OFF TOPIC - LOCAL POLITICS - You Have Been Warned!

[Gnasher]

okay guys, interesting debate and interesting to see an alternative view point, but the thread is showing signs of getting personal, so let's play nicely!

What's the problem? A perfectly reaonable debate about someone who has chosen to put themselves in the public spotlight. Not reading the election rules is, as stated, sheer stupidity.

[clayton]

thats what was said when were passing comment

[Gnasher]

No, we got personal towards each other. Unless your surname is Plumb?

[clayton]

it could be

[Gnasher]

Clayton, with evasive answers like that and others in this thread, if you're not a politician then you should be Until you come clean and state your involvement, I can only judge you on your defense of an MBI ex-candidate and attacks on Tory & Labour.

[clayton]

i have no involvment I just think the parish /town council is a good idea

[Curly]

i have no involvment I just think the parish /town council is a good idea

What?
Parish on the left, and town council on the right?
Where will you play Fester?

[Jumping Jack Flash38]

After the elction for The Town Council it is essential that we have a decent person as Mayor-
prefreable situation as oppose to a Chair--I passionately l believe it should be Councillor Evelyn Archer-a Champion of the people of Morercambe as well as the people of Poulton where she works exceptionaly hard. She is loved and popular within Poulton and I have not heard a bad thing said about her. I will be nominating her for an O.B.E in light of her work on The Winter Gardens as well as enabling the people of Morecambe a local voice. It is clear that the M.B.I will take all the seats judging by thier opposition. I have had positive feedback on The Town Council while out Canvasing for my mate.

[Gnasher]

She is loved and popular within Poulton and I have not heard a bad thing said about her

Come and talk to me then

I'd vote for Lady Archer to be Mayor and as part of the ceremony I think they should be made to advertise the beautiful features of the bay by going for a swim, with their mayoral chain still around their neck. That'd sort one major problem out

I can feel a facebook group coming on .....

[Gnasher]

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group ... 518&ref=nf

According to a letter in the Visitor, spoiled ballot papers still have to be recorded. What would happen if the majority wrote "No To Morecambe Council" across them

[bigreddog]

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=95365752518&ref=nf

According to a letter in the Visitor, spoiled ballot papers still have to be recorded. What would happen if the majority wrote "No To Morecambe Council" across them

Spoiled papers are recorded in what's known as the verification process. They basically count the number of ballots and check them against the number of people who've voted. then the spoiled ballots are put to one side while they count the rest. The number of the spoiled ones will be published on the returning officer's report but it wont say what comments were on them. I'm sure some of us who'll be there will be more than willing to keep an eye out for you though.

From my own point of view ( and of course I would say this wouldn't I given that I'm a candidate) the only thing that ever results from people opting out, even if you do cast a "none of the above" vote, is that the very people that you hoped wouldn't get in to office do and they take no notice anyway. I agree that the process that has led to this thing existing has been spurious at best, and that local people are being asked (rather told) to pay more tax as a result, but do you really think that the people who got us here are going to care once Mrs Archer (as foretold by jumpin jack flash) is wearing the mayoral chain that you paid for?

[Gnasher]

What if some candidates were getting elected just to work to dismantle it? They'd have my vote, I just wish I still lived in Torrisholme

[bigreddog]

I'd like to see all quango's dismantled and a system of simple single tier local government with total accountability and no more confusion of who is and isn't responsible for what.

I'll find out for you if there is a process in the local government act to scrap a parish council once it's set up and get bac to you. but as sure as eggs is eggs, if there is one i will be expensive.

In the meantime I've got leaflets to deliver and people to listen to in Heysham North. Or I could just get on with falsifying expenses claims like everybody else.

[Plain Peter]

Is this thread just deflecting attention from a far more interesting thread?

some people would suggest that there would be a barely started lump of rising concrete on the Central Prom intended for purchase by young professionals.
This 3-D monster would have put the final nail in it.
When would it have been completed?
Who'd have purchased what would only have turned out to be one-bedroomed flats?
Buy-to-Let Landlords?
Where are these people?
Is that really the vision for Morecambe?

[Keith]

Edited post from Peter... please remember to not make this personal.

I watched Question Time on BBC iPlayer this evening.
I saw Margaret Becket make herself look even more stupid than I had previously thought she was.
I thought Menzies Campbell didn't cover himself in glory either.
That Theresa May would come out best of the elected politicians on display chilled me to the bone.

But as the final credits rolled up the screen, i wondered, of the six people on the stage, who earned the most and who earned the least? Even with interesting expenses claims going in my guess would be...

1. The guy from McDonalds
2. The guy from the Telegraph
3. The lady from the Labour party
4. The bloke from the BBC
5. The lady from the Tory party
6. The guy from the Lib Dems.

Hmm... Perhaps the 'only monkeys work for peanuts' idea works all the way up?



