With local elections looming large in the not to distant future all the wannabe Councillors are busy sharpening their axes in preparation for the forthcoming battle. Of course the two main parties have well oiled machines ready to spring into action at the slightest hint of an election and make no pretense at being 'non political' ( apart from certain Tories) however Residents groups of one kind or another are a different matter. They all pretend to be 'Independent' but the reality is that they are as political as a proper party. They usually campaign on the same issues with the same solutions and if elected immediately form themselves into a Group with a Leader, I cannot believe that these people are so naive that they don't realise that they have then formed a Political Party.
I assume that Tom King and Gerry O'Donnell and others have aspirations in that direction.
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23 comments:
The elections are on Thursday 3rd May 2007. With any luck, they'll be no need for axes...
Perhaps Cllr Green will post his correspondence from the Council. Its been argued from some to be threats and from others advice. Perhaps he will post the lot and let the people decide which it is. Since we've been told whats going on, it cant hurt him to publish it all.
Which "certain Tories" are you refering to? Do you not think there are some Labour supporters who have been political in a similar fashion? The problem with the whole trying not to be political thing is that politics is all around us whether we want it or not. You simply cant avoid it. I find it dissappointing that those who are arguing about what can be done to make Thanet better get slapped down for being "political" when thats the whole point...politicians run the Council which make many of the major decisions. To argue for less politics doesnt quite work.
'Certain Tories' well there is Bill Hayton for starters who accused Clive Hart of being political,
and you probably wont remember the names of people who got elected to TDC as 'Independants '
only to cross the floor to sit as Tories as soon as they took their seats.
Bill Leadbetter, Paul Coleman, Margaret Mortlock, to name but three, various other Tory Councillors have turned up at various times under different guises but have immediatly shown where their sympathies lie by toadying up to the Tory Leadership.
There is no doubt in my mind that the current crop of 'Independants' will be any different.
"Perhaps Cllr Green will post his correspondence from the Council. Its been argued from some to be threats and from others advice. Perhaps he will post the lot and let the people decide which it is. Since we've been told whats going on, it cant hurt him to publish it all."
that of course is a matter for Cllr Green, I have no doubt he will take advice before doing anything like that.
Cllrs Pickering and Emes have both regularly voted with Labour. In fact I dont recall a time when they havent voted with Labour.
You clearly know a lot more about local politics than the average Thanetarian, including knowing about Council procedure. I wonder, how much experience of Council do you have?
If more people took an interest in local affairs we would not have to suffer the awful crew we currently have.
I will probably never agree with your politics but I will give you credit for being interested, its a shame that more people of your age done take an interest as they are the future Councillors.
Although God help us all if the individual in the story above ever took an interest, compulsary burgers and tattoos on the rates!!
Nothing wrong with a good burger. As for tattoos, Id certainly not get one, but if people want them, its their bodies.
Mr Maskell, I agree with you that politics is an all-pervading activity. The point here is that some "independent" candidates stand for election and argue that they are there simply to promote the interests of their area and are not "political". Firstly, that is untrue, as you are conceding. Secondly, a quick study across a range of Authorities will show that most candidates who badge themselves "Independents", "Ratepayers" or "Residents Association Members" soon take the Tory Whip or at least vote with the Party on most issues. It is fact, not argument.
Your headline story isnt really news...It was in the Gazette many months ago. His political affiliation I dont think has changed, contrary to your article. If it had, wouldnt it be in the Council minutes?
As for Independents, Cllr Pickering is an Independent and she votes with Labour. Im sure she has her reasons but I dont recall her voting in favour of the Tories.
James said " His political affiliation I dont think has changed, contrary to your article. If it had, wouldnt it be in the Council minutes?"
That surely is the point, he is now sitting as an Independant but is still a paid up member of the Conservative party. He was not elected as Independant so should he not now resign and stand as one?
If you are a paid up member of the Conservative Party, you are a Conservative. Cllr Cohen resigned as Chairman of the NTCA but he didnt resign the whip. Theres a big difference. If Cohen resigned the whip, then he'd be an Independent. But he didnt...
