Pits'n'pots

Work Slim Down Stop Whinging

2010-07-21T17:30:00.001+01:00

Tory Councillor tells calls Stoke on Trent people underclass and to Work, Slim Down, Stop Whining

Councillor Ashley Howells from NuL give the 'Stoke underclass' some advice via his twitter account.

WE HAVE MOVED - JOIN US NOW!

2008-12-01T20:20:00.004Z

Hi all,

Just a quick note to say Pitsnpots has now moved to its new home!

Here is the link - www.pitsnpots.co.uk.

We've moved all the older blogs onto the new site, everything is accessible, just the same. All you need to do is click the link and lets keep blogging!

Please note there will be no further blogs on this site and comments have now been closed..

See you over at the new site!

Mind the new fixtures and fittings!

Tony & the Pitsnpots bloggers

THAT WAS THE WEEK ,THAT WAS! - WOLS SUNDAY COMMENT!

2008-11-29T20:22:00.009Z

Well my week started with a trip to Milan. Now I know it's a major European city, but the transport infrastructure is awesome! Off the plane, on a train, on a tram, arrive at hotel - sorted!

Stoke on Tent is a city that has crap public transport. It does not give me any pleasure to say it, but this city needs to start addressing some fundamental issues and transport happens to be one of them. An inadequate bus service and a couple of half decent roads and that's your lot. People should take a trip to Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield if they want a vision of how cities can deliver a transport network, that enables you to leave your car in your drive. We have six towns and if you want to get to say Tunstall from Longton, you have no alternative but to get in your motor, and in doing so clogging up the roads and polluting the air!

Non of the local political parties have put forward any policies for dealing with the cities transport issues. Where are the proposals for delivering a transport network worthy of the regeneration of our city and in particular the transformation of Hanley's east/west precinct?

Come on councillors, MP's and Prospective Parliamentary Candidates use this blog to tell us your plans for turning this city into a rival for other cities of a similar size and wealth!

Talking about councillors, I could not help but be amused by all the fuss, caused by the visit of seven councillors to the Brittania Stadium and Vale Park, where they enjoyed a pint of beer and a few sarnies! They are members of the council's sports ground certification panel, and they have been criticised for accepting match tickets, car parking, food and drinks.

Councillor Randy Conteh has defended the visits, and reassured the public that they did not sit in the executive boxes at the grounds. So what if they did? Who cares? Not me for sure! I say this to the people who have an issue with these councillors carrying out their inspection and then enjoying a bit of corporate hospitality: GET A LIFE, YOU SAD ARSES!!

Randy Conteh is a well respected, hard working councillor and he should not have to justify that there was no wrong doing while carrying out these inspections. He is a season ticket holder at Stoke, so a trip to Vale Park would have been torture for him!

As a councillor, you get plenty of stick and grief for little reward (apart from the EMB!) So if those interested in the footie get the opportunity to watch a game after they have done their duty, what's the problem? I mean it's not like they are accepting a holiday on a luxury yacht in the South of France is it? A bit of common sense is called for.... don't you think?

It was suggested this week that Trenthams favourite son Roger Ibbs is pitsnpot's ORACLE! Instead of being insulted the ORACLE pissed it's pants! Oooh the very thought!

In my opinion, Roger Ibbs is a bit like Turkish Delight... Everyone has had a taste... but no one admits they like it!

Even though, he's as popular as an unidentified lip fungus in Trentham, I think that Roger Ibbs would make an excellent Council Leader, even though his politics follow a different path of mine. He is not afraid to take tough decisions, even though sometimes they are unpopular, and he speaks his mind, and even though he knows sometimes it doesn't do him any favours, he stands up for what he believes. He is a skilled Councillor who knows the system inside out, and maybe that's the approach that we need, as we enter a period of change and regeneration. Maybe a coalition with Roger at the helm, isn't too far away,or too hard to imagine. You will have your own thoughts on that. I can feel the pencil's being sharpened as I speak and keyboards warming up!

To be honest the constant attacks on Roger Ibbs and Serco, and whoever else has a different opinion to the Trentham Action Group is really grating on me now. Don't get me wrong, I do think that it's a mistake to close THS, but do I think that Mr Ibbs and Serco are closing this school to antagonise the community of Trentham? Not on your life!

It's like Rob Flello. Until he stood up in the House Of Commons, and spoke up for the closing schools, and took on Jim Knight, he was accused by many in Trentham as being something of a wet lettuce. In truth, Rob was working hard behind the scenes, to get the Elected Mayor to consider an alternative proposal. This is the way he works, but because he wasn't making a loud noise, and blowing a lot of hot air, the Trentham community took against him., but his commons performance, he is their knight in shining armour!

The BNP and certain Independent Councillors have chosen to play to the crowd, by speaking out against the closure of Trentham High School, and it saddens me that members of the TAG, suddenly see these people, as possible Leaders of our City. Isn't it time now, that Trentham and the rest of the communities facing school closures, finally accept the decision, no matter hard that is, and concentrate on ensuring that the new schools cater for the needs both emotionally and educationally for the young people of our city. These proposals have now been endorsed by Government, and as such, will not be changed, no matter which party or person promises otherwise. Have the TAG got something up their sleeve? It's all gone quiet, hasn't it? What about this so called legal action? It's put up or shut up time I'm afraid!

The TAG have fought a long and vigorous campaign, but surely now is the time to stop all the personal attacks on Councillors and Officers, including Serco, before the insults get to the level displayed by Terry Crowe in the recent Children and Young People's Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Mr Crowe has lost all credibility over the schools issue, and this must not happen to the TAG. I still believe that the proposal could be tweaked, so that all communities would feel happier and more content, but after many, many conversations with Councillors and Officers it seems that these proposals will go through unchanged, and hand on heart, I don't think for a minute that these people feel that they are wrong, in what they propose. We may disagree, but surely now is the time to move forward for the benefit of ALL the city.

This week will see a massive change to PitsnPots. We are moving to a brand new domain, and a completely new look. Sir Findo Gask joined our team, and bought with him the know how to make our blog bigger, better and more professional. We feel that this site can rival any local newspaper, because we let people speak the truth, and put out their opinion, without editing or censorship. Our articles are written by our hands, and never tampered with. That is why you get many different opinions, even me and my lovely wife disagree on certain issues, but that is what makes this site so special. We would like you to tell us, if there is anything that you would particularly like to see on our new site, then this is the time to tell us. We would like you to spread the word, and the gospel of what PitsnPots is trying to achieve, which is a place where you can have your say, and pose questions that you want us to find the answers to. If you want a sneak preview of the new site, then click here

Anyway, that is enough of a rant for this Sunday, I'm off to shop for Xmas decorations as I've just noticed that VH1 have started showing the Xmas videos, which is an excuse for me to crack open a few bottles of "vino collapso", and try and get out of decorating the Xmas tree, which I always seem to get wrong. Why doesn't green go with gold, and what is wrong with black tinsel.

Over to you, as always your comments, thoughts and idea are always appreciated, and if I have offended anybody in the reading of this blog, tough titties!!

£36 MILLION INVESTMENT INTO THE STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY QUARTER

2008-11-28T17:25:00.004Z

I just had to add this to the blog, as it is positive news for a change.

The Regional Minister for the West Midlands, Ian Austin, today announced that Advantage West Midlands has confirmed its support for a £36 million investment into the £282 million project, for a state of the art learning quarter in Stoke on Trent.

The University Quarter in Stoke on Trent will bring together Staffordshire Univsersity, Stoke on Trent FE College and Stoke on Trent Sixth Form College, in a unique learning quarter.

The improvement will include new shared facilities for the college and the university, as well as commercial and residential development. The University Quarter will see major improvements to an important area of Stoke on Trent, between the railway station and the city centre.

A major focus for the University Quarter will be to drive up aspirations and skills to meet the needs of local employers. A business Centre has already been set up, to ensure that businesses in the area have access to the new facilities, and that the courses on offer are tailored for the needs of their employees.

£180 million has already been secured from the Learning and Skills Council, Staffs University, Stoke on Trent FE College, Stoke on Trent Sixth Form College, Stoke on Trent City Council and Advantage West Midlands. The rest of the investment will come from Higher Education Funding Council for England, RENEW North Stafforshire and the private sector.

Ian Austin , Regional Minister said

“I want to make sure that the economic downturn does not delay the regeneration of Stoke,and the investment we want to see in North Staffordshire.
“And I’m determined to ensure we improve education, training and skills in the area because that is the only way we’ll bring to Stoke the new highly-skilled and well-paid jobs on which the area’s prosperity will depend in the future.
“We need to make driving up skills our number one priority because the only way we will be able to attract and develop high-tech innovative businesses we’ll need in the future is by showing investors we’ve got the skills they’re looking for. “This project will see a massive improvement to an area of Stoke-on-Trent, which to many visitors is their first introduction to the City.

Mick Laverty, Chief Executive at Advantage West Midlands said

“In these times of economic uncertainty it is even more important that we do not lose momentum on this flagship project. This announcement shows AWM’s continuing commitment to the regeneration of North Staffordshire.
“Not only will the University Quarter help to raise the aspirations and educational attainments of local people, it will also regenerate a major site within Stoke-on-Trent for the benefit of the whole community, bringing nearly 1,000 new jobs and hundreds of new businesses to the City.

The Portfolio Holder for Enterprise and Culture , Councillor Hazel Lyth said

"This £36m of funding will help the University to train a highly skilled workforce for the future. The city has a commitment to get as many people into skilled jobs as possible, and this means increased access to higher education.
"We will have a smooth transition for students at local colleges to move on to Staffordshire University, and it will help us increase the amount of people available to take on high quality jobs. The funding will also help with the major physical regeneration of the University Quarter as part of the wider North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership, and help in creating a positive image for Stoke-on-Trent."

This makes sense doesn't it, to place the colleges all in the same area, and link them to the University. Hopefully, this will form closer links with the college and universites, and will encourage people to go onto University. I have seen the new Stoke on Trent (Cauldon Campus) building, and it does look as if it will be pretty impressive, when finished.

Well done to everyone involved in this project!! What do you think?

CCTV CITY BUS SHELTER TRIAL

2008-11-28T08:55:00.004Z

Stoke on Trent is to take part in a Government funded pilot project to cut down on anti social behaviour and vandalism near public waiting areas.

Closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) could soon be put into bus shelters across the city, as trials take place to try and stamp out on anti social behaviour. A camera has already been fitted into the bus shelter on Chell Heath Road, near the junction with Springbank Road, in Burslem.

The bus operators, police and Stoke on Trent City Council have all found that the fear of crime associated with vandalism and anti social behaviour discourages people from using public transport. The bus shelter at the centre of the pilot scheme, has been identified as suffering from persistent vandalism problems.

Councillor Adrian Knapper, is the Portfolio holder for Regeneration and Economic Development, and he said, "The fear of crime associated with persistent attacks on shelters, seen at stops such as the one in Burslem discourages residents from using the services. It is hoped that by putting CCTV up, it will help reduce the problem".

If the scheme is successful, the project could be rolled out across the city, with cameras being secured in other bus sheters, affected by crime and anti social behaviour.

Well, I'm all for this, but whether it will be a success or not, is another matter, but well done to the Council for at least trying.

I drive regularly through the Meir, and there are a number of bus shelters along Sandon Road, that are constantly smashed. Now, there is CCTV on the roundabout, but this has not deterred them, from smashing the bus shelter up, close to the library. I feel sorry for the elderly, waiting for the bus, as the ground is constantly covered in glass, and some are a bit unsteady on their feet, they could easily trip. How thoughful of the mindless idiots that cause this damage! Would they care, of course not, they would probably find it amusing.

We used to have bus shelters on the Meir Hay estate, but because they were constantly smashed, we just have a little post, with the number of the bus on it. Great in the summer, but awful in the winter, when it's hammering down with rain.

I really do not understand the mentality of these yobs, that get some kind of buzz out of damaging property. They smash the bus shelter up, the next day its repaired, the next day its smashed up, and it goes on and on! At what cost to the Council, to constantly have to repair these shelters?

I say get the CCTV in , and when they are caught, give them the bill for the repair of the shelters, plus an extremely large fine. Is your area suffering from criminal damage? What do you think should be done to cut down on this problem? Give us your thoughts.

THE LIBDEM'S ARE ALIVE! - BUT ARE THEY KICKING?

2008-11-27T16:18:00.009Z

I'm back from a hectic two day's in the manic Italian City of Milan, but I will have more to say about that in my Sunday comment article!

So, the Libdem's - what are they all about then? It's been a question i have asked of many, many people over recent weeks. I have asked political commentators, city councillors and more importantly, I have asked the ordinary electorate and nobody can give me an answer! They are like the Man in the Iron Mask or Kendo Nagasaki or even worse than that they are like our very own "ORACLE". They have no identity, no one knows what they stand for or what they believe in, what their policies are, or even if they want a presence in this city! Well all thats about to change........

Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Stoke on Trent North, Mr David Jack (pictured). let's have a look at the "Tale of the Tape", This is taken from the Libdem Website.........:

David has lived and worked for thirty eight years in the West Midlands in law, construction, industry, business and the community putting him directly in touch with so many aspects of local peoples' lives.

David is a family man, married with two daughters: he understands the demands of modern day living in the City environment and has gained much experience in order to give help and support when it is most needed.

David is a natural leader who knows how to get things done. David is passionate about protecting the environment and the future of our schools, NHS and policing. He has been actively involved for a number of years as a grass roots campaigner and has previously run for Parliament on the Wolverhampton North East seat.

David has campaigned against Labour plans to bring in Compulsory Identity Cards, against Council Tax, arguing to replace it with a fairer system of tax and petitioned and lobbied for greater use and licensing of green technology.

Outside of Politics David is actively involved in a varied range of social activities including being a regular paintball player, a cricket team member and also playing guitar with a small band. Much of his spare time is taken up with family life.

In the next few day's David is submitting an article to pitsnpots so that we the people of Stoke on Trent can evaluate this party and consider whether they are worth our vote.

One thing is for certain David comes across as a very driven individual who wants to enter the local political debate. During my conversation with him I got the impression that he realises that his party need to connect with the cities electorate and to get the Libdem message out there, rather than wait for the electorate to find them. David has wasted no time in telling us what he thinks of the BNP in this letter to the Sentinel (CLICK HERE)

To give us a flavour of what Libdem policy looks like, I thought I would publish their stance on Immigration and terrorism. This is actual policy:

Firm but fair on immigration and refugees – We will create an integrated
border police force bringing back entry and exit controls to monitor
movement in and out of Britain. By running immigration and asylum services
fairly and efficiently, we will ensure that all migrants pay their way through
taxes and we will cut the number who work illegally or turn to crime.
Tackle terrorism – We will reform our courts to prosecute terror suspects
more effectively. Restrictions imposed on people without trial risks increasing
support for extremists. Our reforms: plea bargaining for “supergrasses”,
intercept evidence in court, and questioning after charge – will be effective
and fair. We will improve cooperation between UK anti terror bodies and
reach out to young men in Muslim Communities.

The Libdems will have their work cut out to overturn the current MP Joan Walley who holds the seat for Labour an enjoys a healthy 13666 majority but David is up beat about his prospects and feels that recent boundary changes to Stoke North will help him and his party.

So, I for one can't wait for David's first pitsnpots article. What is your view on the Libdems both locally and nationally? Do they represent a threat to the other major parties? Over to you........................................

THE ORACLE IS MISINFORMED?

2008-11-27T12:24:00.007Z

It appears that Tim Mullen considers the Oracle to be misinformed of political events regarding his party, the Tory party or politics in this City. BIG MISTAKE, Timmy!

The Oracle understands your pain but as the saying goes, you can lead a donkey............

The Oracle makes good news and the Sentinel follows my lead on occasion and is well to follow this site. Today's Sentinel covers a letter from a known BNP activist (denied) JM Burke and you can share Timmy's Pain here Timmy, don't forget to write soon of Dinosaurs and "The problem and not part of the solution". It is your ilk that is wrecking this City, Timmy. Please thank those Councillors and former Lord Mayors in Stoke South for my information.

My agents are everywhere and are coming to expose you soon.

FORTNIGHTLY BIN COLLECTIONS ON THE WAY

2008-11-25T20:14:00.005Z

Well the trials have finally arrived. It seems that Meir Park and Bentilee have been chosen to trial the new fortnightly bin collections/enhanced recycling scheme being introduced by the City Council. See the Sentinel article by clicking here.

There are lots of comments on the Sentinel website, many are extremely positive, but many make the point that this appears to mean more work/burden for residents, and there is no detail about what will actually happen to the recyclable materials (although I only skimmed the Sentinel article quickly, so perhaps I missed something).

Now I am all for recycling, and can see the benefits. However, it does mean more work and for many people it will be a big change to their normal routine. I wonder how the City Council are going to engage people in the embedding process and get everyone on board with this initiative.

There are certainly downsides to fortnightly bin collections. I remember an article on GMTV in the summer (what summer?), where the residents of Oxford were complaining about the dreadful smell from their rubbish, towards the end of the fortnight, a few days before the collection date. There were problems with vermin etc, and this to me is harking back to Victorian times - something I am sure no one, particularly our Councillors, will want for this city.

How will the council ensure the system runs smoothly? A 6 week trial in Meir Park and Bentilee will hardly have had time to get started, let alone be long enough to iron out all the problems - half of the problems will probably not have even materialised in that time! Yet the plan is to roll out fortnightly bin collections and the enhanced recycling by summer, to all Stoke on Trent residents.

There is also a good point made on the Sentinel article, about how disabled residents are catered for - they will surely have even further difficulties getting the various bins out on the correct days. And as a busy person myself, I never know which day my bottle/paper collection is, and rely on seeing other people's boxes out, before I put mine out, otherwise I miss it!

I really hope the people of Stoke on Trent take this initiative to heart and efficient recycling becomes a major success across the city. However, I think fortnightly bin collections could bring more problems than solutions, and hope the council have plans in place to address issues, as they arise. I am sure they will say the trial is intended just for that purpose.

I look forward to celebrating a successful recycling project, after all, we are way behind in this particular issue. What do you all think?

COUNCIL SERVICES TO BE HIT BY CUTS

2008-11-25T08:43:00.005Z

Over the next two years Council Services will be hit by at least £12 million worth of cuts, after finance chiefs failed to hit budget targets. The current budget contained plans to find £11.2 million worth of efficiency savings from the community services directorate, over three years, including £3.5 million this year. The controversial cuts had included, shutting Dimensions splash pool, closing under used park bowling greens, axing one of the two mobile libraries, and reviewing the city's community centres. Now, only six months into the three year strategy, officers have admitted they cannot find this year's savings. They told the Improving Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, that additional pressures such as the new equal pay scheme, and higher fuel, meant they are another £900,000 off budget. Council Officer, Kerry Cartlidge said that £12.1 million in savings must now be found by April 2011. She told the Committee that potential targets had been found, but did not say which services would be affected.

Committee Vice Chair Randy Conteh, said he did not believe Councillors would support the cuts.

Councillor John Daniels said members would have to do what was needed to balance the budget.

The total Council Budget for 2008/09 was £193 million. The savings targets are set by the Government, and if the Council fails to meet them, the Authority's rating by the Audit Commission could be affected.

Peter Kent-Baguley (Potteries Alliance), blamed unrealistic promises of low council tax rises, for the problems. He was of the opinion that the council needs to explain to the public, exactly why council tax has to go up, more than the rate of inflation. He said it was short changing the public.

Elected Mayor Mark Meredith said that Senior Members and Officers would work together to ensure we deliver all of the savings in the budget.

One of the proposed cutbacks in this years budget involved the City Farm Site, in Bucknall. The plan was to either shut it, or let a community group take it over. The members of the Improving Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee strongly opposed these plans. They called for increased funding, to transform the farm into a thriving attraction. Debbie Gratton, Portfolio Holder for Sports and Leisure, confimed that the Authority, was no longer looking to make any cutbacks at the City Farm.

The review of the proposed savings from community services budget is expected to finish in the New Year, when the findings will be reported back to the Improving Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

How I see it, is, that if the Council raises the Council Tax, the public complains, but if the Council Tax is kept low, and they start to cut services, the public complains, they can't win on this one. What services do you think should be cut back to save money? Give us your views.

THAT WAS THE WEEK ,THAT WAS! WOLS SUNDAY COMMENT!

2008-11-23T10:09:00.006Z

Well, well, well, what a week that was! In many ways I'm glad to see the back of it!

Monday saw a visit to the civic office, for the Children & Young People Service Overview and Scrutiny Committee. They were discussing the siting of the Parkhall Academy. Michael Coleman (BNP) was in the chair and he allowed representatives from interested parties to voice their concern. I think he should be applauded for this.

The Chair of Mitchell High School, spoke in support of her school, and asked if their was any way that Mitchell & Berryhill High Schools could be merged, and a new building be put on the current Mitchell Site, to serve the areas of Parkhall, Weston Park, Sanford Hill, Bentilee, Berryhill & Bucknall. She also had concerns over the lack of pavements on Dividy Road near the Gasometer.

