Tory Watch

Tory Sparks Anger with 'Poor' Jokes

Deputy Mayor Richard Barnes was criticised for joking about "poor people" today and suggesting he was "above" them now the Tories run London.
The Tory Assembly member told an audience in his constituency of Ealing and Hillingdon that he was "extremely proud" to have been appointed Boris Johnson's statutory number two.

However, he then added: "It's nice to be here tonight to see how you poor people live ... because we sit up so high now, we are above everything."
His comments prompted disdain from opposition members at City Hall.
Green Assembly member Jenny Jones said: "It seems obvious that he was making a joke but ... looking remote is the fastest way for politicians to find themselves out of a job."

Mr Barnes's own colleagues were privately frustrated about his "stupid" remarks. "It's not exactly the message we want to send out," one said.
It is not the first time Mr Barnes has provoked criticism from his own side.
During the election campaign he said Mr Johnson planned to scrap neighbourhood policing in the outer boroughs, which the Mayor was forced to deny.

Boris Forced to Disown Tory AM's Police Comments

Boris Johnson has been forced to distance himself from comments by Conservative London Assembly Member Richard Barnes which implied he would review the policy of each neighbourhood having a dedicated policing team.

The Local Government Chronicle quotes Richard Barnes AM as saying it was a "key plank" of Boris Johnson's polcies to review the system which prevents the teams being deployed outside their assigned areas.

BORIS JOHNSON SPEAKS OUT AGAINST THE SMOKING BAN, AFTER A PAYMENT FROM THE TOBACCO ASSOCIATION

Ken Livingstone condemned Boris Johnson for repeating to The Sun his long-standing opposition to the ban on smoking in public places. Boris Johnson has declared on the Sun website: ‘What is the point of having local democracy if we don't leave decisions like this [on a smoking ban] to a local level? If I had my way, we would have an online referendum in London about whether to give boroughs back the power to give discretion over smoking to pubs and clubs.’

http://www.thesun.co.uk/discussions/posts/list/Smoking_ban-67441.page

These entirely wrong and dangerous views are made worse by the fact that Boris Johnson has been prepared to accept a payment from the tobacco industry. For decades tobacco companies concealed their evidence of the links between smoking and lung disease. No politician should be prepared to accept a donation from this industry.

Boris Johnson has declared that he accepted a payment of £5-10,000 from the Tobacco Association in June 2007.

BUMBLING BORIS CAN'T GET HIS SUMS RIGHT ON THE BUSSES

Paul Waugh, senior columnist on the Evening Standard, writes:

“Okay, okay, items about bus figures are not everyone's idea of scintillating political discourse. But the whole row about Boris' costings for his new routemasters is worth paying attention.

Why?

1. Boris has made scrapping the bendy buses a central plank of his mayoral campaign.
2. His campaign team - and Tory party HQ - know his achilles heel is his perceived lack of seriousness.
3. Making your sums add up is a basic requirement in any election.
4. The row has run for several weeks without it being resolved and has proved to be Boris' first major test of policy-making.

Without turning this into an edition of Bus Financiers' Weekly, Boris still has plenty of questions to answer. Sadly, his team have clammed up and are refusing to give a breakdown of how he arrives at his £100 million cost for his new generation of routemasters.”

The full article can be read here:-

http://waugh.standard.co.uk/2008/04/boris-bus-brain.html

KILL DISABLED CHILDREN TO SAVE MONEY

Tory Councillor Hugh Jackson has suggested saving cash by killing off disabled children in care. He made the remarks at a council budget meeting at North Tyneside Council.
Click HERE for Details in The Mirror
Click HERE for Details in The Mail

Hammersmith & Fulham Tories take Lessons From Hillingdon's Greedy and Arrogant Tories

Hammersmith & Fulham Council Leader awards himself a secret 14% pay hike while cutting staff wages by up to 50% (Sounds familiar !)
More Details HERE

Hammersmith & Fulham's 36million Of Cuts. (What a disgrace !)
Full List Of Cuts And Budget Analysis HERE

How Gullible Do The Tories Think The Public Are On Council Tax?
(More arrogant Tory Lies exposed !)
Read about the Pinocchio Stories HERE

Hammersmith & Fulham Disability Groups Ask You To Sign Their Petition To Save Their Services
(Another example of Tories cutting services to the Vulnerable !)
More Details HERE

Audit Commission Downgrades Hammersmith & Fulham Council
(Just Like Hillingdon, The Tories are too incompetent to provide 4 star services. It would appear that Hammersmith Tories are copying Hillingdon's Tory Leader, Cllr Ray Puddifoot, when he says he "couldnt give a monkey's" about poor performance !)
More Details HERE

Hammersmith & Fulham's Council Housing Fails Audit Commission Inspection (Even more Tory Incompetence !)
More Details HERE

All This just goes to prove that no matter what David Cameron says, The Tories are still the NASTY Party and once they get any form of power their arrogance, greed and incompetence comes through to the detriment of the residents that they are supposed to represent.

This is what the arrogant Tory Controlled Hillingdon Council did with YOUR Money
at the Budget Meeting on 28th February 2008

ABOLISHED School Uniform Grant
BLOCKED Proposals to increase Hayes Town Centre Policing
REFUSED To restore cuts to Educational Psychology Services
REFUSED To consider the Re-launch of The Cwm Pennant Centre
PREVENTED Investment in the Noise Service
CUT Funding for Healthy Hillingdon Again !
SPENT More on Mayor’s Car & Secretarial Support
SPENT More on Expensive Gimmicks
INCREASED Council Cabinet Member Allowances

ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THIS?

Some people have already said:-

“It’s disgraceful that the Tories have put
the Mayor’s car before the needs of the
poorest in our borough”

“We have to live within our means, so why
should the Mayor be any different”

“Thatcher’s legacy of stealing from Children
lives on in Tory Hillingdon”

“They should be ashamed of themselves!”

TORY Politician Fiddled Votes to Win Council Seat
(Evening Standard - 20th March 2008)

A Tory was found guilty of using bogus postal votes to ensure he was voted into office. He beat his labour candidate, an ex mayor of slough and labour Cllr of 23 years by 119 votes to win central ward in May last year. But a special election high court sitting in slough found him and his agents guilty of corrupt and illegal practices. A by election will be called, and the tory ex-cllr has been banned from standing again

TORY 'THREAT TO DEMOCRACY' - ( The Times - 19th March 2008)

A High Court judge has warned that postal voting is "lethal to the democratic process" after finding a Conservative Councillor guilty of vote-rigging in Slough. Richard Mawrey QC said there is no reason to suppose that it was an isolated incident. In response Sir Christopher Kelly, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said: "This latest example highlights the need for fundamental changes to our electoral system."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3578882.ece