UKIP members’ fury over A&E meeting snub
7:48am Wednesday 6th March 2013 in Local
MEMBERS of Bolton’s UKIP branch have been left fuming amid claims hospital campaigners made them feel “unwelcome”
at a meeting because of their political views.
A meeting of the Save Bolton A&E campaign took place at 6pm at Bolton Town Hall yesterday, but Frances Raftery, acting secretary of UKIP Bolton, claims she was told in an email from the campaign’s coordinator, Karen Reissmann, that “concerns had been raised” about the group’s planned attendance.
The email added, she claimed, that the NHS was “proudly built and is run by a very multi-cultural staff”, that it treated a “very multi-cultural group of patients”, and that the campaign did not want to be “used” by a party that had made no contact with it before.
The campaign was launched in response to cuts at the Royal Bolton Hospital, as well as a Greater Manchester- wide healthcare review, called Healthier Together which opponents believe could threaten Bolton’s A&E department.
Mrs Raftery, aged 71, said: “Bolton Hospital is my hospital. I used to work in the hospital laundry when I was in college. My eldest son was born there 50 years ago this May, and all my children and grandchildren and myself have been treated there over the years.”
The retired science teacher, of Car Bank Street, Atherton, added: “To be excluded from it on the grounds of the party we support I think is a total disgrace.”
Ms Reissmann said: “No one has been banned from any group. I passed on concerns that had been raised with me and wanted to let Mrs Raftery know what our group stood for.”
North West Euro MP and UKIP deputy leader Paul Nuttall said: “The inference is that we are a racist party, but that is totally untrue. We have no problem with people whatever their ethnicity and have election candidates, members and supporters from various racial backgrounds.”
The Bolton News went to the meeting but our reporter was asked to leave by the chairman, who said it was a “private panel meeting”, despite the meeting being advertised publically on the group's website, which says “anyone who wants to help is welcome”.
Comments(23)
oftbewildered2
says...
8:54am Wed 6 Mar 13
Reality50
says...
10:23am Wed 6 Mar 13
Wozzza
says...
12:17pm Wed 6 Mar 13
irwell1
says...
1:23pm Wed 6 Mar 13
Reality50
says...
2:02pm Wed 6 Mar 13
Ihatemyfellowneighbours
says...
2:42pm Wed 6 Mar 13
BMC use the racist card to avoid scrutiny when it feels it needs to deflect issues it wants to kick into the long grass.
A town the size of Bolton with no A&E will surely have a health and safety impact.
Having seen industrial injury in the work place I would hate to have the dreaded drive 15 miles to the nearest A&E cliff morris was chairman for the nhs and jumped ship when it hit the rock prehaps ukip should interview him.
cliff4treasurer
says...
3:47pm Wed 6 Mar 13
I haf vays of getting people to do vat i vant and those nice communist peoples who support me are just misunderstood potential mass murderers sorry i meant councilors.There you go confusing me in my old age,so old i might have to retire ha ha fooled you!!
irwell1
says...
5:23pm Wed 6 Mar 13
honkytonk1
says...
7:31pm Wed 6 Mar 13
So, readers, we are not a political gang of networkers, we are here for the public and we are the public. All are welcome but dont email someone with statement as hi we are coming to your meeting tonight - but we are members of UKIP. The last bit bears no relevance at all. Just leave your political views at home. thanks
BWFC71
says...
7:32pm Wed 6 Mar 13
Wozzza wrote:How can UKIP be a mainstream party whilst they have not one member in Westminster!!! In fact BNP has more of a claim than UKIP - BNP have 3 members at Westminster!!!
Save Bolton A&E campaign are clearly a very dodgy group with a hidden (probably extreme left wing/Common Purpose) agenda. Why else would they ban a genuinely sympathetic mainstream political party (UKIP) who want to protect the A&E Dept and a neutral newspaper reporter from attending. I think this group is less about saving the A&E department and more about spouting extreme left wing hate..... best avoided!!!!
BTW I am not pro either - in fact I am completely anti-UKIP and completely anti-BNP - both playing on people's irrational fears and saying teh right words what people want to hear but have no real solution to anything. Most problems we have in teh UK are the fault of westminster not closing lopholes and not teh EU. People read only neagtive reports with regards to the EU and do not recognise teh good it has done - and it has done alot of good!!!
