'Brown does not wish to face the electorate'

Adam Hewitt • Published 2 Mar 2010 16:00 4 Comments

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READING East MP Rob Wilson accused Gordon Brown of failing to meet real people and answer their questions during his visit to Reading on Monday.

He noted that unlike Conservative leader David Cameron on his visit to the Madejski Stadium in January, Mr Brown only took questions from an invited audience rather than members of the public.

He said: "It is typical of Gordon Brown that he does not wish to face the electorate."

He has issued 13 questions for Labour on the party's record in Government on crime and anti-social behaviour, accusing it of "gimmicks" instead of real action.

Mr Wilson said: "Gordon Brown has a lot to answer for and I have outlined a few questions from my constituents that they would like him to answer. Perhaps one day he will have the courage to return to Reading, face the public and actually answer them."

The questions are at www.robwilsonmp.com

In his Westminster Diary column for the Chronicle, Mr Wilson added that he should have been informed about the visit, since it was in his Reading East constituency.

He said: "In a classic act of Gordon Brown rudeness, which PMs should be above, he ignored Parliamentary tradition and protocol and failed to notify me of his visit.

"He managed to tell the press, Labour politicians, the police and many others - he obviously didn't want to be questioned."

Reading East Lib Dem candidate Cllr Gareth Epps also spoke out after Mr Brown's visit and his speech telling police to spend more time on the beat, saying: "If Gordon Brown had talked to the real Reading - not to a hand-picked audience - he would have heard real anger at the lack of police action on anti-social behaviour. Like the residents in Katesgrove I was talking to yesterday who had their wall kicked down by mindless vandals on Saturday night. They know that we simply do not have enough police to go round.

"I talk to local police officers all the time. They cannot meet the Government target to spend more time on the beat because they are too busy trying to meet all sorts of other Government targets. They are angry at having lost four out of 10 PCSOs in east Reading due to Government cuts to the University. This Government needs to get real and lose its obsession with endless targets."

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John
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Mar 3, 16:13
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Some selective memory from Rob Wilson as David Cameron had a invited audience as various people complained they where not invited.

Gordon Brown appeared to be telling the police to spend more time on the beat so Gareth Epps should be happyrn

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Alex M
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Mar 3, 16:21
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When David Cameron came, the public were open to apply for tickets. The vast majority of those in attendance were not Conservative supporters or voters, even a Labour Cllr had a ticket!

The difference here is that Gordon Brown didn't give the public a chance to apply to be in the audience and ask difficult questions about his and Labour's record on crime...

All he was able to produce was hot air, false promises and yet more spin.

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******
Mar 3, 16:55
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susie
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Mar 3, 16:56
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mr epps i understand your frustration, but brown's point seemed to be that all those targets were disappearing!

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Gareth Epps
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Mar 5, 09:46
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John - if you talk to police they will point out the plethora of conflicting targets as I have set out.

There is a vast bureaucracy in the Home Office with different departments setting duplicate or often conflicting statements on serious issues like drug treatment.

Yesterday an event was held at the Madjeski Hotel on tackling anti-social behaviour for local tenants - but it was set up by a different Government department to the Home Office, and the Council knew about it less than a week in advance - so couldn't get the people there who needed to be there!

That's the legacy of Gordon Brown on crime - lots of waste, lots of duplication, and very little to show any sort of difference in reducing fear of crime. Brown attacking the police is just cheap.

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