Terry Crowe, long time Labour activist and Chair of Governors of Berryhill, (he was supported at the meeting by Barry Stockley), was an absolute disgrace! I'm all for emotion, but he went way too far, and was an embarrassment to the high school he supposed to represent. He pleaded for his school to be merged and rebuilt on Mitchell. When Ged Rowney was talking about the siting, and other issues, Mr Crowe decided that he would call out that Mr Rowney was a liar! He repeated this when he addressed the committee. Roger Ibbs (Tory) tore a strip off the Chair, for allowing Mr Crowe to insult an officer of the council, without being forced to withdraw the accusation. Mr Crowe eventually did withdraw the insult but, his outbursts made his arguments seem futile. Mr Ibbs was angry with the Chair for allowing representations to the committee, on the decision to close Mitchell & Berryhill, when the decision was already made, and the BSF plans approved by the Government Minister for Schools Jim Knight. Mr Ibbs reminded the committee that the only issue that should be considered was the siting of the new Academy.

I have no doubt that whether you like or loathe him he is a very skilled politician at a local level, and his knowledge of procedure is far superior to anyone I have seen him lock horns with. He's a bit like the flu jab, you don't want it at the time, but it can save you a lot of suffering in the future!

There is no doubt in my mind that if Terry Crowe is representative of the standard of Labour councillors, then Labour should embark on a recruitment drive to get some much needed new blood in, FAST! If they don't they could sink in the doldrums for a very long period of time!

Joy Garner, Mike Barnes and Mark Davis, if this is Labours finest, you've got a hell of a job on, good luck to you!

While we're on the Schools issue, I've decided that I'm not going to speak to the Sentinel ever again! They can all kiss my lily white arse (sorry for giving you that particular image!) A reporter rang me mid week to ask me what I thought about the government not allowing the Local Authority to factor in the rise in birth rate, that is predicted in ten years time. The LA are only allowed to reflect the birth rates for seven years, when submitting their plans. So, I say to the reporter that the government are wrong to prevent the LA reflecting the known rise in birth rate, which could well mean that the plans should allow for another school, and could impact on parental choice when the time comes for selecting which school parents would want to send their children to.

What is printed in the Sentinel? An article which is written in a way that suggests that I am having a pop at our Local Authority & Serco when I am most certainly.. NOT!

How can I? If the government won't allow this birth rate rise to be factored in, how can it be anyone else's fault? Don't get me wrong, I love to have my say but I refuse to blame councillors and officers for something that is not of their making! The Sentinel will get short thrift the next time they ring me I can assure you!

Wednesday proved to be a turning point in the life of pitsnpots. I blogged an article about the size of the BNP membership. My angle on this was to highlight the difference in size of all the political parties. I listed the membership numbers, of as many parties as I could find accurate figures for. Before I published the article, I tried several times to find the BNP membership list on the net. I made my mind up, that if I could find the list, I would not publish the article. I could not come up with the list whichever link I followed. So I published.

When I left the office there was two comments on the article. I called in somewhere on my way home, had dinner switched the footie on, turned my laptop on. There was 52 comments posted on the article, and I said to Nita "bloody hell, this has created some interest!" I clicked on the comments and was mortified to find that some brave person had decided to publish on our site some names and addresses and contact details of some of the local BNP membership list. We deleted them as quickly as we could, and I decided to contact the Police, because I was concerned that there had been a breach of privacy. The Police were great and 20 minutes after I called them, a Police Sergeant from Hanley contacted me to inform me that someone had reported the matter to them. After they carried out their enquiries, they completely exonerated pitsnpots, they said there was nothing wrong with the article and there was no wrong doing. They said they would contact google and see if they could trace the IP address of the perpetrator. From what I'm told they don't have much chance.

I have no issue with anyone who wants to be a member of the BNP, that is their choice. We have some driven, motivated and passionate BNP supporters who contribute to this blog, and whilst I don't agree with their politics, I passionately believe they should be free to follow their party and their politics. They like all the other parties committed supporters, good decent people and to see them vilified is nothing short of disgraceful!

I will pick their beliefs apart, and I expect them to come back with a solid defence and hard debate, that is what we are about!

We have been accused of being a BNP bashing site, we have been accused of being apologists for the BNP, both completely wrong!

This blog was set up for interested parties to debate their politics, and the wrongs and the rights of what's happening in our city. We have had over 3000 comments posted to our site, and we are working hard to promote this blog to get more people to contribute to it. We are extending the blogging team, so that there are more varied topics to discuss. We are currently working on a new, better more user friendly site. Do we do this for political gain? No! Do we do this for reward? No! Do we do this to promote, celebrate or endorse any establishment or individual? No! Truth is we do this because we care for our city and we want to be an information service to all the people regardless of who they are and what politics they support.

Our vision good people, is to help get the answers needed to any questions that anyone might require. We want to be a FREE and INDEPENDENT service for the whole of Stoke on Trent! We are not, and never will be, owned by anyone and we will answer to no one! That's what pitsnpots is all about so please spread the word.

Our team are committed, the ORACLES agents infiltrate places and people you wouldn't believe!

Remember our slogan..... Your Site, Your City, Your Say!

Oh and by the way......... have a nice Sunday!

VAT CUT FOR RECOVERY PLAN

2008-11-23T09:54:00.003Z

This story is taken from the BBC News Website.

A VAT cut could be at the centre of the pre-Budget report on Monday, according to widespread speculation.
Reports suggest that VAT could drop by 2.5% to 15% as part of Alistair Darling's plan to revive the flagging economy.
Meanwhile, Gordon Brown, writing in the News Of The World, has pledged to help struggling families and insisted the government was "on their side".
In the Sunday Mirror, Mr Darling said "every household" would be supported through the "difficult period ahead".

The specifics of Mr Darling's recovery plan will remain under wraps until Monday.
It is understood that, as well as the VAT change, he may also announce further tax cuts targeted at poorer people, as well as big increases in public spending.

Mr Brown writes in the News Of The World: "I know how worried many people are about their jobs, making ends meet at the moment and about the security of their homes.
"No politician can promise to stop the difficult times, but I can promise that we will do everything we can to help people get through them fairly.
"I want every household facing difficulty at this time to know we are ready to help and on their side."

It is thought Mr Darling will say, in the Commons on Monday that his recovery formula, will leave Britain with a £100bn debt, that the country will have to pay back later, in the form of higher taxes. Alistair Darling's other measures expected in the package are, help for people in mortgage arrears and loans for small businesses.

Tory leader David Cameron has opposed the plan, accusing the prime minister of planning to "throw money at the crisis in the faint hope that this will help recovery".
But Mr Brown says failure to intervene will only prolong the pain of recession.
"If we do not act now, the downturn will be longer and more severe,".
"A prolonged recession means people out of work for longer, more repossessions, and businesses taking longer to start growing again."
Mr Brown also hints further government efficiency savings will be announced in the pre-Budget report.

Mr Darling says in the Sunday Mirror that "every household" will get support to help them through the "difficult period ahead".

An ICM poll for the Sunday Mirror shows the Conservatives have maintained an 11 point lead over Labour.

So, what do you think about this proposed VAT cut? What do you think about all the borrowing being done by the Government? Is it right/wrong? Well, I'm no expert on all of this, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out, that at some point, all this money has got to be paid back. This will mean raising taxes yet again. What do you think?

NOW THAT'S A JOKE - THAT! 3

2008-11-22T19:15:00.002Z

The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family. On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, 'Well, I'm off now. The man should be here soon.'

Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale. 'Good morning, Ma'am', he said, 'I've come to...'

'Oh, no need to explain,' Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, 'I've been expecting you.' 'Have you really?' said the photographer. 'Well, that's good.

Did you know babies are my specialty?' 'Well that's what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat !

After a moment she asked, blushing, 'Well, where do we start?' 'Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed.

And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can really spread out there.' 'Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn't work out for Harry and me!'

'Well, Ma'am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.'

'My, that's a lot!', gasped Mrs. Smith. 'Ma'am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I'd love to be In and out in five minutes, but I'm sure you'd be disappointed with that.'

'Don't I know it,' said Mrs. Smith quietly.

The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures. 'This was done on the top of a bus,' he said. 'Oh, my God!' Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat. 'And these twins turned out exceptionally well - when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with.'

'She was difficult?' asked Mrs. Smith. 'Yes, I'm afraid so. I finally had to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look'

'Four and five deep?' said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement. 'Yes', the photographer replied. 'And for more than three hours, too. The mother was constantly squealing and yelling - I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots.

Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in.' Mrs. Smith leaned forward. 'Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh...equipment?' 'It's true, Ma'am, yes..

Well, if you're ready, I'll set-up my tripod and we can get to work right away.' 'Tripod?' 'Oh yes, Ma'am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It's much too big to be held in the hand very long.' Mrs. Smith fainted

SCHOOLS COSTS SET TO SPIRAL AS COUNCIL DISCLOSE MISTAKES OVER PUPIL NUMBERS

2008-11-21T12:12:00.003Z

This is a story concerning secondary education in the whole of Stoke-on-Trent, not specifically Trentham. Although it is brought to you by Stuart, a valued TAG member.

The sentinel story can be viewed

here.

The city council has recently had their initial BSF proposal, Strategy for Change Part 1 (SfC Part 1), approved by central government, the first step in securing the desperately needed funding to regenerate our schools. And it’s only taken council around 7 years to get to the stage they should have been at within 6 months of starting the process. So, after 7 years of plans going to and fro between council and the government, where exactly are we now? Before this question can be answered, it is necessary to consider some basic facts;

1. There are currently around 15,700 under fives in this city. These children will be in secondary school by 2018.

2. The council’s original BSF proposal, submitted in February 2008 and subsequently ratified by the O&S Committee, estimated that 12,200 of these children would be in Stoke-on-Trent secondary schools.

3. To allow for some surplus, the council allowed for 13,000 secondary school places in their reorganisation plans.

Basically, the council’s proposal was based on the fact that in 2018, 3,500 children would have to find a secondary school outside of Stoke-on-Trent. By comparison, in 2014, only 1,375 children were expected to find a secondary school outside of the city. So why were council predicting a 150% increase in the number of children leaving the city’s educational system and why have they made no attempt to explain this expect increase in pupil migration?

On November 5th 2008, Jim Knight announced that he had approved the council’s proposal, SfC Part 1. This document states that by 2019 there will be 14,642 secondary school pupils in Stoke schools. After months of rejecting any suggestion that their pupil projections were wrong, all of a sudden council have found another 2,500 children to educate. If council are to maintain the recommended 10% surplus places in our secondary schools, they should be looking to provide over 16,000 pupil places by 2018, not 13,000. The only conclusion can be that the council had got their calculations wrong and that the proposed reorganisation will have to be reviewed.

So how many secondary school places do our councils proposals allow for? How many extra places have they added in now they admit their projections were inadequate? Despite knowing that by 2019 the city needs at least 14,642 pupil places in its secondary schools and despite knowing that the councils own population predictions show that this figure is likely to rise to in excess of 16,000 by 2025 (meaning we should have around 17,600 secondary school places), and despite all common sense, the council has managed to increase the number of places it plans to provide by 50.

By the time the BSF building programme is complete (around 2014 if it’s on time) there will be 13,050 secondary school places in Stoke-on-Trent. Will we have to build 2 new schools by 2019 and another 2 by 2025 to accommodate these children? Who will pay for these new schools? This would almost double the current investment required. Will the money come from government? Are they willing to guarantee another £250 million investment by 2025 or will the bill have to be picked up by local taxpayers? Or will council propose squeezing these children into the 9 existing non-faith schools or perhaps into the 5 new academies. Knowing our council they will have to go for the budget option and fit the additional 4,600 children into temporary classrooms. Just where will council put the 154 portakabins needed? This would certainly blow the councils promise to provide schools of their “optimum” number of places; between 900 and 1,200 pupils. If expansion is absorbed by the academies we will have schools with in excess of 2,000 pupils.

The intention of Building Schools for Future is supposed to be about investing in our schools for decades to come, so why are the council building schools that they know will not last the city 10 years? Serco, the mayor and the EMB have put forward a proposal they are trying to bulldoze through before anyone realises that they have made a mistake. They are trying to accelerate the rebuilding programme despite knowing it is fundamentally flawed. They are pushing these plans through knowing that by the time the “Jim Knight” hits the fan, they will all be long gone. All will have fled from or be rejected by this city and will claim that it is because they are no longer here that the educational reforms in Stoke have failed when it is blatantly obvious that it is their intransigence and short-sightedness that will be the further ruination of our already failing educational system.
They appear to have no interest in the long term future of the schools in this city and are only interested in gaining more stars from their party leaders, achieving their bonus targets and maintaining their control over a city they seem to care so little about.

Once again, we will be subjected to the mistakes made by idiots that we will have to live with.
It is councillors that must put a stop to this disastrous BSF programme. So councillors, what are you going to do? Sit back and let this city be a laughing stock or are you going to represent your wards and the people of this city and make decisions for our long term prosperity?

Thank you for that Stuart.

I would add that I am particularly infuriated by the statement made in the council’s strategy for change part 1:

http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/stream/asset/?asset_id=1656699
that support for parental preference is expected to diminish!

Whilst I still think that Jim Knight was crazy to sign this off, his subsequent letter to Ged Rowney:

http://www.savetrenthamhigh.co.uk/misc/Minister%20SfC1%20Approval%2003-11-08.pdf
is at least fairly damning. In particular, Jim Knight states that the council needs to resolve, with the Office of the Schools Commissioner, these issues regarding diversity, choice and fair access.
Well the numbers and diversity and choice issues are of course easy to resolve, just provide schools of the type that families want in the communities where they are needed – simple!

This would also avoid the council falling foul of section 2 of part 1 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006:

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/ukpga_20060040_en_1
regarding their duties in relation to diversity and choice and section 14 of the Education act 1996:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1996/Ukpga_19960056_en_1
regarding their duties to provide sufficient schools. It would also avoid the possibility of the intervention by the Secretary of State under sections 496 and 497 of the same act, as he has the power under these sections to prevent unreasonable exercise of functions and failure to discharge their duty, of a local authority.

Come on council/SERCO – it is time to get your act together!

What do you all think about the latest in this saga of educational vandalism?

WELFARE PLAN MAY CAUSE POVERTY

2008-11-21T09:11:00.004Z

This is a story I found on the BBC News Website today, and it highlights the difficulties that many people across the UK could be facing if or when the new welfare plan comes into place. This is what the BBC Article said,

Ministers may now have to rethink or delay plans to force lone parents, disabled people and the long-term jobless to seek work, a senior government adviser has said.
Sir Richard Tilt said reforms in Wales, England and Scotland could "push people into poverty" as unemployment rises.

From next week, lone parents will have to look for work once their youngest child is 12 or face losing benefits.

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said plans should offer support to the jobless, not penalise them.
Sir Richard, who is head of the social security advisory committee, said the so-called "welfare to work" reforms risked "falling into disrepute". He called for the changes to be delayed by one or two years.

Currently, single parents can claim income support solely on the basis of being a lone parent until their youngest child is 16.
But from Monday, those with children aged 12 and over will no longer be able to make a new claim for income support. Instead, they will be able to claim Jobseekers Allowance if they are actively looking for work. The total amount they can receive will be almost exactly the same, but anyone not complying with the new rules could face sanctions, including having their benefits cut by up to 40%. Sir Richard said: "Benefit rates are relatively low and if you are going to reduce someone's benefit for a few weeks by 40% you are pushing people much closer to poverty. "Of course, the child will suffer, but it's not the child that has fallen foul of the system."

These plans deliberately target the vulnerable, as they have no power and no real voice.

Sir Richard said he was concerned about the availability of suitable, affordable childcare for lone parents affected by the changes, he said there was often a particular reason that the lone parent was staying at home.
"It may be to do with disability or chronic illness, or in some cases it may be to do with behavioural problems," he said. "So pushing the lone parent in those circumstances into work may actually not be in everybody's interest.
"In many cases it will be harmful and lead to further behavioural problems."

Mr Purnell said it was more vital than ever to help the jobless seek employment.
"What we are saying is people should take up the support which we know works.
"I think it would be wrong at a time when it may be harder for people to find work to provide them with less help."

Dawn Harrison, from Sidcup, south-east London, told BBC Breakfast she had to give up her job when childcare for her daughters aged 12 and 13 became too expensive.
"What it was they wanted, £1,000 up front over the summer holidays and I haven't got that sort of money," she said.
"I couldn't see the point of struggling with money, going to work and looking after them at the same time."

For lone parents already claiming income support, the changes will be phased in depending on the age of the youngest child.
From March 2009, parents of 14 and 15-year-olds will no longer be able to claim income support and from July 2009, the change will extend to parents of 12 and 13-year-olds.
By October 2010, lone parents with children aged seven and over will be required to look for work in order to get benefits.
According to the government, there are 1.8m lone parents in the UK, 56.3% of whom are in work.
There are 738,600 lone parents on income support, and of those, just over 100,000 have children aged 12 and above.

If we look at Stoke on Trent alone, I only commented the other day, how many young mothers there actually are. Some, no older than 16-17. Many of these young ladies, are trying to fit looking after a baby, carry on studying, or doing full time/part time work, so I do think these young mum's sometimes get a fair amount of unnecessary criticism. They deserve all the help and support they can get. Sadly, we have those that see having a baby as a quick way of getting a council house, this does happen, I have heard the conversation many times. This is a sad state of affairs, so, this may be one good example of where the new plans could discourage these young girls.

We have many parents, who are left single, through marriage breakups, or loss of a partner, who work hard to hold down a job, and fit in looking after the kids and home. Are they getting extra money to help with finances, if not, they should be?

If we hear what Dawn Harrison says, she had to give up work, because child care became too expensive. This is a problem many families and single parents face, paying out large amounts of money on child care, very often amounting to nearly all of the wages they earn.

We are trying to get people off the jobless list, but, how many people are currently having their working hours cut, or face the possibility of redundancy. The situation will probably get worse, before it gets better. It is any easy statement to make, to cut people's benefits, but we have the genuine people who are looking for work, day in, day out, but simply cannot find employment. Should we penalise these people, by cutting down on benefits, I think not.

What do you think?

TRAGEDY AFTER BOY SPRAYS DEODRANT

2008-11-21T07:59:00.003Z

Apologies, to those of you that like to debate politics, as this is not one of the normal topics for PitsnPots. This is a very sad story, and one that to be honest, really shocked me. I feel that this is something that needs to be highlighted, and the public need to be made aware of.

A 12 year old boy from Derbyshire died, after spraying deodrant whilst in a confined space, and caused him to have a cardiac arrhythmia.

Now, how many of us have teenagers, who do the very same. Even adults are probably guilty of doing it too. Yes, I know you need to use a bit of common sense, when spraying the stuff, but who would have thought the consequences if ignored, would result in a loss of life.

Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner Dr Robert Hunter said manufacturer Unilever provided adequate warnings on cans of the deodorant that large amounts should not be used in a confined space. He said: "It seems the presence of a volatile agent caused the cardiac arrhythmia. Daniel copiously used deodorant in the bathroom.
"I do not know how many people read the warnings about exposure awareness.
"But people need to know about the risks that these products have on the cardio-vascular system."

Now, it makes me think, what is actually in these deodrants in the first place. Who actually reads these warnings on the can? Do the warnings need to be made bigger, do the public need to be made more aware of the serious consequences of spraying the deodrants in confined spaces? To be honest, if you walk in a bedroom/bathroom, where someone has been on the spray, and that can only be, by using a small amount, it does make you cough, and can affect the chest, so you have to open the windows to let some air in.

So what do you think, and how many of you have read the warning on the spray can? I'm one of those that hasn't.

IN MODERATION!

2008-11-20T21:11:00.003Z

Just a quickie (as the actress said to the bishop!). We have now removed the comment moderation. We will still receive notification by email when someone posts on one of our blog articles. All posts will continue to be monitored and as our slogan is,
no post will be removed unless it is personal, threatening or abusive, you can bet we will stick to it!

We have taken this decision after the "Oracle" threatened to haunt me forever! The "Oracle" does not want the debate stifled and what the "Oracle" wants the "Oracle" gets! I don't want to be infiltrated by those "Agents" 'ooh 'err!

I am delighted to announce that Sir Findo Gask has joined our merry band of bloggers and as already made a massive difference to our team and has brought a deal of IT knowledge with him. I can confirm he looks exactly like his photo!

Anyway onwards and upwards!..................................

STOP POLICE! - IS IT RIGHT OR WRONG?

2008-11-20T20:09:00.002Z

The row concerning the leak of the entire BNP membership list rages on.

My opinion on the matter is quite clear: I believe that anyone has the right to choose which, if any, political party they would like to belong to.

Privacy is something that everyone is entitled to no matter who they are.

Whilst I don't support the BNP in any shape or form I have absolutely no issue with anyone who does. As far as I'm concerned it's their politics, their choice.

Now, the issue is, should anyone in any profession be allowed to hold a BNP membership card?

Take for instance PC Steve Bettley of Merseyside Police. He has been called back early from a holiday abroad and suspended from duty whilst the force investigate whether he is a fully paid up member of the far right party.

Earlier today, a spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said: "Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe has reiterated our position that membership of the British National Party is totally incompatible with the duties and values of Merseyside Police. We will not accept a police officer or police staff being a member of the BNP."

The fundamental difference as I see it, between being a member of the BNP and any other political party in this country is that the BNP's policies are based mostly on the colour of a person's skin.

Whilst party activists will say that they are not racist, they are nationalist, a BNP member will prejudice against a person who's skin is a colour other than white. They will do this because of their beliefs and what their party stands for.