BTW UKIP talk about open border policy that the UK has as being part of teh EU!!! Err no we don't! We still have border patrols and still have to show passport upon leaving and re-entering the UK, just like everyone else. Also if iot was the case that anyone could come into the UK then why was Dutchman Geert Wilders banned from entering the country? And many other people have been banned - why isn't this reported??? - as it doesn't sell papers and doesn't get people in a frenzy - its propaganda at its worst and people are lapping it up - just as gullable as 1920's Germany!!! - if you cannot see any resemblence then remove your blinkers!!!
Reality50
says...
10:33pm Wed 6 Mar 13
Wigan Trotter
says...
4:46pm Fri 8 Mar 13
BWFC71
says...
1:54pm Sat 9 Mar 13
BWFC71 wrote:I see that the UKIP followers don't like the TRUTH being said as it upsets their ideology of scaremongering people into voting for them. Yet more and more intellectual people are realising the truth about UKIP (as noted on Question Time and on many other political-based shows) - they are liars and creating fear to gain the votes!!!
Wozzza wrote:How can UKIP be a mainstream party whilst they have not one member in Westminster!!! In fact BNP has more of a claim than UKIP - BNP have 3 members at Westminster!!!
Save Bolton A&E campaign are clearly a very dodgy group with a hidden (probably extreme left wing/Common Purpose) agenda. Why else would they ban a genuinely sympathetic mainstream political party (UKIP) who want to protect the A&E Dept and a neutral newspaper reporter from attending. I think this group is less about saving the A&E department and more about spouting extreme left wing hate..... best avoided!!!!
BTW I am not pro either - in fact I am completely anti-UKIP and completely anti-BNP - both playing on people's irrational fears and saying teh right words what people want to hear but have no real solution to anything. Most problems we have in teh UK are the fault of westminster not closing lopholes and not teh EU. People read only neagtive reports with regards to the EU and do not recognise teh good it has done - and it has done alot of good!!!
BTW UKIP talk about open border policy that the UK has as being part of teh EU!!! Err no we don't! We still have border patrols and still have to show passport upon leaving and re-entering the UK, just like everyone else. Also if iot was the case that anyone could come into the UK then why was Dutchman Geert Wilders banned from entering the country? And many other people have been banned - why isn't this reported??? - as it doesn't sell papers and doesn't get people in a frenzy - its propaganda at its worst and people are lapping it up - just as gullable as 1920's Germany!!! - if you cannot see any resemblence then remove your blinkers!!!
CASE-STUDY: In the last by-election the UKIP stated that more than 4 million Bulgarina and 11 million Romanians (both approx 56% of each population) would be "invading" Britian for the jobs and benefits - TRUTH: The surveys they used were from the actual Governments of Bulgaria and Romania and the surveys never mentioned as to which country the people would like to move to - so how can UKIP claim that they will be coming to the UK??? Its like saying 56% of the British population would like to live and work elsewhere and everyone would be heading to Australia!!! They created a fear to gain votes!!!!
The last political party to use such tactics was duirng the 1920's - Nationalsozialistisc
he Deutsche Arbeiterpartei and their biggest aim was to shame the Jewish population!!!!! All sounds familiar doesn't it?
hoboh2o
says...
8:57am Sun 10 Mar 13
BWFC71 wrote:Get real for once!!!
Wozzza wrote:How can UKIP be a mainstream party whilst they have not one member in Westminster!!! In fact BNP has more of a claim than UKIP - BNP have 3 members at Westminster!!!
Save Bolton A&E campaign are clearly a very dodgy group with a hidden (probably extreme left wing/Common Purpose) agenda. Why else would they ban a genuinely sympathetic mainstream political party (UKIP) who want to protect the A&E Dept and a neutral newspaper reporter from attending. I think this group is less about saving the A&E department and more about spouting extreme left wing hate..... best avoided!!!!
BTW I am not pro either - in fact I am completely anti-UKIP and completely anti-BNP - both playing on people's irrational fears and saying teh right words what people want to hear but have no real solution to anything. Most problems we have in teh UK are the fault of westminster not closing lopholes and not teh EU. People read only neagtive reports with regards to the EU and do not recognise teh good it has done - and it has done alot of good!!!
