Believe it or not

One’s thoughts, rather reluctantly begin to turn to what the Tories might get up to should they get into government.

And coincidentally, local MP might possess key to unlock the secret.

He appeared in three local stories this week in the Sutton News. Regular readers will understand that Sutton News is by no means a regular critic of local MP but hey! They need the copy and he needs to be seen there.

So the three stories, if I may were….MP joins with local citizens in protesting about a private company called the Post Office closing five local post offices (Photo Op). MP meets local representative for Cool2Care and commends the service they offer (Photo Op). MP meets the functionary at the Minworth Sewage Works and discusses the smell. (Photo Op)

All, you might say, all in a local MPs day. (It probably was.)

So let’s take the first one. Post Offices used to be a nationalised industry. They had responsibility for a service to every home in Britain, they ran the shops and they employed the postmen.

The Tory Party privatised this institution, sold it through the City of London, made a few bob and now have the colossal gall to criticise the government for not helping out this private company to enable it to keep some shops open.

There is no evidence of any embarrassment on the photo.

Cool2Care is an extremely interesting organisation. It does focus on the huge gap in government funding for disabled young people. Cool2Care is a ‘for-profit matchmaker agency that links families of disabled kids with affordable care workers.’
So we shall observe Cool2Care from a short distance. This is an interesting innovation – the marriage of need and profit need not be wrong or disastrous but local MP was not for getting into these waters. Trite phrase, shake of the hand and on to the next.

Which was the smell. Classic arms length non involvement this one. Actually not much he could do. But photo shot not doing much very noisily is a lot better than no photo shot at all. And that’s what we got. Smell may or may not go away. MP will, for a while.

So – does this add up to an exciting promo for slick new government of all the privately educated, by the privately educated, for the privately educated.

'(What about the rest of us?)'

'Don’t you mean rest of you?'

It adds up to a clever shimmy from arch privatiser running with the hare to concerned Tribune of the People chasing with the hounds.

It adds up to a ringing endorsement of a business punt on a very neglected section of the public.

And it adds up to a smelly investigation down Minworth way.


They never change their spots.


Nightwatchman