HartlepoolPost Forum

So the candidates have been printed in the Fail I see.

Some interesting possibilities there with the usual scattering of Wells relatives.  ::)  There is a lack of PHF candidates but I suspect they have gone for quality over quantity.  I hope that's the case.

Low numbers of candidates in some wards which I hope turns out to be a good thing. Unfortunately I have no choice but to vote UKIP.  I have no issue voting for Darren Price but it will kill me to vote for the party.  I would literally have no idea who to vote for in most of the other wards though to be honest.

Surprisingly little opposition to the SCABS.

I see the wandering Robbie i.e. trying yet again.

Yes, its interesting that he isn't standing in Seaton this time.  Looks like he's gone for a 'safer' Labour ward.

The unfortunate thing is that it is looking likely that it will be UKIP who could give Labour a run for their money in some wards.  This is not ideal but if they get a few seats all we can hope for is that they behave like proper councillors, unlike the two we have  been lumbered with.

We all know the Tories are paper candidates so it looks like people in Foggy Furze and Manor House will be left with a choice of UKIP or a SCAB  :-\

I was surprised to hear that PHF were fielding only one candidate this year but having now read the full list a penny has dropped. Has anyone else had the same thought?

I thought PHF were taking over the world, looks like the pioneers of politics have already lost their bottle.

Some interesting comments on this topic, No choice but to vote UKIP , surprisingly little opposition to the SCABS, iv`e got to say judging by all the derogatory comments on this forum over the years regarding the Labour controlled council, and in particular the SCABS  when you are given a golden opportunity to put your pen where it can maybe just maybe solve that itch you have been scratching, you have to be dragged kicking and screaming to vote for the only party that has a chance of doing just that. There have been those working behind the scenes for  just such a two horse race in May.

Oh believe me if a couple UKIP candidates manage to unseat a couple of SCABS in May I will be over the moon.  It doesn't mean I will immediately start thinking UKIP is the answer...... to anything. 

I'll say it again.... I will be 100% voting for the person not the party.  I happen to think that one or two of the UKIP candidates will make good Councillors as I get the impression that they will do what they are elected for, rather than sitting there like a couple of bookends.

I see UKIP  as a means to an end rather than the end itself. UKIP are a party of the far-right and are not going to solve any problems in Hartlepool. If I though for a moment I was voting them into a position of power then I would not vote for them. I see them as a way of showing the Labour Group how low they have sunk so the can dump the ScABs. The 2 sitting UKIP councillors are a complete waste of space.

Well a means to an end, common purpose, tactical voting, I can go for that,you may have noticed Foggy Furze could prove to be an interesting ward it`s a two horse race UKIP & labour and one of those irritations could be gone, as for the 2 UKIP councillors it`s all about numbers let`s take an example Johnathan Brash he was an exceptional orator in a debate and yet on three seperate occasions a very sound and robust case put forward for the removal of the Mayor SAB resulted in all 3 occasions being voted down by Labour, this was with UKIP, PHF, and INDEPENDANTS voting for him to go it is of course democracy and i would not have it any other way but it is extreemly frustrating and difficult on those councillors from any party when they don`t have the numbers, that can make all the difference.

Quote from: beanzontoast on April 11, 2016, 09: PM
Well a means to an end, common purpose, tactical voting, I can go for that,you may have noticed Foggy Furze could prove to be an interesting ward it`s a two horse race UKIP & labour and one of those irritations could be gone, as for the 2 UKIP councillors it`s all about numbers let`s take an example Johnathan Brash he was an exceptional orator in a debate and yet on three seperate occasions a very sound and robust case put forward for the removal of the Mayor SAB resulted in all 3 occasions being voted down by Labour, this was with UKIP, PHF, and INDEPENDANTS voting for him to go it is of course democracy and i would not have it any other way but it is extreemly frustrating and difficult on those councillors from any party when they don`t have the numbers, that can make all the difference.

What cobblers, within any Council within the UK the party with the majority will always get their own way.  That does not mean that the opposition have to sit there like two tins of condensed milk.  Hind and Springer have not got a clue and have shown a lack of back bone and the bottle to fight for the issues they say they stand for, watch any recording of Council meeting, prove me wrong.

QuoteWell a means to an end, common purpose, tactical voting, I can go for that,you may have noticed Foggy Furze could prove to be an interesting ward it`s a two horse race UKIP & labour and one of those irritations could be gone, as for the 2 UKIP councillors it`s all about numbers let`s take an example Johnathan Brash he was an exceptional orator in a debate and yet on three seperate occasions a very sound and robust case put forward for the removal of the Mayor SAB resulted in all 3 occasions being voted down by Labour, this was with UKIP, PHF, and INDEPENDANTS voting for him to go it is of course democracy and i would not have it any other way but it is extreemly frustrating and difficult on those councillors from any party when they don`t have the numbers, that can make all the difference.