BTW UKIP talk about open border policy that the UK has as being part of teh EU!!! Err no we don't! We still have border patrols and still have to show passport upon leaving and re-entering the UK, just like everyone else. Also if iot was the case that anyone could come into the UK then why was Dutchman Geert Wilders banned from entering the country? And many other people have been banned - why isn't this reported??? - as it doesn't sell papers and doesn't get people in a frenzy - its propaganda at its worst and people are lapping it up - just as gullable as 1920's Germany!!! - if you cannot see any resemblence then remove your blinkers!!!
Checking someones passport is only a way to make sure they have the 'right' to enter this country by virtue of being an EU citizen, don't try to dress it up any other way.
Ok go on you tell us how the EU has been good for the UK, specifics please not the usual mutterings like you posted above.
Geert Wilders? Heres a clue,
'In his speech, Wilders repeated his public claims that Islam was “evil” and that the Prophet Muhammad was a “terrorist”, “war-lord” and “paedophile”'. Brown stuff stirrer extreme, thats why he like other radical extremists have been banned and to think you are claiming we are like the Nazi fodder in the 1920's.
Maybe you should try reading up how much of our European payments goes to con men in former Eastern block countries or keeps inefficient French farmers comfortable while flogging us dodgy meat. Think before you post and make a fool of yourself.
BWFC71
says...
11:56am Sun 10 Mar 13
hoboh2o wrote:Well considering I use to live in Geert Wilders party main constituent, Almere (which has a rich mix of nationalities and religions, and is very pro-Dutch), I have direct experience of what and who he is and he is only the mainland European to be banned from the UK. If one man can be banned then others can be barred the same way - FOOL!!! And you are wrong in what you said. If Geert Wilders had said what you quote him in saying then he would have been found guilty in the trial which he had to go through 3 years ago. What he did do was question the relevance of Islam in The Netherlands and Western europe and how it can be controlled so that it doesn't "conquer" our current system of politics. In fact it opened up a whole new world of debate in The Netherlands which iss still continuing and its actually brought less danger due to the talks - possibly something atht should be looked at here in the UK!!!
BWFC71 wrote:Get real for once!!!
Wozzza wrote:How can UKIP be a mainstream party whilst they have not one member in Westminster!!! In fact BNP has more of a claim than UKIP - BNP have 3 members at Westminster!!!
Save Bolton A&E campaign are clearly a very dodgy group with a hidden (probably extreme left wing/Common Purpose) agenda. Why else would they ban a genuinely sympathetic mainstream political party (UKIP) who want to protect the A&E Dept and a neutral newspaper reporter from attending. I think this group is less about saving the A&E department and more about spouting extreme left wing hate..... best avoided!!!!
BTW I am not pro either - in fact I am completely anti-UKIP and completely anti-BNP - both playing on people's irrational fears and saying teh right words what people want to hear but have no real solution to anything. Most problems we have in teh UK are the fault of westminster not closing lopholes and not teh EU. People read only neagtive reports with regards to the EU and do not recognise teh good it has done - and it has done alot of good!!!
BTW UKIP talk about open border policy that the UK has as being part of teh EU!!! Err no we don't! We still have border patrols and still have to show passport upon leaving and re-entering the UK, just like everyone else. Also if iot was the case that anyone could come into the UK then why was Dutchman Geert Wilders banned from entering the country? And many other people have been banned - why isn't this reported??? - as it doesn't sell papers and doesn't get people in a frenzy - its propaganda at its worst and people are lapping it up - just as gullable as 1920's Germany!!! - if you cannot see any resemblence then remove your blinkers!!!
Checking someones passport is only a way to make sure they have the 'right' to enter this country by virtue of being an EU citizen, don't try to dress it up any other way.
Ok go on you tell us how the EU has been good for the UK, specifics please not the usual mutterings like you posted above.
Geert Wilders? Heres a clue,
'In his speech, Wilders repeated his public claims that Islam was “evil” and that the Prophet Muhammad was a “terrorist”, “war-lord” and “paedophile”'. Brown stuff stirrer extreme, thats why he like other radical extremists have been banned and to think you are claiming we are like the Nazi fodder in the 1920's.
Maybe you should try reading up how much of our European payments goes to con men in former Eastern block countries or keeps inefficient French farmers comfortable while flogging us dodgy meat. Think before you post and make a fool of yourself.
