Article For Folkestone Herald and Kentish Express

7 March 2005

One of the early controversies in what everyone now regards as a General Election campaign in all but name has centred around the promises given to members of the public.

Last week, Margaret Dixon was prepared to talk about the seven occasions on which her shoulder operation was cancelled. Because her chances of surviving this operation was less than 50/50, she had to say goodbye to her family seven times.

A letter was sent on her behalf to John Reid, the Health Secretary five weeks ago but no reply had been received.

So she came to me. I raised her case at Prime Ministers Question Time and within a couple of hours she had been given a fresh date for her operation. The Government said that Mrs Dixon’s was an exceptional case/ But 67,000 people had their operations cancelled last year. We argue that if a determined attempt were made to cut the bureaucracy and red tape in the National Health Service (like scrapping Regional Health Authorities) more money would get to the front line.

We also believe that if Whitehall targets were scrapped and doctors and nurses were trusted to use their experience and expertise, the money would be better spent and Mrs Dixon would be more likely to get her operation.

This week we raised the problem of children with special education needs, whose education is at risk because of the growing number of closures of special schools. Maria Hutchings, who has to fight tremendous battles for her son, was prepared to speak out on this subject. We say that the problem has in large part been caused by an Act of Parliament passed by the present Government in 2001 which created a presumption that children with special education needs would be educated in mainstream schools. There are many such children for whom mainstream schooling would be fine. But there are many for whom it would not. We think parents should have the right to choose.

On both occasions the part played by the individuals concerned was questioned by the media – as though only politicians are important enough to take part in a General Election. I utterly reject that view. I think a General Election should be about people like Margaret Dixon and Maria Hutchings. A General Election is their chance to take the problems to the politicians and see which of them has the policies that are most likely to meet their concerns. This is their simple democratic right.

A General Election is the people’s chance to change their Government. It should not be monopolised by the politicians.