11 November - Brokenshire; broken promises - click image to read his correspondence
I was rather taken aback to see this image (this copy is slightly blurred but you will get the idea) on
another local site (and on Google Images) a
couple of weeks ago, maybe it is because I don’t know the new Conservative M.P. for Old Bexley
and Sidcup. I’m not usually squeamish when it comes to descriptions of our local politicians;
I have no difficulty labelling some liars, because one or two have long histories of lying, most
recently over the issue of parking permits,
and similarly one can be called vindictive because of his reaction to Felix Akele’s mistake
but there is something slightly sinister and shocking about Brokenshire’s ‘tattooed’ image. For me it is reminiscent of the time when you
still saw elderly people in the street with tattooed numbers from their days under the Nazis. Bexley
council may believe Nazi-like practices are acceptable but it doesn’t mean those
opposed to their regime should stoop to their level.
Mr. Brokenshire’s claim to fame is that he said if elected he would protect Queen Mary’s Hospital’s
A&E and maternity services. As we have seen, he allowed the hospital management to get one over him, and
closure of both is imminent. Goodness knows how Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s A&E will cope: when I had the
misfortune to be a patient at QEH
last January the medical care was decent enough while it lasted but the administrative stampede to get me dosed up with morphine and
out into the night before the four hour target with no money and no friends on hand to assist me in my drugged up
state I wouldn’t wish on anyone, Craske included.
I’ve less sympathy with Brokenshire’s stance on fat cat council salaries. When one of his
constituents asked him if he supported the Prime Minister’s cut and freeze on ministerial salaries and
the call by various ministers that local government senior executives should take the same path he couldn’t
actually bring himself to say that he agreed, preferring to shilly-shally around and imply it wasn’t his
business. He said there was a need to reduce the senior salary budget, that’ll be posts not salaries, but why
can’t he just say he agrees with his senior government colleagues? The correspondence may be read
here.