IF I wanted to abstain in an election I think I would go to the polling station, collect my ballot paper and write "abstain", or perhaps something more pointed, across it. Far from being a principled action, not turning out to vote is a cop-out.
A glance at the back numbers of the local press will demonstrate the commitment week by week of Labour councillors and our Labour MPs to addressing the issues facing each and every part of the metropolitan borough.
It is true that our election leaflets referred to the achievements of the Labour Government since they were elected two years ago. That is because we are proud of their record and we are pleased to be in partnership with them, since we believe that partnership enables us to offer so much more to the people we serve than did the sterile confrontation with the Tory Government who seemed hell bent on destroying local government. But our leaflets also pledged to improve local services on a sustainable basis.
However, anyone who thinks about it will realise that we cannot repair overnight the damage done to local communities by 18 years of doctrinaire right-wing government.
COUNCILLOR DEREK BODEN,
council leader.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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