Real Zorro

http://realzorro1.blogspot.co.uk/

has drawn attention to the lamentable lack of policies from East Devon’s Tories (except, of course, for HQ relocation, which is the only things that has occupied them for MONTHS) with their website bereft of information or ideas about what they would do if re-elected.

A similar state of affairs pertains over at the Tiverton and Honiton official Tory website with a post which has been on the website since well before 2010 and which is still there today (but probably not tomorrow!). And what an embarrassing post it is! No doubt once it has been drawn to their attention it will disappear but, fear not, EDW has kept a copy for posterity and took this recent screenshot (taken on 19 February 2015 but the same page is still there today).

http://www.tivertonhonitonconservatives.co.uk/campaigns

On the webpage (under the heading “Campaigns”) EDDC Tories state that UNDER LABOUR in 2009:

♦  There were 200 fewer rural schools (there are now even fewer)
♦  1,400 rural post offices had been lost since 2000 (even more post offices have since been lost)
♦  384 police stations had closed in the shires in Labour’s first two terms (even more police stations have been closed and we have far fewer police on the streets
♦  Dramatically widened funding gap between urban and rural areas (the funding gap between urban and rural areas has widened even further)

and they promised that, if they were successful in 2010 they would:

have an agenda that would:

RESPECT RURAL PEOPLE

♦  Give rural communities a voice to decide their own future
♦  Respect the rural way of life
♦  Only regulate where self regulation fails
♦  Fairer rural funding

They said that they would

EMPOWER RURAL COMMUNITIES

♦  Return real power to individuals and communities
♦  Give villages the right to build their own affordable homes
♦  Allow councils to oppose development planned for green belt land

THEY SAID THEY WOULD

PROTECT RURAL SERVICES

♦  Realise the social value of vital rural services like post offices
♦  Give parents the power to stop rural schools closing and open new ones
♦  Allow rural public services to diversify
♦  Pilot new rural transport solutions

They said that they would

REVIVE THE RURAL ECONOMY:

♦  Cut tax rates for small businesses to encourage growth and protect jobs
♦  Allow councils to offer rural business rate discounts
♦  Simplify the planning system to improve accountability
♦  Reduce the burden of regulation to give businesses more freedom

THESE ARE THE PROMISES THEY MADE TO YOU IN 2010

WILL YOU STILL VOTE FOR THEM IN 2015?