The Cornish Guardian (March 3) featured MK’s challenge to all political parties standing in Cornwall at the coming General Election to guarantee that their election leaflets are printed in Cornwall. There was a focus on the St Austell and Newquay constituency, where the Conservatives have distributed leaflets printed in Surrey and the Liberal Democrats have distributed leaflets printed in Devon, Dorset, London and Peterborough. A selection is featured above.
The Cornish Guardian feature included responses from both the Lib Dems and Tories. Hamish McCallum on behalf of the Liberal Democrats claimed that they used, presumably cheaper, non-Cornish firms because they didn’t “have the same resources that the Conservatives do.” With respect to the Lib Dems, they are spending an absolute fortune on campaign and election literature and it is inexcusable for the leaflets not to be produced locally in Cornwall.
Caroline Righton, Tory PPC, meanwhile claimed that “everything I have generated myself specifically about the constituency has been printed locally, apart from newsprint, which as local papers will know, cannot be printed in Cornwall.”
Sadly this statement is not accurate. I have received Conservative leaflets on glossy paper and direct mailings, printed in Surrey, that could have been and should have been printed in Cornwall.
As I have stated before, every single piece of MK literature for the General Election will be printed here in Cornwall. It is sad that the other parties have not and will not be doing the same.
The Cornish Guardian feature included responses from both the Lib Dems and Tories. Hamish McCallum on behalf of the Liberal Democrats claimed that they used, presumably cheaper, non-Cornish firms because they didn’t “have the same resources that the Conservatives do.” With respect to the Lib Dems, they are spending an absolute fortune on campaign and election literature and it is inexcusable for the leaflets not to be produced locally in Cornwall.
Caroline Righton, Tory PPC, meanwhile claimed that “everything I have generated myself specifically about the constituency has been printed locally, apart from newsprint, which as local papers will know, cannot be printed in Cornwall.”
Sadly this statement is not accurate. I have received Conservative leaflets on glossy paper and direct mailings, printed in Surrey, that could have been and should have been printed in Cornwall.
As I have stated before, every single piece of MK literature for the General Election will be printed here in Cornwall. It is sad that the other parties have not and will not be doing the same.
2 comments:
Dick I have to correct you. What Caroline said is correct. Everything the local Conservative Association has control of is both designed using a local designer and wherever possible printing within Cornwall. As a national party some of what is sent out by direct mail is controlled centrally and we have no say in where it is printed.
We have a very clear policy of using local companies whenever it is within our control and one is available able to do the job, even when we may be able to get it done cheaper out of county.
The comment from the Lib Dems is also interesting (cope out) they have spent a small fortune on printed material for the constituency over the past 18 months - to claim poverty is a nonsense!
Hi Steve
I fully acknowledge that some Conservative leaflets have been printed in Cornwall - not including the newsprint and the direct mailings from London. However, as an example, the recent "Caroline Righton Reports Back" leaflet was a run-of-the-mill glossy leaflet that could have been printed in Cornwall, but was printed in Surrey.
Cheers
Dick
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