Mayor's Cabinet

[The Great Dictator]

When Miliband takes power in 3 years you will see a shift locally.

[Straight Talking]

Three appointments - all Independents:

John Lauderdale
Cath Hill
Paul Thompson

Labour refused to put forward any of their Councillors and it looks like the ex-Cabinet members have also been told not to volunteer their services.

NOT SO, the Mayor asked all members of the Council individually, by direct email and letter, to let him know if they wanted to be considered for a Cabinet place. No members of the Labour Group contacted him. The Mayor then spoke to Christopher Akers-Belcher, newly elected Leader of the Labour Group, to ask if he could speak to members and ask them if they would be prepared to provide him with a list of names (suggestion from which he could choose Cabinet members. Again no one put forward their name.

So the Group has not made any decision, there wasn't any need to.

Interesting that The Mayor has selected an all Independent Cabinet, said that he has every confidence in them, but is bringing in a hand picked "Advisory Group". What for are the Officers of HBC not able to advise Cabinet Members. Maybe the Mayor should consider cutting their salaries then.

[Straight Talking]

Interesting use of words by 'dangerman'.
"2014 will see local and national elections"

As PHF's declared aims are strictly confined to local politics (implicit in the party name) how will national politics further their progress?
Are you suggesting that their constitutional basis of shunning 'national politics' is not their true objective and we've been misled?

Well said Kipperdip, are you sure there is no behind the scenes plotting taking place - and the suggestion that PHF are actually UKIP under a new name is in fact TRUE.

[The Great Dictator]

Will this advisory group be paid for their services ?

[steveL]

I've always believed, up until recently that is, that, cynical as I am, there still existed a few lines over which local politicians wouldn't cross. Even though I might disagree with what some councillors do or say, there was an assumption on my part of there always being a sense of common decency in all councillors that prevented them from engaging in behaviour that most people would simply find unacceptable.

I don't believe that anymore. Nor do I believe that all local councillors are in it because of principle or political belief - too many, though not all, really are, as many people always suspected, in it for what they can screw out of it financially or for what influence it brings them.

I haven't figured out as yet who Straight Talking is - the spelling is too good to be SAB and so it's a toss up between CAB and SAB's mother. Either way, the snippets of information that occasionally slip out which only someone very close to the SCABS points us in the right direction.

My money would be on CAB because of an apparent willingness to say anything whether, its true or not, if he believes it will further his cause. This is a characteristic that I've noticed about both SCABS whether in the council chamber or not.

So now we're told that PHF is really UKIP in disguise as if Straight Talking is in any position to know whether it's true or not. One person who is in a position to know is KD and yet here we have the unreal situation of Straight Talking telling KD of all people that PHF is really an organised part of UKIP.

As a member of PHF, I can tell you that I won't be voting for UKIP come the next General Election nor will many of those other members that I've come to know over the last few months. I can't actually say how many  members of PHF will be voting UKIP when the time comes but I suspect it will be roughly in the same proportion to the rest of the electorate. The Party doesn't have a position on the European question; it's not a local issue in the sense that the local council has no influence on the matter. Nor is there any appetite to field a PHF candidate in a general election. It would be a contradiction and against the basic principle of working with any national Government to the maximum benefit of Hartlepool.

Straight Talking has just had 13 years of a Labour council working with a Labour Government and a fat lot of good it did us.

[Straight Talking]

So now we're told that PHF is really UKIP in disguise as if Straight Talking is in any position to know whether it's true or not. One person who is in a position to know is KD and yet here we have the unreal situation of Straight Talking telling KD of all people that PHF is really an organised part of UKIP.

Quote from: kipperdip on Today at 09:14 AM

    Interesting use of words by 'dangerman'.
    "2014 will see local and national elections"

    As PHF's declared aims are strictly confined to local politics (implicit in the party name) how will national politics further their progress?
    Are you suggesting that their constitutional basis of shunning 'national politics' is not their true objective and we've been misled?

Well said Kipperdip, are you sure there is no behind the scenes plotting taking place - and the suggestion that PHF are actually UKIP under a new name is in fact TRUE.

Thanks for the response and assurance KD, cant see where SteveL gets his information from. I have copied above his interpretation of what I said earlier. It was clearly a question not a statement of fact.
I think SteveL is becoming one of the most disillusioned politicians I have every come across, if one election does that to him I think he might be best advised to pack it in. I'm not sure his health can stand it.

[steveL]

well thanks for that llta....

Sorry to say I'm not going anywhere ST. Admittedly, I used to think that the running of the local council was a matter of efficiency and taking the national politics out of it but I have learnt since that the council chamber not only needs to seriously raise its game but is, in fact, in dire need of disinfection.

I've also concluded, funnily enough, that the activities of the Manor Mafia, James and her b**ches are nothing to do with the Labour party. Standing as Labour councillors has only been the means to gain access to the public money they crave.

