Cornwall Council Private Partnership Initiative and other nonsense

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