Shamelessly stolen from LibDem Voice...
There has been a successful campaign in Lewisham to save the Ladywell swimming pool. The (Labour) Mayor, Steve Bullock, had these lovely words to say about the campaigners:
“I feel the passionate and enthusiastic campaign by Save Ladywell Pool, although challenging at times, is a great example of how local people can get their views heard. Their work is an example to all communities and shows how people can get together and make a real difference.”
What a shame then that on the same day as these words were uttered, the latest edition of Time Out appeared, with these words from the very same Mayor Steve Bullock about the very same campaign:
“The campaign is pathetic. It is led by a very small group of backward-looking people.”
I must apologise for thinking that the Liberal Democrats were the only ones to indulge in this sort of behaviour. Clearly I was wrong. Let that be a lesson to me.
10 comments:
Wonderful so all the parties are beggining to play both ends against the middle.
If any of you ever hear a politician using these words and phrases in the same paragraph be aware, chances are they are a lying unimaginative twat!
And it isnt just this particular specimen.
1, passionate and enthusiastic
2, challenging
3, local people
4, communities
5, get together and make a real difference
We at UKIP Lewisham are not swayed by Mayor Bullock's utterances. We want to see the end of executive Mayoralty in our borough and bring back democracy. The Mayor can ignore other councillors even if they are in the majority, that's not right. We start our petition this Saturday in Lewisham.
At the local election this year, a number of opposition parties stood on the platform of preventing this pool closure if Labour lost control of the council. This duly came to pass.
So Bullock's second quote is more likely to represent his true feelings...
Could you remind me which party isn't full of hypocrites?
Well I like Shameless.
But one thing we can never say of the Lib Dems is...
"they know how to throw a party."
The Conservative Party Etzel.
Well said PHITCH and can I add to that the words "Our wonderful " are always followed by a group of people conspicuously under performing :
Police
Nurses
Teachers
Firemen
and so on.
I am really wonderful though.
I caught James Kemptom , local Lib dum supremo promising a coucil house bonanza at the same time he was "fighting against Ken`s 21st century slums ". The Libs are , and always will be , the worst . They have no guiding principle. They can`t help it
You know the two statements are not contradictory. A campaign can be a great example of how local people can get their views heard and be pathetic and backward looking at the same time if those views are indeed pathetic and backward looking. In fact intelligent reading of the first quote does hint that the speaker is not a fan of the views being supported or of their tactics through the “although challenging at times” aside.
This is basic politics. When called upon to say something nice you duly say something that is nice but is also accurate and doesn’t contradict your true feelings. (if you don’t say something nice you start a pointless war of words and ensure your relations with said party are soured for some time to come). So what to say about a campaign by local people that you consider backward and petty? Well you praise their enthusiasm and dedication without commenting on whether the cause has any merit.
I have campaigned (with others) for the last few years. It is great to see a local, community campaign win.
If Steve Bullock hadn't been so stubborn Labour would have probably lost fewer seats at the council elections in May.
What RK has said is technically true and that technique of economy with words is indeed common for politicians.
In the specific Mayor Bullock was misrepresenting as he called his constituents "backwards" therefore suggesting that the campaign was made by people wanting to keep an old pool forever rejecting an offer for a new one.
In reality the request has always been for Ladywell pool to be kept operational until the promised new one is actually delivered rather than leave a gap of a few years also considering the dismal record of the council on these matters and the very early stages for the building of its replacement.
Unless with "backward" he meant people that look "back" at the Council record, in that case he would be correct.
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