What evidence does Observer have that Cllr Jack Cohen is an Independent Councillor?
Maybe the fact that he now apparently sits with 'The Others' and has been removed from his Committee also the fact that he was apparently wanting to attack one of his co-Councillors, Roger Latchford, could have something to do with it.
Or are the tories in so much disarray that they allow this kind of thing?
Cllr Jack Cohen, as I understand it, has been busy doing other non-political things. He could have requested to be removed from the Committee so that he would have more time to put towards that. Hes also not one of the youngest Councillors there and he may wish to cut off the workload a bit, which is perfectly justified.
As for sitting with "The Others", the issue of space does mean on occassions that the third bench back on the left side (which Im guessing is what you are refering to) has Tory Councillors. There are 56 Councillors... Its not a rare occurence that Conservative Councillors sit on the same bench as the Lib Dem and Independent Cllr.
Its hardly damning evidence is it?
So if he is still a member of the Tory group why then was he apparently sitting as far away as possible from them with an Independant and Liberal member between him and his colleagues?
As I understand it all Councillors have seats allocated to them in the Council Chamber to ensure that all Members of groups are seated together, that I assume is why there are nameplates in front of them.
There are sections set for each Party, thats for sure, but the Tory Group is so large that some Cllrs have to sit that far back. Where else can they go? Its really not unusual for a Tory to have to sit on the furthest bench back on the left side. It happens very often. Its a matter of space.
OK James, I will try and explain it. As I understand Jack Cohen has been removed from his Committee, that only happens when a member leaves a Group and that Group do not want that member representing them on that Committee as they are no longer a member of said Group.
IF he is still a member of the Tory group he should have been seated next to Simon Brown with the other Tory members he was I understand sat at the end of the bench as far away from other Tory members as possible. Seats are allocated to members of the Council and Councillors do not just wander in and sit down wherever their fancy takes them.
Lets face it,,you are on a loser here !!!
I wonder, how did you observe this? How did you find out that Cllr Jack Cohen quit the Tory Party and withdrew to the Independents? Lets see the evidence. If Im wrong, Ill happily take it back.
As Ive said before, there are sections of the Chamber designated for each Group. Ive been to Council meetings for over 2 years now and I have seen a number of Councillors sitting on the furthest bench to the left without there being any controversial political issues relating to them. The signs saying who each Councillor is can be moved depending on where the Councillors are sitting. Its really not unusual for a Conservative Councillor to sit on the furthest bench to the left. Honest...
Again I ask, how did you observe it?
I would suggest that you ask your mentor Chris Wells the procedure for seating members in the Council chamber,
As you well know, the issue isnt the seating plan. The issue is your most recent post about Cllr Jack Cohen. If you are going to post stuff like that, I (and I think your readership) would like to know your sources. How do you know that Cllr Jack Cohen has quit the Conservative Party and is now an Independent TDC Councillor?
Your last question, Mr Maskell, implies that Mr Cohen HAS quit the Tory Party and is now an Independent. A simple question to YOU - has he?
It depends how you ask that question, OVIT. Im asking Observer to justify his remarks from further up the page. If Observer is making this up, as I suspect s/he is, then Id like to see Observer admit to it or to remove the comments. If not Observer can show the evidence behind these claims and Ill back down.
How does Observer know that Cllr Jack Cohen has quit the Conservative Party and is now an Independent Councillor? The only evidence Observer has given is the fact he was sitting on the back row in the left side of the Council Chamber earlier this week, which hardly backs up the conclusion to which Observer has made.
Just realised I actually didnt answer the question...I dont know if he has. That said, Im not the one making unsubstantiated claims. I have no reason to think he has.
COOO-EEEEE
James,,,where are you ?
I assume that everyone has read todays 'newspaper', page two,,,
remember you read it on this Blog first on the 20th September,,
you also read the story on page 9 about the Theatre Royal here first, nearly three weeks ago,,
come on IOT Times/ Gazette,,,,,keep up.
Yes, I saw it. I was wrong about Cllr Cohen. We're all human, even us political types...
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