Now, to me, the same could be said of Teaching, Further Education, Civil Service, Armed Forces, The legal Profession, Medicine........ this list goes on!

I can see why the BNP want to be recognised as serious political party and I can empathise with that, but surely they can understand that they are going to be judged differently because of their stance on all non white folk.

Let's have a good honest pitsnpots debate on this most sensitive issue, over to you........................................

SUCCESSFUL ANTI-CRIME SCHEMES TO CLOSE DOWN

2008-11-20T09:44:00.003Z

I read an article in the Sentinel last night, whereby a successful Pioneering Scheme, which helps to steer young people away from a life of crime, will close down next year, due to lack of funding. This saddens me. How can we lose such a Scheme, that has brought so much success?

Two Youth Inclusion Projects (YIP's), in Stoke on Trent will stop operating from March 2009. It would seem that they have attempted to gain funding, but have been unsuccessful. The Schemes are held in Stanfields and Meir, where they target 8-17 year olds, who are thought to be at risk of offending, truancy or social exclusion. Youngsters take part in various organised activities, including sport, art and fund raising. They complete workshops about drugs, and sexual health. If they stay out of trouble, they are taken on excursions.

The project is run by a crime reduction charity (NACRO), and police, schools and community groups, say the project has dramatically reduced anti social behaviour in the area. Sadly, without an investment of £260,000, a year, they will have to close. There are currently 58 young people involved with the Stanfields project, and 59 at Meir.

John Tate, Director of Stoke on Trent's Youth Offending Service said "the projects have had a big impact. Apart from getting support to young people that need it, and to their parents, we have also engaged with the local communities". He said the programme had resulted in a 30% reduction in youth crime and anti social behaviour.

The Stanfield Scheme started in 2001, under a three year grant from the Youth Justice Board, and continued with funding from various sources. The programme expanded to Meir, in 2005.From April 1st of this year, changes in the funding process, meant no more cash was available for these projects. Grant Applications to the Big Lottery Fund and Coalfields Regeneration have been unsuccessful, because the YIP's do not meet the criteria.

Inspector Mark Hardern, Commander of Tunstall Neighbourhood Policing Unit, said "There used to be serious issues around crime and anti social behaviour in this area, but I have seen a massive improvement. I would not like to see it close, as it does a lot for the kids involved and the community."

Michael Coleman, Councillor for Weston and Meir North said "The work done by the project is invaluable, and the thought that we could lose it fills me with dread. I know what the estate can become without that kind of intervention".

What a travesty this is. Two successful schemes, that have proven to reduce crime and anti social behaviour, now to be lost. These young people have been prepared to do something, to get involved, to change themselves, to involve themselves with the community. Full credit to them all, and to those who are involved in running the Schemes.

This is what we need, Schemes like this, to give the youngsters the help they may need. Sometimes it is easier to do all the wrong things, but they don't know how to get away from it. What does it come down to, Funding, or lack of. It is so wrong, that these sort of Schemes should be lost. What do you think? http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Successful-anti-crime-schemes-closing/article-484236-detail/article.html

'ALLO 'ALLO 'ALLO - THE POLICE & BIG BROTHER ARE WATCHING!

2008-11-19T22:28:00.005Z

I never thought it would come to this! Good natured debate was all we intended and what have we got? Our site hijacked by a spineless individual who decided to play silly buggers and post the names and contact details of local people who happen to be members of the BNP (no crime!)

I would like to offer my sincere apologies to anyone who was offended by this mindless act of cowardliness and I would like to reassure all our regulars that we acted as quickly as we could to remove the posts concerned.

I myself, have informed the police and reported this breach of privacy. The police have informed me that pitsnpots have done all we could and are not being held responsible for this disgraceful incident. The Police are investigating and have already contacted Google with the aim of tracking the IP address of the individual responsible.

It is only a matter of time before the idiot responsible for this is traced, and I for one will look forward to blogging about their day in court!

Following discussions with the Police, we have decided to moderate all comments. This will not detract from our blog. Posts will be published as quickly as possible. I hope that this is a temporary measure but let's face it we don't want innocent people upset by the actions of the minority.

Pitsnpots will carry on blogging about local issues and promoting political debate, it's what we do! and we will not allow these mindless idiots bring us down!

Please note you can still post anonymously, it's just that we will check the comment first before we allow it to be published. It will stop any recurrence of this type of incident, We will not stifle the debate and censor like the Sentinel.

Thanks to Sir Findo and "fair minded" for their help and guidance, sorry for the inconvenience but I promise that all comments will go on unedited as long as they are not personal, abusive or threatening, so Craig can carry on regardless! lol.

Let's get back to it troops!.... Remember the "boys in blue" are on the case and Big Brother (& Sister!) are watching!

Onwards and upwards..............................................

BNP MEMBERSHIP LIST LEAKED! - 10000 IS THAT IT?

2008-11-19T14:34:00.010Z

Shock Horror! The BNP's membership list has been printed on the Internet! Who cares?

The only thing that it as brought home to me is how insignificant this minority party really are.

For all the huff and puff we hear on this blog about how they are the future for our City nay, our Country. this list proves that it is all piss and wind!

Lets put this pathetic number into some sort of perspective shall we:

Tory Party 290000 members
Labour Party 210000 members
Liberal Democrat Party 70000 members
UKIP Party 16000 members
Green Party 12000 members (England, Scotland, Wales N.Ire)
BNP 10000 members.

At the last General Elections the BNP polled at total of 191,519 votes out of a possible 27000000 votes cast!

The BNP won over 100 council seats at the May 2008 elections in the United Kingdom which is in fact, less than 1% of the total number of seats available.

In Stoke on Trent the BNP polled 8086 vote out of 55288 (14.6%).

Given the fact that Labour is supposed to be on it's arse in this city and is most certainly suffering from the ineptness of the policies of the Labour Elected Mayor, Mark Meredith, Labour managed to poll 14038 vote out of the possible 55288 cast (25.3%)

We are constantly told on this blog by certain posters that the BNP in this city, are like the 2ND coming of the Messiah! The first coming of the No9 bus seems more apt to me!

BNP membership is frowned upon in many organisations, the Police, Fire Brigade, Teaching, Further Education, the Clergy, the Armed Forces, and so it goes on. This leaked membership list has people as young as 14 on it, which in my opinion should be against the law!

Nick Griffin admits that some of his members, especially those in the professions listed above are vulnerable. I say if a name appeared on one of the mainstream parties membership list no one would give a toss! Could it be that association with such an extreme, hateful party who's policies are based on the colour of one skin, might be reviled by the vast majority of the British people.

There is no doubting that the BNP have 9 councillors in our city and have prospered because of the EMB.

The EMB have no doubt taken the voices of every single separate political party represented in Stoke on Trent and left just the collective of the EMB and the extreme views of the BNP.

The BNP would have us believe that they are the answers to all our prayers but in truth, given the above statistics we would be better of voting for UKIP or the Green Party if we were looking to place a protest vote.

Over the next few months we will be bringing the other parties to the forum and giving you the cities electorate the chance to make your mind up which party best represents your ideals and I'm sure if we did this the BNP's popularity would diminish.

The BNP would have us believe that they are a united organisation but this membership list was posted by an angry member who wants to start off a leadership contest. This dissenter believes that Nick Griffin is too dictortorial and want rid of him. This latest rift comes not long after Griffin kicked out most of his executive who also wanted rid of the Welsh Wizard! They went on to form their own far right party called the "Voice of Change" (CLICK)
The BNP are about as united as the "Strictly Come Dancing" judges!

The BNP a credible alternative to the mainstream parties? I'd better be off.... the No9 bus is due............ Oh look a flying pig!

COSTA DEL EDENSOR GETS NASTY IN THE BUNKER!

2008-11-19T10:27:00.004Z

'Sources' within Edensor Technical College (Southern Spain) have informed me that the situation is now at breaking point in the holiday complex.

It seems that the Headteacher, Richard Mercer (a redcoat in his spare time) and the Chair of Governors, Keith Pritchard (bouncer) have now threatened the entire Governing body with 'the law' ooooooooohhhh, oh, so powerful and scary!

'Sources' inform me that Governors have been threatened with removal from the Governing Body if they continue to harass the Headteacher and the Chair into calling an extra ordinary meeting concerning the 'training' holiday (bender) that all staff were to go on.

Keith Ailwood, a Governor has indicated that if this meeting is not held immediately, then the entire Governing body will 'resign on the spot'.

The Oracle writes:

Mercer and Pritchard are a couple of spivs who attempted to go on a bender at the public's expense and hoped nobody would find out. The Oracle believes that it is not just these two who are in the frame. Meredith and Rowney must have certainly known of this piss up in advance and must also be held to account when our children suffer third world education standards in a lone star authority. Parents and kids are queuing up to leave the City while our teachers are queuing up at the check in! Mercer has to go and the chair of Governors must resign his post today. Tomorrow will not do! Don Evans MBE can hold his head up high (but not on the gallows) and know full well that he and his fellow Governors retain the respect of all Parents and concerned taxpayers in this City in their quest to hold up Edensor's SS to public scrutiny. They are covering each others backs and it is a public duty to expose them.

FORMER LORD MAYOR ALAN JONES QUITS LABOUR(and the band played on)

2008-11-18T13:05:00.003Z

Alan Jones, the former Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, sensationally quits the Labour Party!

Alan Jones was a long serving member of the Labour Party for over three decades and held most of the important roles within the City Authority.

Mr. Jones is considered to be a larger than life character, who brought much of the Labour vote out for most of his time within the Council chamber.

The Oracle has been informed by 'sources' that Mr. Jones has become very 'disillusioned' by the current Labour Group led by Joy Garner and her insistence to form a coalition with the Conservatives.

Mr. Jones has made it clear that his entire family has decided to leave the Labour Party in protest at the coalition, the BSF school programme and the way that care homes have been closed in the City.

Mr. Jones (brought into the party by Bil Austin) is one of the senior Councillors who as Deputy leader of the Council oversaw the cultural quarter and the aftermath that came from it. Mr. Jones is adamant that the City moved forward with world class facilities that have yet to be matched by elected Mayors since he left the Council.

Alan Jones, former Deputy Leader and Lord Mayor currently serves in various community positions around the City after giving up his seat on the local PCT.

The Oracle pays tribute to a man who selflessly served his Party and his community and who feels genuinely disturbed that a lifetime of solid Labour unity is being wasted by those presently clinging to power who's only selfless aim is to further their own careers at the expense of those around them.

You couldn't clean Alan's shoes if you tried. Make sure you hold all of his positions before you attempt to (that goes for criticism of him).

The Oracle has spoken.

MONDAY, MONDAY!

2008-11-17T17:16:00.005Z

Well another doom and gloom Monday, and that's just the weather!
Two interesting topics to get our teeth into today.
First, Councillor Ann James Leader of The Independent group on the city council has come out and said that the Governance Transition Board have been set up as a ploy to gain more Labour support in the city.

The creation of the 13-member panel was one of 14 recommendations laid down earlier this year in a report by the Stoke-on-Trent Governance Commission, which the council voted in July to accept. Its task is to oversee the council's progress on the other 13 proposals and report back to Whitehall.

Ms James made these controversial comments: "We believe the members were carefully selected because the people of Stoke-on-Trent weren't voting the way the Labour Party in Westminster wanted. It is not right for the people of Stoke-on-Trent to be dictated to from the outside.

"Let the people of Stoke-on-Trent decide what's best for us, not outsiders who suit the Labour Party."

The Governance Transition Board is made up of: Professor Michael Clarke, Professor Christine King of Staffordshire University and Ian Dudson of the Dudson Group, the board comprises former Labour councillor and MEP Mike Tappin, Danny Flynn of Hanley YMCA, Lloyd Cooke of the Saltbox Christian centre, Chris Dawes, chairman of NHS Stoke-on-Trent, TGWU regional secretary Gerard Coyne, David Carr, retired managing partner at architects Hulme Upright Manning, Julie Grant, managing director of marketing firm Plinkfizz, Sajid Hashmi, chief executive of Voluntary Action Stoke-on-Trent, Sheikh Muhammad Hanif Haqqani Kareemi, imam of Tunstall Mosque and Clare White, founder of online newsletter Local Edition.

Councillor James has written to Government Minister John Healey to question why this board was set up and more importantly how it's members were selected.

Personally I can say, having met Clare White, who is a fellow presenter on Focal Radio, that she has no affiliation to any political party. The same can be said of Danny Flynn from what I am told by a member of the blogging team who knows of him.

The other thing that attracted my attention is the start of the Public Consultation regarding the the proposal to switch the local elections to every four years despite objections from a number of councilors.

Roger Ibbs, Conservative and Independent Alliance leader , had this to say:"I think it is essential that we involve the public in this decision. There is a presumption that this council will move towards all-out elections, but I think it would be very difficult for the council to make that decision on its own.There will be people who say this is just another consultation, another £20,000 spent and it will make no difference, but it will make a difference.It will enable us to go to the Government and say that it is not just our opinion, it is the view of the public as well."

Many may think that to move the elections to every four years will help to save our Rog, who is in a precarious position for opposing the Trentham High closure. If the public express a desire to have all out elections every four years would it mean that our Lame Duck Mayor has a reprieve until 2011?

Labour Group Leader Joy Garner said this on the matter:"Consultation is something that the people of this city accuse us of not doing enough of. The people told the Governance Commission that they didn't feel involved or valued and they didn't see evidence of strong leadership, so let's do those people proud and agree to hold the consultation."

But BNP group leader Councillor Alby Walker said his group could not support the consultation and called for all 14 recommendations to be scrapped.

He said: "The head of the Governance Commission, Professor Michael Clarke, said the 14 recommendations were not a menu to be picked from, so this leaves the BNP group with no alternative but to oppose them all. This consultation is nothing more than a waste of time and £20,000 of taxpayers' money because I don't believe that in January this council will vote for all-out elections."

Potteries Alliance leader Councillor Peter Kent-Baguley reminded members that the council had a legal obligation to consult residents on the electoral changes.

He said: "We can't go back as a council on a decision that we made in July, when the majority of members voted to accept the 14 recommendations of the Governance Commission.

"This council is on probation and whether we like it or not we have got to respond to that, and not by querying every little proposal and idea."

Over to you guys give us your input. do you want all out elections every four years? What do you make of the quotes from our councillors on this issue

Tues AM Update:

"Sources" have contacted me to inform us of the fact that Cllr Ann James voted against the public consultation about all out elections but, speaks out against the Transition Board! As my contact says "Cake and eat it!"

Same contact has also confirmed that despite how the public feel about all out election, the Elected Mayor's tenure will definately come to an end in June '09

WOL'S SUNDAY COMMENT!

2008-11-16T11:24:00.004Z

It's been a very interesting week, so as it's Sunday I thought I would reflect on whats happened and give you my thoughts on the week that was.
To play the game I want you to respond to my thoughts topic by topic, so without further hesitation let's get on with it.....

Recession.
The governor of The Bank of England Mervin King this week admitted that our country is now in recession. No shit Sherlock! I say this, we have been in recession since bloody August! To come out and say that we have just gone into a financial down turn gives the impression that we have a long hard road on the way to economic recovery. We should be saying that we have been in recession for nearly six months and we are half way through these hard times and are on the way back up. It's called talking the economy up. We need our Prime Minister, Chancellor and Bank Governor to be positive and not be merchants of doom! Even George Osborne has received a bollocking from his leader for "talking the pound down".
There has been a reduction of 1.5% in the interest rate recently, will this help? Well, it might help the High Street Christmas trade but it is unlikely to have an effect on industry as the government commentators have gone public and said that there will be further cut of 1% in the interest rate in December. So, know buyers of the large companies are now playing a waiting game before signing any contracts to ensure that they get the best deal.
The effect can be seen locally with Bentley, JCB, the demise of Spode, and I feel that there will be other companies that will find it increasingly difficult on the run up to the Christmas shut down. Oh well here's hoping............

Baby P
I blogged an article on sleaze earlier in the week as I was incensed by the antics of Brown & Cameron during PMQ's this week. I felt that they were wrong to turn this most tragic case into a political debate. Of course there has got to an enquiry into what went wrong at Haringey. The Director of Children and Young Persons Services should have immediately resigned instead of sitting in a press conference informing us of how the social service department had improved and how the last Ofsted inspection had gone well! An innocent child died for Christ sake! This department had over 60 chances to save Baby P, and failed! It now appears that there has been an attempt to silence a whistle blower who wrote to the government to say how poor the performance of the C&YP department was at Haringey! Heads need to roll on this one and I for one have added the name Sharon Shoesmith to those of Gordon Brown and David Cameron as people who should be looking at themselves and asking "would my mother be proud of me" for the way this tragic case has been handled and political gain attempted!
Has nothing been learned from the Victoria Climbie case? It would appear, not! Today it has been revealed that over 80% of children killed or seriously hurt through neglect or abuse were not on England's child protection registers. A confidence giver - I don't think so!

MEP Expelled from Party.
Locally there has been much made of the "payroll vote", the fact that members of the EMB are paid around £17000 to nod through the elected Mayors wishes. That however is paled into insignificance at the news that Den Dover (should be Ben Dover!) Conservative MEP, has been expelled from the party for claiming, wait for it.....£500,000 for "office work" undertaken by his family! What a piss take! Nice work if you can get it! I wonder how much Craig Pond gets from the BNP for being Branch Secretary and public mouth piece, obviously a full time job. However much Craig, on the basis of this case, you are worth much much more!
I joke obviously, as I'm sure that Craig undertakes his work for nothing more than his belief in his parties policies and commitment to the cause. This MEP's would be looking at a court case in any other circumstances. Just goes to show I guess, that there are career politicians, both locally and nationally in it for nothing more than financial gain!

Follow the Leader (if you can!)
This week saw the emergence of a couple of contenders for Council Leader and I for one want to see more come out and state publicly their desire to lead our city. Mike Barnes was the first Labour councillor to confirm his interest and we await confirmation that either Joy Garner or Mark Davis's intentions. One thing is for sure following the articles by the Oracle, that all is not well within the local Labour group. On Thursday the main men came up from the West Midlands to bang a few heads and to try to get the party to heal from within. At the next local elections Labour need to win 15 more seats to take overall control but with all the in fighting and the obvious battle between new and old the local party is about as harmonious as an Alley full of horny Cats!
It looks likely that the new leader will come from an alliance of parties. So, just who are the main contenders?
Roger Ibbs - I quite like our Rog, although he is about as popular as scabies in Trentham. He obviously has no problem in making, and then sticking to, difficult decisions (see the TAG for details!) He could get the support from other councillors and he told me recently that he was unwilling to have any BNP members on his cabinet.
Alan Rigby - I'm ashamed to admit that I took a bit of a dislike to Alan following his appearance on the BBC's Question Time programme but having spoken to him this week it's obvious that he is a thoroughly decent, honest and likable man. He admits to being naive and to putting to much trust in people and I think that makes him somewhat venerable to the "predators"
Alby Walker - No doubt he wants it, he was the first to come out and tell us that. He needs the support of another group and to my mind it would be an unpopular decision among our city if he were to become leader. This is not detracting away from the obvious support for the BNP in our city, I just don't think we need a leader from an extreme party and I don't think that another group would support an alliance with Alby at the helm. Now, Rigby as a leader and Walker as Deputy is a possibility!
Peter Kent Baguley - Won't appreciate his name being in blue! But I tell you what, he is one shrewd cookie. I really like this guy, (I can hear Craig's keyboard warming up now) not because he's a bit to the left, but because he cares passionately for the city and it's people. He is the champion of many causes, especially the elderly and he is one of the most intelligent politicians i have ever met. I think he would get the support from a number of councillors especially the "old Labour" element, the un-aligned and some independents. Pete is my each way bet!
Libdem - Haven't got a scooby doo what this lot stand for and it really annoys me that they don't communicate with the cities electorate and get their message across. Kieran Clarke was asked if he would contribute to our blog and agreed, he has been asked at least 3 times since, to email us an article but as yet we are still waiting! They could be a party that Stoke could embrace but I guess we'll never know because no one can be arsed to make the effort! They as much as anyone are responsible fro the rise in popularity of parties like the BNP because no one can access their manifesto!
Gavin Webb - Libertarian, has been quite controversial but a lot of people say to me that they can see what he is about and he probably says what others think! He is very anti BNP which appeals to me and he has a grasp of the Internet to get his message across (have a look at his website!). He will contribute to our blog and I for one can't wait for him to tell us his thoughts and vision for our city. Gavin might just surprise some people.

And Finally..........
Tonight sees the start of "I'm a Celebrity..." so I want to know what character you would like to send into the jungle if you could. I would love to send in Mark Meredith, because he would be like Stokes very own Christopher Biggins and he is very comfortable in a room full of rat's and creepy crawlies.......
Over to you and have a good Sunday..........

ICEBERG DEAD AHEAD!

2008-11-14T13:51:00.004Z

It seems fitting that the 'secret meeting' held by the Labour Party was held a few paces away from the birthplace and school of Captain Smith, Captain of the ill fated Titanic.

'Sources' from within the Labour Party (NEC agents have yet to report back to me) say that the NEC wielded the hatchet and carved up the Labour Party structure 'in revenge for a sacked Meredith'. The 'lame duck Mayor' ("you win some-you lose some") was given a wholehearted rapturous applause as he spoke of the 'great new beginnings for Labour in the City' (little did he realise that the biggest applause came from those who administered his demise).

