1 May (Part 1) - Who they gonna call?
If you are a Tory in Old Bexley and Sidcup you know who you are going to vote
for. If you are a Conservative in Bexleyheath and Crayford you know it’s David Evennett
again but if you can find the blue voter in Erith & Thamesmead he still won’t have a
clue which name will receive his X.
Anna Firth who spent much of her time
on litter patrol in 2015 appears to have
upset too many influential Conservatives and may be out of the running which
leaves those of the Tory persuasion in E&T unsure of where they will be able to
go. Who would you choose out of this lot?
Anna
Firth who stood in E&T in 2015, Elliot Smith, a pleasant young lad who likes
Teresa O’Neill more than I do. Amandeep Bhogal who was the Tory candidate in
Upper Bann two years ago and who left me with a good impression following a two
minute conversation, and lastly Philip Read who does his best to perpetuate ‘the nasty party’ reputation.
A Tory to the core who would appeal to the Thatcher generation which once upon a
time included me. I voted Tory at every election from 1964 through to 2010.
David Cameron and learning too much about Bexley’s Conservatives put paid to that.
This year UKIP nationally seems to have gone well and truly off the rails and locally off the boil.
I was pretty shocked by what I read on their Facebook page a few days ago.
I
generally try to keep strong language away from BiB, reserving it for special occasions
that require special emphasis, but what UKIP is saying about
my Labour MP is the sheerest of bollocks. Don’t take my word for it, look it up on
the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority website. (IPSA.)
UKIP exaggerates Teresa Pearce’s pay by £5,000 and makes inaccurate comments
about the salary she pays her husband Paul for his role as Office Manager.
More junior office staff are paid the going rate but Paul is not. UKIP could
have looked it up for themselves but instead suggest that Paul is on “well
over” £25,000 a year.
The truth is rather different and it is close to nothing because Paul works for
love except for the odd week or two when Teresa’s office staff is exceptionally
depleted by holidays. IPSA reports the total to be between £0 and £5,000. The
lowest pay category it places on the record.
Incidental office costs tot up to £11k. but there is no claim for a mobile phone
or travelling costs, petrol etc.
And “rich elite”. Where did they get that idea?
Last Autumn I had to deliver some documents to Teresa that she required in connection with my complaint that
Bexley police conspired with Bexley Council and the CPS to make sure that
‘Councillor Craske’s situation was resolved’.
She has supported me throughout in contrast to James Brokenshire’s response to fellow complainant Elwyn Bryant who
thought that assisting his constituent was “inappropriate”. (†)
It was a nice day and Teresa invited me through to her garden for a cool drink.
The car outside was older than mine and at a quick glance her house was
comparable and her TV was smaller. Of rich and elite there is no obvious sign.
You may sometimes wonder why someone with an almost 100% Conservative voting
record so often puts the boot into that party locally. I hope it is obvious,
it’s not very often it’s the policies that are criticised but the dishonesty and
occasional corruption within Tory ranks that is.
Labour has fallen foul of BiB too but it’s hard to catch them out.
Never dishonest, sometimes ill advised from a more right wing perspective but in
recent days UKIP seems to have delivered an opportunity on a plate.
† The Department of Professional Standards (DPS) investigation into the
various malpractices that led to the collapse of
the case against Councillor Craske is still going well. Several Bexley
police officers (a total of eight were in the frame when I last asked) have been
interviewed under caution and the DPS continues to give every indication of a satisfactory outcome.