K&C resident Justin Downes shares his reasons for supporting Victoria Borwick, the Conservative Party Parliamentary Candidate for Kensington
It is sad that politics has become – if it ever wasn’t – such a filthy business. It is sadder still when a politician noted for integrity, hard work and compassion becomes the subject of a barrage of lies and politically motivated vilification.
Reading some of the remarks about the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Kensington Victoria Borwick in the comments section of a recent article in The Steeple Times, I wondered whether the individual referenced could possibly be same person I have known for so many years.
Could I be prejudiced because I vote Tory? That is doubtful: I haven’t voted Tory for many a year. Maybe, it is because I don’t think I have the political agenda that those attacking Victoria seem to and maybe it is because I believe I actually take people as I find them.
Like many thousands of other residents, I have always found Victoria Borwick ready to help anyone at any time, irrespective of who they might be. Have those authoring these derogatory comments ever met her? I doubt it.
In a world of boring conformity Victoria stands out as her own person. Many will remember the time RBK&C proposed destroying Sloane Square. Victoria – a lady I’ve never known to use the title ‘Lady Borwick’ – stood side by side with residents to the detriment of her political career. It was made clear to her by the then leader of the council, the hideous Sir Merrick Cockell, she would be out in the cold for years to come.
If Victoria faces one criticism, in my view, it’s that she gets over-involved in cases where an overbearing council is bullying the weak. I particularly remember the case of an old soldier, living in the most terrible of conditions, with developers harassing him at every turn. Victoria fought for him like a lioness. She would even pop by to ensure he had food for the weekend.
On a separate but connected note, I have recently been advising a very bright young Conservative candidate (yes, I am politically indifferent). He is facing selection for a Midlands seat: one that overwhelmingly voted ‘Leave’. He, himself, was a dogged and campaigning ‘Remainer’. He asked me, if asked, whether he should deny the fact.
My question to him was this: “Are you, or are you not, a conviction politician?” He replied he hoped he was. He answered his own question, took his chance and got selected. So, integrity does count in politics.
Justin Downes is a resident of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. He has been a reader of The Steeple Times for a number of years.
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Good to see impartial publishing but I shall be voting for the Liberal Democrat candidate in Westminster myself as I truly do want to make up for the mistake I made in supporting Brexit last year. I am ashamed I made a bad choice based on the lies told to me and from what I gather Victoria Borwick/Lady Borwick was the worst kind of hard Brexit supporter. She needs to stop letting down her constituents and develop a more balanced view. The 48% deserve a voice too.
Ethel
You live not in Westminster but Haslemere at the The Glades Rest Home where you are in charge of whist drives.
In 2020, when Albania joins the EU, you will be protected from the wave of Albanian immigrants who would have invaded the UK.
Albania is a one of the poorest of countries.
50% of its population are fully functioning Islamists: the rest mainly involved in violent criminal activity.
Ethel, you silly old trout. Had we remained we would have had that to look forward to.
It would have been like allowing Turkey to join.
Get a grip women and stop spouting nonsense.
As I said on my other post: Victoria has been a great MP and she will continue to be a great MP. Nobody will beat her. Well said Justin Downes.
Ethel Jones, don’t you have any fresh to say? In every comment you make you bore us with your vote on Brexit and your voting intention in the General Election.
You are as bad as Gillian Trott with your needle stuck in the groove.
Boring, boring, boring. Collect your pension and pop down to your local tearoom and have a quiet cuppa and a bun. Give us a break!
You will find Ethel commenting on other matters in our article on a castle this morning actually.
Very funny, Gulliver!
I imagine Ethel as a dumb version of Miss Marple replete with 1950’s floral skirt and fruit bedecked boater
Lady Borwick is terrrifying and has done nothing other than support property developers and Brexit. She is a terrible MP and Sloane Square is not even in her constituency I don’t believe.
Zach. When you are a dimwit it’s best to hide your total dimwittedness under a lot of bushels.
Unlike Miss Mullin from Lambeth, desperately posing as a ‘local’ Victoria Borwick has been a councillor in K&C for many years. It was whilst a councillor she fought successfully against the destruction of Sloane Square.
In all the years I have known Victoria I have yet to hear her say anything malicious or mendacious about any political opponent.
I know, within the Labour Party, there are many who like and admire.
I have met Annabel and liked her. I just feel sad that she allows her supporters to spread lies and distortions about a very fine person.
One thing Victoria would never do is attack a candidate for not living and knowing the constituency: just not her style.
Annabel, Emma Dent Coad is fighting her campaign on her in-depth knowledge of the constituency and its residents.
