We here at pitnspots want the political parties to get involved in our blog. We want all the parties to put up a candidate to become a regular contributor to our site and write an article to be posted on the blog. This would be the ideal opportunity to shout about their parties achievements, what they have done for the good of our city, what they are planning to do in the future. It would also be a great vehicle to get their party policies over to the people who take an interest in local politics. It would also provide a platform for each party to have their say about an opposition parties policies and performance.It's what i think politics in this city needs. There is a distinct lack of information to help the electorate make up their minds on which party is most representative of their views.
Sometimes the silence from our elected representatives is deafening! For instance I have no idea what the Libdems vision is for our city or their preferred system of governance, the same could be said of the Tories and if I'm honest here the one thing the coalition has done for this city is to dilute the traditional party debate!
Whilst the current cabinet system might be the holy grail for Mark Meredith it just deprives the cities electorate of the party voice.
I want the Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, BNP and/or City Independent Parties to put forward a candidate to write on behalf of their branch/party. If I've missed anyone out let me know. What do our posters and followers think of this idea? Is the absence of individual parties voices the reason that the far right BNP have become more popular. What is your understanding of each of the parties policies? Which is the most effective party locally? Who do you think each parties contributors should be?.......................... Over to you!
25 comments:
This is an excellent idea! Cut out all that peripheral cobblers and get down to brass tacks. If you base this on policy, it should be very enlightening!
Tories - Roger Ibbs
Labour - Joy Garner
Lib Dems - no one
Independants - Roger Ibbs
Potteries All - Peter K Bagguley
Freemasons - Geoff Knight
Loony Party - Craig Pond
Alliance Party- Roger Ibbs
Every Party - Andrew Wragg
Conservatives - Mark Meredith
Tunstall bypass- Ian Norris
Fraud Squad - Inspector Jones
Offenders party- Lee Wanger
(unavailable every
Friday morning 10- 11am)
BNP - Dr. Mengele
I remember attending a Full Council Meeting, re school organisation, a few years ago, and every single Councillor could freely voice an opinion. They did not have to be wary of not going with the vote, if they did not agree, they said so. I feel that under the current Mayoral System, this right has been taken away from them.
It would be great for us the general public, to hear what each individual party plans for the City.
I agree Nita, lets get down to debating what this city needs and whose Ideas make sense.
Hopefully common sense will prevail, and lets keep it to policies, not slanging matches.
Lets go further and debate, Law and Order, crime, race crime,pensioners,council tax, The Councillors, ect, ect.
Terry, the idea is that we get a party representative of each and let them tell us what the have don or our going to do for our city and to inform us of their national party policies so we can get back to hearing the party voice which i think is sadly missing in this city because of the coalition.
Terry, do you fancy the BNP role? I don't think the joker is far wrong well the serious ones anyway!
Personally I would find this very interesting, especially as I'm a floating voter.
Also I wouldn't rule out voting different ways at different elections, e.g. local, mayor (if applicable), general and european.
I don't think it's inconsistent as the policies can apply in different ways and there are different priorities. Local is fairly straightforward for me because in Trentham the only real choice is city independent or tory, the city independents are very supportive of our issues and voting tory is a no go while Ibbs is in charge. (There are labour and libdem options if you want, but why would you.) The other elections would I think be a good deal more difficult.
We need people from this site really. So labour - Gary Elsby. Bnp - I know we've got Terry Cope but (no offence Terry) I think I'd quite like to see what Craig Pond has to say once it's distilled out of the frustrations. I expect I would profoundly disagree with some of it, but I'd still like to see it and debate it. Tory - I don't think Shaun Bennett has contributed to pitsnpots (but I don't read all of it so not sure) but that's who I'd like to see. He's contributed to Sentinel site and said a fair few things I agree with actually. But as I say, impossible to vote tory locally at present and national policies look pretty crap. Libdem - well who are they anyway? City independents - well they aren't a party as such but are a group rather than being unaligned so it might be good to learn more about how they operate. Monster raving loonies - is there anyone we could get? I'm afraid I may have to seriously consider them at the next general election.
Speaking of debate - anyone else applied to go in bbc question time audience next week?
Nicky,
I've applied but not heard anything, have you?
Nicky,
By the way i'm trying to contact Shaun Bennett so if you know his contact details email them to us. we aren't far off getting the others, there has been a good response, Parties are willing and that's a good thing!
Come 2010, that big eared idiot squatting in number 10 will be left with no place to hide, as a general election will be due, and I was interested to read some of Nicky's comments about the parties.
There are two decisions that must be made if Britain is to be
dragged back from the edge of the precipice it now finds itself on.
