HOW NOT TO WIN FRIENDS

Ruth Rees on

the rudeness of Conservative MPs

A YEAR ago, I first noticed the phe- nomenon. Everybody I talked to friends, acquaintances, taxi-drivers, hair- dressers — turned out to be lifelong Conservative voters who said they wouldn't vote Tory in the next election. Then I found out that four of my neigh- bours felt the same way and we all agreed on the reasons for this trend. They sug- gested that I write to our Member of

Parliament to voice our concern. Having done this, I received a prompt reply saying my letter was confusing and I had better go round to see him at his fortnightly 'sur- gery'. My first shock was when I walked into his office and said a bright good morning. He looked at me stonily without respond- ing. So I held out my hand, and for a nasty moment I thought he was going to leave it

'It's good to know that false bonhomie is not quite dead.'

in mid-air. Eventually he gave me a filleted palm that was more a gesture than a handshake.

'Well?' he said.

I told him that he had asked me to come along.

Your letter was so rambling,' he said.

I apologised and said that was probably because there was so much I had tried to get into it.

I then explained that recently many people I had met, all Tory supporters in the past, had said they wouldn't be voting for the Party in the next election.

'I don't believe you,' the MP said angri- ly, 'The Tory Party has never been so popular.' I would like to know what he would say now.

I said, 'Look, I haven't come to have an argument, I thought you would want to know how people are thinking, and I've come on behalf of four others too.'

'Next,' he said peremptorily.

At the time of our conversation, a number of leading companies had been fined heavily for the second or third time for polluting our rivers and seas. 'It's outrageous,' I said, 'They just go on doing it, hoping to get away with it; why don't we have stronger environmental laws?' He mumbled something about the media, ex- aggeration, then said again, 'Next.'

I attempted to tell the MP how angry people were becoming that as the country suffered one disaster after another, and had one enquiry after another, at the end nobody in authority is blamed for danger- ous incompetence. 'Take Sir Jeffrey Sterl- ing,' I said, 'After the Zeebrugge tragedy he said outright that he felt no responsibil- ity.' Don't you dare slander a fine man like Sir Jeffrey.' The MP's voice trembled with fury. 'What do you expect him to do, stand on the bridge personally to see that the doors are properly shut?'

I told him that I was not slandering anybody, but the man at the top in a company has to take the ultimate responsi- bility. He became increasingly offensive in manner, and there seemed little chance that I could voice any worries about the mismanagement of the NHS which sees money going in the wrong direction: to boost more bureaucracy rather than help nurses and doctors doing the real work.

The man had made it clear I was wasting his time, so I stood up. 'I don't think there's any point in continuing this con- versation,' I said.

'Neither do I,' he replied. He put his head down and ignored me as I left the room.

That encounter has cost the MP six votes at least. If all his constituents have a similar experience, he could be in real trouble at the next election. Not that he will be out of a job, there will be plenty of directorships for him — he was knighted in the last honours list.

Anyway, I wrote off to the SDP, the Liberal Democrats, or whatever they cal- led themselves then, and the Greens. One by one, their responses arrived — and not a policy between them. My neighbours, my friends and I discussed all this again, and we came to a final decision: we wouldn't vote for anyone at the next election.

Our MP's arrogance wasn't untypical. A few months ago a press briefing was organised at the Foreign Press Association for Kenneth Baker. He was 15 minutes late and we all wondered if he would apologise. 'Of course,' said a Japanese correspon- dent. 'Of course not,' said a Canadian journalist. I was in the ranks of the don't-knows. Meanwhile we opened the Conservative Party press kit to find a colour picture of their new logo, with a description of its measurements and mean- ing. That was all.

When Baker eventually turned up (no apology) and gave a rather desultory talk, the first question from the floor was from a Dutch woman journalist. 'Mr Baker, all we have in our press kits is a picture of your logo — where is your Party's information and policy statement?'

`Oh,' said the Chairman of the Con- servative Party, 'wasn't it put in? I'll see you get a copy.' We're still waiting.

Afterwards, the woman gave voice: `How dare he treat us so discourteously and condescendingly? Does he think we're stupid children?'

What happened a fortnight ago in Mid- Staffordshire was not a vote for Labour, but a cry of pain. Is there anyone out there listening?

'I hate to be a kill-joy, but it is after 11.'