop!), my dad was a sub-postmaster. Not only is it a place where you do your normal GPO transactions but also it’s a focus point of village life.
This is a nasty piece of cronyism that does no longer surprise me from New Labour….
Nothing surprises me about this and as the UK moves towards the US system/approach to government we can expect to see even more of this Pork Barrel politics.
Remember too the left will argue that Thatcher started this trend by ‘closing the mines and shipping.’
Ellee
Do you think Tony Blair will answer any questions over,a href=”http://liverpooltalks.blogspot.com/2006/12/carne-ross-blows-whistle.html#links” or will we find that it becomes yet another issue that is swept under the carpet.
sorry ellee
Typo on the link, here is the easy link.