I wouldn't insult the memory of people like Nye Bevan by making a comparison between himself and the parasites which have infected Hartlepool Consituency Labour Party.

BTW, you people may like to complain about what we publish on HTH; the truth is you should thank us for what we don't publish.

[steveL]

Quote:"Wouldn't want to inform the residents as from where their problems emanated would we?"

99% of what I hear from UKIP people is about Europe - it's not a policy; it's an obsession and since a local council has little say in the national direction on Europe then it's of no relevance whatsoever.

Incidentally, the 'problem' of fortnightly bin collections stems not from Europe but from modern wasteful habits. There's no shortage of people who will complain about the landfill sites at Seaton but how many make the connection with the amount of rubish they dispose of each week? So we blame the EU, who are only trying to encourage people to think more about their wasteful habits or we blame the retailers for the amount of packaging they use even though shoppers continue to shun products in more plain packaging.

A conversation with any UKIP person will, within seconds, consist of rantings on the EU, Asylum Seekers and Muslims. There is no scope for objective debate with such people. So even if I have my own concerns with any of those three subjects, I would choose to air them with people more capable of objective thought.

There. NOW someone tell me that PHF is really UKIP in disguise - you'll have to come up with something better than that ST.   

[mk1]

Can I remind people that the SCABs are only interested in trying to cause trouble her. The aim is to deflect attention from the money-grubbing antics of the Manor Mafia and what better way that to get you all defending yourself against their slurs.
We all know the SCAB's are for sale and we should highlight that fact rather than waste time responding to the baiting
Attack is always the best defence so just  let them howl.

[steveL]

Fair Cop - I guess I was bit bored.

Worth checking out the retirement plans for the Hospital Trust £50,000 part-time Chairman and the work placement of SAB as Chair of HBC to gain experience.

If that sounds a little implausible, how plausible was it that his mentor, an ex-taxi driver and vacuum cleaner salesman, became the £50,000 Chair of the local PCT?

Makes you wonder what he was mentoring in?

[Micksmate]

I can categorically assure all readers that there is absolutely NO tie-up between PHF and UKIP.

A pity though that Steve L felt the need to slag off UKIP for trying to make a difference and telling everyone that he will never vote for UKIP - your privilege Steve.

Do I assume then that at national and European elections you would vote for one of the three establishment parties who collectively have sold this country out - lock, stock and barrel?

For someone who professes to want to represent a Hartlepool constituency to pretend that the issue of EU control of our national life at every level has no local impact is showing naivete at a vast level.
Presumably if you were on the council Steve and the issue of fortnightly bin collections came up you would act EXACTLY the same as the unholy trinity and not impart the information into the debate that it is only the EU Landfill Directives that have forced ALL local councils to pursue this universally unpopular practice?
Wouldn't want to inform the residents as from where their problems emanated would we?

what a load of dogs doodah, let me remind you it was you who brought national politics into PHF doctrine.

"Interesting use of words by 'dangerman'.
"2014 will see local and national elections"

As PHF's declared aims are strictly confined to local politics (implicit in the party name) how will national politics further their progress?
Are you suggesting that their constitutional basis of shunning 'national politics' is not their true objective and we've been misled?"  closely followed by the other piece of dog doodah.     "Well said Kipperdip, are you sure there is no behind the scenes plotting taking place - and the suggestion that PHF are actually UKIP under a new name is in fact TRUE.

Your complete obsession with the EU is getting you some strange bedfellows or should I say people who are happy to provide you ammunition to shoot yourself in the foot with.   

[dangerman]

I'm sorry I should not have linked P.H.F. with national politics I only meant to say that things may well change in 2014 local elections with more P.H.F Councillors being elected 'hopefully'.

I would never vote Labour or UKIP or Conservative as for 'Liberal' it not nice to speak ill of the dead. So I gave my vote to P.H.F. as did nearly 10.000 others.

Time will tell if I made a mistake or not. But at least I did vote.

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

I too have thrown my hat in with P.H.F. - one thing, however, that really amazes me are those souls who (barely three weeks after the election) are expecting P.H.F. to have already transformed the town...

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

Well, they do say that patience is a virtue...

[Micksmate]

I'm sorry I should not have linked P.H.F. with national politics I only meant to say that things may well change in 2014 local elections with more P.H.F Councillors being elected 'hopefully'.

I would never vote Labour or UKIP or Conservative as for 'Liberal' it not nice to speak ill of the dead. So I gave my vote to P.H.F. as did nearly 10.000 others.

Time will tell if I made a mistake or not. But at least I did vote.

Not your fault really, i fully understood what you meant, but unfortunately others jumped on it to either try to score political points or they didn't/don't have the intelligence to read it properly.