...and all the way down?

If MBI success is still raising money for a theatre that has been closed for thirty years... perhaps a professional council would be a better idea?

[Plain Peter]

v.interesting Keith. What's it got to do with Morecambe?

How come I was being being personal?
I only want to join in on a healthy debate.
I'm only referring to the main player on this thread, and to his vision of the Central Promenade.
Why do you jump in, when Gnasher is well capable of defending his own corner?

[Gnasher]

If MBI success is still raising money for a theatre that has been closed for thirty years... perhaps a professional council would be a better idea?

In a town like ours where we do rely on tourists, we need things to encourage them to come. OK, we've got some statues, nice views and concrete walks but they only keep peoples attention for a few hours. What is there to bring them back tomorrow? The purpose of whoever is running our town is to give people something to come back for. That means raising money to fund it and as Keith says, the leader of the MBI has done no more than soak up £180K of our money into a closed theatre.

I still think that can be done within the powers of Lancaster City Council.

[Keith]

I'm only referring to the main player on this thread...

And you could have made the point just as well without referring "to the main player on this thread" as demonstrated by the slight change made that did not detract from the point...

Why do you jump in, when Gnasher is well capable of defending his own corner?

Perhaps because you and Gnasher have history? Perhaps because Gnasher has already been warned in this thread, not to make it personal? Perhaps because you are right, it is a healthy debate and experience shows how quickly "healthy debate" deteriorates in to a slanging match when individuals are 'named'?

Perhaps any or all of those reasons?

As for what has it to do with Morecambe? Well what has any of this to do with Morecambe Football Club? It's off topic anyway so has no focus to keep to.

[Gnasher]

Queen Archer in the Visitor:

She said the total amount of money raised through an extra charge on council tax bills will be £220,500.
This, Coun Archer said, would be spent on improving the town.

That's nice to hear. Hang on a minute, she's not finished yet ...

She said it would also pay to appoint a new town clerk, who would be asked to attain 'quality status' for Morecambe Town Council, and would also be spent on a new office for the Morecambe Town Council, expected to be in the town centre.

Let's be cautious and say the cost of a town clerk is £50K per year (for those unaware of the cost of employing someone, the actual cost is NOT their salary. A few things to add include pension, employer NI contributions, expenses and their share of the office costs). So we've alread lost a quarter of the money.

New office? What's wrong with a desk in Morecambe Town Hall?

I'm adding rip-off to my council dictionary which already includes lies and liars

1st lady Archer herself cost us £7,916.14 in the government year 2007/08.

[Gnasher]

Coalition council?

DSC08081_1.jpg

[Gnasher]

DSC08090.jpg

[Posh]

1. The guy from McDonalds
2. The guy from the Telegraph
3. The lady from the Labour party
4. The bloke from the BBC
5. The lady from the Tory party
6. The guy from the Lib Dems.

I'd guess you weren't far off Keith.

1. Steve Easterbrook, Chief Executive McDonalds - guess £800K-£900K (given UK t/o of £1.9 billion it can't be far off that)
http://www.makeupyourownmind.co.uk/ques ... #question1

2. David Dimbleby - £300,000 (this was the figure in 2000 probably more like £400K now)Source: http://www.newstatesman.com/200005220006 NB: Sold newspaper group he ran whilst working for BBC for £12 million.

3. Ben Brogan - n/a but guess £300,000 - Boris Johnson was paid £250K a year for column / Paul Dacre editor of the Daily Mail gets £900K

4. Margaret Beckett - £104,500 Source: The Guardian

5. Sir Menzies Campbell - £80,791 (MPs salary plus directorship of Scottish American Investment Company) http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/menzie ... orth_east5.

6. Theresa May - £63,291 Source: www.parliament.gov.uk

Interestingly George Foulkes the former MP asked a BBC news presenter (a News 24 one who works funny hours I'd never heard of) what her salary was and she said £92,000 a year. So nearly as much as cabinet minister.

[bigreddog]

DSC08090.jpg

Heard the one about the councillor who said that the new town council wouldn't cost anything? Wha'hey!!!

Unfortunately it's no joke

[Jumping Jack Flash38]

It is good to see such good partnership between Coun Evelyn Archer and our M.P Geraldine Smith. We have seen them working well together within the public spotlight. Gerladine offten states thats she has seen more positive results from the currant administration than any of the Labour administrations. Coun Archer is devoted to bringing Morecambe back to its glory days and she can only do this if the M.P is supported by the Council.

I am aware that Geraldine believes that Independents should have a voice within Local Democracy as she said to my close friend Coun John Barnes when he was elected.

I think it is time we go behind Coun Archer as a community and curb this silly political back stabbing.

[Jumping Jack Flash38]

One thing in Geraldines favour is that she acts from the bottom of her heart. I wish we had 1000 more Geraldines and Evelyns within the political arena.