Dent Coad and Borwick have a great advantage in that they have lived and breathed the constituency over many years. They are not fighting on one issue.
You should keep your people under control otherwise voters may feel you only have Brexit to talk about.
Justin: These people leave comments on many subjects. They have as much right to express their opinions as you and though I respect your support for the Conservative candidate, I also respect the right of the Liberal Democratic Party’s candidates supporters to leave their views. We allow all comments as long as they are legal, decent and honest. Nobody here has expressed anything but that in my humble opinion.
Matthew
Everybody is entitled to comment. However for some ignorant buffoon to know so little of the recent history of the area not to know of Victoria’s role in saving Sloane Square does seem to indicate a certain stupidity. The very fact that ‘Zach’ is more than muddled about the Sloane Sq issue rather underscores my point.
Strangely… Not a single comment from a Labour supporter. Where are they? Do they exist in Kensington (or anywhere else for that matter)?
Can someone enlighten me re Lady Borwick’s signing of this letter saying that the BBC was not reporting Brexit in glowing enough terms? On the face of it, it has a whiff of Stalinism.
How can anyone describe LADY Borwick as a fine individual? (And she does use her title, contrary to what this writer says, look at the open letters she has signed in Parliament – she uses the title).
She campaigned for Brexit in a constituency where 20% of residents like me are European. We wanted to remain in the EU. She ignored us entirely.
She signed a letter to the BBC threatening it for not reporting enough “economic good news” to do with Brexit – could it be that is because there is none?
She voted to cut disability benefits.
She voted against EU nationals’ right to remain in this country.
Victoria Borwick voted to reduce the household benefit cap and to freeze the rate of many working-age benefits.
She voted for cuts in housing benefit for recipients in supported housing.
She oted against implementing a series of proposals intended to reduce tax avoidance and evasion.
She voted against a more proportional system for electing MPs.
She voted against removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords (because her husband, I think, is one).
She voted for mass surveillance of people’s communications and activities.
She has consistently voted against measures to prevent climate change.
She has one of the worst records in responsiveness for MPs.
How in the world can this be considered a good MP?!
Justin, you seem to have said so much in support of VB whilst actually not addressing any of the real critiscisim.
I, apparently unlike you, am a staunch conservative and proud to be a member of the party. However I will not be voting for Borwick. In Kensington we work hard, we do not need a Lazy MP failing to work for us and our interests.
You mention integrity in politics and in the same breath cover a unbelievably ironic candidate in the midlands, seemingly Borwick’s polar opposite. This example of yours is apparently in some way connected with our MP who has never justified acting against the interest of the majority of her constituents in the referendum campaign. If she, like your example, has any convictions about the referendum or how her actions support her electorate we’ve never heard her utter anything remotely thoughtful about them.
This same apparently high integrity MP is claiming to Support EU nationals in her campaign literature, only to fail to support them where it counts in parliament.
This MP of morality and concern is apparently supporting initiatives to clean up London’s air, only to vote against climate change measures in the commons.
And need I start on Ivory, a direct intervention in support of the Day job for British Antiques instead of the real job in support of Kensington.
Clearly integrity is not alive, but dead and stony cold in Kensington.
Your uplifting stories about Sloane Square aside, maybe you could look at Borwick objectively next time you pen a sketchy defense of surely the worst MP we’ve ever had. Alan Clark is spinning in his grave.
Mr Newton I wonder just how well you know Victoria. Those who like me have worked with her as a Council colleague and as a constituent consider her to be the most compassionate, hard working and committed MP we have had and my memory goes back some 40 years. I know you are angry but at least try to be dispassionate about someone who goes the extra mile for everyone. I sure this will garner more unpleasantness from you but I take it from where it comes
Mr Freeman, I am sure that Lady Borwick is a very nice person, as I hope all of the candidates are.
However, the writer Justin Downes, suggests that I vote for her as my constituency MP. He record for attendance at Parliamentary debates is poor (with the exception of showing up for debates on the ivory trade), and her record of answering letters from constituents (including mine) is utterly abysmal – an 18% response rate in 2015. When I study her voting record I find that I cannot support her stance on many things, including cutting welfare for the disabled, reducing corporation tax, and voting repeatedly against measures to address climate change. Of course, my most glaring concern is her incomprehensible stance on Brexit, and her refusal to address any questions on the matter from her constituents. She did not even bother to show up to the hustings on Monday.
In the light of the above, I cannot possibly vote for Victoria Borwick, no matter how nice a person she is. I will happily have her round for a cup of tea though.