Look again, please, we are alive and kicking (From Gazette Series)

Look again, please, we are alive and kicking

IT IS a pity that Diana Harvey in her letter (Gazette, June 10) about the future of the Standish Hospital site did not bother to first check with either Save our Standish or Stroud District Council. This would have confirmed that the bid of the community-led health and social care mutual is very much alive, and that the site has only planning for health and social care uses.

I cannot quite recall the interest of Mrs Harvey in the past but if she wants to get behind the local bid that is to be welcomed. In case she hadn't realised that announcement of closure was made in the late 80s when I believe a Conservative Government was in power.

On the point about UKIP I very much welcome the replacement of the Conservative Party by UKIP. At least we would then have an opposition that is consistent on the EU. Maybe in the meantime she might like to apologise for the fatal errors the Tories made when in power by signing up to the Single European Act and the Maastrict Treaty. I would of course like to call upon the leadership to do so but with so many leaders, former leaders and wannabe leaders now in place it is difficult to know who we should be listening to.

David Drew MP for Stroud