They fear the truth!!

Below is a copy of a letter which I twice forwarded to the Shepton Journal and which in their wisdom, they decided against printing. Ask yourself why??

Sir,

I have to take you up on your editorial when you stated that “the Independents took a hammering” Your attitude was dismissive of the Independent candidates and totally at odds with a so-called Independent newspaper.

If you had bothered to undertake any research into the election, you would have found that the Independents polled 308 votes MORE than the Conservatives in East Shepton and in West Shepton, they polled just over 450 less with only three Independent candidates standing in that ward. I am not sure I agree with your definition of a hammering. Maybe a more apt description would have been “beaten into second place”

Your assertion that you were simply referring to the District Elections just does not wash. Is there a difference between an Independent standing for any election, be it Town, District or County?

Now if the election had been on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday or one of the months ending in R, then in all likelihood, Councillor Bartlett would have been an Independent candidate. I am unsure as to what her “road to Damascus” moment was but I just wish this particular flip flopping Councillor would make up her mind or get the Conservative party to make it up for her, either you are a Conservative or an Independent; which is it Councillor?

In the Town Election, the Tories polled 4497 votes and the Independents 4342. The Lib Dems got 4255 and Labour 2197. So the Independents were only 155 votes behind the Tories, who with the admission of Councillor Parham, had been visited by 4 Tory Cabinet Ministers to bolster their campaign including the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Couple that with the mighty Conservative party machine and resources both financial and manpower wise, maybe it was not quite the hammering you describe and maybe the Conservatives just might have been a little bit worried on the night.

Judging by their furrowed brows, it was closer than they thought, maybe a lot closer. Imagine what a disaster it could have been if George Osborne and his heavyweights had not turned up, those boys really swung it!

Maybe next election, you could be a bit more objective in your editorial, stop behaving like a Conservative lapdog and give recognition to the fact that it is was the Independents who scared the pants off the Tories and who have cause to be proud of their efforts, just a shame you could not recognise it!