The problem is, none of the three "main" parties will do what is required. On the contrary, all three have issued statementsd to the effect of exactly the opposite of what we need!
And what we need is to withdraw from the EU, and close our borders to anymore immigration.
The EU at present, makes over 80%
of laws and decisions concerning
Great Britain. If we are to make inroads into the damage that the Tories and Labour have inflicted on this country over the last 40 years or so, we have to take back our sovereignty from these foreign, unelected crooks of the EU. We cannot go forward until we control our own destiny, and we cannot control our own destiny until we withdraw from the EU.
Immigration is the second thing we must gain control over! This
insane "open door" policy that has run for the last decade, has changed our communities, our culture, our very identity.This
ceaseless influx has seen the indigenous population pushed to the back of the queue for housing,
NHS treatment, benefits, eduaction,
but has seen them pushed to the
front of the queue for providing the finances for all this. White,
middle class families have been particularly hard hit by incessant
taxraising by this government, but of course, pointing this out makes me a racist. No doubt, as will the next point. Why is it there is always room for one more immigrant,
but the indigenous population always suffer for it? They can afford to give houses and benefits to those newly arrived in this country, but the care homes are closing, education is having to be privatised, but this rotten government can find £825 million in
aid for India, and have just promised Africa £7.5 billion over the next 10 years!!
The LibLabCon are now more or less the same, and the parties that used to fight over clear policy differences now argue about technicalities, with all three refusing to stop immigration, to withdraw from the EU, to inwardly invest in the restructuring of the British manufacturing base, of our need to withdraw from the global capitalism that has wreaked havoc
all over the globe, and isn't finished yet, and they have refused to put the indigenous people of these islands first.
This crappy behaviour is reflected in our local politics, and very much to the same degree as it is nationally. The LibLabCon have proved time and again that they cannot be trusted to run this city with best interests of the native people at heart.
One other point about localk politics that drives me mad; how can you be an independent and part of a group at the same time??
Surely to God that's a contradiction in terms.
Tony, it would be impossible for me to speak on behalf of the Labour Party in this City, simply because I would only (and accurately) be speaking for the majority membership.
I would not be speaking for (and have no wish, or desire to be associated with) Labour Councillors running an agenda that I and the majority membership do NOT recognise.
The elected Mayor will face the referendum based soley upon his vision only.
The Labour Group of Councillors are in a coalition with the Conservatives and Independents (Tories)and run this City with virtually NO support from the majority membership of the Labour Party.
Stoke Central is 100% AGAINST the coalition
The City Party (delegates from all three CLPs)voted 70% AGAINST the coalition.
Labour Councillors ignore the (majority view)and continue with this coalition.
The General population do appear to understand this position and the BNP captalise this by sweeping statements regarding 'the Labour Party'.
This is why Labour loses seats and the BNP gains seats.
The Governance Commission has accepted this view.
I stand by my view that I speak for the majority view of this Local Labour Party, I do write motions (accepted) to our ational conference and I have written a piece(accepte and only one in this City) for the National Policy of the Labour Party which will be used to fight the 2010 General Electon.
The BNP think and call me mental
(a voice or two in my head tells me to ignore them).
I look forward to the outcome of the Mayoral referendum.
I am now gagged from saying anything else.
Gary
Gary, if you only speak for the Majority of Labour loonies, why not vote out the minority you are unhappy with?
If the Labour councillors don't have the support of the majority, who the hell voted them back in at the last election??
The general population understand that Labour are not really to blame for the downfall of this city, it's just rumours spread by those nasty people, the BNP???
You speak for the majority of the local Labour party? Really?
And just when were you voted into that position?
You have written motions for that bunch of lunatics that make up the Labour party. When are you going to realise that the Labour party is dead, killed by an explosion in
the incompetence it has always been fatally flawed with, and you can have as many motions as you like, but the Labour party is history?
I wrote the other day that you are a delusional tosser. Thank you for proving me right.
Craig, we get the picture you don't like foreigners!
However, if we dispense with such nonsense we can tackle your objections to all things Democratic.
The EU was formed because a Nazi paranoid Jew hater caused Europe and the wider world to kill itself.
The very idea of the EU is to share resources via Democracy and Democratic means without the need of conflict.
To be a member of the EU, you must be a Democracy and not have the death penalty.You must also inherit a human right programme based upon equality (man, woman, black or white-no discrimination).
The open door policy you deride needs careful consideration.
All EU countries are entitled to shut this door for seven years but after those seven years, your doors must open.
You deride Labour for opening them on day one.
