Somerset Independents To Stand Against Chaos Conservatives

Andrew Pope, Leader of Somerset Independents

ITV News is reporting today that the infection rates for Covid-19 are rising fastest in young people. They say:

 

"The rise in the number of young people testing positive for coronavirus coincides with their return to school and university"

 

Reacting to this news, Somerset Independents Leader Andrew Pope says:

 

"As you can see from the actions that we took on this website and elsewhere, Somerset Independents warned Somerset residents about the re-opening of schools months ago, going back all the way to June. Responsible parents know what is best, not the state.

From figures that we forced out of Somerset County Council, 94% of children stayed away in June, when parents had the option to keep them away.

But in September, Boris Johnson's Chaos Conservative Government forced parents to send children back, whether they thought it was safe or not. The Government threatened them with fines and even lectured them that sending them back to school was the "moral" thing to do. 

 

The lecture on morals came from Boris Johnson who seems to have no morals at all. Johnson is totally irresponsible. To give just two examples, he appears to have fathered children with several mothers and be a serial adulterer. No wonder he doesn't want to talk about it! Yet his personal failings affect his political life and therefore every Somerset resident.

Johnson even smirks and smiles in what should be serious TV interviews about Covid-19, when under his Chaos Conservative Government, our country has suffered the deaths of tens of thousands of people. 

To Johnson, the people of this country are expendable, as long as he is OK. Even Johnson's own father laughs at us all with his actions, making a mockery of his son's public health debacle and British citizens' good intentions. 

Johnson's failings are so severe that he almost died himself! Just like President Trump who is now infected, Johnson has not taken the virus seriously or made the right calls. If it hadn't been for the work of individual nurses and other medical staff, Johnson may well have died.

 

Instead of protecting residents from the repeated failings of Boris Johnson's Conservative Government, Conservative-controlled Somerset County Council just go along with it, parroting Government edicts despite its Director of Public Health having the legal responsibility to protect us from outbreaks like Covid-19. 

Since June, Somerset Independents repeatedly pointed out to Somerset County Council that children, school staff, families, and the entire county of Somerset were being put at further risk of infection, illness and death by the Department of Health, supposedly answerable to the Prime Minister, Cabinet and hapless Matt Hancock.

 

But Schools in Somerset have had to close or partially close, send children and staff home to "self-isolate", put children in face masks on the school bus and everyone in so-called "bubbles". The nonsense language and nonsensical actions dreamt up by the Department of Health and the Government's spindoctors cannot be trusted. They've proved it time and again. 

Yet Tory County councillors show no local leadership. 

As Somerset Tory Councillor Linda Vijeh disgracefully said in a recent virtual public meeting: "I don't give a ****" . Conservative councillors and MPs could not care less. She has told us not to "tar her with the same brush" as her Conservative colleagues. She is in the same Party and displays the same attitude as them, so why wouldn't we?

She and them are Westminster's servants in Somerset, instead of being Somerset's representatives in London or on Somerset's councils.

 

When will Conservative County Council Leader David Fothergill stand up for Somerset residents against the Chaos Conservatives in Westminster, instead of aiding and abetting Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock's failures?

 

Because of the Chaos Conservatives in the Somerset County Council, and their friends in Government, Somerset Independents has no option but to stand its first election candidates at the next County Council elections. 

I am announcing today that I am the first Somerset Independents Candidate and will be standing in Mendip South. 

Somerset Independents was formed to put residents first, and that is what we will continue to do."

 

Protecting You, Your Family, Your Area