COSTA DEL EDENSOR GETS NASTY IN THE BUNKER!

'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)

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!

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!

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!

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!

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?

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!

'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

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?

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

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!

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)

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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!

Take a look here

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

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