Labour is fighting crony and freebie allegations on principle – Wes Streeting says handing over tens of thousands worth of free stuff to Cabinet Ministers is like giving to charity. Apart from when it’s handed to Tories…
Sue Gray’s son, who happens to be an MP as of the election, has been fighting the issue on his own turf. He received £44,000 in donations last year…
Liam Conlon has been heroically fighting for the right to take a freebie holiday after a local street sweeper Paul Spiers was blocked from accepting a community-donated trip to Portugal. Over £3,000 was raised on GoFundMe for the jaunt, which his employer Veolia on the grounds that it would have been in breach of its contract with Bromley Council. The new MP has argued to the council that “it is only fair” that hard work should be rewarded with a holiday, and the donation wouldn’t violate the “council’s high ethical standards.” His mum must be proud…
Read Conlon’s spirited defence of freebie-giving below:
“Dear Councillor Colin Smith,
You may have seen the recent media reports about community street cleaner Paul Spiers, and the holiday that Beckenham residents have crowdfunded to help him pay for.
Paul has worked for Bromley Council through a contractor for years, keeping our streets clean and ensuring Beckenham is a great place to live. It is a sign of how highly Paul’s hard work is valued by residents and local businesses that so many people have generously contributed to the fundraising effort.
Like many, however, I am very disappointed to learn that the contractor, Veolia, has told Paul he cannot accept this gift due to conditions in its contract with Bromley Council.
I’m sure you will agree that it is only fair that the Beckenham residents Paul continues to serve with such dedication over the years are able to thank him for his hard work. I would therefore like to ask what action can be taken by Bromley Council to ensure Paul is able to accept this generous gift that so many have contributed to.
I hope you will be able to take a common-sense approach: to find a solution which both maintains the council’s high ethical standards, whilst allowing Paul to enjoy the holiday we all want him to have. I look forward to hearing from you.
The community raised just over £3,000, but Mr Spiers’s employer Veolia forbade him from accepting the funds, saying it would have been in breach of its contract with Bromley Council.”
Speaking on Times Radio, former Home Secretary David Blunkett spoke about overdiagnosis of mental problems:
“Let’s distinguish those who are really severely mentally ill, diagnosed with things that require prolonged medical and diagnostic treatment. My wife and I talk about this a lot, because she’s a retired GP, about the fact that you can be sad without being ill. You can be momentarily depressed because your boyfriend or girlfriend’s just thrown you and you’re not mentally ill. You can even have mild issues, which can be dealt with with the right kind of support, but it doesn’t make you mentally ill. So we’ve got a real task, I think, to get the psychology, if you like, of this over. But there are things where you definitely need medical intervention, and there are other things where you need good friends, you need good connectivity, and you need a job.”