Do Somerset Conservatives Care About You?

 

Jacob Rees-Mogg (Con)
MP for North East Somerset*

Somerset Independents was formed because residents feel that the Westminster parties let them down - Liberal Democrats, Greens, Labour and the Conservatives.

This article looks at the Somerset Conservatives.

Do their councillors and MPs care about you?

We provide just some of the evidence here that they do not care about you. There is plenty more.

Photographed above is Jacob Rees-Mogg, Conservative MP for North East Somerset and Leader of the House of Commons.

To Somerset residents, Mr Rees-Mogg epitomises the Conservative Party: plummy-mouthed, rich, privileged and out-of-touch. 

Mr Rees-Mogg's comments about the Grenfell Disaster in 2019 and more recently, about Covid-19 testing, show how out-of-touch he is. But also, his offensive comments show he does not care about us residents. 

Mr Rees-Mogg's actions and comments mirror the Conservatives during the Thatcher/Major years. For example - during another Conservative-administered public health disaster - BSE/vCJD when 30 years ago, like now, they totally failed to protect the public and endangered their own children as well as the rest of us. 

As it was then for Conservative Minister John Gummer trying to get his daughter to eat the burger, it is now for Jacob Rees-Mogg having to self-isolate from Covid-19 after sending his own children back to (privately-funded) school and gloating about how they want and "need" to go back.

Just like the current failing Johnson Government now, the 1990 Conservative Government claimed they were relying on "the scientists". But people died from vCJD. And tens of thousands have died from Covid-19. 

Thousands could have been saved if the Government had cared enough, and had been competent. But it still is not competent and still does not care. The evidence is all around - just look at the second wave of Coronavirus and their serial and repeated failures such as testing, tracing, PPE, care home infections and much more.

Millions, billions probably, have been spent by the Conservative Party and their friends, to launder the image of the Conservative Party.

Despite this, Mr Rees-Mogg shows that all those billions spent in public relations (PR) cannot remove the stains of corruption, self-interest and criminality which still dog the Conservatives.  

Corruption, via the donations to the Conservative Party by people associated with the heads of state of hostile nations, as revealed on Panorama this week. And amongst many other misdeeds, corruption via questionable property developers like Richard Desmond looking to donate money to get favours from ministers like Robert Jenrick in the planning system.

As long as the Conservatives get power and keep power, they are prepared to be corrupt.

Because they do not care about Somerset residents.

Self-interest, because Mr Rees-Mogg and so many Conservative councillors and MPs appear to be working for themselves and the party instead of constituents, which sadly is typical for an MP. Residents of Somerset tell us that their Conservative MPs do not reply to them, or help them - Rebecca Pow and David Warburton being two examples.

When Somerset Independents took this up, we approached the Chief Whip Mark Spencer as to why Mr Warburton does not reply to constituents. The Chief Whip sent this letter:

Does this show that the Conservatives care? No it does not.

Then "Save British Farming" campaigners suggested that we contacted the local Conservative associations. We asked Conservative County Councillor Clare Paul whether she could help us. She did not even respond.

Councillor Clare Paul Did Not Respond

And when a South Somerset Conservative Councillor, Councillor Linda Vijeh, who is also Leader of the Conservative Group, tells a virtual public meeting that "I don't give a ****", it sums up what people feel about the Conservatives.

That whether it is MP, District Councillor or County Councillor, the Conservatives do not care about you.

Criminality, when we learn of a former Conservative MP, Charlie Elphicke, who has been sent to prison for two years for sexual assault.

Opaque business dealings, when we learn that a Somerset MP and former Somerset County councillor failed to properly declare his interests, breaking the MPs Code of Conduct and then tried to obstruct the investigation into why. Marcus Fysh was later forced to make a public apology in the House of Commons.

And failing to encourage openness, when we learn that Conservative councillors do not approve of the Somerset Independents campaign for criminal records checks (DBS) - despite being given multiple occasions to do so. 

They opposed checks despite the former Liberal Democrat Leader of South Somerset District Council, Ric Pallister, who is awaiting his trial. We pass no comment on his guilt or otherwise, as the case is still to be heard in court. But we argue elsewhere on this website that such checks are needed.

Conservative councillors opposed these checks despite the fact that councillors elsewhere have been found guilty of serious criminal offences. 

Somerset Conservative councillors have been shown to not have declared their interests, whilst other councillors have submitted financial party returns late.

Corruption, acting in self-interest, criminality, lacking in openness, and failing to declare their real interests or intentions.

These are the hallmarks of the Conservative Party in 2020.

Perhaps once, the Conservative Party stood for some shared values and principles.

Perhaps once, it was true that you knew where you stood with the Conservative Party, whether you agreed with them or not.

Perhaps once, you could rely on a Conservative Government to protect you and Conservative councillors to listen and act on your concerns.

If that was the case, it is not now.

The Westminster Conservatives do not protect you.

They are all in the same party. 

The Somerset Conservatives do not care about you either.

In the list of priorities, Somerset residents come a long way down the list.

Conservative councillors and MPs put themselves, their self-interest and their party first.

Too many MPs are London's representatives in Somerset, not Somerset's representative in London.

Too many councillors are the Conservatives representatives in your local area, not your representative on the Council.

So what is the answer?

Leader of Somerset Independents Andrew Pope says:

"Somerset Independents puts residents first. 

We listen to you and act on your concerns.

We do not have the millions of pounds that the Conservatives get from donors. We are volunteers and rely on funding from local residents.

But we do have you on our side. Because we are residents just like you.

Join us to stand up for Somerset and its residents."

Putting Residents First

 

* Image: Ben Shread (c) Crown Copyright via Wikipedia https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/person/image/4001/s216_JRM.jpg