Shooting from the hip! - The Sir Cyril Smith Column

11.18.55pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 9th Apr 2007

Sir Cyril, campaigning with Spotland and Falinge Candidate Greg Couzens.

"I have today received "Issue 1 - Rochdale Rose" the Labour leaflet - I live in Spotland as you may know but I doubt whether the leaflet I received is any different from what you may receive throughout Rochdale. It is an insult to the intelligence of the electors, of whom I am one. Politicians, including Labour, should have learned years ago that people are not daft or incapable of seeing through lies, and that is why I consider this an insult.

Labour fail to say that for the vast majority of the last 10 years, they were either in control of the Rochdale Town Council alone or in coalition with the Conservatives. Never once did they abolish parking charges for the disabled, never once did they seek to abolish free parking for Councillors when attending Council meetings, never once did they reduce the numbers on their cabinet and never once did they increase by £100,000 the grants to voluntary organisations.

Their leaflet is total hypocrisy. We are not talking of these things as if Labour had been out of power for ages. It is only 9 months (months not years) since they were in power and could have done any one of them. Their leaflet is an utter disgrace to politics and democracy. The increase in Council Tax of 4% is lower than any single increase by Labour in the last ten years and lower than the national average increase of 4.2%.

Don't be kidded or deceived by such childish, idiotic and insulting tactics. I've seen it all before and its shameful.

I have met most of our new candidates this year (as well as our Councillors who are standing for election) and it is a pleasure to commend them to you. People like Javed Iqbal in Milkstone and Deeplish, Liz Thirsk in Balderstone, Kirkholt and Naim Mahmud from Kingsway, Hilary Rodgers in Wardle and West Littleborough and not forgetting the excellent Greg Couzens (See INSET on the Hospital Campaign) from Spotland and Falinge who is already proving an asset to our local team. Grow up Labour, if this is an issue 1, heaven help us when number 2 comes out! They are a sham, not to be trusted."