Of course, route one is for the open door Country BUT we all know what willhappen when the rest of Europe folows suit (apart from the death of the BNP).
Craig calls everyone a crook in politics, but miraculously, the BNP are all decent genuine upstanding ladies and gentlemen concerned with my welfare.I doubt I could change his mind, but I disagree with his view. I find most people rather decent in politics but I detest the desire to discriminate against anyone (including black people).
I find Craig's further passion to remove Britain from globalisation to be quite humourous. We are a trading Nation and therefore the case closes.
Craig only finds problems and it seems, the bigger the catastrophe, the better.
The banking crisis has thrown up terrible things but Labour's nationalisation goes some way to solving the problem. Craig believes that only the BNP can resolve the issue and that is by chucking out immigrants.
The EU is leaning towards a blanket £77,000 guarantee for all banks across Europe, thus removing the unfair Irish total guarantee (unfair unless we all do it).
I doubt the either Craig, Terry, Alby or Coleman (no chance)can answer this appraisal ofeither Europe, Labour or a decent way of approaching a problem.
Gary
Craig, I really do wish you'd stop abusing people, it doesn't help your case at all.
The Labour Party selects candidates each year to fight local elections. Labour is duty bound to field a candidate in every election, even if we disagree with that election.To be accepted onto the panel of candidates they have to pass all interviews and beat all other contenders.
If Tunstall branch LP chooses candidate X, who am I in Abbey Green to disagree? Different branch, different Constituency.
Those candidates go into an election and good luck to them.
The Labour membership (delegates to the City Party) form an election manifesto with Councillors and fight that election.(we currently disagree with policy and took no part in the 2008 manifesto, it was entirely the Labour Group that formed it).
I could only stop a potential candidate if I knew he/she was breaking rules of candidacy. This happened recently and one person was denied the role to stand.
Every Labour Councillor at present is legally entitled to be there and I fully support their right to be there.
Gary
Well, I've looked at what you have to say Gary and must admit, I don't know where to start. I've never seen so much rubbish printed in one one place since I last read the Labour manifesto!
I only touched on Europe in my previous post, but you can have both barrels if you want!
It was Edward Heath(Tory) that first dragged us into Europe, and he did so by telling everyone that we were joining a common market, a way of doing international business
wothout the usual redtape. That was 1973 I think.
Now we find ourselves faced with the destructiveness of the Lisbon treaty, nothing more than a rehashed EU constitution that has brought us to this;
1)Our right to veto has been lost in over 60 areas. From employment law to criminal law, we will be outvoted and made to adopt EU laws that we do not want. Losing the veto on energy alone will cost us £6 billion.
2) Britain becomes weaker in Europe. Our power of veto is cut by 30%, and will allow in a raft of laws and regulations we do not
want!
3) An EU president!! Sarkozy, the
imbecilic French president backs
Blair as Europes first President!
4) The blandly named, "Structured
cooperation group" is ambitiously
working towards a single, EU army!
5) The ECJ (european court of justice) gets powers over UK Home Affairs that even these Labour idiots realised, "would raise
fundamental issues relating to national sovereignty."
6) The Charter of Fundamental Rights is made legally binding, so the ECJ will be able to rule on
EVERY ASPECT of British law!
7) EU powers over public services entails providing the EU with new powers on health and education, on
how much can be spent on public services, and how these public services should be run!
8)In the future, the EU will be able to gain more powers over us, without the need for any new treaties! The layout of the Lisbon treaty makes it clear that our right to veto can be gradually abolished in new areas without a new treaty, and without the government having to consult with parliament. The single biggest effect of this is in reducing the accountability of the EU even further!!
Gordon Brown said,
"The manifesto is what we put to the public. We've got to honour that manifesto. This is an issue of trust for me, with the electorate."
The Labour manifesto at the last election said,
"We will put it to the British people in a referendum."
Like I keep saying, Labour are liars, cheats, and incompetents,
only interested in lining their own pockets and increasing their personal kudos. And the likes of Gary Elsby lie and twist things about, but it is all to no avail.
The people are finally onto these
"Westminster saddlebacks", politicians that have taken more from the public purse, the less they do.
Without doubt, our withdrawal from the EU is the key to Britains
recovery, but the only party saying they will do this, are the BNP.
Tony,
I haven't heard from question time yet but when I did the online form I seem to remember it said we'll only get a few days notice if we are in and just won't hear if we are not. As far as I know a fair few TAG people have applied.
