A statement by The Coordinator regarding Mark Pritchard MP

Hi all

Below is a story of political corruption that the local media have to date sat on rather their than annoy the notoriously thin skinned MP for the Wrekin:

Below was sent to Radio Shropshire

My name is Pat McCarthy and I am the co-ordinator of Telford and Wrekin Green Party . On 31 July the Observer published an article about our local MP, Mark Pritchard – “Tory MP urged to quit job as adviser to ‘climate denier’ US fossil fuel firm” by Shanti Das. I was appalled by this particular revelation because it denied residents a truly ‘full time’ advocate for their social needs and meant our MP was advising, promoting, and lobbying (?) for fossil fuels that threaten our very existence. On 4 August the Green Party and members of Extinction Rebellion demonstrated outside Mark Pritchard’s constituency office. The Shropshire Star received a Press Statement and reporter Dominic Robertson agreed to publish the story. After making at least 4 phone calls asking why the story hadn’t been printed I gave up. On 24 September I wrote a letter to the Star entitled ‘lack of Interest from our leaders’ which addressed the links that exist between politicians and the fossil fuel industry citing our MP’s second job with Linden Energy Holdings and the Prime Minister’s previous employment with Shell. Both examples were edited out of the letter. This happened again when I sent the same letter to the Telford Journal.

This makes me wonder whether our MP holds sway on any articles deemed to criticise him. The government is supporting a war being waged against totalitarianism which denies freedoms such as a free press.

This is the letter sent to both the Star (24th Sept) and Telford (29th Sept) Journal.

The underlined phrases were removed from my letter. Not only does this omission make the main point of the letter unintelligible but keeps local residents ignorant about an issue that has proven to be of public interest.

If the press is being cowed by politicians how can we call it free?

Patrick McCarthy

Telford and Wrekin Green Party Co-ordinator

58 King Street

Wellington

Telford TF1 1NR

Mob: 07986927282

There seems to be a depressing lack of interest from those in power, in the tsunami of misery that’s on its way.

But that said we understand why, when the Prime Minster used to work for Shell and our own MP (Mark Pritchard if you were wondering) has become lobby fodder for the fossil fuel industry, namely Linden Energy Holdings at £325 per hour.

No surprise then that the Government is refusing a further windfall tax on the fossil fuel companies who, let’s be frank, single-handedly caused the cost of living crisis by taxing us all with price rises that led to profits of £100 billion in the first 3 months of 2022. With that in mind why would our leaders reveal the truth about possible collapse of civilisation and the sixth mass extinction brought about by continue extraction of these fuels when they can keep shtum and promote the interest of their generous oligarch friends?

But is that why we voted them into power ?

They spend time promoting the interests of businesses, who in turn give them jobs and finance their political parties at the expense of promoting the interests of their constituents.

The profits obtained from eye watering price rises in our fuel bills are what constitutes the ‘cost of living crisis’ but our politicians, who have been captured by the fossil fuel companies are saying that these companies should be able to keep their riches and their executives can now be paid unlimited bonuses care of the Treasury.

It makes you question whether our democracy works for us by giving us power of representation or whether its a vehicle for those representatives to enrich themselves and their patrons.