Candidate challenged

Published: 23 April, 2010

• DAY by day, and sometimes twice a day, there is delivered to my home what purport from their mastheads to be newspapers. They are printed in garish print of a size large enough for the myopic.
They are communications from Lib Dem candidate Bridget Fox, who describes herself as a “local campaigner”. They contain assertions that need to be challenged.
Assertion 1: “I’ve been standing up for local people for nearly 20 years now... as a local councillor.”
Fact: she was councillor for Barnsbury and deputy leader of the Lib Dem council until the last election when the voters had had enough and she was thrown out.
Assertion 2: she led the campaign that saved Essex Road post office. Fact: the reason for the closure, happily reversed after all-party pressure, was a European Union regulation – and there is no party more devoted to taking instructions from Brussels than the Lib Dems.
Assertion 3: Bridget is leading the campaign to save the Whittington A&E. Fact: this is an all-party campaign, which was started by the leader of the council’s Labour group.
Another of the bogus Lib Dem “newspapers” lauds Nick Clegg, their leader, who opened their campaign here.
Facts: he is a professional politician who was once a partner in a European lobbying firm, upon joining which he said: “It is particularly exciting at a time when Brussels is moving more and more to the centre of business concerns.” Questions: are the Lib Dems opposed to lobbying? Do they want us to adopt the euro along with Greece?
Further, the Lib Dem “newspapers” condemn the expenses culture in Parliament without disclosing that Mr Clegg’s second-home expenses totalled more than £80,000 in the past four years.
ROY ROEBUCK
Brooksby Street, N1

• ONCE again, Councillor Terry Stacy has confused national politics with the job he is supposed to be doing, namely serving the people of Islington (From basket case to better future thanks to Lib Dems, April 16).
Instead of putting forward the merits of Bridget Fox, he should be telling us why our roads are still full of potholes.
Instead of moaning about the gap between rich and poor getting bigger he should be explaining why pensioners are being hit with Homes for Islington bills that are totally unjustifiable.
Instead of making empty promises about cracking down on rowdy bars and clubs he should explain why Rosebowl Community Centre was, and still is, closed.
TERRY COMER
Independent candidate, Canonbury ward

• ONE of the great mysteries of the Tory Party is its absolute faith in self-regulation.
Given the financial mess we are all in and how it was created, is Tory faith in its City and banking supporters justified?
They have been heavily involved in drawing up other nations’ self-regulating economic policies. Greece and Iceland are not exactly examples we should follow. Isn’t it about time Tories admitted that self-regulation only works for the greedy. 
The public have also learnt over the last year that it is fairly obvious Parliament cannot even regulate its own members, whether they are MPs or lords.
The biggest scandal that really needs to be reviewed is the question of when an outside interest becomes a conflict of interest.
JOHN WORKER
Priory Green estate, N1

• ISLINGTON Trades Union Council has arranged a hustings just days before the election. The theme will be the People’s Charter, six popular and progressive demands. One of these is to “Protect and improve our public services – no cuts”, and there will be a focus on the Whittington A&E closure campaign.
The hustings is on Friday, April 30, at Islington Central Library, in Fieldway Crescent, off Holloway Road, from 8pm.
ANDY BAIN
Plimsoll Road, N4