'Sources' reliably inform me that there has been a tinkering at the edges on party structure and that a good dose of restructuring is all that is needed to bring the masses to the ballot box and bring home the bacon for Labour (they talk of little else in our corner shop! ('ooh, I hope Labour restructures tonight, so I can get my family out to vote for Labour').

Don't Labour realise that the only subject on the agenda is POLICY?

The quote I'm given is the Labour Party have been bypassed and Mike Tappin and Joy Garner happily go along in the delusion that the entire collective view of the Labour Party membership is unnecessary!

The current POLICY being played out belongs entirely to a 'Lame Duck Mayor' and sacked former Councillors (Tappin, McLaughlan, Smith, etc..) SACKED because of those policies (Trust me THEY TALK OF LITTLE ELSE DOWN OUR CORNER SHOP! 'I'm voting BNP because they shut our schools and care homes')

'Sources' inform me that the NEC have totally disregarded the complaint made by members of THEIR party structure that continues to ignore the rule book and has resulted in a policy document that the party membership ignores and is appalled with. Basically, Labour's policy goes against party and public opinion.

I gather that our very own Tommy Reynolds castigated bloggers for dissing Labour (he means the Oracle and his agents). The Oracle is hurt by this and apologises and promises to never do it again. I am however, amused at the thought that Tommy was dressed in his little Captain's uniform for the occasion as he oversaw the complete destruction of the Labour Party and let the Director of the West Midlands take all the credit for calling the meeting (pure fabrication) and doing absolutely f*** all to rectify the wrong being mismanaged for Labour in the City.Nice one Tommy!

The Oracle says this: If the Mayor, Serco and ex Councillors continue to pursue an agenda that is rejected by the voters, then Labour Councillors will fall victim to any and all parties. They will be totally responsible-as is the case- for the rise of the BNP. The coalition of Labour and Conservatives is a disgrace to the Labour membership that totally abhors such an alliance. The public are quite correct: Vote Labour get Tories, so why no vote BNP and get BNP! A protest that is ignored by the NEC and the Director.

Piss about all you want but the bottom line is that if this City is a natural Labour stronghold and Labour is the natural voice of local Government here, and the current Labour Group continue to ignore its own party, then this Labour Group is ignoring the voice of the people.

When Captain Smith was informed of a 'iceberg dead ahead'! He is rumoured to have replied, "What *f****** iceberg"?

Maybe Joy Garner should advise this blog why voters despise labour so much and why they appear to reject the policy document she stands on. Explain why people are angry to benefit by £200M for schools? Which Labour Councillors are next up for the chop, those that agree with the Mayor, or those that disagree? (hint-the Oracle knows the answer).

Is this current Labour Group, the voice of either Labour, the Labour membership or the 'natural voice of the people'?

The NEC will now retire to Noddy Land and we'll all live happily ever after. Ahhhhh, that's nice.

MIKE BARNES - THE RESPONSE!

2008-11-14T08:51:00.002Z

I am delighted to post Mike Barnes's response to my Alan Rigby interview.

It has been a while since we last heard from Mike and I know that the pitsnpots followers are keen to hear what he has to say.

I happen to think thay Mike Barnes would be a fantastic leader for our city. During the referendum campaign he displayed a calmness when faced with Paul Breezes public tirades and he showed a real passion for our city.
In my opinion, Mike could bring about the change needed to the Labour party locally that is much needed.

"I read with interest the article on PitsnPots regarding Alan Rigby.
Firstly, let me say Alan is a very likable, genuine, committed person - a real gentleman some would say. In his interview he throws his hat in the ring for Leader of Stoke-on-Trent Council.
I would dearly love to win the lottery, but I think me winning it is as likely as Alan Rigby becoming leader. Alan is not the only one to express their interest in the newspaper and on these pages. They say a week is a long time in politics, eight months is an eternity - and that's when a leader will be chosen.

I don't begrudge them having their 15 minutes of fame.

In Stoke we face enormous change and enormous difficulties. Lets take a deep breath, sit back and see who (hopefully) shows everybody, over the next few months, they can really lead. We need somebody who can go beyond normal party politics, with fresh ideas, and somebody who can listen AND make people feel like they are being listened too, and take the majority of voters and the council with them.
I know what some of you might want to ask, so here goes.

Am I interested? - errrrmmmmm - Yes of course I am - but a number of others will be too, and are capable. So right now, I am happy to do my best from where I am, see how things go over the coming weeks and months. Next June I may think I have a chance and support for my ideas, but I may feel that somebody else has shown that they are better. In which case I'll throw my weight behind them.

In any event, most councillors I have met are decent people just doing their best with what they believe.

Good luck Alan Rigby - I will be checking my lottery numbers as well!

P.S. I am obviously pleased with the referendum result (thanks to everybody!) and have been asked to help on a number of other campaigns (all of them important and worthy causes). Whilst I am still going to be active within D4S - I have decided my main focus now is to tackle and defeat the BNP".

Regards
Mike Barnes

RIGBY - A MAN OF INTEGRITY? A FUTURE LEADER?

2008-11-13T17:02:00.005Z

Today, I have spoken to a possible candidate for Council Leader, Alan Rigby.

Alan talked to Pitsnpots about his hopes and fears for the future of our city.

Alan told me, that it was his personal decision to declare his desire to become a contender for the post of Council Leader. He also said, that he was completely against all party politics. He feels that the EMB has been completely wrong for our city, because it has stitched up the vote before any debate. He felt that the Mayor wanted, and got each party leader on the EMB, so that their party whips, would ensure that any decision that the Mayor wanted was pushed through. Alan says that an example of how the EMB has been detrimental to the city, is to count the number of Press Officers, PR Officers and IT Officers that get the Mayor's message out, he feels that this is a classic case of wasting public money.

He is also suspicious, about the incoming Transition Board, because some members represent ideals that the city has already voted out. Mike Tappin was rejected as an MEP, and as a city councillor. Lloyd Cooke of the Christian Saltbox Centre was a huge supporter of Mike Wolfe and Mark Meredith, and now that the mayoral system has been rejected, Alan feels that to have these two board members is inappropriate. He urged caution, with regard to the Transition Board, because he believes that central government wants to run local politics.

Alan wanted to clear up his alleged support of the BNP, by saying that he detests what the BNP stand for nationally, he believes that untethered immigration has to be stopped, but he believes that any genuine Asylum case should not be refused, especially when there is a danger to lives.

Alan believes that the BNP have some hard working councillors such as Alby & Ellie Walker and Mike Coleman, who he has worked with on several committees.
He was very keen to point out that he is not racist, and that he has many African and Asian friends.

Alan is also against Labour nationally, as he believes they have taken our country into two illegal wars.

Mr Rigby said that the Independents have had to form a group, so that they can access all facets of council life. He wants the Independents to be a group, but each member can vote on any issue how they wish, and that there isn't or never will be a party whip.

Mr Rigby is a man of faith, a lay preacher and he has voted using his Christian beliefs in his time as a councillor, with the Dimensions fiasco and the Moblie Libraries being taken off the road, as examples.

Alan says that too many councillors serve their parties first, and their electorate second in this city, and he is keen that everyone who serves in this cabinet puts the people before the parties every time. He would pick the best people for the cabinet positions, and what party they represent would not come into it, as he would work with any party or individual who would work in the interest of the city.

Alan promised that every issue would be debated in the council chamber and that everyone would have a free vote. He says he wants openness and transparency.

On the emergence of D4S, Alan said that he thought that they had bought the most difficult issues into the public domain and that they had highlighted the need for democracy in our City.

He feels that he has a better than 50-50 chance of becoming the Council Leader.

He told me that a BNP councillor had approached him in the corridors of the civic offices, and told him that he would vote for him if he stood as council leader because he is a man of integrity.

He finished by telling me, that he feels the public may show support for him because he may not be the best or the most experienced, but he is 100% honest and that should be enough to show that he is different to what has gone before.

This post may get a response, so tell us what you feel about this post from a man who is one of the main contenders............................................

LAME DUCK MAYOR GETS HIS OWN BACK!

2008-11-12T17:10:00.004Z

'Sources' within the Labour Party have informed me of a secret meeting being held in a secret location in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday evening. 'Sources' within the Labour Group of Councillors fear that it is all the work of the Lame Duck Mayor, Mark Meredith (unemployed quack quack). Fears are being spread that Meredith is to 'get his own back' on those who ousted him from his role as saviour of Stoke-on-Trent.

It appears that the ruling Labour National Executive(NEC) is riding coach and horses up to Stoke to 'sort out the local party' and rumours are everywhere that a disbanding agenda is to be tabled.

The Oracle will send a few agents to attend the meeting and will make a full report later on this week.

There appears to still be a stand off between National policy and local policy, with the local policy not being in tune with each other(?) Follow? National policy says this, Mayor says that and local Labour says the other. Simple!

Now I'm not one to intrude during a wake but isn't it the case that Labour Councillors lose their seats each time they contest one? The public vote, like the X Factor, is paramount here isn't it?

Remember, the view from the NEC of Labour is that we all love Mayors (now remember that you naughty people you!) 'Sources' within Democracy4Stoke inform my agents that it is they who are the target because they are seen as a 'party within a party' (excuse me! but er...no!).

One thing that is for certain, the NEC are here to kick ass. Nobody should rock the boat.

My observation is that local Labour has got it completely wrong within the Town Hall. It is their policies that appear to go against public opinion and my 'sources' have been saying such for a very long time. So good luck to the brothers and sisters who will probably have the shit kicked out of them for saying it how it is. The political list unfolds as Meredith, Tappin, McLaughlan, Smith, leading the way forward to a Utopian Academy dole queue, shortly to be followed by Garner, Davis, Gratton, Reynolds, Shotton and Pervez.

Of course, it goes without saying, that the NEC will side with the winners and declare the Councillors as incompetents and the Party as 'the natural voice of the people'. Or will they carry on as normal and ignore that local opinion?

My agents will sit on the top table, at the back and on the sides. Back soon!

Anyone else attending this meeting please report to oracle.pitsnpots@googlemail.com cheers.

STOKE ON TRENT'S SPECIAL SCHOOLS SHAKE-UP

2008-11-12T16:39:00.003Z

Plans have been announced, that will see Stoke on Trent's Special Schools tranformed into Centres of Excellence, for youngsters with a range of special needs. I am sure, many people across the City will welcome this move.

The plans include, merging two schools together, Middlehurst in Chell, and Heathfield in Chell Heath, to help tackle a fall in pupil numbers. Initially, they will operate from the two existing sites, but eventually will be brought onto the Middlehurst site.

The plans will go out to consultation and include:

Merging Middlehurst in Chell, and Heathfield in Chell Heath, to create a school specialising in a range of severe to moderate learning difficulties. This amalgamation could happen in September 2010.

Refurbishing Abbey Hill School in Bucknall, and turning it into the City's main school for children with communication and interaction problems, including autism.

Relocating Kemball School from Fenton to a new building in September 2012. The proposed site could be somewhere near to Blurton High. Kemball would specialise in supporting youngsters with profound, sensory or physical needs.

Refurbishing Aynsley School in Blythe Bridge, and transforming it into a school specialising in educating pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. This would be done from September 2009.

To create a base in Trent Vale, which will offer flexible learning opportunities to 14-16 year olds who have behavioural problems.

I for one think this is a positive step forward for the City, and hopefully, the new buildings will provide a better environment, for the young people, who rely on these much needed facilities. What do you think?

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/SPECIAL-SCHOOLS-SHAKE/article-470114-detail/article.html

IS THIS THE WORSE EVER CASE OF SLEAZE?

2008-11-12T15:33:00.007Z

As I have said a few times on my blog, I love the traditions of Prime Ministers Question Time. To me, it's pure theatre. Today however I changed my view.

Never before have i witnessed a case of Politics completely loosing the plot!
I refer to the using of the most tragic and brutal case of "Baby P" as political tennis! To see the details of this 18month old babies death served over the dispatch box and volleyed right back sickened me!

The following is a brief summary of today's events:

David Cameron and Gordon Brown have clashed angrily over the inquiry into a baby who died after months of abuse.

The Commons Speaker was forced to step in to tell MPs to "stop shouting across the chamber" and remember the issue was "a little child who has gone".

The row was prompted by the PM accusing the Tory leader of "making a party political issue" of it. Mr Cameron called that "frankly cheap".

Mr Cameron had said an internal probe into Baby P's death was not acceptable.

He had urged the government to intervene at the start of exchanges which BBC political editor Nick Robinson later described as "quite extraordinary".

Mr Cameron said it was "completely unacceptable" that the review into the 17-month-boy's death be undertaken by the council's own children's services director.

He said "nobody is taking responsibility, nobody has resigned" and added of the woman in charge of the review: "She cannot possibly investigate the failure of her own department."

Mr Brown said the case "raises serious questions that we have to address".

The prime minister responded that people had been "horrified and angered" by the story of Baby P's death, but said the government would decide what action to take having just received the full report from Haringey on Wednesday morning.

But the exchange became more heated after the prime minister told Mr Cameron: "I do regret making a party political issue of this."

Mr Cameron said that was a "frankly cheap" response to "perfectly reasonable questions" and demanded he withdraw the comment.

He also said it was "shameful" that Labour MPs were trying to shout him down and urged Mr Brown to consider taking over Haringey social services "and put someone in charge who can run it properly".

Now to me this is just going to far! Cameron & Brown should be brought to book over this disgusting affair! I demand action now! There are boundaries, lines that should not be crossed, this is one of those instances. I personally would have them both publicly flogged!
Over to you, what do you think?

Watch the whole disgusting episode here:

ROWAN VILLAGE WINS NATIONAL HOUSING AWARD

2008-11-12T15:13:00.003Z

This is the first part, of many articles where we plan to highlight, the good work, and positive steps, that are being taken, across Stoke on Trent.

Firstly, we would like to congratulate Rowan Village, Staffordshire Housing Association, 'extra care', Housing Complex in Meir, for winning their National Housing Award. This was awarded for the category of Meeting Housing Needs and Aspirations, at the 2008 UK Housing Awards.

The development scheme was Patnership Project Funded by the following:

Staffordshire Housing Association
Stoke on Trent City Council
Department of Health Extra Care and Housing Fund
The Housing Corporation
West Midlands Strategic Health Authority
Stoke on Trent Primary Care Trust
Renew North Staffordshire

Commissioned through the city’s Extra Care Programme Board, Rowan Village meets the changing needs of older people by providing flexible care and support on-site for residents to use as, when, and if they need it. It also has apartments specially reserved for intermediate care use, and for older carers and their learning disabled dependants. As well as 75 apartments, the complex offers a variety of communal facilities including a hairdressing salon, restaurant, conservatory, lounge and gym.

Councillor Joan Bell, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Neighbourhood Management said "we are thrilled that the success of Rowan Village has reflected on such a national scale".

Rowan Village is the first of many new extra care facilities planned for the City.

On behalf of PitsnPots, we would like to say, well done to everyone involved with this project

THE MAINSTREAM PARTIES DO BATTLE!

2008-11-11T13:51:00.006Z

It seems that the main parties are jockeying for position on the real issues facing the country, here is a run down on the latest. Who gets your vote? There is one thing for sure Gordon Brown's handling of the financial crisis has led to the Tories poll rating being slashed to 6 points......... Hey! Don't shoot the messenger!

LABOUR

Income tax: A 2p cut in the basic rate of income tax came into effect in April at the same time as the 10p income tax band was abolished. After a political row over lower earners left worse off by the changes Chancellor Alistair Darling raised the personal tax allowance by £600 for basic rate taxpayers for one-year only. In September 22 million people got a £60 tax bill rebate and will get £10 extra a month until the end of the financial year.

Fuel duty: In July it was announced that a planned 2p-a-litre increase in fuel duty was being postponed from October to at least March.

Stamp duty: In September ministers raised the threshold at which home buyers pay stamp duty from £125,000 to £175,000, for 12 months only, to try to boost the housing market.

Inheritance tax: The threshold at which people pay it was raised for married couples in October 2007 - a month after the Conservatives unveiled their inheritance tax policy. Previously charged at 40% on all assets worth more than £300,000, married couples were allowed to combine their allowance giving them a combined threshold of £600,000.

New cuts? There have been reports the government is considering tax cuts as part of a package to boost the economy and to help people through the expected recession. Speculation has focused on targeted cuts - possibly using tax credits. A possible temporary 5% cut in VAT and the abolition of stamp duty have also featured in press speculation. Gordon Brown says any announcements are a matter for the pre-Budget report, which is expected next week.

CONSERVATIVES

Stamp duty: The Conservatives have said they would scrap stamp duty entirely on properties worth £250,000 or less.

Inheritance tax: They have pledged to raise the threshold at which people pay inheritance tax to £1m.

Business taxes: They would also reduce corporation tax from 28p to 25p - paid for by removing reliefs and reducing capital allowances - while the small companies' tax rate would be kept at 20p and they would be allowed to defer VAT payments for six months.

Council tax: They have said they would encourage a two-year freeze on English council tax bills by helping councils which limit rises.

New pledge: A cut in the amount companies pay in national insurance if they take on staff who have been jobless for three months. David Cameron says the scheme would be self financing as it would use cash that would have been spent on unemployment benefit. He says the government should act early to prevent unemployment soaring. It would create 350,000 jobs and cut firms' tax burden by £2.6bn, the Conservatives say. The party says it favours lower taxes in principle, but oppose "unfunded" tax cuts. He has pledged further proposals to ease the pain of a recession.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

Income tax: The Liberal Democrats say they would reduce the basic rate of income tax from 20p to 16p. They have said they will find the money through closing "tax loopholes" that benefit the rich, cracking down on tax avoidance, which the Lib Dems say costs several billion a year, and introducing green taxes. Anyone paying the higher rate of tax would also lose their higher rate tax relief on pension contributions - something Nick Clegg says costs £8bn.

Council tax: The party has pledged to abolish council tax and replace it with a local income tax - so the amount paid would vary according in a person's income rather than the value of their home.

New pledges? The party has pledged to cut about £20bn from public spending. They say some of it would be spent on other priorities and some used to cut taxes. Party leader Nick Clegg says the tax system should be "rebalanced" to make it fairer and "big tax cuts" are needed. He may give more details in a speech on Tuesday.

BNP Policies?

Income Tax: Stop Immigration!

Fuel Duty: Bring Back Hanging!

Stamp Duty: Bring Back National Service!

Inheritance Tax: Bring In Voluntary Repatriation!

Business Tax: Close all Takeaways!

Education: We will only educate white kids! We will only teach Christianity, no other religion will be allowed

New Pledges: We will mow the lawn of every pensioners in the country and walk their dogs!.....And you can take that to the BANK!

SPEAK TO THE PRESS AND WE'LL SUE! EDENSOR (WISH YOU WERE HERE)

2008-11-11T11:16:00.007Z

OOPS! FORGOT TO WARN THEM NOT TO SPEAK TO THE 'ORACLE'!
Now, let's get one thing out of the way before we start. I don't think anyone should be denied a beano in Spain, in fact, if someone wants to pay for me to go on the pi......on a 'working' break to Spain, I've got my bikini at the ready. mmmmm.
Richard Mercer, holiday rep and Head of Edensor Technical college, blew £30,000 for a pis...trip for the staff to do a bit of 'research' ("that's me story and I'm sticking to it"). Unfortunately for them it was cancelled due to it being exposed (by those that knew about it Months ago-Meredith). They have managed to scrape back around £2000 and Mercer is holding on to his job by the skin of his teeth (threats).
Governors have been very angry at being kept in the dark but 'sources' reliably inform the Oracle that threats have been made by Keith Pritchard, (Chair ETC) that if they talk to the press, they will be sued. At least one Governor resigned on the spot.
What is going on? Sandon goes into special measures as it prepares to take over the role of Longton High under the leadership of Barbara Hall, aged 100 years old. Leadership! Is someone kidding? Surely you take the piss? Pity the children and pity the parents! but don't pity Ged Rowney or Mark Meredith who preside over this shite! Is it any wonder that the whole lot are being sacked one by one by the voters?
Does it get worse? Well, yes it does. Edensor have done dodgy deals to secure the running of the new (unwanted) Academy on the Parkhall site, or is it Willfield? And Trentham goes to the Knackers yard with its wonderful results at GCSE!
Makes you sick doesn't it, that very highly paid and trusted servants of the City's Education Depratment act like lags planning a heist on a bank. Secrecy, threats, legal actions, scams, failures, sun tans, no accountability, ignorance deals!
Nothing I can write will say exactly how I feel about this sorry mob other than DISGUSTING!
UPDATE! Don Evans, a long serving and well respected Governor of Edensor, has recieved a letter from the school threatening that his well deserved MBE will be forcibly removed once the Cabinet Office of Government has been informed.
Nasty! Lies lies and more lies are being bandied around as to Mr. Evan's conduct and every means possible is being used to stifle any and all attempts at getting to the truth. The Oracle has put out many agents and inflitrated inside the school to bring you more news as it happens. Rest assured, I will get to the bottom of this story.

FAMILY FIRED AROUND THE COUNTRY LIKE A PINBALL!

2008-11-10T16:33:00.004Z

A FAMILY of asylum seekers due to be sent back to Cameroon today have won a stay of execution.

