John Whelan (Labour)

I do. I would like to ask him to establish how it is possible to have strong local government and strong local services, such as libraries, good secondary roads, street lighting and fire stations, if local authorities are not being funded. Many Sinn Féin spokespeople have taken to the airwaves to appeal to people. It is lovely to hear them say they will not pay the household charge out of sympathy with those who cannot afford to do so. Such hypocrisy deserves to be exposed. They are speaking out of both sides of their mouths. On the one hand, they want strong local government and strong local services while opposing privatisation. On the other hand, they are telling people not to pay the household charge.