15th February 2010

The trouble with the Gordon's visits

Gordon Brown came to Wattisham today and then went on to Ipswich, where he's only recently been.

The Council was told to prepare for a visit by Caroline Flint - but on the day they were informed it would be the PM.  You have to wonder what Miss Flint would make of being used as cover in this rather silly deception.

Anyway, it was good to see him with helicopters,* reminding us of when as Chancellor he blocked the purchase of the choppers our soldiers so desperately needed in Afghanistan.  And then he was off to Hillside Children's Centre, no doubt to give a good photo to Ipswich Labour to support their completely untruthful claim that the Conservatives want to axe Sure Start.

Of course, none of this fuss is done to encourage soldiers or give hard-working teachers a well-earned slap on the back.  It's simple, tax-payer funded, electioneering.  Were it not for the cost to our near-bankrupt exchequer, I'd invite Mr Brown to do many more of his visits to Ipswich: I am more than happy for him to highlight, time and again, his failure to support our troops, and his inability to tell the truth about our policies.

* These ones ordered, incidentally, during the Major administration.

UPDATE

He couldn't help himself.  On Leslie Dolphin's show Gordon explains (at 0:39:43) that the removal of emergency heart care services will have been as a result of "decisions made locally".  Well, I suppose if you call Cambridge and Whitehall local, then indeed they were.  He also promises that specialist centres provide better outcomes.  Which is true.  If you live in Norwich, or Cambridge.  Which is why we want one here.