Fred Nukagem (pictured), aged 37, Sandra Yonga Mbell, aged 29, and their three children were due to fly out this morning but their flights have now been cancelled.

The Middleport family, who were arrested on Wednesday, were still being held in a detention centre in Bedfordshire in the early hours of today.

Mr Nukagem said: "I'm very happy our flights have been cancelled."

All this after the family were originally arrested, detained and eventually got a reprieve on the grounds that the children's vaccinations were not up to date.

Fred Nukagem said that he would sue the authorities, which caused upset among the people following this story.

The family home was again raided at dawn again last week, Mr Nukagem forced on the floor naked and restrained in front of his wife and children.

They were told that they were sure to be deported this time, only for the flight tickets to be cancelled.

Whether you agree with this case or not, it can not be right that this family have been pinballed from one place to another.

It doesn't matter if they were here illegally, they still have the right to be treated like human being and not some post office parcel!

What do you think of this families plight? Over to you.................................

Read the Sentinel story here

MP'S CALL FOR HAPPY HOUR BAN

2008-11-10T13:07:00.003Z

MP's are calling for pub happy hours to be banned, and supermarkets stopped from selling alcohol at a loss, in order to combat drink fuelled disorder. They want to set a minimum price on alcohol.

The Home Affairs Select Committee states that reckless drinking places a heavy burden on police resources.

A major problem for the police is violence and disorder, fuelled by the excessive drinking of cheap alcohol.

It seems that the increased power to tackle drunkedness, is not working, and the power to review premises selling alcohol were not being fully used.

Now for some shocking statistics. A child under the age of 10, is treated for alcohol related problems, every 3 days. A total of 648 under 10's were hospitalised with alcohol related problems between 2002-2007. Among the under 16's that figure rose to 24,000.
12,000, 16-17 year olds were admitted to a hospitals A&E, after drinking too much.

My question to you, is, what do we do to tackle this problem. Many youngster's, simply do not realise the damage they are doing, by consuming such quantities of alcohol. Some do, but do it, to be in with the crowd. Should parents allow their kids to consume small amounts of alcohol at home?

If you have ever been upto Hanley, for a meal or to visit the theatre, it's there for all to see, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. Young men and women, staggering all over the place, and that's only early on in the night. It must be a total nightmare for the bar staff, bouncers, police and taxi drivers. This is happening in all the Cities, and very often, this drinking results in arguing, and fighting. End result, these people are taken to the A&E, putting more and more of a strain on that department. Its a knock on affect isn't it.

So, what programmes do they put on our TV, yes, Booze Britain. This just encourages it doesn't it. Yes, actually filming how many shots, pints, bottles of vodka, you name it, then can drink in a night. Are these programmes supposed to discourage people?

Is it right to sell alcohol so cheap? Its not just the likes of Bargain Booze, the supermarkets do it too. The problem is, if you make it dearer, you are penalising the sensible drinkers. Is that really fair? What should be done?

Give us your thoughts.

OFSTED VISIT LONGTON HIGH - WHAT A RESULT!

2008-11-08T23:08:00.003Z

As Vice-Chair of Governors at Longton High, I am delighted to report to everyone at Pitsnpots that, just before half term, Ofsted visited to carry out a 2 day inspection, and the result was great! The actual judgement from Ofsted was "good". This in itself doesn't sound too exciting, but when you consider it's only one judgement below "outstanding", it shows just what good teaching and learning is going on at Longton High, despite the difficult circumstances it finds itself in.

Here are a few quotes from the Inspector's letter:

"The overall effectiveness of how creative learning is developed was judged to be good".

Achievements and Standards

"Results in Key Stage 3 have risen sharply from 2004, and in 2008 they met the school's challenging targets. Standards at Key Stage 4 have also improved, with vocational courses in the creative specialist subjects supporting students to overcome a range of barriers to learning and to make good progress overall."

Quality of the Curriculum

"Innovative timetable arrangements enable talented Year 7 students to learn alongside high performing students in Year 8, to accelerate their progress in science, for example.

Extra-curriculur activities such as a street dance group are exploiting the performing arts expertise. They are also enabling students from different backgrounds to collaborate well and build their communication skills as they pass on their skills and enthusiasm to primary school pupils."

Leadership and Management

"Leadership and management are promoting and embedding creative learning well..... they see it as the most effective way to raise standards, promote inclusion and community cohesion, and to maintain a high level of commitment to continuous improvement across the whole staff in the face of students' increasingly challenging needs and suddenly falling rolls as a result of the school's planned closure."

Equality and Diversity

"The school promotes equality and diversity well. The gap between the standards reached by students from minority ethnic heritages has been reduced. Lesson planning consciously considers the range of learning styles that need to be accommodated. "

On behalf of Pitsnpots bloggers, I would like to publicly congratulate the Headteacher and every member of staff at Longton High on this fantastic Ofsted report. I would also like to thank them for all their hard work, commitment and loyalty to the school, in what are very stressful and uncertain times.

What is absolutely certain is that the LA needs to get behind these staff, to support them fully in securing their future. There are now positive signs that this is starting to happen. This result shows that Longton High has some fantastic staff who fully deserve the support of the Local Authority.

And let's not forget the kids in all of this. They too did fantastically, many of them spoke directly to the Inspectors, and students also impressed the Inspectors in the lessons they observed. Their parents should be proud of them.

To all Longton High parents and students out there - be proud of your school. It might be closing, but it's doing well and we have an Ofsted result to prove it. Well done to everyone! Please feel free to add messages of support and congratulations....

KNIFE AND GUN CRIME

2008-11-08T16:00:00.009Z

Breaking News on Sky, announces yet another 19 year old has been stabbed to death in London. A second youngster is seriously injured. This serious crime is fastly becoming a daily occurrence in our Capital City. How do we tackle this gang culture that is sweeping the Country? Is it really so easy for these youngsters to get hold of guns/knives?

Many of these youngsters have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Some have simply stepped in to help a friend, and sadly, this has cost them their lives.

What makes these youngsters join these gangs? Is it pressure from their mates, and they simply do not want to be the odd one out? Would they, then become the victim themselves, if they don't do the same as the other's? That is a high posibility. If parents, suspect their son or daughter of being involved in a gang, they should tackle it head on. If needs be, and it is a difficult decision, but should be an easy one, they should seek help from the police, and also try and talk sense into the person involved. Though that is not an easy task, as they may feel initimidated themselves.

Shops are not allowed by law to sell to the under 18's, any type of knife, that includes cutlery.
However, what about the over 18's? There are a lot of gangs in the age range of 18+, how are you going to tackle them?

It is an offence to carry a knife. Do officers have the man power to go out on the street and tackle this problem?

Lets now look at Stop and Search. Police Officers may stop any person or vehicle, if they suspect an offence, that includes carrying an offensive weapon. With this law now in place, do you feel that this has deterred people from carrying such weapons. I think it may have had some affect, but you will still have the ones, that have the arrogance to simple ignore the law. This is a very difficult job for the Police Force to tackle, and is another added danger, to the role that they do.

School staff in England, now have the power to search any pupil they suspect of carrying a knife.
The school can screen pupils at randon. I just wonder how many schools across the Country, have used this power, and it would be interesting to know, the statistics for how many pupils had been found carrying such weapons.

Now, once these cases go to court, some of these do not always get the punishment they deserve. One of the problems being, our prisons and young offender prisons, are already bursting at the seams. What are your thoughts on, how we should be dealing with this?

We have as a city being suffering a lot of anti social behaviour. Many of the youngsters say, they
simply have nowhere to go, as there are no facilities in the area, for them to simply hang around and chat. All they want is a little unused building. Do you agree, that more facilities should be provided? Would this help to cut down on crime, and anti social behaviour? Having said that, we have lots of youngsters across the city who we can be proud of, and it is only a small minority that do not want to abide by the laws of the land.

Do you think that the Government is doing enough to handle this serious problem? If not, what else should they be doing? If the Conservatives, won the next general election, would they be able to deal with the problem, would they do a better job? What are the actual policies on gun and knife crime from all of the political parties?

Your thoughts please.

PITSNPOTS NEEDS YOU! - WE HIT THE AIR NEXT WEEK!

2008-11-07T21:45:00.006Z

This time next week pitsnpots - the Radio Show hits the air waves and we need you!

We are on Focal Radio between 8 & 10pm next Friday night, the 14th November.

We will have a couple of studio guests and we will do a live blog show and we want you, our regulars, to get involved!

You will get the chance to be involved on a couple of levels, either by posting your comments on the blog and having us read them out in the studio or better still, ring live to the studio and making your comments on the blog subject or quizzing our studio guests.

As far as I know this is the first time an independent blog will have it's own radio show and to be honest I can't wait.

It's cutting edge and innovative broadcasting but it will only work if you guys make it happen. I know that the idea is already raising eyebrows in the media and I back our contributors to make the programme a huge success!

We have to be mindful of the libel laws and legalities of being on a radio station which are vastly different than that of a blog site.

The show will be a mix of music, a review of the best and most commented blogs and the live studio guests.

I would like comments and confirmation that you guys are up for this never before tried, idea.

You can click on any of the Focal logo's on our page, which will take you to the focal site where you can access the "listen live" option. Alternatively you can listen on DAB Radio.

Over to you, let us know if you intend to get involved and who you would like to see us have in the studio as guests..........

THEY AREN'T LAUGHING NOW!

2008-11-06T17:36:00.001Z

Take a look here

THEY RUN SCARED OF BLOGGERS BECAUSE WE SAY IT AS IT IS?

2008-11-06T17:02:00.003Z

I say she's wrong and like all those put on the rack, they resort to attack.It is no coincidence that those who fake legal actions against bloggers have decided to come out of the woodwork.Take a look here

NHS TO BE PROUD OF?

2008-11-06T12:10:00.002Z

NHS TO BE PROUD OF?

A hospital we can be proud of. A clean proffesionally run department that can be the pinicle of pride? staff that are helpfull and caring in your time of need? Staff that are trained to the very highest of standards? all wonderfull words!! However not all wonderfully true of NHS A&E at hartshill, or indeed the rest of the Royal Infirmary.

Parking is poor to be nice and diplomatic about this and thats if you can find a space and are not hearded around like a fool for an hour before you find somewhere passing the same yellow jacketed felow three times before finding a spot to park my tired old car. then shock uupon shock parking costs an arm and a leg who knows how long you have to be there? better to be safe than sorry, so you book a few hours then need to find change as the machine doesnt do some coins and wont accept others.

Finally with releif you get to the doors of A and E past a cloud of smokers most of which look in differing states of trauma. Arrival at A & e from here on in depends if you came in yourself or came by ambulance as to how this scenerio plays out.

Scene one You come in yourself and get to meet the new gastapo recptionist, who`d like to know all the information in an order that makes no sence then this highly paid secretary asks about your injuries and assessment of triage after a quick decision if your needs are life treatening enough to get someone out right now or maybe you could be placed in a queue for a few hours. If you do make it past the doors and your lucky you`ll get a trolly in the corridor whilst staff sit on beds and work out who is next.. confusion over the words on charts and files as to spelling of names and who is going out with whom is only downplayed by who is getting what course and whast happening on what soap.

If your extra specially lucky to get seen within two hours you might get the chance to see a doctor with either an unpronouncable name or a accent that is so foreign its hard to understand his / her words whilst your waiting take a look around the a and e the floor looks like it hasnt been cleaned in at least three days there are swabs red with what i can only assume was blood in corners near the well stocked trollys alarms on heart monitors that ring constantly and are ignored for hours whilst staff swing their legs waiting for the next victim when they throw a dart in the board and decide if you must stay in the whole thing gets worse.

Bonus scenerio, where your either a relative or walking wounded where not only do you take longer to get seen but also you must put up with toilets that havent been cleaned for three days as the record on the wall shows signitures that stopped being added three days ago or the fact that reems of toilet roll mostly soaked in red claret is littering the stalls. take it easy on yourself and get a coffee and a mars bar lets hope they`ll see you soon but ok a coffee one pound it arives in a cardboard container and tastes like the aftermath of what can only be described as a the remains of a coffee pot after its been washed out with colour added.

Do I sound even vaguly upset?

Scene two You arrived by ambulance after being treated amazigly well by two nice caring ambulence paramedics that have your very best interest at heart they do everything they can to make you feel safe secure and in good trustworthy hands right up til lthey hand you over to the ward staff then the realisation sets in that somethings not quite right being in the abulance with you is a relative who is distraughyta fter ahving called the emergency services and you are incapable of answering your own name they the relatives do that with the paramedics so you dont have to get stressed about the details however once your handed over in a and e relatives are seperated and a curtain drawn it feels very much like vampires gathering when they all swoop ojn unsuspecting victims as they ask you questions you prolly cant asner whilst all you can think about is i dont feel well i`m dying i`m bleeding ( delete as needed)

From here on it its pretty much the same as the first scene after the choice is made on which
lucky doc is gonna see you then its a matter of waiting and seeing what and when he / she turns up ..

Stage two the terror continues.

Porters work hard!! The one that wheeled my bed for example was tired and hurting underpaid and suffering a bad back which he continued to tell me all about on the way to a ward. Now I have no troubles with people chatting to me to ease their daily stress, but after the fourth time of hearing the mans troubles it gets a little old I`m not trying to be rude but my cars outside my relatives have gone god knows where and i`m covered in tubes and monitor leads at this point and am feeling pretty dread full. People hurry past in the opposite direction with the look of dread and fear on their faces as if the porter was wheeling someone from the mortuary oh my god I must look that bad but no the porter who looks for all the world like hes from a hammerhouse horror movie was it seems the cause of the terror. After a hystericle time negotiating our way aroudn the RI bumping and clatering into a lift and down long dark corridors I layed quietly and as still as possible still wondering if this would ever end to be
stopped and braked on my trolly in a corridor with about twenty other groaning or snoring patients.

These people who had been here for most of the night as i was informed by an elderly lady with tubes in places i shoud`nt know about, where on the whole tired and now in considerable pain. Medication kicks in and I kinda dozed kinda stayed awake, kinda slept a little untill somewhere around eight in the morning when I was whisked off by two nurses and a porter to my ward. I@ should mention that since i left A and E and apart from Boris Karloff
who pushed me to this part of the hospital i havent actually spopken to another member of staff although those that i did see made every attempt to discuss topics ranging from politics in theusa to X factor and to treat me in my bed as if i was a rag doll in the process. So off to the private ward we go Its is called a private ward because well there was only me in it. Still better than with everyone else huh?

Private Ward, It was a small room off the corridor. which had untill iI arrived I think been used as a storage cupboard. correction was still being used as a storage cupboard. Two settees on top of each other behind me a matteress on top of that and an up ended chair was the furniture for my hopefully short stay. No buzzer for assitance, no light and no water. There I stayed monday, All day my relatives came in that nightIf its not hard enough them seeing their dad and husband in the place with tubes and apipes and monitors beeping and so on they looked round the room and i tho9ught tears would fall but no resiliant as ever my relatives where angry where upset to see me in such a state. Oh yes they had come in to feed me (I would be introuble if i forgot to mentin the food) three times during the day two items of food I couldnt eat and the third was un chewable unsightly let alone something you`d feed to a man who is ill. In truth I doubt most well men would have eaten it. Described as steak Ii think the nearest this proccessed meat had been to a cow was perhaps inthe burger joint it was shaped in.

My saga continued till tuesday last when I was eventuaqlly allowed to leave. I am normally the first to add praise where I can to those that deserve it but in this case I cannot do so. After being treated like cattle, kept in dirty stinking conditions in a storage cupboard where the nurses ignore you or worste still smile at you in that condescending way as if to imply "this would be a nice hosptial if it wasnt for all the patients". What could be worse? Oh yes my car was clamped as after being admitted they wouldnt let me or allow any of my captors to go to my car and place a sticker on it saying i`m in the hospital nor would they allow any nurse to take money from me to pay the parking fees, although truth be told parking fees where not on my top ten lists of priorities at that time for some reason.

So all in All Proud of the NHS? Proud of the two tear system that treats us this way ? no I`m not. what do you think ? Have you a tale to tell on the NHS?

PITSNPOTS - A TURNING POINT!

2008-11-06T10:19:00.004Z

We here at pitsnpots are at a turning point! Over the last two day's we have received a few complaints about some of the posting on this site.

We know this blog is being monitored by many people in all walks of life, we know politicians and councillors and officials read and some time contribute to the site.

This blog as taken off beyond our wildest dreams, it has achieved what we set out do do. We have brought the party debate back to our city.

We have forged great relationships with the likes of Focal Radio, The Sentinel & most important of all, with the regulars posters on this site.

It is with some regret that we have decided to remove anonymous posts that are insulting, personal, racist, and not relevant to the debate. All the blog administrators have discussed and agreed to do this. Some offensive posts have been removed already and if you think that some of the other ones or any that are posted in the future need removing, please EMAIL the site at pitsnpots@gmail.com with your concerns.

Maybe some will accused me of being idealistic but, I never wanted to intended this blog to be used as a platform to insult or intimidate anyone.

We accept anonymous posting because it allows people in public life or those who's positions maybe compromised, to contribute to our debates. We don't want to remove this facility, so anything that is posted anonymously that is not relative to the thread or is unsuitable in anyway will be removed!

We want to retain good natured banter and the light hearted piss taking and I ask all posters to enjoy the debate, take part in the site fully, but please, for me stay away from personal or insulting attacks.

I want to see this blog grow and grow into something huge and something our city can be proud of. I want to show everyone that us Stokies can debate and express and articulate ourselves in the right manner.

I ask for your help and compliance on this on guy's................

EDENSOR GOVERNORS BITE BACK!

2008-11-05T20:52:00.005Z

According to today's Sentinel (click here), Edensor governors are calling for Mr Mercer the Headteacher to be suspended, following the Marbella training trip incident. It seems that a group of seven governors were kept in the dark about the trip, and have taken steps to find out more about what actually went on, and how the trip came to be approved.

One governor has resigned, and apparently he says governors have been lambasted in the press and in the community, and he's even been in restaurants and people have come up to ask if the school was paying for the meal. He says these seven governors want to clear their names, and make it clear that they did not approve this trip, and did not know about it before it was booked.

Now, those of you who are regular visitors to this blog will know that Tony and myself are both governors at another high school in South Stoke, and at the time this trip was made public, we asked the Elected Mayor for an inquiry. This was reported in the Sentinel, and we were publicly attacked by an ex-education official for this. The Elected Mayor replied that this was a "matter for the school governors".

As a fellow governor, I feel very sorry for these governors who, whilst trying to carry out their public duty, now find themselves in the unenviable position of seeming to be either culpable or incompetent. I do not believe they are/were either. As reported in the Sentinel article, Mr Mercer did not turn up to the governors meeting, and the Chair of Governors refused to answer questions. How are the governors supposed to work under these circumstances? How can the Local Authority expect people to give up their time voluntarily to take up posts as Governors, when the governors are then left open to criticism in this way, because of the actions of a Head and Chair?

There are comments on the Sentinel website suggesting that to suspend Mr Mercer is a waste of money, and that he and the Chair of Governors should both be sacked. What are your thoughts on this?

The ex education official suggests that Tony & I have a vendetta against Edensor. We are merely asking how the Chair and Headteacher have been allowed to arrange this trip? Why are they not now answering the questions being raised by these seven governors? When will they be held to account? Your thoughts please...

TOM REYNOLDS - BLOGS AGAIN!!

2008-11-05T17:44:00.005Z

I am delighted to say that Longton North Councillor Tom Reynolds has submitted his second pitsnpots blog.
We have had some negative posts about some Labour councillors and anonymous comments that have been a bit too far in my opinion. At least these Longton North guys have got involved and endorse what pitsnpots is trying to achieve, so I would ask contributors to bear this in mind when thinking of posting negative comments on a personal level.
Without going into too much detail I have received a call from someone who was upset by some comments made by anonymous poster on this blog. This person had sought legal advice and wanted to let us know that the blog is being monitored. You all know I never intended this blog to be a vehicle for people to use it as an opportunity to make personal attacks on anyone.
That said let's get to my mate Tom's Blog............

" In my last blog for Pits’n’pots I criticised the City Independent Group for not having any positive ideas to move the city forward. Following the blog, many posters challenged me to lay out what Labour stands for in Stoke-on-Trent. I hope that today’s blog will at least play a tiny part in laying out that vision. At this juncture, I want to thank all those that responded to my post in a constructive way, even those that were critical of what I had to say. I agreed to contribute to this site because I subscribe to what it aims to do – provoke political debate in our city. It is a shame therefore that a few posters decided to attack me, my Labour colleagues, as well as councillors on other sides of the chamber in a venomous and vitriolic way. By all means criticise us and make fun of us – we are fair game, but to be so rancorous in the way it is done damages politics and wider participation.

I also want to add a disclaimer before I begin. All comments contained within any of my blogs are my personal opinions. Official positions are set out by full meetings of the group, so while I aim to reflect the policies of the Labour group, my blogs set out my own personal comment. I thought I would start by tackling an issue I mentioned in my last blog – regeneration and the environment.

Given the global economic downturn, regeneration is undoubtedly one of if not the single most challenging questions facing Stoke-on-Trent. People have heard lots of discussion around regeneration in the past, much of based on essential groundwork and master planning for projects that will improve our city. We need to start seeing cranes and diggers move in to transform, firstly the city centre, but also communities throughout the city. This can only happen with adequate inward investment.

