| Archive for - Abertillery Online Discussion Forum - Croeso i fforwm Abertyleri ar y we For the old board click here |
| Carolyn |
Labour suffers big valley defeats
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7378928.stm The times they are a changing |
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| Carolyn |
County Borough Council Election Results 2008
http://www.blaenau-gwent.gov.uk/11079.asp |
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| martyn142 |
I see Rocky got voted in - brilliant! That should shake things up a bit! 
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| Carolyn |
I cannot say I am suprised as I did read his flyer, not being in that ward I did not see any others to have made a comparison but thought it very interesting, a brilliant and no nonsense approach. Should liven things up as you say | ||||||
| Morris Minor |
One or two non affiliated elected, interesting! | ||||||
| somersetsam |
ROCKYWorth supporting because he will only accept out of pocket expenses and intends to be non aligned to any group. However, I have problems with my Tidy Trev box but I have no means of contacting Councillor Rock because he's not issued any contact details.
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| Tchambuli9 |
RockyI will bet him his out of pocket expenses that he won't remain non-aligned for long.
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| Carolyn |
I am told that he sent out leaflets thanking people for their vote maybe his contact details are on there, it will take time for them all to settle in and get their various council details uploaded to the council web site and no doubt they are busy with meetings in regard to the proposed coalition. The bank holiday will also no doubt delay things a little | ||||||
| somersetsam |
RockyI have seen his Thankyou note however there are no contact details.I certainly hope that he is not in a coalition meeting. He promised us that he would not join ANY group. Don't let me loose faith already. 
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| Carolyn |
I would imagine that he would have to attend any council meetings whether he votes for it or not. They could be thrashing it out for days I noticed that some other LA's were thrashing it out on the night of count
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| Tchambuli9 |
RockyThere are no Council meetings until 22nd May. Only Groups meeting in secret and a Group is a Group whether you want to call it a Party or a Pub crawl
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| Carolyn |
You can contact Tidy Trev on 01495 311556 as soon as the office is open after the bank holiday, or e mail Info@tidytrev.com. They will replace your bin if you have a problem with it | ||||||
| somersetsam |
RockyI think you are right. There would be no Council meeting on a Bank Holiday. If it's a Group meeting I feel let down already.
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| Carolyn |
I think there may have been a meeting on the Friday prior to the holiday, this the SWA did report on the prospect of talks re a coalition Friday morning unilt this is resolved I guess they are all in the same boat
http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/...oses_control_in_blaenau_gwent.php |
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| somersetsam |
RockyYes but he told us that he is going to remain Independent. If he joins a Group he has fibbed to us.
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| Tchambuli9 |
RockyCorrect. Any Councillor who stood claiming to be Independent of the socalled Independents should remain Independent so that they can represent us without being involved in secret GROUP MEETINGS.
This is exactly what he was fighting against for goodness sake
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| Morris Minor |
Nobody but somersetsam has mentioned anything about his being part of any group, but I am sure he is going to need a little help along the way if he has numbskulls ringing him up over a bank holiday over something as banal as a problem with his Tidy Trev box lid, too lazy to sort things out for themselves. He certainly isn't the first and no doubt won't be the last, be it independent or Labour. Isn't that a fact Tchambuli9 | ||||||
| The Green Man |
Seems to me some posters here know a lot about local politics and groups' meetings times etc. Must be very close to (or perhaps are) insiders methinks  
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| martyn142 |
I take the point people are making about independents joining groups. However while I hope they retain their independence, if they don't get together at least until the executive is elected we will probably find that Labour will get all or most executive posts.
Labour will certainly sort out their voting and all vote for the same people. If the independents don't organise themselves and just vote for whom they want then their vote will be split they will probably lose. And if Labour has the executive positions then they have the effective power and we won't see change. |
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| Tchambuli9 |
I think a 50/50 coalition with Labour would be preferable Martyn. What is required now are decisions being made responsibly & sensibly. The future of this Borough is at stake.
