Sir,
The chairman of the South Pembrokeshire and West Carmarthen Labour Party, Mr. Mike Thorne wrote in last week's 'paper to express his disgust at the recent decision by the Pembrokeshire Health Board not to provide beds in the 'new' Tenby Cottage Hospital, firmly pinning the blame for the decision on that body.
But, but what Mr. Thorne fails to acknowledge is that for the past seven years we have had both a Labour MP and a Labour Westminster Government, and for the past five years, we have had a Labour Welsh Assembly Member, and a Labour led 'Administration' at the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff.
During all this time, and before, the campaign for Tenby Cottage Hospital has been on going.
As the Government of the day, if it suited them, it is well within the power of the Labour Party, if it so wished to use that power, as indeed The Rt. Hon. Frank Dobson MP did, whilst Secretary of State for Health, in personally intervening to save a local hospital in the South West of England, championing, as he did, the vital role that the Hospital played in the community.
Mr. Thorne urges everyone to write to Jane Hutt (Health Minister WAG), 'so she can be under no illusion on the strength of local opinion' - that surely cannot be the case? Are our elected members that much without influence?
Do the thousands of letters and coupons previously sent to Christine Gwyther AM count for nothing? As the saying goes one does not buy a dog and bark yourself - it is time for our elected members and elected Government to deliver.
In recent weeks, we have had a steady stream of letters from Labour Party activists, all keen to blame everyone but themselves, but if the Government do not deliver, there can be no doubt where the blame lies.
John Hughes,
7 Upper Hill Park,
Tenby