The Mayor’s bid to get DCLG money to improve the suburban estates will be a great kick start in seeing renewal on housing. Nevertheless attracting businesses and jobs is integral to the success of the regeneration of the city centre and to the economic wellbeing of the city as a whole. Stoke can brace the economic storm and encourage inward investment by being aggressive in the way it markets itself to potential inward investors.

We have a lot going for us; a skilled workforce, space for development, a heritage of being enterprising and two respected Universities nearby. Instaffs and the City Council must go after potential businesses like terriers and demonstrate why this is such a great place to do business. We can learn some important lessons from authorities like Derby and Manchester that went hammer and tongs to market themselves as the place to do business.

Moreover there are some golden opportunities; government and commercial relocation programmes from expensive South Eastern locations, expanding sectors such as green technology. We need to pursue these avenues uncompromisingly.

Further, while we are on the environment, Labour has better green credentials that any other party. Nationally, we have introduced the Climate Change Bill. Locally the mayor’s recent green paper focused on how we can improve Stoke-on-Trent’s environmental standing. Even at a very local level, in Longton North we are investing in more litter bins to help people dispose of their litter in way that keeps our community tidy.

A final thought on regeneration centres on an issue that is somewhat of a hobby horse for me – transport. In the past Stoke’s development has suffered because of an insufficient transport network. Stumbling blocks have included the road system, the fact that there is no rail station in the city centre, and the poor availability of public transport. Now that the A50 and A500 are in place the road network has improved massively. For me public transport is a massive challenge, as it is fundamental to the mobility of a large proportion of the City’s population. Bus service need to be more comprehensive, and as the Task and Finish Group rightly outlined – the new Hanley bus station should be something the city can be proud of as a major gateway to the city centre. The cycle city scheme is genuinely fantastic for Stoke-on-Trent, and I am delighted that work on new routes will commence in January. A city with a fully integrated and inter-model transport system is extremely attractive, not only for residents but also for potential investors. While we are some way from achieving this we are heading in the right direction, Labour has the imagination and ability to make it a reality.

I intend to look at further topics in future blogs, including amongst other issues BSF. Until then I will look forward to reading your comments."

BREAKING NEWS: TRENTHAM HIGH TO CLOSE - FINAL!

2008-11-04T15:43:00.005Z

The fight to save Trentham High School has failed!
Minister for schools Jim Knight today announced to a Westminster Hall Debate, called by Stoke South MP Rob Flello, that he had approved the City Council's Secondary School Proposal yesterday.
Mr Knight dismissed out of hand the excellent arguments put forward by Mr Flello about the need to keep open the second best high school in the city.

Indeed, Mr Knight also said that he was becoming more impatient to get on with the proposal in the interests of all the children of the city.

Mr Flello (pictured right) was accompanied by Stoke Central MP Mark Fisher put passionate reasons to keep Trentham open and both MP's were very critical of the role of SERCO in this re-organisation.

Mr Fisher implored Mr Knight to delay his decision further to allow discussions about reaching a compromise and a better solution to the issues in our City. It was clear to anyone watching the debate that there would be no further concessions and that he was keen to proceed with the BSF proccess without any further delay.

Both local MP's highlighted the tremendous work done at both the closing schools by the current head teachers Jan Webber of Longton and Sue Chesterton of Trentham.

It seem that this is the end of the road for the TAG who have fought a courageous battle to save their school, but there can be no doubt that Mr Knight is fully behind the Council's decision to close Trentham High and that he believes that a new Academy on Blurton is a better prospect for all the children of the area.

I have no doubt that Nicky will blog on this at some stage and it will be interesting whether she and other members of the TAG will accept this decision now or carry on with their fight.

I wonder when they will realise that to carry on fighting in the wake of the statement by Jim Knight will be like flogging a dead horse.

It seems like the final nail in the coffin of Trentham High.
As much as I don't agree with the closure of this popular and well performing school there will be no final reprieve.
Read the Sentinel story Here

JIM KNIGHT – DESTROYER OF EDUCATION!

2008-11-04T15:26:00.009Z

{To keep this decent I am replacing certain words with [ ]. The reader is then free to insert whatever word they think is most appropriate.}

Rob Flello arranged a debate in Westminster today on the plans for “bulldozing schools for the future” in Stoke-on-Trent – Rob’s quote, so accurate.

See the 3 parts, 10 minutes each. They get better as you go though and Rob Flello's glare gets angrier!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=i7TmqeCVNeU

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=L3yP5cDd4yY

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=de5RH8upOaE

Rob Flello was great! He presented the issues both with the educational logic and the anger that were warranted. Well done to Rob! Mark Fisher was also great.

Rob highlighted in particular how badly the pupils, staff and families are being treated at Trentham High and Longton High.

Jim [ ] Knight on the other hand was a complete and utter [ ] who talked a load of [ ]! Apparently by his twisted evil logic it is necessary to sacrifice the pupils at Trentham and Longton because he believes (not that this is correct) that this somehow benefits the rest of the city. That’s a pile of [ ] if ever there was one! Whatever happened to “every child matters”, well apparently every child except those in Trentham or Longton!

Then he had the cheek to say that he wanted parents to get behind the flawed proposals – flawed – my quote, so accurate. Well like NO WAY is that about to happen. No, the fight now steps up a gear. This is the right time to get angry, VERY ANGRY. This is appropriate now. The Trentham action group will now drag the council and the government through the courts, as that is what is required. We are right, they are [ ] wrong. The council could make very minor changes to the plans to solve this issue, but won’t. Their mistake. We will not be treated in this shameful way!

JIM KNIGHT – WE WILL FIGHT!

GOODBYE GEORGE: PITSNPOTS PAYS TRIBUTE TO A GREAT PRESIDENT.

2008-11-04T10:32:00.000Z

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency'>http://
Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY - LEST WE FORGET

2008-11-03T19:47:00.004Z

The Sentinel is running a series of articles on war veterans from the first and second World Wars, in the run up to Remembrance Sunday this weekend. The first of these articles highlights the experiences of Veteran Tom Berrisford, of Lightwood, and can be found here.

Anyone who reads Tom's story can't fail to be appalled by the conditions he and others like him experienced. However, as time goes by, these wars become distant memories, not even taught that much in schools any more, and both myself and my better half think it is important that we remember the lessons from the past.

Out of respect, we all have a duty to buy a poppy at this time of year, to remember those great men and women who have lost their lives in the armed forces, not just in the two world wars, but in many other conflicts over the years as well. Whatever any of us think about the rights and wrongs of any war, there are people out there willing to put their lives on the line in defence of this great country of ours. We need to honour and remember them.

I really don't think our young people know enough about the horrors experienced by our war veterans. If they did, they might have a bit more respect. What do you all think? Is there still a place for remembering these wars and atrocities, or should we live in the present and try to forget all that has gone before? Is that right and fair to all those people who gave their lives?

And what about the much needed funds raised from the Poppy Appeal for the British Legion, who help world war veterans and their families, and all the other servicemen and women affected by more recent wars. If we stop remembering, they lose a much needed source of fundraising. I for one aren't happy about that. What do you think?

A MEMBER OF THE TRANSITION BOARD SPEAK TO PITSNPOTS!

2008-11-03T19:12:00.005Z

Danny Flynn is Chief Executive of Stoke YMCA, a man who I know is passionate about local community issues and has the interests of the people of Stoke very much at heart. Danny is a member of the Transition Board being set up to "transform politics" in Stoke on Trent, and to oversee the recommendations of the Governance Commission.

In what I hope will be the first of several articles detailing the work and aims of the Transition Board, Danny tells Pitsnpots why he agreed to be a part of the Board:

"I have been asked to sit on the Transition Board which has been set up to help oversee the political changes happening to the governance of this great city. My first action as a new member is to write this piece for pitsnpots blog. I could start by listing the briefing I received from the Minister of State, but I think to pigeon hole the role and function of the Transition Board before it has met would be 'putting the cart before the horse'.

However, I think the fundamental challenge in this city is to reconnect leadership to the people. Which in my opinion has been a fundamental problem that has dogged this city since its birth, and a heritage from the days of when those clever bosses (leaders) invented “piece work” which really said to employees “you only count for what you do”. I think we all count for “who we are!”, and I think that has to be the heartbeat of the Transition Board. To help bring in the cultural changes needed in this city to help to develop a place where all individuals matter and more importantly feel that they matter.

To put it in football terms, I am a Stoke fan and was so proud when we got promoted. And to read that we are the most enthusiastic noisy fans in the Premier League, (even louder on Saturday) makes me even more proud, but I also celebrate when Vale win and want them to succeed! What happens to my neighbour matters to me!

The Africans have an expression called Umbuntu. It means “I am because you are and you are because I am”. 'We' make this city great, not 'me'. I just add my bit.

Thanks
Daniel Flynn"

I would like to thank Danny for taking the time to write this article and giving us his perspective on the Transition Board. I know there are lots of you out there who aren't happy with the introduction of this Board. What are your thoughts?

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS - NAILED!

2008-11-03T12:09:00.003Z

As regular contributors to this blog are aware, I'm no supporter of the BNP, but I sometimes wonder if they have got it right on issues like illegal immigrants, when you read stories like we have in today's Sentinel (Click Here)

Three illegal Vietnamese workers have been caught working in two Hanley Nail Bars. One has been deported and the other two face certain deportation pending the completion of the investigations.

As a responsible employer myself, I know how important it is that our businesses remain competitive, but the use of illegal workers is completely unfair to those of us who run legitimate companies.

The manager of one of the two shops raided stated that she used an illegal worker because she came into the country already trained, where if she had employed a British worker she would have had to invest time and money training them.

You have to wonder whether these workers were being paid cash in hand, if they were then the government is being denied the appropriate tax and national insurance that would be due to them, so in a way it's a double whammy!

The UK Border Agency must be applauded for the way it is managing these issues and it proves that the government are serious about the issue of illegal workers and are taking strong action in dealing with the problem. Recently an Australian points system has been introduced and ID cards for foreign nationals.

Companies who take the gamble of employing illegal workers face a fine of up to £10000 per worker if they are caught.

So over to you, are you, like me heartened by the governments hard line on illegal workers?
Do you welcome the Governments recent introduction of a new system in dealing with foreign nationals who want to come to our country?
What more can be done to ensure that people who come to our country do so legally?..........

ACADEMY SCHOOLS - LEGAL CHALLENGE

2008-11-03T12:04:00.003Z

The fight against academies taking place in 3 areas of the country were highlighted in a broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 Today program this morning. These are Camden in North London, Barrow in Cumbria and of course our very own Trentham/Stoke-on-Trent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7705000/7705766.stm

Rosa Curling, solicitor from Leigh Day and Co., who is acting for the TAG and the other groups was interviewed. She stated that councils have duties under the EU procurement directive when deciding on academy sponsors. This directive requires an open and transparent process which she says is not being followed.

The government is due in court this week for a judicial review over a proposed academy in Camden. This is the first of the 3 areas which are taking legal action, the others will follow.

In Barrow, Mike Stevenson, ordinary parent, became involved in the local campaign against academy schools. He is now councillor Stevenson, having deposed the leader of the local council, as he and 3 other independents secured seats on the council in the May 2008 elections. They are against plans to replace 3 comprehensives with an academy and will now take this to the high court.
Ian Hookway spoke out for the TAG on the plans to close Trentham High and build an academy. He said an open competition is needed, both in terms of sponsors and the type of school that is chosen. He explained that there is a much more compelling case for Trentham High to be run as a cooperative trust where a parents cooperative takes over running of the school, leaving the head teacher and staff to continue their excellent job of educating the pupils and achieving great outcomes. The TAG are also mounting a legal challenge.

The councils in all 3 areas declined to give interviews.

The legal cases could potentially change the way sponsors are chosen for academy schools.

Government has said it will be rigorously defending itself. Jim Knight’s stated argument is that he does not think EU procurement law applies to the selection of sponsors. He also claims that the sponsors raise money for the school rather than profit from it! Now personally I do not find that in the slightest bit credible.

What do you think?

BREAKING NEWS: D4S TO SHADOW BOARD!

2008-11-03T10:13:00.003Z

Democracy4Stoke (D4S) are seriously considering the need to set up a 'shadow Transition Board'.
With many people on this blog expressing a concern that an unelected(and uncalled for) board of 'talents' is being formed to oversee the work of local elected Councillors, the cross party group know as Democracy for Stoke is seriously considering the need to further the remit of a democratic voice for the tax payers in the City.
Apathy is proven to rule in Stoke and is there for all to see at each and every election and it must be seen as welcome that D4S is seen to take this issue by the horns and run with it.
Democracy has taken a back seat in the City for over six years during the reign of the Mayors, with none appearing to lift us out of the one star status they claimed to be not theirs.
The slight hint of democratic leadership that Mayors were supposed to bring via the direct vote of the people, culminated with policies that seems to ignore those very same people as schools and care homes close around them, against their wishes.
It seems very odd, that a recommendation to set up a 'Transition Board' to hold the hands of elected Councillors, has not been questioned in greater depth when no one voted for this outcome.
So odd is the proposal, that the Labour Group of Councillors actually met to decide what proposals they would agree to and accept (they have a choice?).
Mike Tappin is a former Councillor of great experience, MEP, Leader etc.. but the fact remains that he was booted out because of the policies he chose to inflict upon the people in the South of the City. He now has a remit to see things through, un-elected though, this time.
I cry foul! and I welcome any and all serious attempts to highlight the plight of the people of Stoke-on-Trent who are being abused in this way.

VOTER APATHY

2008-11-03T09:25:00.005Z

The question for debate is, why have the people of Stoke on Trent stopped voting?

We start with the recent referendum. The turnout was 19%, that is 35,902 out of a possible 186,698. I find this statistic very alarming. Surely, it cannot be that people simply do not care, there has to be other reasons? This was a major decision, on how our City was to be governed. Did we want to continue with the Mayoral System, or did we want a change, and opt for the Leader and Cabinet System. I cannot believe that so few people bothered to vote. Bearing in mind the actual cost of this Referendum, was it really worth this amount of money being spent?

Lets go back to the elections on 1 May 2008, and break down the turnout for each ward:-

Abbey Green 26.4%

Bentilee and Townsend 27.1%

Berryhill and Hanley East 27.1%

Blurton 27.7%

Burslem North 26.2%

Burslem South 27.9%

Chell and Packmoor 27.9%

East Valley 26.3%

Fenton 31.7%

Hanley West and Shelton 23.9%

Hartshill and Penkhull 30.6%

Longton North 30.9%

Longton South 37.9%

Meir Park and Sandon 32.4%

Northwood and Birches Head 29.8%

Norton and Bradeley 31.3%

Stoke and Trent Vale 26.8%

Trentham and Hanford 38.1%

Tunstall 31.4%

Weston and Meir North 35.2%

As you can see some areas are slightly better than others, but this turnout should be much better.

Under the Mayoral System, he has tried to get all the parties working together, mainly by forming the EMB. Though this is a good idea, as it is always better to work as one big team, but I do wonder if this has taken away the individual voices of political parties. The voters, may get the impression that because the parties appear to speak as one voice, how they vote won't really make a difference.

It is not the fact, that Councillors are not making an effort at election time, they work really hard, to get their policies across and get the election leaflets delivered. So, what goes wrong, once that leaflet comes through the door? Do people bother to read them, or do they go straight in the bin?

I think it would be interesting to find out, why these people choose not to vote. Are they simply not interested in local politics, or do they feel that they are no longer listened to, and no matter what they vote it won't make a difference? What worries me more, is that people are happy not to vote, therefore, leaving it upto others to make the decision for them.

If we look back over the years, Labour was always a strong hold across the City. So, what has gone wrong? At the moment, the Labour Party seems to be split across the City. There seems to be, from comments made on this site, some following West Midland Labour policies, and some not. The Mayor himself, I believe, follows West Midland Labour policies. Some Councillors are for the closure of schools, and the opening of Acadamies and some are totally against it. The same can be said for the closure of the care homes, and the privitisation of health care for the elderly. This does not show, a united front, and just confuses us the voters. We have Councillors and MP's giving support, but then they have to go and do the opposite. This is one reason why the voters are disgruntled. Yes, I know sometimes, they have to follow party policies, and their hands are tied, but why not be truthful in the first place, and tell us, there is not actually a lot they can do to change decisions.

The BNP stand as a united group, and all follow the same policies. Is this why they have become more and more popular? You ask a BNP voter, why they choose this party, and the answer is "well, they are the only ones actually listening to what we want, and taking action".

The Independents, are becoming more and more popular across the City, but I for one, am not really sure, what they stand for, and what policies they have. Are they really as independent as they say?

The Lib Dems and the Conservatives, were the parties, that used to be the next two most popular parties across the city, but for some reason, this is not the case now. The disgruntled Labour voters, used to opt for these parties, but I feel, that people are now choosing the BNP as the alternative.

We at PitsnPots want to know your opinions on why you think the people are no longer voting. We need to get to the bottom of this, and start changing people's attitude. I believe that your vote counts, and you should always use it. What worries me is, that if the parents of the City are not voting, this may rub off on our younger voters, and they may adopt the attitude of, well, it doesn't really matter, so I won't bother either.

It would be interesting to hear from a Councillor's point of view, why they think people are chosing not to vote?

Over to You.

FOCAL RADIO TEST BROADCAST ON DAB - NOW!

2008-11-02T21:32:00.008Z

What's the point of hosting a blog if you can't throw a few harmless plugs out for yourself and your mates...... Well here goes!

My good friends Sam Plank & Verity Hilton are just a few day's away from the launch of a much needed Radio Station for our area, FOCAL RADIO. You can listen on DAB or at Focal Radio.com

The music policy is great, it's like the soundtrack of our lives! There are some talented presenters too, like Glyn & Katie Johnson, Leigh Preece and of course the man Sam Plank! (pictured)

You can also hear me on there too as I will be co presenting the sports programmes on Friday evening and of course Saturday afternoon. The sports programme is going to be a mix of great music and sports news and we will be very fast at getting those all important scores out on the air in super fast time.

I went down to the studio yesterday to do a full test show and I have to say I was like a kid in a sweet shop. The studio set up is bloody amazing, no expense has been spared, the best equipment that money can buy has been installed and the station is going to rival anything else that's on offer in this area! Focal will be a station with real Jocks and not just people who play the same old, same old again and again.

Sam & Verity keep dropping into the blog so I want us all to send our best wishes to these brave people who are risking an awful lot to bring a new sound to our city and in true Plank style you can be sure that Focal will be for Local!

I am talking to Focal about working in some way with pitsnpots. The two have the same aims in many ways in as much as we are both passionate about our city and we both want to tackle local issue and be of assistance to local people.

DAB is a great media the sound quality is superb and if you haven't got a DAB set yet I urge you to do so, they are relatively cheap and are widely available. I always listen to the radio through my PC when I am working or blogging and you can bet my station of choice will be Focal on the 5th!

So please, leave your good luck messages for Sam and Verity on the blog and let's hope that Focal is a massive success story for our city

STOP OTHERS USING YOUR NAME TO POST COMMENTS - GET A BLOGGER ACCOUNT

2008-11-02T15:51:00.004Z

Here at Pitsnpots, we are well happy with the amount of comments being posted to all our articles. It's great to get debates going about almost everything topical, both locally and nationally. However, we have noticed of late that there are lots of people "hijacking" other people's names to post comments that are totally irrelevant, and sometimes downright nasty, which really don't add anything to the debate.

So we are urging anyone interested in debating and adding comments on this site, to register for a blogger account, details of how to do this are as follows:

Before posting a comment, see below the comment box where it says “choose an identity”.

Click on sign up here.

This takes you to another web page where you need to type in your email address (an existing one you use generally, such as hotmail, yahoo, tiscali account).

You then need to type this in again, for verification purposes.

The next box you need to choose a password, try using a combination of letters and numbers, or capitals and lower case letters. This will give a better password “strength”.

Then you need to type the same password in again. Remember this password – you will need it every time you sign in to blogger and want to post comments under your own name.

You are then asked “display name”. This is the name you would like your comments to be attributed to – mine is Alison, Tony is Tony, etc. Choose whatever you want. It doesn't have to be your actual name - we have "brooneyes", "sir findo gask" and many others (and I don't think for one minute these are their real names!)

Word verification – you then see a set of green letters which you have to type in to the word verification box. This is to ensure your PC/laptop compatibility.

You then need to click in the box to accept the terms, and click the continue button. This takes you back to the blog article you want to post on, and tells you who you are signed in as.

When you leave the blog, it is always a good idea to sign out at the top right hand side of the home page.

So if you follow these instructions, when you start posting comments, they show in blue and underlined (like mine and Tony's and Nita's), and everyone knows it's definitely your comment, and not someone else posing as you.

We urge every genuine poster to get a blogger account, because, whilst we don't wish to remove legitimate posts, we may have to start removing posts that are totally irrelevant to the topic under discussion, particularly when it isn't attributed to an actual blogger account.

We were hoping that we would not have to resort to this, but it's really not fair for people to make comments in another's name, whether that name is a councillor, a party member/candidate, or just your average Joe Bloggs like me (no pun intended - Blogg!!)

So, it's time for action if you want to stay blogging with us and ensure your posts stay on the site. Get yourself a blogger account using the instructions above, and happy blogging...