So before the the "open-door" policy was adopted through most of the EU how were passports checked? Lets me tell you - exactly the same way as they are now, even when visiting other territories such as the US or OZ how are passports checked - just like they are at the UK Border Force currently. Passports opened, checked by eye and then run through the scanner - both on entering and leaving the UK. I suggest you open your eyes more carefully as to what happens next time you go through any passport control in the world!!!
Funny - hasn't the farming subsidy been cut by 95% to the French farmers over the last 5 years? Funny how the fishing quotes have changed to favour all countries over the last decade - to the point now where all fish captured are kept rather than throwing away overkills!!!
You want specific examples of what the EU has provided? OK, this is going to take the next few pages....
Many of the Nursing homes built or renovated have been part pai for by the EU (due to the fact that the UK Government insisit thsi money should come from the Private Sector. ALL the cycle lanes in Bolton and in many other boroughs have been paid for by the EU, Topp Way was part funded by the EU, many other new "main roads" have been part funded by the EU. Leverhulme Park and Moss Bank Park has had money spent on them which has come from the EU. The rdcent renovations aat Queenss Park was 50% funded by the EU, The orginal Market Place was paart funded by the EU (inner-town renewal schemes), the new bus station will be part funded by the EU, the more recent improvements to the West Coast Mainline was part funded by the EU, many motorway renovations, extensions and new-builds were part funded by the EU, Quality Bus Corridors are actually an EU initiative and is part funded by the EU, some bus routes are actually schemes that are funded by the EU, EU has funded the building of new waste-water recycling plants thus creating cleaner beaches and much cleaner water, EU has help fund the cleaining up of many of the rivers and canals in the UK. In fact EU money is in place and ready to be used for the renovation of the Bolton-Bury-Manchest
er Canal. Many of the housing associations renovate and new-build properties with funds from the EU.
In fact the EU has invested money into many parts of mopst people's lives and helping to create a better lifestyle for everyone.
It was the EU that created the minimum wage. It was the EU that created the maximum working hours (for most jobs). It was the EU that created the minimum number of holidays per year (it should be 25 days before any public/Bank holiday) - all in order to create a much better work-life balance!!!
I could go on with the benefits that the EU has given the people of the UK, as well as the rest of Europe, but as this popst is already far too long...
Do you honestly think that the Government in London, would actually fund these projects if given the chance, or would they uise the excuse that it should be the Private Sector that pays for it.
The money we would save from not paying into the EU club would be miniscule and would basically not help anyone - in fact it would probably go to overseas aid and other projects that would not benefit the people of the UK.
We actually waste more money on The Commonwealth which is not ours!!! The Commonwealth is a group of countries that club together - its current head is The British Queen but any head of any of the countries involved could be head of the "club" when put to the vote. In fact we pay more in to The Commonwealth and get NOTHING back - now which is more of a waste???
BWFC71
says...
7:54pm Sun 10 Mar 13
Oh yes and if you want to try to argu the maximum hours law, don't forget that one can opt-out and do as many hours as one wants - whilst losing touch with their own family and losing out on their children growing up etc etc etc.
hoboh2o
says...
1:25pm Mon 11 Mar 13
BWFC71 wrote:Dear oh dear! Where the hell do you think the money the EU had the grace to grant us come from? Yep our contributions.
hoboh20 - cat cut your tonugue, or didn't you realise as to how much influence the EU has over our daily lives - for the better. None of the above ever gets inro the papers - why is that??? Because good news doesn't sell papers and its a human trait that we favour bad news over good for gossip!!! Oh yes and if you want to try to argu the maximum hours law, don't forget that one can opt-out and do as many hours as one wants - whilst losing touch with their own family and losing out on their children growing up etc etc etc.
So lets get this right we pay in shed loads of money to the EU and get a tiny bit back (most of it going to France and more required by 'new' members and youthink its a good deal, lord help us.
BWFC71
says...
7:43pm Mon 11 Mar 13
hoboh2o wrote:Do you have prrof that most goes to France and the "new" countries?
BWFC71 wrote:Dear oh dear! Where the hell do you think the money the EU had the grace to grant us come from? Yep our contributions.
hoboh20 - cat cut your tonugue, or didn't you realise as to how much influence the EU has over our daily lives - for the better. None of the above ever gets inro the papers - why is that??? Because good news doesn't sell papers and its a human trait that we favour bad news over good for gossip!!! Oh yes and if you want to try to argu the maximum hours law, don't forget that one can opt-out and do as many hours as one wants - whilst losing touch with their own family and losing out on their children growing up etc etc etc.
