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17/04/08 : Tories treating the town with contempt
Two weeks before the Borough elections at which David Cameron says Reading Tories are “ready to take over”, they still have not published a Manifesto, they still have not told the people of Reading what they would do if they won control.
Pete Ruhemann, Reading Labour Party press officer, says the Tories are treating the town with contempt.
“Labour launched its Manifesto last month,” he says, “the LibDems have now launched theirs, as have the Greens and even the Roman Ave Party! All we have had from the Tories is a few motherhood slogans that give no clue as to what they actually want to do.
“For example, the Tories say they want a prosperous economy, but under Labour Reading is already a very real economic success story. What are the Tories’ plans? What do they want to do differently?
“The Tories say they want high standards in all schools, but under Labour our children are achieving their best GCSE and ‘A’-level results ever and we’ve just announced plans to rebuild four primary schools and improve the facilities at many more. What are the Tories’ plans? Their “six E’s” are just more motherhood, no sort of programme for action.
“The Tories say they want compassionate care for the elderly. It’s not what our Tory neighbours are offering, and Labour has pledged not to cut back on its eligibility criteria and has plans for more extra care sheltered housing across the Borough. What are the Tories’ plans? All the Tories have said is that they think extra care is too expensive and they want to see'non-intrusive support networks'. Is that the extent of their compassion?
“And so on. We have Tory Councillors writing to the papers saying they have new ideas, but the only ‘new idea’ they have actually told us about is building a road across Kennetmouth, a scheme that was rightly buried fifteen years back! They either don’t have any other ideas or they just aren’t telling.
“David Cameron’s visit to the Madejski last week would have been an ideal opportunity for the Reading Tories to launch their Manifesto, if they had one,” he says. “The Tories’ silence about their real policies and their plans is a disgrace. If they won’t trust the people with their real plans, the people shouldn’t trust the Tories with the town.”
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This article was amended slightly on 22 April 2008.
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