Party Propaganda

[rabbit]

Labour Manifesto

Has anyone received the leaflet entitled "Your Hartlepool" Labour Manifesto?

Although this publishes the aims of the various Committees of our Council, it is clearly a propaganda leaflet for the local Labour Party. At the front of the leaflet, a banner reads Labour Manifesto. At the foot of the leaflet it states that it is "promoted by the Hartlepool Labour Party" which suggests that they were responsible for all or some of its cost. The wording should more correctly read "Promoted by and on behalf of the Labour Party".

The leaflet does not provide any help for ratepayers, nor guidance in how to obtain help. It is purely P.R.

The four committees listed are headed by Labour Party Members.

Although there are 19 councillors who are Labour Party Members, there are 14 who are not.

Therefore, to give the impression in this document that the various Council Committees are run solely by members of the Labour Party is very misleading.

We might wonder why the Labour Party/HBC is publishing this leaflet. Is it to illustrate how the council is managed following the dispensation of the elected Mayor (an Independent)?

Or is it to show the positive side of the Labour Party/HBC following the recent debacles?

[steveL]

This has been doing the rounds for a while and is the subject of an investigation by the Chief Solicitor after complaints that it was inserted into an official council document handed out to people at a business event. Not sure what has happened about it but I'm surprised if you have just received a copy - I would have thought distribution would have halted while the investigation took place.

I know councillors not part of the Lab/Tory coalition aren't happy of the assumption that Labour speaks for all of the council - it certainly doesn't do that.

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/politics-probe-after-labour-leaflet-inserted-in-hartlepool-council-documents-1-6169243

[rabbit]

Thanks Steve-I guess it came with a bunch of other stuff, free leaflets etc. Probably was delayed in the system somewhere.

I normally just chuck this material straight into recycling without reading it.