Handbags at Dawn

I am saddened by Steve Morphew’s bad tempered reaction to his party’s defeat at the hands of the Conservatives.

He thinks this is a due to a leaflet put out by Norfolk County Council regarding Unitary status – I am sorry to disappoint Cllr Morphew but Unitary was barely mentioned on the doorstep at all.

However, if he is wondering how Labour has managed to lose what was their safest council seat to the Conservatives two years running, let me offer him the words of a former Labour voter from Bowthorpe who left this comment on this blog:

“Labour did not put any leaflets through doors, so voters didn't really know what the detailed manifesto was. The Conservative leaflet came through most doors setting out the bread and butter issues, unitary was not mentioned.Bowthorpe and Earlham is still riddled by litter, vandalism and graffiti. Labour hasn't done much on the ground to clear this before the election.Bowthorpe and Earlham have been ignored with funding compared to NELM areas.The Labour Candidate hadn't done the groundwork and was relying on the central Labour spin machine. John Wyatt came across as the better candidate who could put the time in, and connected with voters with green issues and being down to earth as an allotment holder.Council Tax was increased by 4.7% by City Labour. Big issue. Too much for pensioners like myself, and double inflation rates. We are not even getting the basic good services like prompt litter cleanups. It takes ages and doesn't always get properly reported by City Halls centralised contact numbers. We are not getting value for money under City Labour, at the moment.I can't see where Steve Morphew wants to go with this, and there is a risk it might backfire on City Labour as a sour grapes party, who sat on their laurels in Bowthorpe, like last year. I think it will further alienate City Labour.”

Perhaps Cllr Morphew should be looking at the performance of his council and his candidates before blaming everyone else for his party’s defeats.

People in Bowthorpe voted for a better candidate who was offering solutions to the problems faced in our community.

He may be happy to spend the next few weeks locked in rooms with lawyers and spin doctors – myself and John Wyatt will on the streets making Bowthorpe a better place to live and work.

UPDATE: I have just recieved a message from Steve saying he wasn't aiming fire at me, or persumably John, personally. Nice to know and I thought I would make that clear - although I feel the advice offered from the former Labour voter above is still valid.