Speech prepared for the full Council meeting on 16^th September 2004

Thank you, Mr Mayor, fellow members.

I am pleased to see the continuation of our bidding for money from central Government. We as an Authority have established a clear track record that can put together highly meritorious cases for investment in a range of initiatives with Medway at their heart.

I suppose now, Mr Mayor, the Labour side of the chamber will try to portray this as generosity by the government; but as we all know, it isn�t their money that comes to us this way, but taxpayers� money.

In a properly-administered nation, what are now ever-increasing national taxes in this country would have continued to be distributed fairly and sensibly in the annual budgeting process, instead of our people�s money being siphoned off to bail out the numerous wasteful Labour councils in other parts of the country—effectively a form of legitimised spongeing, Mr Mayor.

The real reasons they set up such a funding system are, of course, the usual ones in a Soviet-style dictatorship, as we have in Britain today, despite all the efforts they are making to disguise this:

• first, the centralisation of power and resources, in this case via the Prescott Politburo;
• second, the deliberate destruction of local government through regional assemblies;
• and third a propaganda-based régime that ensures that central Government can claim to be the ones making even purely local—but headline-grabbing—improvements.

Therefore, Mr Mayor, while we really shouldn�t fall into the trap of giving the Government kudos for merely returning a relatively small part of our residents� national tax money to them, we do need to play their game during their hopefully short remaining time in office.

Thank you very much, Mr Mayor.

John M Ward (Councillor, Rochester South and Horsted)