The enquiry re the Tidy Trev bin was very relevant and the sort of thing that Rocky is going to have to deal with. Insulting remarks are not necessary. |
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| martyn142 |
Hi Tchambuli
I think quite a lot of people would be very disappointed if anyone formed a coalition with Labour, me included. I guess it depends upon your view of the former labour regime. Mine is very jaundiced. There are enough ex-Labour councillors among the independents to ensure that the handing over of power isn't too disruptive. It would also be nice if Labour were to cooperate with the new leadership, whoever they might be, in the interests of the borough. Whether they will I am not so sure bearing in mind their history of 'freezing-out' any non-Labour members. In any case, the day-to-day running of the council is in the hands of the officers and the new regime will have plenty of time to settle in and gain some experience. The comment to somersetsam was a bit harsh although if I had a problem with my bin I'd contact the officers of the council rather than my councillor, but sam may already have done that to be fair. |
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| Tchambuli9 |
Never mind. You'll have the Tories back in 2 years time. That should give you great comfort. I never thought that I would see the day that Blaenau Gwent would contribute to their return. Now I feel kinda yellow too! 
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| martyn142 |
A bit presumptuous of you to assume that because I or anyone else voted independent they would find comfort in the Tories returning to power nationally. I might be wrong but I suspect the Tories won't get many votes in the general election in Blaenau Gwent. Quite a few people voted against Labour because of their lurch to the right over recent years so why would they? Out of interest, what proportion of Labour councillors do you think would be Tory councillors if they lived in Surrey? |
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| Tchambuli9 |
I said that they have CONTRIBUTED. A lost seat for Labour is a gain for the Tories. But I think you know that don't you!
And what proportion of Independent Councillors are Tories but couldn't disclose their true colours because they knew they wouldn't get a vote. There are lots of BLUE ROSES in Blaenau Gwent Martyn. 
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| Tchambuli9 |
I see that Gwent Gazette has very good coverage of the elections and that Des Hillman is THE INDEPENDENTS GROUP LEADER. Interesting to read Cllr. Scully's comments on page 4. | ||||||
| somersetsam |
Many thanks Carolyn for the Tidy Trev info. All sorted. I must say you were much more helpful than Morris Minor who seems to think that Councillors should not deal with bread & butter issues. 
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| somersetsam |
Just read Mr. Scully's comments in Gazette. Seems reasonable to me when you consider all the regeneration that's happening. Llanhilleth has done well and the Six Bells colliery site has been reclaimed. The Met has reopened. New schools. 2 railway stations for the lovely train to Cardiff. I know that a new hospital is planned and I read somewhere that the General Offices and Bedwelty House are being renovated. The more I think of it people 'round here haven't got too much to complain about. But it won't stop them complaining.
[quote]They will get our support as long as they continue the vision of The Labour Party in Blaenau Gwent for regeneration, if they maintain this they will have our support. If they deviate they do so at their peril. [/quote] |
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| martyn142 |
No it's not. Typical Labour arrogance. For example, in a hung government an independent - let's say a People's Voice MP - might decide to vote with the Labour Party. It's called a coalition but I think you know that don't you!
No they HAVEN'T. On the occasions when the Blaenau Gwent electorate voted in a non-Laboutr MP the Labour Party won the election anyway. So they didn't contribute to a Tory return to office.
