Lincoln Conservative Association

As a pensioner and a Lincoln City Council tax payer I was interested to read in your recent news letter your statement that ” The Tories are set to increase the rate of council tax for pensioners by a staggering 3.9 % whilst everyone else faces a lesser 2.5 %. Labour Councillors will ensure that pensioners are treated fairly.” I have been told that this statement is being circulated by the Labour Party in all the City wards.

I have worked out how the Lincoln Labour Party has assessed this percentage and whilst it is mathematically correct it is intentionally misleading. We can all manipulate statistics to try to make a point. Who was it who said there are lies, damned lies and statistics ? The important point is the one you purposely omit and wish to hide. That is, the fact that Lincoln City Council applies a ‘Local Pensioner Reduction’ which means that pensioners actually pay a lower Council tax charge than others. The reduction in the current fiscal year is lower than the previous year, which has affected the percentage increase, but nevertheless it is still a reduction on the standard charge.

Your statement ‘smacks’ of desperation in the Labour Party which no doubt will be challenged by your political opponents. I, personally have no political affiliations or leanings but I do strongly resent any political party trying to insult my intelligence or attempting to ‘con’ gullible people, especially pensioners.

Your statement on pensioners council tax concludes …”Labour Councillors will ensure that pensioners are treated fairly.” but you don’t say how. Would the Labour Party reduce further the Council tax paid by pensioners?

Rod Willis

Dear Editor,

Recent letters from former failed Labour Councillor, the ever grim Chris Grimshaw, and others like John Shipton are entertaining in their crude and clumsy attempt at political debate.  The near daily attacks for the last week or two in the Echo on Mr. Karl McCartney can only backfire as I was one of the resident’s who attended one of the 14 public meetings Karl McCartney has held cross Lincoln in the last two months.  Karl was open in his stance on many issues and re-iterated that his priorities are those that are the priorities that the residents of Lincoln have – the NHS, education opportunities for our children and the transport infrastructure that currently blights our city of Lincoln.  He  was positive about the future and warned that Labour supporters would no doubt ‘play dirty’ (John Poutney, Thursday Jan 28th – where does  the majority of funding for local government come from, Einstein? Oh, that’s right, Central government, that is Labour Controlled currently? doh!) -That’s another load of worthless socialist drivel shot to pieces…)  Karl also stated he was happy to stand by his beliefs and responsibilities should he be elected whenever this failed Labour government call the General Election.

So how else can we see Labour for what it is – well we know our current Labour MP is paid a second job  salary for being a Minister in Government in the Health Department and whenever there’s a major political event, you always need to watch what government press offices put out. And true to form, last week the Department of Health was trying to bury bad news. At 10.06am an email press release was sent out with the alluring headline: STATISTICAL PRESS NOTICE – NHS INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT WAITING TIMES FIGURES – 31st December 2009.  One might nearly not bothered to look with Tony Blair squirming in front of the Chilcott enquiry, but suspicion got the better of me. It turns out that patient waiting times have increased dramatically in 2009.

• The number of inpatients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 13 weeks at the end of December 2009 was 57,600, an increase of 12,300 (27.3%) from November 2009, and a rise of 18,000 (45.3%) from December 2008.
• The number of outpatients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 8 weeks at the end of December 2009 was 74,100, an increase of 11,700 (18.8%) from November 2009, but a rise of 26,900 (57.0%) from December 2008.

Shouldn’t the press release have been headlined…  Labour Increases NHS Waiting Times by 50%? and what of our local services at Lincoln hospital where we know management warfare is rife and safety of patients is compromised as clinicians are overruled as the regionally imposed chase for Labour Government targets is imposed? what is our highly paid MP doing about that?

Yours sincerely

Graham Kent

Dear Editor,

A number of letters have been printed by the Echo. two last Saturday and one on everyday this week that amongst other dis-information are supporting the Labour Party’s election promise of a direct, quick rail link between Lincoln and London.  Such a service would have many benefits, and possibly a few disadvantages, but as anyone would,  I recognise that our City would benefit hugely from such a service.  However, your Labour supporting correspondents, in their scramble to attempt to make cheap political capital, aping the quote of the visiting Labour Government Minster our current Labour MP dragged up to Lincoln to make this simplistic attack, have as per usual conveniently overlooked some very pertinent facts.

