Thursday 6th October

[DRiddle]

The cracks in Labour locally are definitely starting to leak water. I'd advise exercising caution though. The clowns will still be in charge of the circus right through to 2018 and beyond. 2019s local elections will be the acid test for labour in Hartlepool.

That's assuming Hartlepool still exists and that Akers-Belcher hasn't used tax payers money to buy up Hartlepool, then spends more money to demolish it, in the hope of attracting a buyer.

[the_exile]

well done Tim Fleming. a great guy with the Headland at heart.

[fred c]

Unless the UKIP groups performance improves dramatically in the next couple of years I can't see any reason for optimism, maybe they should take a leaf out of the LabMobs policy on who speaks during meetings.

John Tennant & Shane may prove to be competent in taking the argument to the ruling group, but it is vital that they concentrate on being local councillors & convince the other 4 to do the same.

They also need to work a lot closer with PHF & the other Independents to formulate constructive policies that bring pressure to bare on the LabTor Mob in the coming months....... getting involved in a p***ing contest is not the way forward.

[for fawkes sake]

Steve is wrong about the Labour a two-thirds majority in council. I believe this was the case at one time but it was one of the first changes to the constitution that Labour made when we switched from an elected Mayor to the committee system we have now - one of many, many changes Labour have made. A 'simple majority' is all that is needed now which means that as long as they can muster 17 votes they are home and dry. Labour would need to lose another 4 seats to be at any risk of not being able to get their budget through.

[jeffh]

Steve is wrong about the Labour a two-thirds majority in council. I believe this was the case at one time but it was one of the first changes to the constitution that Labour made when we switched from an elected Mayor to the committee system we have now - one of many, many changes Labour have made. A 'simple majority' is all that is needed now which means that as long as they can muster 17 votes they are home and dry. Labour would need to lose another 4 seats to be at any risk of not being able to get their budget through.

Unfortunately that seems to be the case - part 2d of the Budget & Policy Framework Procedure Rules states

(d) Council debates the Finance and Policy Committee's proposals
The Council will consider the Finance and Policy Committee's proposals for the budget plan and approve them on the basis of a simple majority of Members present and voting.

[pensionater]

Can't believe you people are slapping each other on the back over the fact that UKIP are getting a foothold into this Town.Ukip are making headway thanks to the petty personal vendettas going on between certain PHF Councillors and their followers.People who say they have the Towns best interest at heart but would "bite the bullet"and vote for UKIP.

[steveL]

Can't believe you people are slapping each other on the back over the fact that UKIP are getting a foothold into this Town.Ukip are making headway thanks to the petty personal vendettas going on between certain PHF Councillors and their followers.People who say they have the Towns best interest at heart but would "bite the bullet"and vote for UKIP.

I have no idea what you are talking about. Are you saying PHF people voted UKIP?

[jeffh]

Just been checking the figures. 17% turnout is absurd 83% couldn't be bothered to vote and as for 'connecting with the voters' I work out that UKIP connected with 10% of the voters. The other 90% either voted for someone else or didn't vote at all.


The question everyone should be asking is why so many people aren't interested.

Whilst it was a very poor turnout it was still 76% of the May 2016 turnout.

The UKIP vote was 80% (619 to 496) of the May 2016 vote whilst the Labour vote was only 41% (617 to 255) - on a much reduced turnout it would suggest that UKIP having a stronger following.  Still with the statistics there were 1029 votes cast with UKIP taking 47.3% against 45.75% in May 2016 whilst Labour took 24.8% which was down from 45.60% in May 2016.

Don't you just love crunching numbers!

[not4me]

The only thing that is going on here is a continuation in the fall of the Labour vote which has been going on for a long time and leading to people not bothering to vote at all or looking for someone else to vote for. Ukip have done nothing in Hartlepool and nothing to deserve an extra councillor but the party still has a high national profile so they get the votes. Political prostitutes like Shane Moore and Tim Fleming who jumped on the Ukip bandwagon just to get elected aren't doing them any favours. Let's see what happens as the vaudeville act at the top continues to disintegrate.

Is there anyone in labour prepared to take action to stop the rot?

[pensionater]

SteveL,what i am saying is UKIP are the only ones benefiting from the attacks on Labour.PHF complain that UKIP are non existent in the chamber,well they don't have to be when PHF are doing their job for them.Not only are Labour losing votes to UKIP but so are PHF.Be very careful what you wish for.

[fred c]

If we had to wait for UKIP to attack Labour in the council chamber, most of us would have curled our toes up, they have made no discernible difference in how The LabTor Mob operate, hopefully Shane & John Tennant can make a difference to the abysmal performances shown by Curly, Larry & Mo.

The 1 seat were UKIP could have made a big difference was in Foggy Furze.... they should have bust the bank in there challenge to HRH Prince Cwistopher of Westbrooke, for whatever reason they didn't,..... they messed up Biggly on that one.

[mk1]

SteveL,what i am saying is UKIP are the only ones benefiting from the attacks on Labour.PHF complain that UKIP are non existent in the chamber,well they don't have to be when PHF are doing their job for them.Not only are Labour losing votes to UKIP but so are PHF.Be very careful what you wish for.

If you think Labour are bad imagine if UKIP were in charge. Fist-fights in the chamber and lots of stupid symbolic gestures like ending all grants to any organisation that helps 'foriegners'.

[steveL]

SteveL,what i am saying is UKIP are the only ones benefiting from the attacks on Labour.PHF complain that UKIP are non existent in the chamber,well they don't have to be when PHF are doing their job for them.Not only are Labour losing votes to UKIP but so are PHF.Be very careful what you wish for.

Now I get it and I think you're right. But what to do? Someone has to challenge Labour and the sort of things they get up to even though it looks like UKIP get the benefit at the ballot box. The alternative is to stay silent like UKIP and let the bas**ar*s get away with it. PHF's problem is that it doesn't have the national profile that UKIP does - not sure what the answer to that is but I'm sure people are working on it.

[steveL]

Just for info: - while I was campaigning and came across people who said they were going to vote UKIP, I made a point of asking them why and the answer was always the same and would be something like: "well it's all these immigrants, isn't it?" No one had any idea what UKIP actually stood for other than the EU and immigrants.

Most people are very unaware and totally switched off from any sort of politics. They take their lead from sound bites, newspaper headlines and what they see on the six o'clock news. There was also lots of people quite proud of the fact that they never vote. As one bloke told me: "I never vote, it only encourages politicians." He thought that was a very smart thing to say but I suspect he was repeating what he'd heard from someone else..

I've thought for quite a while that UKIP's plan is to say nothing and thereby not drop any clangers and slowly allow the anti-Labour sentiment to build up to help their candidate in the next General Election. I don't think they're the least bit interested in what happens within the local council and anyone who actually witnessed their performance would come to the same conclusion..

[jeffh]

Where we seem to be going in Hartlepool is towards the ABLOC party - people are fed up with the Cronyism that's going on - how many towns have a Labour / Conservative alliance, though I'm sure if there was a decrease in the number of Labour seats it would become a ABLOC / Conservative alliance.

What would be really effective would be if some of the Labour Councillors, and I'm sure there are some good ones, started voting for the good of the town as opposed to the good of the SCABs and Cranney - that would then cause a policy shift for the good of the town.  I'd pay good money to be at the meeting that happened.

ABLOC - Anybody But Labour Or Conservative