No idea. Do you? The point I am making - apparently badly since you didn't understand - is that you see the fact the electorate has the audacity to vote against the Labour Party as some sort of betrayal. However, leaving aside how radical the national party is - and it is certainly not the most radical mainstream party anymore in terms of policies - the politics of the former Labour councillors and that of the independents who replaced them is not necessarily much different and the losing Labour candidates are often I'd say less radical. |
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| Morris Minor |
Batty doomsday prophets, more than any other segment of the population, like to undermine serious institutional and economic analyses and replace them with a diverting soap opera of pertinacious conspiracies. | ||||||
| Morris Minor |
BTW
As you can no doubt determine from comments like that, facts and somersetsam are like oil and water. I would help you digest and assimilate and understand my last piece of information, and help you draw responsible conclusions from it. Here's one conclusion I truly hope like minded people will draw: I did not say that councillors should not deal with bread and butter issues. Perish the thought that any of our local councillors should be even slightly inconvenienced, that claim is preposterous and overtly humorless. However, I stated that they should not be bothered on a bank holiday with banal problems such as the lid of a Tidy Trev Box, hardly an issue deserving of serious consideration that it could not wait until a more reasonable time especially of a person with obvious computer literacy talents. |
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| martyn142 |
If you think the state of this area is cause to celebrate then it is a very good thing our forefathers (and mothers) weren't so easily pleased or we'd still be living in caves. Of course things have improved but then it could hardly have got any worse could it? By the way does this mean you are going to stop complaining about your Tidy Trev box? |
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| jools |
I agree carolyn.
Also, regeneration has it's pitfalls. e.g. Landords move in forcing house prices up out of the reach of most people, and they aren't too fussy about the tenants they install either. In my experience the big regeneration projects have pushed the day to day repairs required onto the back burner. Saying that I am glad that we have had money spent...I just feel that some of the priorities got forgotten in the excitment. |
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| Carolyn |
Have you posted this message on the wrong thread Jools? I am a bit lost
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| Rocke |
A Week's a Long Time in PoliticsWell hello !Thought I'd leave it a bit until I did my first post, to give you a chance to start things off and me a chance to give you a reasonable update on events. A few things: Out of pocket expenses: I haven't said I'm working for out of pocket expenses. If I give up my Member's Allowance that just gets dumped into a black hole - and no-one benefits. What I'm going to do is draw it and whatever excess there is over and above recompensing me for lost wages etc. will be spread through the ward - donations to organisations, fetes etc. In short Cwmtillery Ward will be having its money redistributed. When my expenses etc. are published I'll give you a full account of the amounts I've reinvested. ( This is over and above the normal Councillor donations, which are a sham because it just makes your local councillor look good distributing money you've already been charged ). Independence: I was invited to and attended an Independents group meeting earlier this week, to test the water. I declined a position I was offered. I agree with the poster(s) that to be truly independent you cannot be part of a group. However, that doesn't stop you agreeing with group aims and objectives and if the commonality is strong enough it's probably natural to become part. In my case I don't think that there is enough to form a strong bond - and that's no doubt down to me, rather than some of the very impressive other people who were at that meeting. As I've said I'll never be a politician ( which perhaps makes me a very good one ! ). Contact Details: I'm in the process of getting another Mobile, one which will be dedicated to Council business. My current one is so heavily used for work that it would be a nightmare for me to try to manage my workload. That of course wouldn't help contact Tidy over a Bank Holiday. I've not yet got my pass, let alone the keys to the Council Depot ! Future Chats: I'll be looking on here a few times a week but will reply only once. It's pointless me replying to individual posts, far better to bundle everything up. Finally, thanks for your support - especially those who express their belief that I'll do what I say. Although no man is an island, some are rockes, and even those need a firm base to remain solid. The people of this entire area are mine. Cheers people. |
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| somersetsam |
swallowed a dictionary? | ||||||
| martyn142 |
Yes the last thing we want is any intelligent people running our council isn't it? |
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| martyn142 |
By the way nice to hear from you Rockey and good luck. | ||||||
| somersetsam |
dictionary swallowingthis comment was aimed at morris minor not coun rockey
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| martyn142 |
Re: dictionary swallowing
Then please accept my apologies.