When the Labour Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Adonis, announced his plans for the new East Coast rail franchise, he proposed that the new operator should operate a train between Lincoln and London on alternate hours from May 2011 – a delay from the December 2010 originally promised  and much trumpeted by Labour locally.  It should be borne in mind that this has not yet been confirmed, as the tender document has not yet been published and will not be until the consultation has been completed.  I do hope this promise is retained post consultation and General Election – whoever wins, but Labour’s record on keeping election manifesto promises – Lisbon Treaty Referendum anyone? does not inspire confidence.

As Conservatives, we have no objection to much of what is to be included in the new franchise and would welcome new services to and from Lincoln. We were disappointed that the Department for Transport continues to tightly specify franchises and stifle the innovation of train operating companies. A Conservative Government would reform the franchise process and ensure that franchises are longer and less tightly specified by officials, and I have personal detailed experience of working on previous franchise processes under this Labour Government.

The Conservative Party has set out detailed plans outlining how they would improve rail services across the whole network. Measures include:

• Creating longer franchises which will encourage private sector investment on our railways, which we argue will help deliver much needed enhancements such as longer trains and longer platforms and increased capacity
• Reforming Network Rail to make it more accountable to passengers and train operators;
• Promoting innovation in delivering rail improvements. By opening up smaller scale capacity enhancements to competition, Conservatives argue efficiency and performance will be improved across the network.

In essence, whilst political debate is to be welcomed, we know that our opponents are monitoring everything we say whether in print or online, with a view to taking remarks out of context and distorting what is said in an attempt to undermine our Campaign here in Lincoln.  It will not work, as our campaigning through local literature delivery and speaking to residents whilst canvassing on the doorstep, or at the recent 14 public meetings across the constituency has shown that people are fed up of this Labour Government and want change for themselves and Lincoln, and they have seen through the Labour Spin and propaganda.

Yours sincerely,

Karl McCartney

Lincoln’s Conservative Parliamentary Candiate

Dear Editor,

Whilst I have been intrigued by a number of articles and letters in  the Echo recently, your excellent article on those older buildings at risk in our traditional City (Friday 27th November) was a timely reminder that we sometimes do not miss things until they are gone.  I would like to point out to your readers that the Conservatives, and other main opposition parties, are in agreement and are committed to increasing state expenditure on the built historic environment, something Lincoln has an abundance of.  This increased support pledged by the Conservatives is in stark contrast to the current Labour Government’s steadily dwindling budget for conserving the nation’s heritage and year-on-year falls in Labour Government spending.

As a traditionalist, Conservative, SPAB member, and member of The NT, EH and numerous Lincoln and Lincolnshire Heritage organisations I am very pleased that my party recognises the key role that heritage can play in preserving skills and trades which contribute  to the nation’s overall financial well-being.  It is also to Lincoln’s credit that Jeremy Hunt MP, The Shadow Culture Secretary, has revisited Lincoln privately since his initial visit here last year when he came to learn about our plans to regenerate the Grandstand and Horse Racing Course in the Carholme area of Lincoln.

Yours sincerely,

Karl McCartney
Lincoln’s Conservative Parliamentary Candidate

‘I am often asked when visiting businesses or knocking on doors in Lincoln, ‘Have you seen today’s Echo?’

That is the measure of how important a daily newspaper is to the people of Lincoln and Lincolnshire.  I may not agree with everything in the Echo, but as a politician I recognise and understand the importance of a daily Echo to the local population and wish the paper and those that work there the very best for the next 113 years!’

K.McCartney – 12th November 2009

Dear Editor,

Your article in Monday’s Echo, which rightly and kindly gave notice of yesterday’s successful unveiling of a memorial statue of Sir Keith Park (the RAF Commander responsible for the Battle of Britain victory in the 2WW) on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, may have towards the end regrettably misled your readers.  The temporary 15ft statue unveiled yesterday on the Fourth Plinth will unfortunately only be there for six months, however, the permanent smaller (9ft) bronze version of the statue, a permanent memorial, will be unveiled on the 15^th September 2010, the 70^th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in Waterloo Place, in the shadow of New Zealand House (Park was a New Zealander) in London.

Readers of the Echo, and those supporters who attended the unveiling yesterday from Lincolnshire, will be interested perhaps to note that the location for this permanent memorial of Sir Keith Park in Waterloo Place, that has been agreed by all parties and has been granted planning permission, is opposite the statue of Scott of the Antarctic and next to the statue of the famous Lincolnshire explorer, Franklin.  Should anyone wish to discover more regarding our campaign www.sirkeithpark.com is the website address.

Yours sincerely,

Karl M^cCartney
Campaign Director
The Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign
(and PPC for Lincoln)