Local Conservative MP, Alan Mak, has once again been accused of lying to the public over the ‘Save the Tip’ campaign on Hayling Island.
Despite failing to attend a public meeting on the issue, a meeting at which all the major parties bar the Conservatives were represented, Mak now claims to have led the campaign. NOT TRUE.
Whilst local residents discussed the issue, local Conservatives, keen to create a false impression, wandered around Hayling Island pretending NOT to be the party responsible for the cuts, despite being the party in government AND the party running local council.
And Mak’s claims come in spite of him consistently claiming it was a local issue which he could have no real influence over and despite the fact that local cuts are directly linked to funding cuts made by HIS own government.
By April 2016, despite Mak having previously done all he could to dodge the issue, the man now openly mocked by local residents for “jumping in front of cameras” sniffed a publicity opportunity and leapt onto the bandwagon, attempting to rebrand himself as the voice of local disquiet. Now, almost one year on, he has produced a glossy publicity leaflet which infers he is some kind of local saviour. NOT TRUE.
In the end, the campaign was arguably unsuccessful. Efforts were made by many local residents but Hayling only received the same treatment as other areas of Hampshire facing the same cuts, i.e. in the end opening hours were still cut and the council faces a legal challenge over its intention to charge new disposal fees to the public.
Why does this matter? It matters because in an era of “fake news” and “alternative facts” it is essential that someone cuts through the spin and gives the public the truth. This kind of blatant duplicity can not be allowed to continue and therefore, if we are to stop it, it needs to be exposed.
In light of all of this, and in view of the fact that this is not the first time Mak’s honesty has been questioned, I’ll shortly be establishing ‘MAK WATCH,’ a facility whereby local residents can flag up such untruths.
Please then, one and all, do not hesitate to get involved. None of us has the right to complain if we don’t step up. Our community deserves far better than what we’ve currently got.