Older Peterborians and those who have lived in the city for decades may recall Harmer Nicholls, later Baronet Harmer Nicholls, MP for Peterborough from 1950–1974. They may also recall Brian Mawhinney who was also MP for Peterborough and later NW Cambridgeshire from 1979. You may not have agreed with their politics. As leader of the Labour group on Peterborough City Council you could hardly expect me to. But these men represented Peterborough with a high degree of dignity and bearing.
In later years, Peterborough has been less fortunate in its selection of MPs. Stewart Jackson was the first to explore, perhaps exploit, the darker realms of social media. He lost his seat in 2017 to, what we hoped, was a bright, young lawyer who would return a kinder, more dignified type of MP to our city. Regrettably, that was not to be. She let the city, and herself, down in the most bizarre of circumstances. There was a glimmer of hope once more when Lisa Forbes became our MP from the resulting by-election. Sadly, it was for an all too brief time as the Conservatives won a landslide victory based on an ‘oven-ready’ Brexit deal that, in reality, did not exist and we are still dealing with the fallout from it to this day.
The 2019 General Election result here in Peterborough returned a Conservative MP once more. Were we to move away from the ‘Mr Nasty’ jibes of a previous Conservative incumbent that became unpalatable even to more moderate Conservative voters? Was Peterborough going to have an MP that was short on verbal abuse and long on action to get things done as his party promised to ‘Get Brexit Done’? The answer is, with regret, no.
Peterborough’s current MP, Mr Paul Bristow, is young, has an easy smile and a background in PR. What is that exactly? Well, in the days of Tony Blair it was labelled ‘spin’. It was portrayed in the media as being a web that was spun by PR ‘gurus’ to tell people what they wanted to hear. Not everyone liked or agreed with it. Many in my own party were never ‘New Labour’ and saw the departure from long-held traditional socialist values and a move to a more centrist approach too much to bear.
So maybe the latest Conservative MP might restore the delicate balance between effective representation and self-promotion? Between speaking up for the people of Peterborough and towing the party line? Between being moderate in speech and demeanour and using social media, the eventual ‘Achilles heel’ of his predecessor?
After all, a young, trained ‘PR’ man can be trusted to use modern media to full effect – can’t he?
The answer, dear people of Peterborough, especially those who recall an age of moderation and articulation, is no. Instead of the dawn of a new age from a professional communicator, we have been subjected to an endless stream of photo opportunities. Of being seen with the ‘right’ people in the ‘right’ place at the ‘right’ time to promote himself rather than the city.
Whilst my own Labour colleagues were delivering food to schools last October half term, which he and his party voted against before doing (yet another) U-turn at Christmas, and out of our own pockets I might add, Mr Bristow was posing outside (yet another) takeaway or food bank – a place where Labour councillors, volunteers and the Labour group had donated two tons of food and provisions for those needing to use them.
His media utterances have been proven wrong on several occasions. These include BLM protests, child refugees and peaceful protesting as he continues to be the poodle his paymasters want him to be. The list will go on, be in no doubt.
Worst of all, yes it does get worse, are the personal insults and postings that have led to one Labour councillor receiving death threats. Let that sink in a moment. Because of a thoughtless and irresponsible posting on a right-wing social media site, Guido Fawkes, a local Labour councillor received death threats.
His words continue to be defamatory. Phrases such as ‘loony Labour…’, Calling people a ‘wally’. Would this have happened in the time of Harmer Nicholls or Brian Mawhinney? We all know the answer. So, the question is why?
Cheap soundbites to make up for a lack of action (unless you count looking serious over some fly-tipping in his loafers, shirt and trousers clearly ready to walk away after the photo, not clear it), or maybe, just maybe, he is desperate to stop Labour taking minority control after the elections in May. Why? Because he will be held to account by an administration dedicated to correcting years of neglect whilst looking forward to putting Peterborough on the map – for all the best reasons this proud city has to offer.
Because he has chosen the route of ridicule to cover for the fact that the Conservatives have had over 20 years to ‘Build Back Better’. They are out of steam and ideas, so they are once again relying on empty slogans.
This city needs action because, as we all know, actions speak louder than words. The exponents of the photo opportunity and inflammatory statements on social media are desperate to retain control so their lack of ambition is not exposed. Balancing the books is both worthy and a legal necessity. This administration’s own government has failed us for over ten years, and we must borrow money from them to make ends meet. Let that sink in too. The government that Mr Bristow represents has left us so short of money that we need to borrow it from them, with interest, to enable services to run in the city.
The time is right for Peterborough to come out fighting. Not in the media where talk is cheap and potentially damaging to honest, hard-working councillors, but in the Town Hall where, instead of hiding behind a barrage of cheap insults, a new administration will oversee the rebuilding of the reputation of this proud city. A reputation that has dignity, bearing and speaks well about our city whilst leaving room for honest criticism where that is warranted.
No one has the monopoly on wisdom but hurling cheap insults, posing for meaningless pictures will never be a substitute for representing this city to the very best of our, and its, ability. Baronet Harmer Nicholls and Baron Mawhinney may even stop spinning in their graves.
Cllr Shaz Nawaz, Peterborough City Council Labour group leader