And now for some more "Liberal Demolition"

Well, my posts about "Liberal Demolition" have been getting some interest with various people, including one Labour blogger in the North East, and, I guess, someone on the Guardian which published a note that was not overly complimentary about John Spellar and his stupid decision to shout about the BAE corruption case from the rooftops.

For those who have not been following this saga, John Spellar is a little known Labour MP who fills his time as a former transport minister by writing the most contorted and inaccurate claims about the Lib Dems which he entitles "Liberal Demolition". I have been going through his claims one by one in his most recent edition to reflect on the allegations made.

My thanks to Welsh National Assembly Member Peter Black for the following bit of information. "Attack Dog" Spellar makes out that Lib Dem run Swansea Council is about to chop down a landmark, 150 year old "monkey puzzle" tree because its needles are "like syringes" which could pose a threat to children. Attack Dog notes that this is all in a report from the Lib Dem run council. He sticks the boot in on the Lib Dem leader for previously making assurances that the tree would not be chopped down. He fails however to point out that the call for the chainsaw to be wielded was made in an officer's report which was rejected by the Lib Dems on the council. That inconvenient bit of the story was simply chopped down and discarded by Attack Dog.

Meanwhile, over to Islington where Attack Dog was barking about "savage cuts" he claims were made by the Lib Dem run council into mental health services. He alleges "Lib Dems in Islington are continuing to wreak havoc with their cuts to local groups and community services." Attack Dog has an odd understanding of what is meant by the word "investment". More money was being put into the service to improve it. There were no cuts. Admittedly, one of our councillors was unhappy that a particular centre was being replaced but to suggest that we were cutting services was just crass nonsense.

So far in this publication we have had attacks on Lib Dem community justice policies at the same time as Labour is running pilots on them, a defence of the right of rich business people to escape investigation into serious international fraud and crime, an attack on Lib Dem members for taking a foreign trip paid for by a Moonies organisation when Labour MP David Anderson had accepted the same trip, a claim that a ridiculous decision was taken by a Lib Dem council when the council in question is run by the Tories, an attack on a Lib Dem council for cutting a service when it was being expanded, an attack on a Lib Dem council for refusing to give a grant to a charity when in fact the grant had been given, an attack on a council for wanting to chop down a tree when in fact the council had protected the same tree and an attack on Lib Dem councils for carrying out government requirements on public liability insurance.

All of this is of course, the work of Little John Spellar, from his office in the House of Commons. Hold on a moment, did I say House of Commons? Yes I did! And there was I thinking Commons facilities could not be used for party political purposes. But don't worry Attack Dog, I won't be putting in any complaints about this. I don't need to. I've heard on the grapevine that someone else has already done so!

---
Sent via BlackBerry