So lets get this right we pay in shed loads of money to the EU and get a tiny bit back (most of it going to France and more required by 'new' members and youthink its a good deal, lord help us.
You don't, you got that fact from the Daily Mail who like to make stories up about the EU and have been caught out many times of their wronged reporting. The actual truth is that a large sum of the subscriptions go to Ireland, Spain and Portugal and the actual fact is that we actually get out the same as we put in, in many years. Germany, The Netherlands and France actually lose out with their contributions!!!
Its about time you research your "facts" before you continue to make a fool of yourself even more.
Fact is we put In £350 per person each year to the EU. We put in between £400 and 425 per person into The Commonwealth and what do we get back - NOTHING! We give out to Scotland, wales and Ireland more than we keep for ourselves so the citizens of those parts of the UK can have FREE prescriptions and FREE"R" Education than us but what doe these parts of the UK give back to us - DEBT!!!!! So its about time we moan about what happens in our own country before the EU, we have more problems with ourselves than what we have with the EU!!!
Smile everyday88
says...
7:30am Tue 12 Mar 13
hoboh2o
says...
4:30pm Tue 12 Mar 13
BWFC71 wrote:Yep facts;
hoboh2o wrote:Do you have prrof that most goes to France and the "new" countries?
BWFC71 wrote:Dear oh dear! Where the hell do you think the money the EU had the grace to grant us come from? Yep our contributions.
hoboh20 - cat cut your tonugue, or didn't you realise as to how much influence the EU has over our daily lives - for the better. None of the above ever gets inro the papers - why is that??? Because good news doesn't sell papers and its a human trait that we favour bad news over good for gossip!!! Oh yes and if you want to try to argu the maximum hours law, don't forget that one can opt-out and do as many hours as one wants - whilst losing touch with their own family and losing out on their children growing up etc etc etc.
So lets get this right we pay in shed loads of money to the EU and get a tiny bit back (most of it going to France and more required by 'new' members and youthink its a good deal, lord help us.
You don't, you got that fact from the Daily Mail who like to make stories up about the EU and have been caught out many times of their wronged reporting. The actual truth is that a large sum of the subscriptions go to Ireland, Spain and Portugal and the actual fact is that we actually get out the same as we put in, in many years. Germany, The Netherlands and France actually lose out with their contributions!!!
Its about time you research your "facts" before you continue to make a fool of yourself even more.
Fact is we put In £350 per person each year to the EU. We put in between £400 and 425 per person into The Commonwealth and what do we get back - NOTHING! We give out to Scotland, wales and Ireland more than we keep for ourselves so the citizens of those parts of the UK can have FREE prescriptions and FREE"R" Education than us but what doe these parts of the UK give back to us - DEBT!!!!! So its about time we moan about what happens in our own country before the EU, we have more problems with ourselves than what we have with the EU!!!
http://ec.europa.eu/
regional_policy/thef
unds/funding/index_e
n (dot) cfm
Rubester
says...
12:58am Wed 13 Mar 13
hoboh2o
says...
7:23am Wed 13 Mar 13
Rubester wrote:You'd be seen at the Berlin Wall far quicker!
If I was in her position I would probably have done the same, a campaign such as this needs to be independent from politics in order to receive support from all groups, ukip putting their name to the campaign may have had detrimental affects, this may not have been her reasons however but I don't believe that left wing, right wing arguments have any relevance to the fact that the hospital is a financial mess, and yet the residents of bolton rely on it, campaign away I say but please someone tell me what on earth the Berlin Wall has to do with bolton A&E?
A & E at Bolton is a disgrace! waiting times are terrible and go into joke mode.
The staff maybe qualified but their idea of customer service is a complete utter joke and I suspect the lay out of the department ain't right either given the amount of walking about seemingly required by the staff to perform simple tasks on the other side of the curtain so to speak.

irwell1 says...
8:29am Wed 6 Mar 13
So what has this got to do with anything?
Also miss Reissmann, why would you stop a reporter attending?
Sounds like she shouldn't be in charge of anything to me.