Here’s the relevant part of our email from which Mr Page quoted, including the parts Mr Page chose not to read out in italics:
2. Informal meeting with yourself and Graham Creelman
You recently met with Jxxx and Sxxxxx is having lunch with Graham Creelman today. We have every confidence in their ability to accurately articulate the opinions and objectives of the campaign. We will discuss your kind offer to meet informally at our meeting next Tuesday. However, given our volunteers’ current workload, meeting CCGs, MPs, PPCs, press, councillors, etc. and preparing for the presentation to governors, this is unlikely to happen in the short term. You will have noticed some of us are currently walking from Ipswich to Norwich to highlight the cuts and crisis at NSFT.
Mr. Page replied:
As you say I have met with Jxxx and Sxxxxx is indeed meeting with Graham. These are useful discussions. There have also been meetings and discussions between other campaign members and Andrew Hopkins over the last few months. Campaign members have also been present and welcomed at a number of our public Board meetings.
The very misleading NSFT press release is here.
Mr Page has a reputation for being liberal with the truth (well, what do you expect from a former banker?) but this goes beyond spin. When is this clown going to come out and admit that, on his watch, NSFT has put lives in jeopardy – and then do the honorable thing and resign?
How does anything in the campaign’s e-mail in any way say “We don’t want to meet you” or imply that the volunteers are somehow using a delay tactic? For what purpose would we use a delaying tactic? This really is a nonsense.
The campaign volunteers, (staff, patients/ service users, supporters), do not get paid and it takes us a bit longer than paid staff to arrange and plan for meetings. We have attended numerous meetings, juggling media requests, letter writing, website management, committed hours of time awareness raising – the Ipswich-Diss-Norwich walk; stalls & petitions etc….all this on top of work, caring and for some us managing our mental health conditions.
As the e-mail states, we will be meeting this month to discuss together the next round of requests for meetings, campaigning activity and appearances.
We’ve been ‘here’ for a long time, so apologies if we’re not jumping to one person’s tune…I suppose it’s because we are very much in demand.