The past returns to haunt the liars............

[mk1]

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/columns-letters/united-over-comments-1-1013905

Nov 2006

WE are writing to rebut the total nonsense peddled by the mayor in his recent columns regarding the council decision not to spend public money on a referendum on the future of Hartlepool hospital.

What Mayor Drummond has neglected to mention in his column is that such a referendum would cost Hartlepool council-tax payers around 60,000.



That's 60,000 of their money on a poll held one working day before the independent panel report back to the Secretary of State for Health.



One working day to count, process, analyse and deliver the results for possible inclusion in a report that could determine the future of our hospital. Why leave it so late? As councillors stated at the meeting, this simply makes no sense.



Secondly, the proposed poll was scheduled to take place on December 14.



Councillors rightly pointed out that in the middle of winter, at the height of Christmas shopping, with the weather likely to be cold, wet and miserable, the possibility of a low turnout simply could not be ignored.



How would that look? Imagine a 50 per cent turnout (higher than in recent elections), those who would seek to remove services for Hartlepool hospital could point to the 50 per cent who didn't vote as reason for their argument. Even the mayor admitted this was a very real possibility.



Is it worth risking 60,000 of taxpayers' money on something that may do more harm than good?



As councillors elected to represent the people of Hartlepool, we could not allow this waste of their money.



The mayor has fooled himself into believing that an expensive, ill-timed and ill-conceived referendum will save Hartlepool hospital.



We are not fooled, the people of Hartlepool are not fooled. It is worth reminding the mayor that people across Hartlepool have, for some weeks, been gathering names on a petition, which will be presented to the Secretary of State for Health with plenty of time to spare.



The Mail, Save Our Hospital campaign group and the town's MP have been working together along with hundreds of Hartlepool people to defend our hospital.



The people of Hartlepool have spoken, they have made their view very clear. They want our hospital saved!.



If Stuart Drummond does not realise this, if Stuart Drummond needs to waste their hard-earned money to answer a question he should already know the answer to, then as a supposed representative of the people he is dangerously out of touch and should consider his position.



As councillors, we will continue to do all we can to defend and protect services at the University Hospital of Hartlepool, but we will not stand by and watch money poured down the drain for a poll that ultimately could damage

those services.



The 31 signatures on this open letter represent a majority of Hartlepool councillors.

Stephen Akers-Belcher, Labour; Caroline Barker, Lib-Dem; Jonathan Brash, Labour; Harry Clouth, Labour; Rob Cook, Labour; Shaun Cook, Labour; Kevin Cranney, Labour; Sandra Fenwick, Labour; Mary Fleet, Labour; Sheila Griffin, Labour; Gerard Hall, Labour; Gordon Hennery, Lib-Dem; Marjorie James, Labour; Michael Johnson, Labour; Stan Kaiser, independent; Pauline Laffey, Conservative; John Lauderdale, independent; Ann Marshall, Labour; John Marshall, independent; George Morris, Conservative; Arthur Preece, Lib-Dem; Pat Rayner, Lib-Dem; Carl Richardson, Labour; Jane Shaw, Labour; Lillian Sutherland, Labour; Mike Turner, independent; Steve Wallace, Labour; Gerald Wistow, Labour; Gladys Worthy, Labour; Edna Wright, Lib-Dem; Dave Young, Conservative.

[Inspector Knacker]

Well if they meant what they said.... in view of how things turned out it was as battles go our very own version of the Charge of the Light Brigade....or something that sounds like 'light'..
Outclassed, outwitted and oitgunned at every turn sums up our 'defenders'....... at least the Light Brigade turned up for the battle.

[Pwilson]

Out of interest how many of that lot have kept a watching brief as the hospital slipped away and are still dumbstruck now?