There is an
hilarious post on the
Spectator Coffee House blog with a letter exchange between the Health Minister Ben "I used to work on the Today Prgramme but the BBC isn't biased don't you know?" Bradshaw and his Tory opposite number Andrew Lansley MP.
Lansley replied to Bradshaw thus,
Ben Bradshaw MP
Minister of State for Health Services
The Labour Party Head Office
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0HA
14 January 2009
Dear Ben,
Thank you for your letter of December 2008. Since you omitted reference to our commitment to further real terms increases in health spending and my determination to secure improving outcomes, I must conclude your letter was merely a political stunt. So I will treat it with the disdain it deserves. Haven’t Health Ministers got better things to be doing?
For the sake of public interest, I am making this letter available to the media.
Yours Ever,
Andrew
Andrew Lansley CBE MP
What was he replying too? Well it was this little piece that displays the strategy that Labour wish to take on this issues. Basically, take a statement and then leap to some randomly chosen conclusion about how the Tories are going to ruin the country, eat babies etcetera.
Andrew Lansley MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
December 2008
Dear Andrew
I am writing to you about a crucial decision we face in 2009: to continue to invest in the NHS in difficult times, or to make deep cuts that would damage our health service.
As you will be aware, as part of the fiscal stimulus we announced that we would bring forward £100m to upgrade up to 600 GP surgeries to training practices.
I am disappointed that your party have opposed this action. It is crucial that we bring forward investment to ensure that we come out of the downturn sooner and stronger and ready to take advantage of the upturn.
As you will be aware, in addition to opposing this investment, David Cameron announced earlier this month that your party will be committed to spending less than Labour at the next election, meaning further cuts to key services.
"We will not match Labour's new spending plans for 2010 and beyond."
David Cameron, Speech to the LSE, 9 December 2008
Given the level of public concern about these key areas, I hope you will be clear whether you support our investment in the NHS or David Cameron's cuts.
Because of the public interest in these issues, I am releasing this letter to the media.
Yours sincerely
Ben Bradshaw MP
Minister of State for Health Services
Bradshaw's letter is more transparent than a set of crotchless panties really.
Lansley replied to Bradshaw thus,
5 comments:
What an excellent response from Mr Lansley.
Christ that Bradshaw is pompous.
His letter was as Mr Lansley said, just a stunt.
Seriously, this is the Big Lie that non lefties have to find a way to expose. The Big Lie that low taxes mean poor services in health and education. Which they don't.
What have we come to when the English language is so abused by this government that the refusal to support an increase in spending is distorted and becomes a cut.
It used to be said that the first casualty in war was the truth - this government is applying this doctrine to everything.
What moral compass!
I dislike Bradshawe with a passion. Snide is his middle name.
There are some quite funny vidoes of him on Andrew Neale's Politics show in which he gets hammered over his party's stance on global warming and (I think) the economy.
If Ben worked in the retailing of Whelks he would be junior to almost all of them.
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