Residents’ intelligence insulted by Tories

11:36am Thursday 6th April 2006

Perhaps Robert Verrill ('Tories actually listen to residents near Underhill', Letters, March 30) would like to chat to council leader Brian Salinger, and ask him if it is true that his party held a meeting prior to the last elections, at which they decided to target our football club.

At that meeting, it was agreed that they needed to get residents voting Tory, and they decided the only way to do this was to target Barnet FC and its application to build a new stadium, although it was recognised that some people in the party would not like this approach.

Why target BFC? Because it was the only issue capable of being whipped up into a 'big' issue, and the Tories were desperate for power! When Councillor Salinger recently admitted that the above events took place, he had the nerve to blame it on a party agent! If you're looking for spin, Mr Verrill, perhaps you should re-read the Tories' 'in Touch' leaflets circulated in Underhill ward prior to the last election, and try to equate their wild and misleading claims about the proposals, to the actual facts. Again, something Mr Salinger blamed on a Tory party agent. Are we to take his comments to mean that it's okay to mislead residents, provided it's done by an agent? The leaflets were inaccurate, designed to scaremonger and to whip up opposition. That's when the intelligence of local residents was insulted.

Janet Matthewson
Keep Barnet Alive