My letter to the paper about Jarrett's "Hitler" comment

Here follows my unedited letter to the Medway messenger regarding Councillor Jarrett's "Hitler" comment at the last Full council meeting published on 21st February 2014:

---



Gillingham Bus station after the July 1940 air raids that rocked the town

It has been several weeks since Councillor Jarrett made his ill-judged comments about the last Labour
government's handling of the financial crisis as comparable to Hitler's efforts to bring the country to its knees and many people like me are still offended.

Although he retracted the comment at full council, the damage was already done.  
I was no fan of the last Labour government and its policies and was disappointed by their failure during thirteen years of office to keep their promises to sort out the mess left by the Thatcher/Major Conservative administrations.  

Many Gillingham residents would argue that without Libdem policies that have reduced the amount of income tax they now pay and granted them 15 free hours a week of nursery for children, they would be faring little better under Cameron than they were under Brown. 

However you cannot compare the political failings of any government to the Second World War with the bombing of British cities, the U-boat blockade and the deportation of British citizens in the Channel Islands to concentration camps. Indeed on 18th July 1940, Gillingham was bombed and people killed across the town, including Beatty Avenue at the end of my street. Many other residents lost friends and loved ones fighting the Nazis. 

I would implore Councillor Jarrett to apologise publicly for his ill thought out words in a public forum such as this newspaper.  

Chris Sams