Globe News
Tory council leader defends baseball bat leaflet
9:53am Wednesday 22nd February 2012
A leaflet which led to town hall Tories being accused of “filthy politics” has been defended as “excellent” by the new leader of Wirral Council.
Wirral South Conservatives caused a political storm when they distributed the leaflet with photographic images which they apparently believed depicted some of the allegations made in the Anna Klonowski investigation.
The leaflet shows a hooded thug carrying a baseball bat and reads: “Wirral Labour have let Wirral down. We feel elderly and vulnerable people should be cared for and not exposed to treatment like this. Are you with us?”
At a meeting of full council on Monday, Labour leader Cllr Steve Foulkes said Conservative councillors were using the Klonowski report for their own political ends.
He blasted it as "filthy" politics.
Councillor Foulkes said: “What I am very alarmed at is how these allegations are being played out in the political landscape – it’s not right.
“My group would never stoop to these levels.
"Please don’t use the hard work of Martin Morton in this way and I would beg and urge councillors not to do so.”
Conservative council leader Cllr Jeff Green, who took over from Cllr Foulkes following a vote of no confidence backed by Lib Dems, said: “From what I can see the leaflet is excellent, in terms of what it says about the AKA report.
“I can understand why the Labour Party are embarrassed abour their record with regard to this particular matter and I’ll certainly take no lessons from Labour in terms of election material.
“In the last general election they put out a leaflet to say that had the Conservatives been elected, people suffering with cancer would have their care taken away from them.
“They are crying crocodile tears, because they have been caught out doing something wrong and they really need to accept that.
“It’s not the public, it’s them and they need to understand what went wrong.”
Deputy Labour leader Cllr Phil Davies said: “The figure of a thug with a baseball bat saying Labour let Wirral down is disgraceful.”
The leaflet was issued on behalf of Heswall Tory councillor Les Rowlands.