COUNCILLOR JOY GARNER (LABOUR GROUP LEADER) GIVES PITSNPOTS THE ANSWERS ON THE TRANSITION BOARD

2008-10-31T20:31:00.007Z

I would like to sincerely thank Councillor Joy Garner for taking the time to post on our blog. She has been following several of our debates and seen a number of questions raised by our posters on the recent Transition Board Blog.

I felt that it was neccessary to post her comments as a new blog and allow interested pitsnpots readers and posters the chance to publish their comments and reactions to her in depth statement.

We, at pitsnpots are delighted that our local politicians are using our blog to communicate with a number of the cities electorate. This is the reason that we set this blog up.

Here are Joy's comments:

"John Healey, Minister for Local Government, commissioned this report into the Governance of the City of Stoke-on-Trent.

The review was actioned, and they came up with 14 recommendations, the 14th being to appoint a Transition Board and the development of an Action Plan.

Both to ensure the Council actually did what the report says.Para 5.29 onwards explains the make up of the board which it describes as a "Transition Board of local stakeholder representatives which will monitor progress on the implementation of our recomendations and help hold the Council to account."

Para 5.31 suggests the board should be in place for at least 3 years... It lists the areas its members should be drawn from... The size no more than 15...

Para 5.32 requires the Council to draw up the action plan(timetable to achieve the other 13 points), as a matter of urgency. January 2009 full council meetings will be important for this.

The new Council constitution should be ready then, and the full council to formally request the Electoral Commission to review the ward boundarys with a view to single member wards.

A vote on all out elections every 4 years is the trigger.The EC then sends in its Boundary Committee.

They start from this request, but can not be fettered by us or the Government, and after CONSIDERABLE PUBLIC CONSULTATION, they draw up their plans, which may not, and often do not agree with the Goverments view.

Of course, this is a light touch by government, and is intended to be a 'critical friend' as well.

If the Council fails to start moving forward with some urgency, or even fails at the first hurdle - the Council vote to all out elections in January, which triggers the EC and then the BC - then it is hard not to think of what may happen.

I dread to think that a complete take over, like happened in Walsall, could ever happen here in Stoke.

We are told, at present, that the members will only get allowances to cover costs.Mike Tappin, as far as I can see (and there is a couple of names I am unfamiliar with), is the only member with experience of being an elected representative, MEP, County Councillor and City Councillor. Certainly the only one ever elected in Stoke, and should be able to eloquently voice these experiences.

The Elected Mayor position is in place till next May/June (Euro elections may extend his service).If he were to stand down now, it is too late for a by election so his Deputy, Cllr Pervez would act in his place till then.

The publics views will be crucial to how all this pans out.It is the views of groups like on this blog, and individuals to make their feeling known at the right time.

To have your points worked out in time, as a group, it would be worth starting some serious debate on the points in the report, seeing how some work or do not work when taken together.

Some obvious ones are: Less Councillors - but more scrutiny work, and spend more time in the ward.

Higher calibre Councillors - will need to be paid properly if younger proffessionals are to be attracted, especially if you have to have alot of time off work, and a £200,000 mortgage to pay ??

Recommendation 135.24 A wider North Staffordshire Authority ??

Recommendation's 5 and 6Both are about community involvment, firstly for all citizens, then especially the young, and our diverse communities.You could easily start these very important debates on this Blog site. I wish you well, and if I can assist further, I will."

Councillor Joy Garner

Vaccinations – are the policies right?

2008-10-31T11:59:00.002Z

In recent times we are periodically seeing outbreaks of tuberculosis. A couple of articles in the Sentinel recently illustrate this. On Wednesday we heard of a case at Clough Hall Technology School in Kidsgrove – click here for the story. Today we hear of a vodafone worker in Chesterton with the desease – click here for the story. Vodafone employs around 1,400 people in Chesterton, Newcastle and Etruria.

Now when I was a child, we had the BCG vaccine, which offers 70%-80% protection (reference) against TB and I just feel it might have been a mistake to discontinue this vaccination programme in schools.

As a parent I am particularly concerned about my children when they go off to university. It’s great to go to university and that involves extensive contact with people from many other places. This is a good experience but inevitably means that new students tend to catch all sorts of illnesses, although most of these are minor. So personally I would have preferred it if my children could have been vaccinated like I was at school. We know the safety and efficacy of the BCG vaccine because it has been used for so many years. I plan, nearer the time, to enquire about getting my children vaccinated against TB. However the comment by Joanne Hymers, whose daughters attend Clough Hall school, does not bode well. Obtaining this vaccine even privately appears not to be easy, although I can’t see any reason why a private healthcare provider would want to refuse.

It also seems that cases of measles are on the increase – click here for yesterday’s story on this. I also seem to remember an outbreak of mumps a few years ago. I suppose this is inevitable, as not all parents will choose to have their children vaccinated. I am supportive of parents rights to decide what is best for their children regarding vaccination, even if it is not the same as the choice I would make.

One of the most recent new vaccines to be introduced is the HPV vaccine – click here for the story. Although this looks like it could be a good vaccine, I think they have got the timing wrong. I give more detail in my comment on this article.

What do you think about vaccination and the outbreaks of TB and other diseases?

BLUE IS THE COLOUR - SHAUN SPEAKS TO PITSNPOTS!

2008-10-29T18:50:00.008Z

In the second of our exclusive articles aimed at getting the party voice back into our city, we have the words and thoughts of Blurton's very own Conservative Party Activist Shaun Bennett.
Shaun is, like Labour's Tom Reynolds, a young, driven and enthusiastic party member, who knows his parties policies better than most!
I have followed his posts both on the Sentinel and on pitsnpots for a long time now and his reasoned debate has nearly had me turning blue a few times! I would like to thank Shaun for submitting his blog and wish him well for the future. I think the people of Trentham & Hanford could do a lot worse than voting Shaun in at the expense of "you know who!" at the next elections, they would be assured of getting a real Tory!

"I would like to begin by joining Tom Reynolds in his praise of Tony and the team who have set up the site to get local people involved in local political issues and perhaps in time more national debates too. I'm sure we've all thought that the voices of North Staffordshire have been ignored for too long, and I for one am very pleased that an outlet now exists for as many of those voices as possible to be heard. I'm particularly pleased that Tony and the team have gone out of their way to get a range of political persuasions involved without bias - be they Tories like me, Labour, Liberal or BNP.
These are actually quite exciting times for Stoke-on-Trent. The decision we made last Thursday is going to determine how the city is governed for at least another decade, and hopefully far beyond it. As a psephologist - hopefully in touch with the thoughts of people of the city - I never really had any doubt that the YES campaign to abolish the mayor was going to be successful. The demographic and procedural factors alone (such as differential turnout, the wording of the question and the process of casting the vote in a polling station rather than by post) were I think biased towards a YES outcome. The fact that people's natural reaction to an unpopular administration is to support change and my view that the YES campaign totally demolished all the main arguments for the mayoral system,and then a positive result seemed largely secured.
But then with the Sentinel's piece on the BNP being favourite to win the Leadership of the city just a day before polling, I have to admit that I briefly had cause to think again. As it turned out of course, the YES vote won by something of a landslide - albeit on a very low turnout. Whilst I agree with Cllr Reynolds that a low turnout is never desirable, I would gently remind him that Labour imposed a National Assembly upon the people of Wales on a turnout not far greater than we had last Thursday, and by a far, far closer margin. I can't be sure, but I'm convinced that the votes of Stoke South in particular were crucial and I would be interested to see how the votes broke down by constituency and by ward.
So should we decry having lost our right to directly elect the person who leads the council? Well I think not actually. We will GET our chance to decide who leads the council when the time comes to elect our councillors, in exactly the same way as the leadership of almost every other local authority in the country is decided. If we don't like what the leadership is doing we can vote to change it, and unlike under the mayoral system our votes in local elections will now be decisive and will have meaning once more. Perhaps now that the result of local elections will actually matter to the governance of the city, local parties will once more take an interest in winning them, as I'm sure we've all noticed a significant slide in the visibility of the various campaigns over the last 6 years.
My hope is that we can now make savings on the mayor's salary, give power back to councillors - which after all is what they should be elected to do - reintroduce some degree of order and democratic accountability in our political system and perhaps get clearer and - though let's not get too hopeful - better governance as a result. If we can see Mayor Meredith and his colleagues on the dole queue at the same time, well that's all for the better! The city never really wanted to adopt a mayoral system in the first place; certainly those that are most interested in local politics didn't want it. We started off by choosing the wrong type of mayoral system (since abolished by the government) and then not really giving it much of a chance. With a return to a system that we really wanted to adopt in the first place, perhaps things will change for the better - and I hope that we resist getting bogged down in a pointless debate about changing the system back again in the years to come.
I do however have two real concerns about the immediate future: First, I am concerned about this "Transition Board" that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. I don't remember any discussion of a transition board during the referendum campaign? I don't know how this panel of the great and the good have been put onto the board? They certainly haven't been elected. I don't know what powers or authority this board will have or even what the point is of them being there; surely we already know the way forward for the city in terms of the political system? On the other hand, if it is going to be available to 'hold the hands' of our local political leaders and to give them cause to think twice before doing anything stupid, then it can only be a good thing. The fact that it only seems to be in place for the next 6 months or so should probably ease our concerns about its being, since it is after all only temporary.
My second concern is however much more serious. It seems that now that we have voted YES to getting rid of the elected mayor's office, the sitting councillors will now start to discuss who is going to lead the city ahead of a big decision next May. In the short term at least, the people DON'T get any say over who that person is going to be. The democratic principle of the Leader and Cabinet system is that the electorate can still indirectly choose the leadership of the council by voting for councillors - the implication being that the party or group with most support delivered by the electorate as seats on the council will take the leadership. Unfortunately, the councillors who are there at present were elected under the old mayoral system. They were NOT elected to form an administration or to take the leadership of the authority. And yet it is this group of people who will now choose the Leader without any reference to the electorate.
In my view, there should be an all out council election next May or June so that people will be able to vote knowing that they are voting for a party or group to lead the council as well as an individual local councillor to represent them. At present we have expressed our preference for a local representative but not for who we want to lead the council. And if rumours that the next council election will not be held until ward boundaries change in 2011 are true, we could find ourselves in a situation in which whoever is chosen to lead the authority could do so without any test of public opinion for the next two and a half years!
An all out council election would not be extraordinary, given the circumstances. We have them whenever ward boundaries change - and so we will almost certainly be having one in 2011 anyway. In 1996 when the City Council became a Unitary Authority, a full council election was held then even though all that was changing was the extent of the powers of the authority. Are we really expected to accept that there will be no full election at a time when it is not just the powers of the authority that is changing but the entire executive leadership of the city? These councillors were not elected to lead us, they were elected to hold to account the person that led us; how can they get away with assuming power in their own right without an election? We may well find that the councillors who people thought suitable to represent them as a scrutineer will be different to those that they want to represent them now that the choice for a potential government. I can certainly name a couple of wards where a change of councillor will now be wanted by local people - and some of those changes may well affect the names in the frame to become Leader of the authority!
Nationally, the official Conservative position seems to be to support elected mayors. Of course, they would never attempt to enforce that opinion onto local parties that thought differently and that is what happened in the case of the local party in Stoke. Like all the main parties, except for the BNP, we were totally divided between the YES and NO options. Perhaps also like the other main parties - certainly Labour - the division goes much deeper than over the mayoralty alone. Issues of group leadership, support for the cross-party coalition and certain controversial policy decisions have all been tearing the main parties apart for a number of years now. Personally, I believe that the root cause of many of those problems have come from the demands of the political system under the elected mayor.
The YES vote last Thursday gives me great cause for hope and optimism for the future. The quality of our elected representatives may not improve dramatically under any system, and that will be in the hands of the people. To a large extent as voters we are the makers of our own fortunes,and we cannot really complain when we continue to elect the same people that we constantly condemn as being poor. In the short term we may well see a great era of instability as the smaller parties benefit from the 'cross party coalition' of Mayor Meredith. But in the long term I now can see the beginnings of reunification for both the Conservative and Labour parties. The City may never again return to the two party politics or even one and a half party politics that we have enjoyed for the past 30 years. In many ways that may even be a good thing, but I can at least see the Conservative and Labour parties starting to become competitive again if they really want to be and if they are prepared to cut off the dead wood and get back in touch with real voters. Only time will tell how this story unfolds..."

Shaun Bennett BA (Hons), MA Former Deputy Chairman, Stoke-on-Trent Conservatives.

BRING THE U.S. TO US!

2008-10-29T17:17:00.008Z

Have you, like me, been following the Presidential Campaign in the USA? Wow! They know how to drag something out don't they?

It has been fun to watch though, and seeing the candidates Obama & McCain, turning out in all corners of the country to bid for those last few votes made me realise just how important it is for politicians of what ever level, to connect with the electorate.

I know that last week, it was a fairly intense news week. Feeling was running high throughout the city in the run up to the governance referendum, and for what? A below 20% turn out!

I found myself pondering why the turn out was so bad, do the people of our city care about what happens? Are the population so pissed off at the state of local politics? I came to the conclusion that councillors and MP's alike need to engage with the population of our city!

Over the next seven months, our politicians have a chance of a new beginning, a clean slate. There is too much complacency, councillors say all to often " this is the way it's always been done", well that just won't do anymore!

The debate in this city of who will be leader and what party stands for what has got to be re-ignited. The people of Stoke on Trent need to be won over and our interest in the local political issues awakened.

What I would like to see is for us to take a leaf out of America's book. I want to see the candidates for the Leadership contest go head to head in a number of public debates at somewhere like the Kings Hall (pictured top right) in Stoke with a packed audience and the whole thing broadcast to the entire city.

We have been small time for too long now, time to think big! It's is time for our politicians to be made to face their electorate and to answer the questions put to them from us, the public.

We don't want the Council's highly paid press officer fencing the more demanding and sensitive questions. We don't want it all to be kept "low key" and to be sorted behind close doors.

We want straight answers, straight talking and above all, we want the best man/woman winning.

By the time next May come around we want each party to state who is going to be their preferred Leadership Candidate and it should be this person that faces the public and fights to win the day for their parties! We want to know what each and every party stands for and what their manifesto is, so that we can make are minds up who will do the best job of leading our city.

They should know that if they do not deliver on their promises, both leader and party will be made to pay at the first chance at the ballot box, nowhere to run and no where to hide!

I would love the chance of chairing these debates. I would make sure every question was answered by all the leadership candidates. Imagine a packed Kings Hall and on stage the Labour, Conservative, Libdem, BNP and Independents leadership candidates all trying to win the day for their party and for themselves.

This would surely bring the party voice back into Stoke after so long of just hearing the same old, same old from the Elected Mayor and his Portfolio Holders.

We deserve more don't we? We deserve a choice of what party and we deserve to know which leader we will get from that chosen party, don't we?

So I throw the gauntlet down to the parties in our City:

Labour - Will it be Mike, Mark or Joy and what will you do for this City? Are your group united? Will you do better than when you had the majority last time? Will you look again at the decisions that made the Labour Elected Mayor so unpopular?

Conservative - Will it be Roger or Ross, and what will you do for the people you have so badly let down in Trentham and what Tory policies can we hear about?

Libdem - Will it be Jean or Keiran and how will you make your party electable in a city that has seen so few Libdem candidates in the past, will you tell us just what do you stand for?

BNP - Will it be Alby, Mike or Steve and is your party racist? What will you do for the sizable number of British people born here but who's skin colour isn't white?

What do we have to fear from you?

Independent - Will it be Alan, Brian or Terry and just what the hell do you lot stand for? What are your policies? Why do you court all the other parties in this city? Have you got a party manifesto?

I feel so passionate about getting this PUBLIC debate on and I want your help! I promise you I would make Jeremy Paxman seem like Bambi! I want to know what questions you want answers to! I want to know who you want as each parties Leader Candidate or who you don't want! I want to know if you would attend a U.S. type of debate at the Kings Hall?

If we applied the pressure on to our local politicians they would not be able to get out of such an event! Can we make this happen?

WHAT DOES THIS TRANSITION BOARD MEAN FOR OUR CITY?

2008-10-28T18:14:00.004Z

In the last couple of days, it's been reported in the Sentinel here, that we are to have a Transition Board to oversee us in the next few months, to "transform politics in the city".

Well, perhaps that's what we need. I don't know. The article goes on to name 13 people who either live or work in the city, who will make up this board.

Apparently, the transition board will analyse how the city council implements the result of the referendum and handles all electoral matters. Action plans and quarterly reports will be critiqued and members may make public comments about their findings.

I don't want to put too much of my own thoughts in this blog, just want to leave it open for debate.

What do you think? Is this Transition Board needed to transform politics in the city? How do you think it will work? Will it be a good or bad thing? Is this a case of the Government forcing something else on Stoke on Trent that we might not want or need?

Tell me your thoughts...

MICK WILLIAMS, CONVEYNOR DEMOCRACY 4 STOKE.

2008-10-28T16:38:00.002Z

Recent winner of the Labour Party National Merit award, who challenged an ageism case against the Mayor, Speaks here:

1. D4S has fought for 6 years to get Friday's result - this is due to commitment to a principle [democracy] and an unwillingness to meekly accept the government's two-faced statements. For example the recent White Paper "Communities in Control" promises citizens power but only on the government's terms. It also 'supports and promotes' the concept of an elected mayor and says that once this option is chosen there can be no going back.However, if this is rejected, they will change the rules on how soon you can have another referendum !

2. The referendum result clearly expressed the views of the people but this will be ignored by the government - shown clearly by the appointees to the 'transitional board'. These include several 'faith' group representatives and one of these (Lloyd Cooke) says that he was approached over two months ago to serve. This means that 'plan B' was in existence before the decision to have a referendum was made - clearly showing that Minister John Healey had already made up his mind prior to the outcome. [On a personal basis I am apprehensive about the involvement of 'faith' interests - noting that their involvement in Northern Ireland resulted in a fractured society and an impossible political stalemate. Many other examples come to mind.]

3. D4S have been deluged with enquiries about 'where we go from here' and I have had to defer response to explain that we waited until the people had spoken before making any concrete plans. One thing is certain: our forward march of democracy will not rely on any shady power-sharing deals but will be driven by commonly agreed principles and will encompass ordinary people making informed and rational decisions.

4. Our meetings (next one on 29/10/08) are open and democratic and attended by people of most local political parties but dominated by none - we even rotate the chair to ensure this happenns. Further details a pleasure from:

Mick Williams,
Joint Convenor, democracy4stoke.

RAT WATCH

2008-10-28T13:01:00.003Z

WARNING, THIS BLOG WILL SEVERELY DAMAGE YOUR POLITICAL HEALTH!

Do you know any Councillor on the fiddle? Call Me!

Do you know any plots, rumours or backstabbing backstabbers? Fax Me!

Do you know any cheats, liars or crooks in the Council Chamber? Ring Me!

Futile leadership canvassing?

Do you know of any Senior Officer doing something they shouldn't? Let me Know!

Hands in the till? I want the world to know!

Deals done that are illegal or immoral? Let me tell everyone!

Contracts to friends, relatives or just plain crooks? I'm begging you to tell me!

I've had enough of watching sleazeballs getting away with it. It's now time for action and it's time to HIT back!

Watch this space for serious outings! All Officers and Councillors of any persuasion will be treated with the utmost disrespect

Don't call 'crimestoppers' email me in absolute and total confidence:

oracle.pitsnpots@googlemail.com

The Police are watching. They have been informed. There is no use either running or hiding!

Watch this space and watch rats squirm in fear. Be afraid, be very afraid!

The Oracle is coming to get you and to take you away!

COUNCILLOR TOM REYNOLDS TALKS EXCLUSIVELY TO PITSNPOTS!

2008-10-27T18:28:00.008Z

In the first of a long series of blog articles, Longton North Labour Councillor Tom Reynolds, tells pitsnpots his feelings in the wake of last weeks referendum.

I would like to personally thank Tom for his blog, he is a hardworking young councillor and in my opinion we need more of his calibre in this city, no, not because he is Labour, but because he is driven and enthusiastic!

"First things first, I’d like to thank Tony and the team for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the blog. Despite the fact that some of the posts on here have given me and my close colleagues a rough ride, the aim of the site in raising interest in Stoke politics is invaluable. The 19% turnout in last week’s referendum was a dire demonstration of the indifference to politics as a whole in this city and any efforts to reverse this state of affairs is laudable.
I cannot proceed without mentioning the referendum outcome. I campaigned on the No Vote side of the argument as I believed in a model of governance where every citizen of the city was enfranchised to pick the person that leads the City Council. After six weeks of hard campaigning by both sides, the people of Stoke have spoken. I and the Labour colleagues that fought to keep the Mayoral model will of course respect the people’s decision to the utmost.
Paradoxically, as a group of councillors we are now much more powerful. We are now charged with the task of picking the new executive Leader of the Council, a leader who will have to face some enormous issues: education reorganisation, city wide regeneration and transforming the standard of services that the Council provides. So the big question is which direction?
There will be a lot of posturing from some individuals within the council that see themselves in with a chance of leading the authority in May 2009. Cllr Rigby, from the City Independents and Alby Walker from the BNP have both already thrown their hat in the ring. In my view, if either of these contenders succeeds the City is in trouble.
What do the Independents actually stand for? We know what they are against but do they actually have any ideas for moving the City forward - if they do I have not heard them. If Cllr Rigby does lead the council I cannot see what his platform would be. He has after all, admitted on Question Time that he supports BNP councillors and has campaigned for the Tories. What does he actually stand for?
Conversely we know exactly what Cllr Walker and his party stand for, and that is equally worrying. I am not going to enter into a tirade about their repugnant far right ideology or where it could lead. Instead there is a far simpler argument – the BNP is bad for business. If Cllr Walker ends up as the leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council we can all kiss goodbye to any inward investment.
The only people who can lead this authority, make services better and improve the city are the Labour Party (but that’s what you would expect from me). That is not to ignore the shift against Labour across the City. We must recognise that there is a widespread dissatisfaction about how things have been done in the past. What is absolutely crucial is that as a group of councillors, we demonstrate that Labour is the Group with the vision to improve our city."

