Letter: Lib Dems Are Taking Guildford Voters for Fools

Published on: 3 Mar, 2024
Updated on: 3 Mar, 2024

From Brian Creese

former chair of Guildford Labour

In response to: Nearly 300,000 Patients Waited More Than Four Weeks to Get a GP Appointment in 2023

It seems that Zoe Franklin and the local Liberal Democrats take Guildford residents for fools.

Ms Franklin is calling for a legal right to see a GP within seven days. Fantastic! We all agree with that!

But how is she going to do it?

First, we need to train more GPs, and that takes six years at least. Second, we have to ask why fewer qualified doctors want to be GP.

Most GP practices are essentially small businesses and young doctors “buy into” the practice. But these days doctors arrive after training with thousands of pounds of debt and want a paid job (in a hospital) rather than a small business opportunity.

So not only do we need more doctors, we also need to restructure the system in which doctors operate.

None of these things can be done simply by the Liberal Democrats saying they want it. And as there is no chance whatsoever of the Lib Dems forming a part of the next government, no chance that Ms Franklin will have any say in the development of policy.

The simple fact is that it will be down to the Labour party to fix this sorry mess, and if Guildford wants to have a say, they need to vote for a Labour MP.

Responses to Letter: Lib Dems Are Taking Guildford Voters for Fools

David Smith Reply

March 3, 2024 at 6:50 pm

Perhaps the Labour Party could canvass more and send some literature out – not had anything through my door.
- Brian Creese Reply
  
  March 6, 2024 at 10:17 am
  
  Really sorry to hear this, David. The constituency is very large geographically, and as we only use our own supporters to distribute material, inevitably we are not able to reach everyone. Whereabouts do you live?
  
  Brian Creese, is a Guildford Labour activist
Mark Stamp Reply

March 3, 2024 at 7:15 pm

Brian Creese is correct in that the next government who have to clear up the mess we are in will be a Labour one led by Kier Starmer, the only questions are when it will happen and how big the majority will be. But he is wrong to believe that a new Labour Guildford MP, (to my knowledge the Guildford candidate has not even been selected yet), would have much of a voice amongst, let’s say, 450 others.

An extremely large Labour majority would be bad for democracy as there would not be effective scrutiny and many would feel disenfranchised. With the current first past the post system, those who believe that the Tories should not be in office must vote tactically and in Guildford that option is the Lib Dems. Labour (and the Greens) splitting the progressive vote in Guildford would only help the Tories.

If the Labour party would stand on a platform of electoral reform to make more people’s voices heard then they may get my vote but this has been rejected by the party leadership.
- Howard Smith Reply
  
  March 7, 2024 at 10:49 am
  
  I have to ask, if Mark Stamp believes Labour are on course for a large majority at the next general election why would there be a need to vote tactically to oust the Tories? He can’t have it both ways.
  
  Howard Smith is a Labour borough councillor for Westborough
Roger Kendall Reply

March 3, 2024 at 8:51 pm

But it was the Labour party that messed up the GP system. They removed the requirement for GPs to work weekends. (in 2004 I think.) My doctor was amazed at what they had done, although delighted for himself. He said it would be a disaster. Once the rabbit was out of the hat it was impossible to put it back. The following governments have had to try to introduce other ways of doing primary care on the weekends, hence the 111 phone system with all its problems.

Gordon Brown’s Private Finance Initiative was another disaster, lumbering future governments with high rentals. Anyone who thinks the Labour Party is safe running the NHS needs to look at history.
Chris Fox Reply

March 4, 2024 at 11:37 am

Brian Creese threatens us with no participation in the policies of the next government unless we vote Labour in Guildford. Under our crazy electoral system I am afraid this will only result in a Tory holding the seat which surely Mr Creese would like no more than I.

The Labour Party seems to believe in its purity of policy and not the defeat of Tory politicians.
Olly Azad Reply

March 5, 2024 at 1:22 am

What the recent Rochdale bye election results have shown is that anyone who has the “gift of the gab”, like George Galloway, can come along and snatch the Labour seat with impunity. This is surely a reminder for Sir Keir Starmer not to take voters for granted, especially when it can be be exploited for personal gain.
It’s a shame, as sometimes people forget that it was under Clement Attlee’s Labour government that the NHS was founded in 1948. Whether you were rich or poor, treatment was available free of cost and no other political party to date has been able to replicate something of similar import. Unfortunately with the current Labour Party it is far from ‘the finished article’ and it might be a tall order to vote for a Labour candidate to represent Guildford.

Then again, in politics anything goes so it makes sense not to rule anything out.
- Stuart Barnes Reply
  
  March 5, 2024 at 11:31 am
  
  It helps also if one controls large numbers of postal votes.
- Robert Pidgeon Reply
  
  March 6, 2024 at 3:19 am
  
  It wasn’t difficult for George Galloway to take the Labour seat when the Labour candidate had been withdrawn.
Olly Azad Reply

March 6, 2024 at 5:46 pm

Whether the Labour candidate was withdrawn by Keir Starmer or not, motormouth George Galloway, orator extraordinaire, would have been swept most parliamentarian candidates under the carpet, let alone the Labour candidate for Rochdale.
Olly Azad Reply

March 7, 2024 at 8:21 am

Regardless of whether the Labour candidate was withdrawn by Keir Starmer or not, somehow “motormouth” George Galloway, orator extraordinaire, would easily bamboozle most parliamentarians, let alone the Labour candidate for Rochdale.
Frank Emery Reply

March 7, 2024 at 11:21 am

You only need to look at the state of Wales to see what a Labour government can bring! Be very careful for what you wish for.