I, like Robertson, as he often reminds us, served in the military, including a tour in the Gulf. I have the medal to prove it. I and all the other personal offered our lives on the understanding we were defending justice, freedom of speech and democracy to mention just a few of our worthy ideals.
How dare Robertson say the councillors and all the people of Cornwall are not worthy or bright enough to understand his and Lavery's scheming. Its breath-taking arrogance and deeply offensive. If I'm ever unlucky to meet Robertson I will enjoy returning his compliments. The excuse that it's too complicated for us to understand is a smokescreen and part of the con rhetoric. Cornwall is very diverse with many highly intelligent individuals well ahead of Mr Robertson's and his cronies level of comprehension. I do not include all the councillors as some of them should hold their heads down in shame. Newquay is a prime example of Cornwall Councillors and the Council management's inability to do their jobs adequately. We have a right to know and study the proposals thank you very much and consequently there are numerous points that need to be brought into proper debate.
What flimsy evidence they provide to support their proposals would not stand up in a court of law or any other due processes. This is why they hide behind confidentiality and why Lavery will not be interviewed, even though he is not elected but a paid public servant. Lavery wrote a pathetic article full of waffle for the national guardian. His ignorance was immediately highlighted by stating Cornwall is a shire county. It is not. He then went on to say Cornwall had a GDP per capital increase of 8% in the past ten years. Sounds good but the reality to the average man is that wages have actually fallen in real terms over the same period. I know numerous professionals and tradesmen who have not had a pay rise for years. The council is there for us not for corporate profits.
Lavery then stated 'there are numerous successful examples of public and private partnerships beyond our shores and we need to confront the issue of organisational sovereignty'. In English he is saying we should relinquish control to corporations yet he fails to provide a single example even though he states there are numerous. He does not substantiate because he cannot. Its political spin, economical with the truth and intentionally misleading. In the same mode as when the Electricity was privatised and we all told that competition would deliver better services and better prices. Electricity has never been more complicated, more expensive, with shabby service and limited accounability.
Lavery and Robertson by his own admission are Neo Cons, believing laissez-faire or deregulated free markets are the only way forward. This is an Americanisation and by definition equates to every man for himself. This philosophy has its roots in Milton Freeman and the Chicago school of Economics. It has been imposed on the US and various other countries with disastrous consequences and is responsible for unimaginable suffering, major environmental damage and death. This is graphically highlighted at the extreme level by Naomi Klein's bestseller 'Shock Doctrine'.
The US is blighted by debt with more debt than the rest of the world combined, even though the US population is only 5% of the world. The US interest payments on debt are greater than most countries total yearly expenditure. Each fiscal year's individual tax receipts only cover the interest cost of their national debt. Corporate tax receipts are close to defence expenditure. All other federal expenditure is done on credit, compounding their debt problem. It's a con, totally unsustainable and condemns future generations to financial servitude.
The US problems are very clear. Local, municipal and other councils are continually going bankrupt. The US inequality divide is top of the league. In a population of 315 million over 50 million or 1 in 6 are in abject poverty. American companies have physical limitations on how much they can suck from their own country so they turn their attention abroad. This is the path Robertson and his cronies want us to follow. Deregulation is a totally unsustainable scam that only serves corporations and the rich. This has been spectacularly illustrated by the total failure of the banks, the back bone of our free market system or the G4S Olympic fiasco or too many others examples to mention now. It is a perverse failing dogma that has no place in Cornwall Council.
We need look no further than Somerset to realise that private partnership are all too often failing. Somerset is experiencing unnecessary difficulties because their council went down this path. There is no reason to expect Cornwall to be any different if we follow Somerset. Robertson, Lavery and Co would have you believe otherwise but simply listen to Ian Liddell-Grainger, Conservative MP for Bridgewater and West Somerset and descendant of Queen Victoria. One would presume a natural ally for Robertson's Neo Con ideology but Liddell-Grainger, extremely experienced and knowledgeable, is highly critical of Somerset's foray into its disastrous experience. He is totally opposed as the facts cannot be ignored. Somerset still tries to escape from and still pays for their experiment. Somerset Councilors were conned and contrary to what Robertson and others say or would have you believe, this story is repeated all around the country and around the world.
We are told it's not privatisation but this is the first stage of privatisation. Once these corporations have a foot in the door, there is no turning back. Accountability of public services would ultimately be watered down or lost. They will not substantiate the facts because that would mean explaining all the get out clauses and penalties that are unfairly stacked in the corporations favour. The risks are simply far too great yet to impose their will, these low lives resort to emotional blackmail, bullying and threats which are insulting and provocative. There are numerous examples of this delivered by Robertson and co. For example we have been told, 'Councillors have been warned they could face legal action if they criticise these corporations' or 'Any delay would put the proposals at serious risk' or 'Big costs if the Council pull out of the project' or 'The only alternatives to the project would be painful'. This is all nonsense and they should be more careful with their words as they flout the law.
