| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Proposed closure of Wandsworth Museum - Open Letter to Justine Greening MP | |
| Posted by: | Cedric Peachey | |
| Date/Time: | 03/03/07 12:46:00 |
| Dear Ms Greening, Thank you for your letter dated 2nd March in response to my previous email on Wandsworth Museum. You state that you were surprised to see the Parliamentary Early Day Motion No. 809 on the closure of Wandsworth Museum tabled by Martin Linton and Sadiq Khan “as the point of an effective EDM is generally to lobby Parliament and Ministers about an issue that is decided in Parliament”. This view is directly contradicted by other EDMs that you have signed. I refer you to EDM 1002 and EDM 180 which you signed and which did not concern any issues decided in Parliament – they simply offered MPs the opportunity to express a view in exactly the same way as EDM 809. I also refer you to EDM 195 which you signed and which highlighted the fact that “insufficient funds are available for the conservation of Scott's hut and its artefacts at Cape Evans” in the Antartic. Why are you not equally prepared to support an EDM that highlights WBC’s decision to stop funding for Wandsworth Museum? Should your constituents read into this that the only occasions when you will sign an EDM that is concerned with the preservation of our heritage is when it doesn’t concern this Borough? Or worse, that you will not say anything that might be at odds with the local Conservative Council although you were expressly elected to represent the entire constituency and not just those voters that support the Conservative Council? If so, it seems that we have to turn to the House of Lords to find a committed, outspoken Conservative representative for the thousands of residents who are bitterly angered by the Council’s plans to close the Museum. I refer to the former Conservative government minister, Baroness Trumpington, and her forthright comments in the House of Lords last Thursday: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2007-03-01a.1640.0&s=%22wandsworth+museum%22#g1640.3 How much more irremediable damage to this Borough’s unique culture, history and heritage will you stand for before finally raising your voice in public to persuade the Council to give residents the time, support and flexibility the Council are offering Battersea Arts Centre so that some way can be found to save Wandsworth Museum? Or have you decided to wait until it is far too late? In light of your repeated reluctance to take a public stand on this matter, I will be publishing this as an open letter on www.putneysw15.com I will, of course, be happy to publish any response from you, should you so wish. Yours sincerely, Cedric Peachey To access EDM 809, please see: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=32506&SESSION=885 |