Video: Candidate takes to the streets
Thursday 15th April 2010, 10:58AM BST.
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Promises to prevent cuts at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital and safeguard jobs at RAF Cosford met with unanimous approval when Tory prospective parliamentary candidate Mark Pritchard took to the streets.
Mr Pritchard hit the campaign trail yesterday and gave voters in Albrighton reasons to be cheerful.
He promised jobs would be protected at RAF Cosford and guaranteed the Princess Royal Hospital would not be downgraded – pledges welcomed warmly by local voters.
Patrick Richards, the town’s butcher, and his wife Gaynor were so impressed they offered to distribute leaflets.
“Thank you,” said Mr Pritchard, before turning to one of his helpers. “You know,” he said. “Their sausages are wonderful, this really is a very high quality butcher’s.” Mr Richards interrupted. “I’m glad to hear the Princess Royal. I’ve had to go in lately, a varicose vein issue.”
“We’ll protect it,” said Mr Pritchard. “You don’t want to be travelling to the Royal Shrewsbury. It’s a long way from Albrighton. We need local services, in Telford.”
Other people in Albrighton were equally welcoming with one woman pledging her support and saying her daughter hoped to become a Conservative MP. “I’m sure she’d be wonderful,” said Mr Pritchard.
“Do you have time to come in for a coffee?” the lady asked. Mr Pritchard shook his head: “I’d love to, but duty calls.”
Mr Pritchard was accompanied on his canvassing rounds by four local ladies. “Oi,” called one person in High Street. “What’s this . . . Pritchard’s babes?”
Mr Pritchard said: “It’s great timing to be out and about today because we’ve made the announcement that we’ll protect RAF Cosford if a Conservative Government is elected.
“We’ve also got key pledges on health and the Princess Royal Hospital.”
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Nice to read some pleasing stories for a change !!
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I’m being cynical perhaps, but this is a *politician* making these ‘promises’. Guaranteeing that the PRH will not be ‘downgraded’ only means that something will be cut elsewhere, and probably more savagely; it’s all swings and roundabouuts – no matter what your political persuasion!
So far, the Conservatives seem to be out in front (by a small margin) when it comes to making promises – that everyone knows won’t be kept – just to jump on local bandwagons. RAF Cosford and the PRH are obvious targets in Telford and Shropshire.
I’m only surprised the Tories haven’t given a cast iron guarantee that ITV will be prevented from cancelling ‘The Bill’ and that we’ll all have an extra 5 Bank Holidays a year….
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Incidentally – as with the reports of Lembit Opik’s ‘walkabout’ the other day, I’m amazed at the one-sidedness of these Star reports. Everyone loves Mark Pritchard. And Mr Pritchard, for his part, loves locally produced sausages and – surprise surprise – has to use the PRH for his varicose veins. So obviously, the PRH will be immune from cuts or changes under the Tories. Yeah sure.
I’m beginning to wonder if someone at the Star isn’t having a laugh in these reports. If they’re not, I think they should be fired :-)
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Oops.
I misread the report.Its Mr Richards the butcher who is going in for the varicose vein operation, not his prospective MP, who in any case still loves Mr Richards sausages and will protect the PRH (as if varicose vein ops are under any serious threat anyway).
Wow they must be good sausages.
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Well Jeepers, one cast iron guarantee that you can stake your life on is this. If Labour get in again they will financially wreck this country even more than what they have done over the past 13 years.
As for manifesto guarantees, you are obviously not aware that some couple of years ago, a man sued the Labour party for failing to honour their manifesto promises. In court, the Barrister for the Labour party said words to the effect that, “I am instructed by my client, ie the Labour Party, that they do not intend that issues mentioned in their manifesto should be regarded as guarantees that must be kept, more that they are merely aspirations that reflect the stance of the party on that specific issue and will be attained if possible, they make no guarantees on any matter contained in their manifesto”. So there you have it from the official Labour side, said in a court of law. Furthermore, that submission was accepted by the Judge who agreed that manifestos should not be regarded as promises or guarantees. The applicant lost his case and was made to pay court costs.
Politicians of all parties – particularly Labour spout so much hot air and anything they say should not be regarded as “gospel”. Labour have “form” for breaking promises, remember the promised referendum on the Lisbon Treaty – whatever became of that. Remember their promise not to make the elderly sell their homes in order to get care – whatever became of that, remember their promise to raise the old age pension in line with the higher rate index – whatever became of that. Want me to go on.
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That looked like an area of great social deprivation. Brave man !
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“Want me to go on…”
No thanks Stuart. All the parties are as bad as one another. Thanks for the Party Political Broadcast on behalf of the Tory Party though – glad you got it off your chest :-)
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Safe ground for Mr Pritchard then. Why not follow him in the more deprived areas of Telford and see the difference…
Come on Star, you can do better than this!
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