Sorry, afraid I haven't got Shaun Bennett's contact info. It may have been on his election leaflet from the last local election but once I realised there was nothing about Trentham High or any support for it on there (because Ibbs wouldn't let him and he wouldn't have been allowed to be the candidate if he had insisted)it went straight in the paper recycling.
Craig, if that was both barrels, I have to ask of what, a pea shooter?
I'm too young and even wiser to accept anything a Conservative Party has to offer anymore and therfore i cry innocence.
Heath may have offered a EEC marketplace, but the treaty of Rome(1953?) clearly calls for a European Union (EU) and a common currency. So read the BIG print before you vote.
You appear to dislike anything EU on just about the same level as immigrants, so I think the bottom line here is that you don't like anything that isn't British and even then, it has to be white.
You've just wiped out my whole family, by the way but no hard feelings.
You accuse me of 'twisting things' and being of a Labour lying party. Wrong, Craig for I am totally loyal to the EU and accuse my own party of being half hearted (they sign up to everything the EU puts before them).
There is no constitution, Craig and the issue therefore, does not require a referendum on something so blatantly obviously beneficial to this Country,that even you should see the benefit.
The Tories (Cameron) has just said that they will offer a referendum if the win the next General Election. Good for them. Can't wait, personally.They will not win a GE, Craig and the reason is that their whole ethos of life has just gone bankrupt and yours truly party has just bailed the world out! Beleive me, the Tories will cease to exist as of now.
Your vetoing line is contemptible. A veto is an unfair advantage that creates unbalance and qualified majority voting will rise further.
You see Craig, take away your abuse, take away, your antagonism for a thousand years of immigration and take away your insistence of supporting a stupid unnecessary racist party, and I think you may make a good politician.
Now do you realise why Griffin, Darby, Coleman and Walker run scared of Gary? I am the subject of many of their discussions and blogs.I am honoured.
I've been on QT before.
They will call by telephone (they did me) and talk to see if you are a nut.
When I arrived, 6pm, they took me and three other in first(very front row/middle):-)
The cameras were set up around us and Dimbleby and the Editorial team wanted to know our faces.
I'll leave it up to you to decide why this was, but the rest of the audience came in 20 minutes later.
The recording finishes around 8pm but they ask you to stay in case the recording is flawed. If its OK, then it's over.
Great fun, but it will be over in a flash. So get your hand up quick and don't be scared to say your piece (no one's looking).
However, don't say that you died once and you've come back to life to have a go at the mayor or Ibbs or Cameron or Labour, because you will look stupid.
Take out the 'I died once' bit.
Believe me, David Dimbleby explained this to us beforehand for very good reason.
Gary, what the hell are you talking about, personel phone calls, camera's, and Dimbelby.
Are you saying you have a personal number to the British Bias Corperation.
Keep taking the tablets mate, and double the dose, as they don't seem to be working.
Labours leader the potteries?
You rant on about the BNP, but have not got a clue what your beloved leader Brine is up to.
This corrupt, self serving bunch of hypocrites have put the country in the gutter.
Our pensioners are the worst paid in your great EU, gun and knife crime has esculated out of control,Brine goes around the world giving billions of pounds of our money away, immigration is still running far too high, while Labours still got the door wide open.
The "unelected Prime Minister" as been in Downing Street for the last 11 years being feted as a magician, when the only thing he's made dissappear is our wealth, while making the people of this country poorer.
Now now Anonymous, show a little charity, he is afterall,
mentally unfortunate.
You missed one from your list the joker.
Elect me first then I'll tell you which party I'm joining - Ted Owen
Ho! Ho!
Ted Owen a.k.a. The Poison Dwarf
Been in more parties than I've 'ad hot dinners!
Craig, who am I to enter the mind of the BNP supporter?
I only speak the truth. What you make of that truth, is entirely up to you.
There is no such thing as an 'unelected Prime Minister'.
Gordon Brown is leader and that leader becomes PM.
You never get the opportunity to vote for a Prime Minister, Craig, but I think you write of Presidents of other Countries.
Get your mind out of La La land and talk proper politics of which you dare us to debate.
In the process, please don't abuse me. I am of the Labour Party and I bring the fight to your doorstep.It's what you wanted, wasn't it?
The Joker
Even Andrew Wragg has along way to go before beating ex-cllr Ted Owen to the Every Party tag !!
Craig
If I wanted to re-read all the BNP policies I would go on the BNP site. Its clearer there, without your rudeness.
But still foul and offensive.
Gary
Hardly any members of any political party actually attend meetings, so how do you know, really KNOw who's thoughts you are passing on ?
Its ashame you did not gag yourself at the begining of your rant, I mean post !
St George, if it's clearer there,
bugger off!
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