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| Carolyn |
Nice to hear from you Rocky, congratulations and good luck | ||||||
| somersetsam |
[quote="martyn142"][quote="somersetsam"]The more I think of it people 'round here haven't got too much to complain about. But it won't stop them complaining.[/quote]
If you think the state of this area is cause to celebrate then it is a very good thing our forefathers (and mothers) weren't so easily pleased or we'd still be living in caves. Of course things have improved but then it could hardly have got any worse could it? By the way does this mean you are going to stop complaining about your Tidy Trev box?[/quote] On the subject of our forefathers I seem to recall as a child coal tips and an orange river, the price we paid for jobs as well as the many lives lost. The trains stopped running when I was a toddler, but they're back now. I dont think our forefathers would have voted strong trade unionists like Royston Welsh and James McELLwey off the council because they knew which side their bread was buttered. |
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| jools |
Carolyn - sorry I was replying to Martyn's post above mine, and to someone elses on the previous page who mentioned regeneration and things not being so bad at the moment.
Put my confusion down to a thick head from a summer cold I have had this week!! |
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| The Green Man |
So are you Somersetsam or Tchambuli9 or just a split personality (perhaps two very closely linked ones) ?
Someone who's more than a little peeved that the electorate didn't put them or their butties into power and likes to "banter" with their own alter-egos on site to make out they really are different people. |
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| Tchambuli9 |
No Mr. Green person they are Union men and my answer was more to Martyn & his leftist sympathies than to anyone else.
However, there were some Labour losses that I am a little tongue in cheek about, especially those who do not believe in the minimum wage. I won't condemn a person for their politics as they are bound to vote for the Party which suits them best. It is a matter of survival. I have known many a Tory who were decent enough folk and would probably try and save your life if you fell into the river. Thinking about it most of them have been people in business. People employing a workforce. But I haven't met one yet who liked "the minimum wage" or any other policy introduced to improve the working mans/womans life, because it puts more financial pressure on them. Yes Jools Landlords have moved into the area (big time) & forced the house prices up but the need for private rental only exists because Thatcher destroyed " social housing" by selling off council houses. |
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| Morris Minor |
Tchambuli9 appears to be already oppressive with her sexist, fastidious agendas, they will perhaps be the ultimate exterminator of our human species
Wish I could say the same for a number of Labourites, altruism is a word not found in their vocabulary this last few years.
Local Labour did nothing in the way of improving social housing only adding to the misery of tenants by not doing the repairs/refurbishment and modernization many required. Many other council owned properties were sold to housing associations. Miners made redundant after the closure of the mines bought up their properties with their redundancy payout's. If they had not no doubt many would be living in squalor now. The need for private rental is due to the fact that housing associations moved out. BGCBC has made no commitment themselves towards replacing any shortfall in social housing during the last 20 years |
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| jools |
Tchambuli9: Your absolutely right about Thatch and the social housing crisis.
What's unforgiveable is that Nu Labour hasn't done anything to help. We are now in the situation where council estates have more private tenants than social and villages are being bought up by landlords and turned into the council estates (no disrespect to council estate tenants - I am from one myself). I think the political term is called social re-engineering. The problem with private landlords is they don't care what problems their tenants cause to neighbours, the council (at least when I was young!) would at least try to sort any prolems. I heard someone on the news say that when Thatch was recently asked about her greatest achievement she replied "New Labour". |
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| Tchambuli9 |
I know lots of tenants living in the private sector, including friends and relatives of mine, who are decent folk and keep their rented houses in excellent order and are happy with their landlords who meet their obligations very well. However, like most situations in life there are those who behave responsibly and there are those who do not, be they tenants or landlords.
If you know of anyone who is suffering, as a result of unruly tenants, tell them that a statutory tenancy agreement states that a tenant must not be a nuisance to neighbours. A landlord can evict on those grounds and will probably be glad to do so, because the chances are that his property is suffering, also. If the landlord is elusive, Environmental Health can track him down. I'm not sure of the terminology of the procedure they can follow, but I know there is one. As a matter of irony Jools, my parents are having problems with their neighbours regarding noise. They are both elderly and are not enjoying the best of health. Their neighbours are owner occupiers ! |
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