We can tell much about Robertson by him quoting Napoleon. It is totally inappropriate and for those unsure of history, in 1799 Napoleon staged a coup d'état installing himself as First Consul and then Emperor. Napoleon was a warmonger who despised the English. Under Napoleon France started the Napoleonic Wars that involved every major European power. Millions suffered and countless numbers lost their lives in the most barbaric ways. Where is Robertson's head at to quote Napoleon?
Robertson and his cronies are morally bankrupt. This is clearly illustrated by them inviting CSC to join the tendering. CSC is about to be blacklisted by the government and is under investigation in several other countries. They have been caught avoiding tax, paying nothing during 2008 -2010. The actually received over $300 million in rebates while making $1.67 billion in profits. In 2011 the US Securities and Exchange Commission launched a fraud investigation into CSC's accounting practices. CSC were also involved in the failed attempt to computerise the NHS. The plan was aborted but only after over twelve thousand million pounds was squandered. CSC still got their £3 billion because of the clauses in their contract. This money could have built scores of new hospitals and schools and provide thousands of real jobs.
More sinisterly, CSC is implicated in renditioning innocence people for the CIA. This is another way of saying, scores of innocent people, many teenagers were kidnaped, denied their human rights, stripped, dressed in a diaper, tracksuit, goggles, earphones, with their hands and feet shackled. Once delivered to 'clandestine black sites', they were subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation, forced into stress positions and other torture, a report from the International Committee of the Red Cross states. Most were not charged and released after many years without even an apology. This included many UK citizens who had to be paid off with millions of pounds by our government so they would not seek justice through the courts. CSC has refused to sign a Reprieve Pledge to "never knowingly facilitate torture" in the future. This is a corporation Robertson and Lavery invited to run our services while we were told 'this proposal brings together the best of the private and public sector, vital for the future delivery of Council services'. Perhaps CSC services were going to be used for renditioning uncooperative councillors!!.... It really not funny though, especially because these corporations maybe handling all our personal and confidential details.
Robertson and probably more so Lavery, with limited qualifications and no mandate, have hijacked and are using Cornwall as an experiment while trying to earn corporate brownie points for themselves. Lavery is a self-serving parasite and only interested in improving his own lot. Financially he certainly is bettering himself as Cornwall Council or should I say we pay him the best part of £1,000 per day. These kind of people evolve around revolving doors. This was recently graphically illustrated by retired senior military caught by the Times newspaper offering illegal lobbying services. l bet my house Lavery and co have lucrative jobs lined up for the near future. Normally its called consultancy work but many would call it payoff time. These people are selling us out.
The Serious Fraud Office should be invited to investigate and look at all the communications, business and private, between these people and the corporations employees. A report should be compiled and sent to the Local Government Ombudsman and a public inquiry and or judicial review should be looked into.
If the council can save money employing private companies there is no reason they cannot save money by doing this in house. The people of Cornwall are more than capable of undertaking this themselves without lining the pockets of corporations. BT makes enough money already and are part of the problem not solution. If private companies can deliver the same services for less and make millions in profit, then the council is patently not doing its job adequately and should be held to account.
The devil is in the detail and if you look at the detail you will find contradictions and fallacies. The figures do not add up. The free markets that Robertson and co advocate are an illusion. Why would the council spend millions to save £2.5million per year on contracts of up to £800 million per year? A questionable £2.5million sounds like a lot but its not, even if they could deliver it. New leader Jim Currie is on the record stating that the council has already wasted £42 million plus changing the council to a Unitary authority and another £42 million plus on the incinerator. Furthermore we are told the Council is to lend Sita £25 million for an incinerator no one wants, yet we will be paying for it for generations.
I have a wife and child. Due to circumstances out of my control I will be lucky to earn £10,000 this year. I have a small house yet with the utility bills and insurance I have to find £14,000. This does not include food, child costs, clothing, never mind luxuries. I do not claim benefits or receive a penny of support so if the council feel the urge to lend anyone money is should not be to large corporations, who should be self-supporting, but to the people that pay their exorbitant wages and yet are suffering to such a depth it becomes counterproductive to the county..
Robertson is not fit to be a Councillor or council employee never mind head of the council. They should not be allowed to make decisions that will impact generation. The policies Robertson and Lavery advocate disproportionally have an adverse long term effect on the poor and vulnerable. We have just seen the huge increase in crime figures. Why? The facts and statistics are very clear. There is no place for this in a civilised world and certainly no place for this in Cornwall, a country that prides itself on liberalism and equality.
In these difficult times, Cornwall should go down a
different path and set an example of what good people can really do when they
pull together. We do have choice and
the first thing we need to do is retake control of our democracy and the decisions
that are made on behalf of all the good people that live and contribute to this
wonderful county.
All the best
Richard Johns