The details about candidates’ records that don’t always make the papers….

PAUL MESSENGER [KCC Ramsgate candidate, previously Conservative party, now Independent]

Racism:

Paul Messenger, the pub singer from Margate, scraped a narrow victory in 2017. He was a candidate for the Conservatives at the time, but was later dismissed from the party when his racist social media posts made came to light. To the party’s credit, they have not readmitted him, and he is standing for Ramsgate KCC again this year as an independent candidate.

In July 2015, Messenger posted on Facebook “Let’s not fool ourselves here the Muslim communities now living in Britain would like to see the whole country to be [sic] Muslim”. Whether this is achieved by violence or stealth, they would prefer this.”

A series of posts revealed hostility to Muslims, various inaccurate claims about the Muslim community and a strong belief that a violent Muslim uprising aimed at seizing power for Islamic extremists was inevitable in the UK. In one post he proposed a ‘Muslim tax’. Another gleefully proclaims “Brilliant!” on a video called ‘Muslim woman put in her place’. These posts and more can be viewed here.

Backing QEQM hospital cuts:

Cllr Messenger also voted the wrong way in a crucial KCC vote in February 2019. The vote was about the Kent stroke plans that will see the stroke units in Kent hospitals cut from six to just three, with the QEQM hospital in Thanet losing its emergency stroke services. Thanet patients suffering a stroke will be taken 40 miles away to Ashford instead of their local hospital. Thanet residents are strongly opposed to the closure, so why did Paul Messenger vote in favour of the stroke service-cutting plans?

The extraordinary thing is that after the event, he posted a video clip of himself speaking in an earlier part of the meeting, which gives the impression of him sticking up for Thanet’s QEQM hospital. It’s quite a bold step given his vote for the other side. Save Our NHS in Kent did what we could to publicise his hypocritical actions, but it is possible that many locals still don’t know how he betrayed Ramsgate’s residents on that day.

He was drafted into the meeting as a substitute, so perhaps he just did as he was told by his Conservative party peers. Perhaps he didn’t understand the vote that was taking place. Or maybe he supports the raft of NHS restructuring that will see QEQM lose both its A&E, maternity and stroke units. Messenger attacked those protesting the stroke cuts very harshly when the SONIK campaign first began, and appeared in a BBC Southeast news report defending the cuts. Later on he appeared to shift his position somewhat, but on 26th February 2019, when it was make or break, Messenger voted in support of the cuts.

All voters in the Ramsgate area should be aware of these facts.

If you want a councillor that will defend our NHS hospital services at Kent County Council – voting for Paul Messenger is a bad idea.

SOURCES:

Kent County Council JHOSC vote: Watch the webcast of the meeting, the vote is held at the end. https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=909&MId=8365&Ver=4

Video: BBC Southeast bulletin, Paul Messenger defending the stroke cuts