Oh no, not again…Hazel Blears in today's Observer is still banging on about giving local people more power. She writes that the recession "should be the catalyst for more decentralisation of power to citizens and communities". Yeah, well, we wrote to her six months ago asking how an award winning community magazine that gives people a voice can get funding to give "people more power" and she still hasn't replied.
Now that magazine, the Salford Star, is no longer in print and has to function online, while two thirds of people in her own constituency don't have access to the net.
"All too often" she adds "we announce new strategies…or launch new documents…that are received by the public with incredulity at best and, at worst, with hostility"…Yeah, well, wasn't it Hazel who launched the Communities In Control: Real People Real Power document saying that "a strong independent media is a vital part of any democracy" and then didn't answer our letter on how she was going to do this? No wonder her hype is met by "hostility".
She continues: "People want to look their politicians in the eyes and get their anger off their chests. We need a ministerial "masochism strategy", where ministers engage directly and hear the anger first hand". She won't even acknowledge our second hand e-mailed anger.
Hazel writes about "setting up a stall in the town centre" to "engage" with voters – we dare her right here, right now to set up a stall in Salford Precinct…and actually tell people when she's going to be there, not just the camera people.
She concludes by saying that "we need to sound…a little more human". People might believe this stuff if she put it into practice on her own doorstep.
So yet again…
Dear Hazel
How can you ignore a letter from your own constituents for six months asking about your policies and still come out with this tripe?
With attitude and love xxx
Salford Star
Read the original letter from Salford Star here
See more stories here
And here
And here!
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