TERRY & CRAIG CONTACT PITSNPOTS ABOUT CHURCHILL CHINA MONSTROSITY

2008-10-26T15:39:00.006Z

As many of you will know, Terry Cope and Craig Pond both live at the North end of the city, whilst most of Pitsnpots bloggers live in the South.

We at Pitsnpots are keen to ensure we cover stories from all areas of the city, and, to this end, Terry and Craig have provided further information on a local news story which we were all aware of, but didn't quite know the full details. Terry Cope writes to Pitsnpots as follows:

"Why is it that the stench of hypocrisy hangs over the Churchill China factory in Sandyford? Mr Roper - he who complains of the noise coming from Alton Towers two miles from his home in Alton- builds a giant warehouse surrounding the residents of Birchall Avenue, not more than 100 yards away from the rear of their houses. Add to this the future constant comings and goings of 40 ton Heavy Goods Vehicles, the noise of forklifts loading and unloading, an internal tannoy system and radios, and you start to get the picture of what the residents of Birchall Avenue will have to put up with, not to mention the Health and Safety risks of carcinogenic diesel fumes wafting their way into the homes of residents, and their children’s lungs.

When this monstrosity is finally built, sunlight to their homes will be cut drastically, as it towers above all the houses on both sides. The risk of subsidence created by the HGV's has not been calculated into the risk to the adjoining properties. They have also seen their properties' value decrease substantially because of this problem.

Churchill’s have recently laid off personnel, but this monstrosity is still going ahead despite all the objections to it, with this City Council's blessing. Local Councillor Lee Wanger, it is alleged by some of the residents, is informing people that those residents of Birchall Avenue have been financially compensated, which they vehemently deny. There are disputes over the validity of planning permission, public footpaths, and the road subsidence in Holywall Lane , that was reported to the highways department by a local resident who is known to me. One other local resident, also known to me, has been fighting this case for thirty years but is constantly blocked by the City Council and Churchill China ’s insistence on getting their way come hell or high water.

This will not only affect the residents of Birchall Avenue , but those of Reginald Way due to the increase of traffic and noise. There is a proposal for a large Central Fire Station to be built adjoining the Churchill monstrosity, causing further traffic and noise.

Now don’t get me wrong I want more businesses to expand, but they must work with the local community, not bully them, as this case proves. The residents of Bichall Avenue feel as if they have been imprisoned by the surrounding buildings, and once where there was an open countryside view, there is only blue steel walls to look at. I and my party will fight to support the residents of the affected area, as we believe this is wrong. I will update you has to how I get on."

Craig has also provided photos, which are shown at the top of this blog post.

It certainly seems like a monstrosity, along similar lines to the Screwfix building in Trentham/Blurton.

Are you a local resident blighted by the Churchill China building? Tell us what you think - how has it affected your daily life and how will it affect you in the future? Are you happy with the way the council have dealt with this issue? Terry says the BNP are fighting this on behalf of the residents - are there other local councillors from other parties supporting this cause? Or do you think the Council were right to allow Churchill China to carry out this expansion project?

What do you think? Over to you...

SUNDAY - FUNDAY!

2008-10-26T10:54:00.004Z

It's been a fairly intense news week hasn't it? So we've decided to have some fun at the expense of the movers and shakers who could possibly end up as Council Leader in the near future!

What we want you to do is to pick an Election Anthem for the contenders for the cities number one post.

Below are my suggestions but we want your suggestions and let's have some fun on this one!

Joy Garner & Debra Gratton - "Sisters are Doing It For Themselves!" (Aretha Franklin)

Mark Meredith - "Leaving on a Jet Plane" (John Denver) or Don't Look Back In Anger (Oasis)

Mervin Smith - " To Know Him is To Love Him" (The Teddy Bears)

Mike Barnes - The Winner Takes It All (Abba) or We are the Champions (Queen)

Adrian Knapper - Tears of a Clown (Smokey Robinson)

Roger Ibbs - Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word (Elton John)

Ross Irving - The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie)

Mike Wolfe - I'm a Pink Tooth Brush (Max Bygraves)

Mark Davis - Puppet on a String (Sandie Shaw)

Peter Kent Baguley - Back in the USSR (The Beatles

Alan Rigby - Making Your Mind Up (Bucks Fizz)

Terry Follows - Follow You Follow Me ( Genesis)

Alby Walker - The Immigrant Song ( Led Zeppalin)

Mike Coleman - Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Tears For Fears)

Steve Batkin - I was Kaiser Bills Batman (Whistling Jack Smith) or I Predict a Riot (Kaiser Chiefs)

There are loads more, but you get the idea right? So it's over to you and remember it's all for fun but as Nick Lowe said in 1979 - You Gotta Be Cruel To Be Kind..........................................................

LAME DUCK OR ALRIGHT DUCK?

2008-10-25T18:03:00.003+01:00

Mark Meredith has today stated that he intends to stick around until next May and will be anything but a lame duck! What will worry many of the cities population is that he intends to push some of the policies that I think were his un-doing, like the very controversial BSF programme.
I have said many times on this blog that we connected with Longton High School accept that it has to close based on the projected pupil numbers in the coming years. But what of the other schools facing closure? What will the campaigners of Trentham, Berryhill & Mitchell High Schools expect the prospective candidates for Council Leader to do now?
Unlike many of the TAG and other pressure groups from the vulnerable schools, I have no personal issue with the outgoing Elected Mayor, and at the risk of being a tad controversial (unlike me!) I think that Mark Meredith came in for some nasty personal attacks and comments from some factions.
Do I think the Mayor's/SERCO's plans are wrong? You bet your life I do!
I think that because it got so personal between some of the TAG and Mark Meredith, it came down to some kind of "Mexican stand off" and yet the solution to the schools fiasco is just a couple of small changes in the proposal.
I have said that to make the whole process work, what we need is to be prepared to make Two small but potentially unpopular decisions. One is to close Edensor High and not select it to be a predecessor school, and to move the location of the proposed Parkhall Academy.
So if the BSF proposals were altered to include a) a refurbishment for Trentham High School. b) A new Academy on the Blurton High site for the catchment areas for Blurton & Edensor. c) Edensor High to close ( their site is unsuitable for a new building) d) A new academy to be built on the Mitchell High site for the catchment areas of Mitchell, Berryhill & Longton areas.
Now the question is, will any of the likely candidates for Council Leader, pick up on the need to make these relatively small changes that would attract huge support from the parents and teaching staff of the closure faced schools.
Mark Meredith is hell bent on seeing the BSF process through. He knows better than anyone that this policy was the most unpopular of his time in office.
In the next few weeks the Mayor will try and prove through actions, that he is not a "lame duck", the different groups on the council should make sure that the schools issue is the first policy to be reversed, and it has to be a real priority for any wouldbe Leader, to seek urgent talks and consultation with the campaigners and interested parties.
The electorate in this city will, now the decision has been made to ditch the Mayoral system, expect the main players in the council to come out and state their intentions for both their parties, and to inform us of their policies, because we are the stake holders! Nothing less will be acceptable.
Parents and Pupils, the young and the old, have felt for to long that their opinions have not been listened to.
The time as come for the prospective leaders to engage with the city and prove to us that we did make the right decision and that there will be a positive change, what better place to start than with the School reorganisation?
Read The Sentinel article about the mayor by clicking here

(UN) ELECTED MAYOR HITS OUT AT STOKE!

2008-10-25T14:18:00.004+01:00

Mark Meredith (lame duck) sensationally hit out today at those he considered responsible for his downfall.
In a remarkable interview given to 'pitsnpots', he says it exactly how it is and pulls no punches!
WARNING! Younger viewers, may find this interview highly amusing !
http://

QUACK QUACK, WHO'S THERE?

2008-10-24T13:36:00.015+01:00

LAME DUCK MAYOR TOLD TO GO!

THE PEOPLE OF STOKE-ON-TRENT HAVE SPOKEN!

The charges made against you by the PEOPLE OF STOKE are:

That you were and remain an imposed agent of the West Midlands Labour Party.

That against all experienced advice, you by-passed the local Labour Party.

That you used the NEC of the Labour Party to GAG local members!

That you used ignorant power to turn against all parents using SERCO!

That you used further ignorance to turn against old people.

That you did not leave the Labour Party and felt no SHAME!

That your fellow Labour Party members/candidates took the rap for your idiocy.

That we remain a one star authority!

That you chose to rule by stealth of coalition, partonage and with a payroll vote.

That YOU and YOU alone are responsible for the rise of the BNP in this City!
VERDICT:

GUILTY AS CHARGED!

THE SCHOOLS POLICY MUST BE HALTED AND SCRAPPED!

AND YOU MUST GO AND GO NOW FOR THE SAKE OF THE ELDERLY, PARENTS, CHILDREN AND DECENT WORRIED CITIZENS!

Please close the door on your way out. The next train leaving Stoke to Birmingham is at 17:55pm, precisely.

The puppet rats of Longton that have fed from the poisoned hand of politics are now worried.
Be afraid, little ratties, be very afraid, for we are coming to get you and we're going to take you away. We have put out an APB on your whereabouts and there is nowher for you to hide, so give yourselves up and help Mark onto the train and then help yourselves on it also.
Go on, do the decent thing and go back to those who sent you. Leave Stoke-on-Trent to decide what to do with itself, good or bad, succeed or fail. We don't want you, we never needed you, we never asked for you. Go away! Rentokil are on their way.

LEADER & CABINET WIN THE REFERENDUM!

2008-10-24T13:05:00.002+01:00
As Tony is unavailable at the moment, you've got my blog on the results of the Mayoral Referendum.

Well, the YES camp won, and some! Click here for the Sentinel article which broke the news.

Mike Barnes is over the moon, and has said "“The result today I think is a victory for democracy. Democracy is back in Stoke-on-Trent.” Let's hope he's right.

What we now must wait to see is who the front runners are for the Leader's job. I am sure there will be scurryings in the Council Chambers, deals being done on who will vote for whom, etc.

As citizens of Stoke on Trent, we must now ensure that are Councillors become ACCOUNTABLE and do what we want them to do, rather than push through some Government agenda (as our friend Mayor Meredith did).

Paul Breeze, for the NO camp is quoted: “I’m deeply disappointed. We’re going back to a system that led our city into decline.” Well, it's up to those 60 councillors (including the Council Leader), the council's (highly) paid officials, and the good people of this city to ensure it doesn't go into decline.

It's time we all started working together for the good of the city, not any one political party.

What worries me is Meredith's comment that he's now going to push through what he's started. Things like BSF etc. Well, he's done enough damage already, so I think it's time it was called to a halt. And the councillors who will be left to run this city after May 2009 should do exactly that.

There are lots of comments flying around, people saying they will leave the city etc. Are these the people that have actually bothered to vote? With a very low turnout of just over 19%, it seems people are apathetic about what happens in this city. But they will probably be the first ones to start moaning (and probably already have).

What do you all think about it? Sorry my posts aren't as exciting as Tony's, but you are stuck with me (and hopefully some additional satire from The Oracle), for the next few days.....

BNP COUNCIL LEADER, ALBY, SPEAKS HERE, LIVE!

2008-10-23T18:46:00.004+01:00

Your intrepid reporter brings you the very first LIVE interview by the man chosen by God and the people of Stoke-on-Trent to save us!

The SENTINEL predicted his overwhelming victory in the polls but your favourite newsman around here has beaten them to the first exclusive interview by our new hero
(eat your heart out Ian Robinson)!

Alby had every intention of speaking on globalisation and its effects on our City, the massive increases in food prices, energy prices and the credit crunch. His first public engagement was to lecture on the benefits of mass immigration but unfortunately...............he forgot to take his medicine!

Take a look...

BREAKING NEWS: LOW TURN OUT FOR MAYORAL BALLOT!

2008-10-23T18:10:00.008+01:00

I have just come off the phone to some inside sources and there are indications that this ballot will have an incredibly low turn out.
It appears that the percentage turn out will struggle to hit 20% and one polling station locally to me reporting a turn out of just 10% up until 5.30pm!

There has been some last minute campaigning by both the YES & NO campaigns and with such a low turn out many people, including some of the councillors I have spoken to today, say the result is just too close to call.

We here at pitsnpots were delighted with the comments posted yesterday and we have been told that many councillors, the odd MP and even the Mayor himself are dropping in regularly to read the posts and comments.

Some of the councillors I have spoken to today said the article in last nights Sentinel had an effect on some people. The article prompted this response from Potteries Alliance Councillor Peter Kent Baguley:

The local daily paper's headline today reads:
REVEALED: If you decide to vote "YES" in the mayoral referendum tomorrow, the BNP could soon be leading YOUR council.

Illustrating the story right across the page is a picture of some of the BNP councillors with the BNP national leader, Nick Griffin. The story claims: "In an anonymous survey, The Sentinel asked every member who they would choose as council leader." Anonymous? Strange use of the word since the supposedly anonymous survey was a topic of conversation amongst most if not all councillors! And, though it may not have crossed the collective mind of those running The Sentinel's extremely biased, pro NO referendum campaign, The Sentinel was the last source to which the majority of councillors would confide their real thoughts on the issue of leader! So, given the councillors' reticence, not surprisingly the BNP leader emerges the front runner with a tally of 8 supporters, presumably all of his BNP colleagues.
The Sentinel well knows that there is not the slightest possibility of the 51 other councillors ever voting for a BNP councillor to be the leader of the council.
The Sentinel also well knows that if the referendum produces a majority of NO votes, there is every possibility that a BNP candidate would be elected in next May's elected mayor election.
The Sentinel's sly and shameful scam has turned reality on its head.
The stench of having sunk to the sewer of stitching up stories so shamefully will pervade the paper for a very long time.
Were it merely an in-house magazine, it may have been a bit of a laugh, to be followed by something equally gutter press-ish from the opposing camp. But it isn't an in-house magazine or student rag but claims to be a serious daily newspaper. This kind of squalid journalism has done nothing to enhance the reputation of the paper. Like so many of the business people who make their money in Stoke-on-Trent, the editor lives well away from our city. Perhaps he could make that a permanent arrangement and perhaps the owners could consider installing an editor charged with upholding the highest standards of journalism and to try to rebuild confidence with the people of the city. After all, fewer than half of the households across the City see The Sentinel and that proportion continues to decline.
Unfortunately, its squalid, sordid, sniping at the YES campaign which advocate the quite sensible system of the councillors electing the leader of the council has unsettled some elderly readers. I know, because my telephone has been busy this evening. The supporters of the mayor system never mention that the prime minister is not elected by all of the electorate! Of course, business people are lining up in support of the elected mayor under the guise of strong leadership! More wishful thinking than so-called hard-headed business sense, since the past two elected mayors during the last six years have not demonstrated leadership, strong or otherwise!
Neither have had the remotest influence on the ever changing bureaucratic structure of the council and have singularly failed to enhance decision making processes, failed to enhance transparency of decision making and failed to be honest about most of the controversial issues such as the high schools' re-organisation, closure of elderly people's homes, withdrawal of council-run pre-school nursery provision, the sale of the council's stake in the Britainnia football stadium, privatisation fronted by a so-called strategic partnership, and much more, all compounded by endless spin, recycled stories and more spin.

It is time that The Sentinel acted like a proper, mature newspaper, and thought more about its responsibilities to democracy and less about its rights for making profits through cheap journalism.
These are the words of Peter Kent Baguley, this is his opinion.
We the pitsnpots bloggers have had great support from the Sentinel which we really appreciate, but we remain true to the ideal of presenting a balanced view point. Hence the posting of Peter's point of view.
So over to you, what do you think of Peter's rant about the Sentinel article? Do you agree with him, What do you think of the predicted low turn out? and finally who will win the YES or the NO campaign?.................
8.15PM UPDATE:
Just had one of the main players from the "YES" campaign on the phone and they are very confident in the outcome of the Ballot. Turn out is well up in some area's so the expected percentage is thought to be well over 20%. The "YES" campaign think they have pulled it off!
As yet no news from the "NO" campaign, I will let you know if Paul or any of his campaign team get in touch by either phone or email.

BRIDGE OVER THE - "ROAD INTO LONGTON"

2008-10-23T12:46:00.008+01:00
Everyone who follows our blog will know by now that until recently I was an active member of the Labour Party. I resigned from the party because I was not happy with the direction that the Labour Elected Mayor was taking our city and also that no one from within the party would go public and distance the party from the actions of what I feel was a Mayor working on a West Midlands Labour Party agenda rather than a Stoke Labour Party agenda.
Regulars will also be aware of my total support for the three Longton North Councillors Mark Davis, Tom Reynolds & Denver Tolley. These guys work as hard as any councillor I've seen, in their ward.
They have worked on anti social behaviour and to improve facilities in the Longton North area. They attend countless meetings to try and get the best for their electorate.
These guy's know that Longton Town Centre isn't the most attractive and they have been instrumental in the work done to get Longton a much needed face lift.
Key to this is the railway bridge over the King Street entrance/exit to the town.
It's fair to say it is in dire need to refurbishment and there is an old saying about "painting the Servern Bridge" well let me tell you, the Severn Bridge could have been repainted a bloody million times since the last coat of paint went on Longton Railway Bridge.
The three councillors have started a campaign and a petition, to get this bridge repainted and I for one will be signing it! Have a look at this video, whilst I accept that these two aren't the best looking of men, nor are they natural TV presenters for that matter! They send a very clear message and one that deserves support..........

SAM'S BACK! - FOCAL FOR LOCAL!

2008-10-23T10:57:00.005+01:00
Now me and Sam Plank go back years to when
Robateux's was the place to be seen and Sam was the number 1 nightclub DJ and I was....... somewhere near the bottom of the pile! Sam went onto BBC Radio Stoke and then onto Signal2 and i drifted off into obscurity and a bit of Sports Commentary and a wee bit of News.
Sam's programme was axed by Signal and a huge public outcry happened, why, simply because Sam and his wife Verity are ours as sure as Wedgewood, Doulton's and Oatcakes!
Sam has recently fought a fight bigger than keeping a radio show on air, he has successfully battled cancer and the great news is that he is back looking good and sounding great!
Focal Radio which can be found on DAB and the Internet will commence broadcasting on 5th November and it will hit the airwaves with a bang!
Focal will be what Sam & Verity have always been LOCAL. Great music, from great presenters, news and sport with a good smattering of the "Plank" thrown in.You never know you may here me occasionally as well!
What I want you our followers to do is tell everyone you know that Sam's Back and where you can find him!
Focal is the only Radio Station we will work with and that's because they want what we want, the local voice to be heard!
Click here to visit the Focal Radio Website, that's right do it now!

YOU CAN'T KEEP A "GOOD" MAN DOWN - OR OFF A PLANE!

2008-10-22T13:01:00.004+01:00
It would seem that you can not keep the Darling of the Trentham area Roger Ibbs (pictured) out of the news! Yesterday Councillor Peter Kent Baguley told the followers of pitsnpots that it was Mr Ibbs who signed off on the deal to sell the council's 36% share in the Brittania Stadium to Stoke City FC for £4.5million and allowed them to repay over 3 years INTEREST FREE! Now it seems he is in the news again!
BNP Leader Alby Walker has hit out after Mr Ibbs was sent to Zagreb for a 5 day health conference in place of Jean Bowers who is the portfolio holder for health.
Mrs Bowers was unable to go to Croatia for family reasons and asked Mr Ibbs (portfolio holder for children's services) to go in her place. This outraged Alby Walker who felt that as Chairman of the council's Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee he should have gone instead of Mr Ibbs! He also was not happy that he was only told about the trip on Monday of this week.
Mr Walker said "Councillor Bowers pulled out and asked Councillor Ibbs to go.
"But when Jean Bowers pulled out of a presentation three weeks ago, I was called at the last minute to stand in for her.

"So, when there's a job to be done, I'm asked to help, but when it's a nice trip somewhere, I'm not.

"Why Roger Ibbs was asked to go, I do not know.

"As councillors, we find most of our information out from reading The Sentinel and that is appalling."
Mrs Bowers defended her decision to send Mr Ibbs by saying that it "Was by no means political" and that she had "asked the council officers to draw up a protocol should a similar situation arise in the future"
This to me highlights how undemocratic the mayoral system is. It seems only right that Alby Walker should have gone to this conference in his capacity but because he is not a part of the EMB he was totally overlooked.
This backs up my case that it is pointless having 60 elected representatives on our council when anything of any importance is decided between the Elected Mayor and his band of Merrymen/woman!
Read the Sentinel article by clicking here