12/12/08 - Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson attack Labour's 'flawed' policies

Swindon's Conservative parliamentary candidates have criticised the response of the town's Labour MPs to David Cameron's article in the Swindon Advertiser.

In a letter published today, Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson say it makes them all the more determined to defeat Labour at the general election.

Their letter is as follows:

"The deeply flawed response by Swindon's two Labour MPs to David Cameron's article about the economy shows once again how desperate they are to cling on to their seats.
 
They seem to think that expressing compassion for the thousands of people who face economic hardship is something to be mocked, displaying a complete lack of understanding for the feelings of families in Swindon.
 
Their accusation that Swindon Conservatives 'cut and pasted' an earlier speech to create David Cameron's article is totally without foundation, and they should withdraw it.  Swindon Conservatives played no part in writing that article.
 
Not once did David Cameron seek to gain local political advantage by mentioning the Conservative parliamentary candidates, and yet the Labour MPs used their response for shameless self-promotion.
 
They criticised Conservative councillors for not attending their recent so-called 'business summit'.  However this was essentially a Labour Party campaigning event, and we are not aware of a single invitation being issued to any member of Swindon Conservatives, ourselves included.
 
The week before Labour's 'summit', Swindon Conservatives organised a private meeting at which the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Philip Hammond, visited Swindon to hold discussions with leading members of the local business community, including Honda.  We have not sought to make political gain from this, because it was intended to be a serious, constructive meeting rather than a campaigning gimmick.
 
Finally, it's interesting to note that the Labour MPs expressed support for the cut in VAT.  The front page of the very same edition of the Swindon Advertiser carried the headline: 'VAT cut?  It's just not worth it'.  This shows once again how out of touch the Labour MPs are with the realities of the local economy.
 
The Conservatives are putting forward solid policies for long-term economic stability, including proposals on council tax, corporation tax, payroll tax for small businesses and national insurance.  Labour have created a debt-fuelled society and tried to solve the problem with yet more borrowing, leading to an inevitable tax bombshell which will mean thousands of Swindonians are worse off.
 
The fact that Swindon's two Labour MPs expressed such clear support for these flawed policies makes us all the more determined to defeat them at the next general election".
 
Robert Buckland
Conservative parliamentary candidate, South Swindon
 
Justin Tomlinson
Conservative parliamentary candidate, North Swindon