Letter: Mailbag - Win at all costs is not worth it

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), June 12, 2008

Byline: CLR ANDREW COOPER

KIRKBURTON Conservative Councillor Adrian Murphy claims his election statements in his eve of poll leaflet about the Green Party and Kirkburton Parish Council are "accurate" (Examiner May 27).

At no point did he explain that the Kirkburton Parish Budget was achieved with a large degree of consensus between the parties (the Conservatives included). Neither does he mention that it was a Conservative amendment to the Parish Budget which actually raised the Parish Precept by pounds 10,000 beyond any proposals from the Green Party. Again this was achieved with consensus.

The facts of the matter are that of the five Parish Councils in Kirklees, Kirkburton has the second cheapest precept at an average of 27 pence/week/household.

It is a common political tactic by some of the older parties to put out misleading information the day before Polling Day. The point of this is to make damaging and inaccurate statements about an opponent which they have no time to respond to. It however doesn't square with this statement by the Conservatives in one of their earlier Kirkburton Campaign leaflets that they would not be "indulging in petty politics or political ploys to score points against other parties".

How you contest elections is far important than simply winning them.

CLR ANDREW COOPER (GREEN PARTY) Brockholes