West Briton (Truro and Mid Cornwall)
ANDREW GEORGE
GOOD that the Ombudsman has found in favour of compensating older women adversely affected by the way state pension changes were handled. WASPI women have been campaigning for years. There are at least 16,000 cases in Cornwall alone. Of course, the compensation bill will be large, but Liberal Democrats have always argued it’s the right thing to do.
» Conservatives who say the country cannot afford the WASPI bill should look at the £500 million of taxpayers’ money they’ve given away to holiday home owners in Cornwall alone in the last decade. There are 12,500 holiday homes in Cornwall and Scilly (and about the same number of second homes which pay council tax). There are about 25,000 families on the housing waiting list. Last week there were only 190 properties available for rent across the whole of the county. Campaigning to correct this injustice isn’t the politics of envy. It’s simply about fairness.
» More good news. Because the St Ives seat is a Conservative marginal it’s been singled out for public cash to be splashed on its towns (£50m available for St Ives and Penzance) and Penzance hospital (up to £10m on a new outpatients’ department, where work is now well under way). These can be notched up as evidence of the benefits of not voting Conservative. If elected, I will of course endeavour to make sure each of these projects is properly delivered and that the strong case for our area to receive the support it deserves is made very strongly to the new government.
» I see a local Tory MP wants decisions about the official designation of nature conservation sites to be made by people like him (politicians) and not by scientists. They probably haven’t fully grasped that there are areas of policy where politicians should keep well away. Of course politicians should set the legislative framework in which services are provided, but then they should not meddle with the work of professionals charged with implementation. It would be like suggesting that a culture minister could walk into the BBC and tell them what they should and shouldn’t broadcast. Such MPs claim they agree we must protect at least 30% of our land for biodiversity by 2030: but, perhaps, just not when it’s on their doorstep or when it’s politically inconvenient for them.
» So a major Tory donor can say he wants Diane Abbott MP to be shot, but the Conservatives will cling on to his money, as if they haven’t got plenty already. I hope that money isn’t being spent here.
Some, including my own party leader, said the Conservatives should be made to pay it back. I disagree. They should pay it all (and more) to charities working to combat racism and violence against women.
The Cons have vastly overstayed their mandate. I hope you’ll join me in imploring them – politely, of course – to “Please, just go!”