Former British Army spokesperson Major Mike Shearer has branded BCP council's decision not to fund VE Day celebrations in Poole as "shocking" and "absurd".The Liberal Democrat-led Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) council has sparked outrage after announcing it has no money to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day in Poole.READ THE FULL STORY HERE
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00:00Well, we can now speak to the former British Army spokesperson, Major Mike Shearer.
00:05Major Mike, lovely to talk to you. Thank you for joining us.
00:07This is just disgraceful, isn't it?
00:09I mean, our war heroes and veterans, we haven't got money to spend on commemorating their sacrifice.
00:18Shocking.
00:18Barnett, you said the word and you're right.
00:20It is a disgrace.
00:23Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, they really should be ashamed of themselves.
00:30Politics is all about competing priorities.
00:33It's as much about the art of living as it is about the science of furnishing society with the things that they need.
00:43This is not just about a military knees up.
00:48This is celebrating the end of a war, a war in which we secured the freedoms and democracy for Europe.
00:57This is something that we should take very seriously.
01:00And by the way, that same council is spending millions on a 20 miles per hour furnishing the streets with 20 mile per hour signs.
01:12Come on.
01:12They should get a grip.
01:14They really need to get a grip.
01:15It's shocking, isn't it, some of the priorities.
01:17And, of course, advertising for somebody on Ā£205,000, which is not a shy salary at all.
01:23So they've clearly got money to spend.
01:26It's just absurd.
01:27It is absurd.
01:28Look, on our Remembrance Sundays, it rings around all villages in this country.
01:36When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today.
01:42We must celebrate this.
01:44People have given their blood and their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.
01:51And this kind of stingy attitude of our council.
01:55And by the way, it was only a couple of weeks ago that the government was using dodgy language about sending our veterans to D-Day in June.
02:04Come on.
02:04Somebody needs to wake it up in this council and stop being so miserly.
02:10Yeah.
02:10Well, listen, Major Mike Shearer, always a pleasure.
02:13Thank you very much.