I was at these debates and the bit that BoT forgets to mention is that the two UKIPPERS sat on their hands and said absolutely nothing - just like they did on the 4% council tax increase. In both cases, they did what they usually do and left all the work to others. BoT (Tom Hind) made his view known very soon after he was elected; that if you don't have a majority in the council chamber then you can't change anything so there's no point in trying. So George and him sit there waiting for the day when they have 17 UKIP Councillors and hoping one of the other 15 is capable of cognitive thought.When the great day arrives, UKIP will propose their very first motion for Hartlepool to leave the EU and for border controls to be installed at Newton Bewley.

Since first being elected, neither of the UKIP Councillors have proposed a single motion, put forward a single amendment or put forward any decent argument against anything Labour were doing. Even when Brash offered them the chance of debating what the council's stance on the EU should be they voted against it in fear of coming up against Brash.

Quoteyou have to be dragged kicking and screaming to vote for the only party that has a chance of doing just that. There have been those working behind the scenes for  just such a two horse race in May.

I asked Darren Price directly that when it comes to the referendum in June which way he would be voting. His reply was that he'd be voting to stay in and then added voluntarily that he thought that, on balance, immigration to the UK 'was a good thing'- both answers something of a contradiction with UKIP's raison d'etre.

Hind has persuaded Price that simply by adding his own previous PHF vote to the UKIP vote under the UKIP banner he can take the Foggy Furze seat from CAB. Neither Hind nor Price see the fact that Price doesn't actually believe in anything that UKIP stand for as a problem - which says much about both.

My view is that replacing one unprincipled bastard with another doesn't amount to much in the way of progress. 

Quote from: beanzontoast on April 11, 2016, 09: PM
Well a means to an end, common purpose, tactical voting, I can go for that,you may have noticed Foggy Furze could prove to be an interesting ward it`s a two horse race UKIP & labour and one of those irritations could be gone, as for the 2 UKIP councillors it`s all about numbers let`s take an example Johnathan Brash he was an exceptional orator in a debate and yet on three seperate occasions a very sound and robust case put forward for the removal of the Mayor SAB resulted in all 3 occasions being voted down by Labour, this was with UKIP, PHF, and INDEPENDANTS voting for him to go it is of course democracy and i would not have it any other way but it is extreemly frustrating and difficult on those councillors from any party when they don`t have the numbers, that can make all the difference.

Looks like their 2nd proposal will be to ban the use of sentences.

It's just very long sentence, Capital letter at the start and full stop at the end.

Compared to Evelyn Leck (UKIP Candidate for Burn Valley) Hind is a veritable scholar.  (As only Evelyn and say, 'you know what I mean like').

I'd like to think that thinks can only get better but I'm of the opinion they might even get worse.

As things stand, it looks like I will not be voting at all this time around which is a novel situation for me. There is no PHF candidate standing in my ward this year and I would never vote for a party as morally repugnant as UKIP who now seem to be relying on others having as few principles as themselves.

The interesting question is what are UKIP going to talk about on June 24th because, one way or the other, the EU question will be answered by then? That only leaves them with immigration and the option of dropping back to their fascist roots where they always truly belonged.

Link anyone please for the list.

I don't see any difference, between right wing facists & psuedo left wingers, the present incumbents have been ripping the a**e out of their positions as local councillors for far to long.
If by electing a number of ukip councillors, Labour North take a long hard look at the way the LabTor Mob operate it may just be worth it.
If after they are elected they perform like those already in the chamber, they will be out after 1 term.
The positive would be that the Dynamic Duo would be off the gravy train.

Its on the council link on the front page

Quote from: Lord Elpus on April 12, 2016, 11: AM
It's just very long sentence, Capital letter at the start and full stop at the end.

Compared to Evelyn Leck (UKIP Candidate for Burn Valley) Hind is a veritable scholar.  (As only Evelyn and say, 'you know what I mean like').

I'd like to think that thinks can only get better but I'm of the opinion they might even get worse.

Being thick is no bar to getting elected. Labour always  put the stupidest councillors in charge of the group. SAB and Cranney are borderline morons. Mad Dog would also struggle to finish a Sun Crossword.

Quote from: Alnwickist on April 12, 2016, 12: PM
Link anyone please for the list.

Seeing as like finding anything on the Fail website is very frustrating and like trying to find a needle in a haystack here is the full list:

BURN VALLEY

Dave Hunter (Labour)
Evelyn Leck (UKIP)
Andrew Martin-Wells (Cons)

DE BRUCE

Brenda Mary Harrison (Labour)
Alan Hind (UKIP) - Although the surname was printed 'Hid' in the Fail
Jean McKenna (Cons)
Carl Aaron Robertson (Independent)

FENS AND ROSSMERE

Bob Buchan (UKIP)
Tom Casey (Green)
Dennis Loynes (Cons)
Ann Marshall (Labour)

FOGGY FURZE

Christopher Akers-Belcher (Labour)
Darren Paul Price (UKIP)
Bill Reeve (Cons)

HART

Bob Addison (UKIP)
Isaac Duffy (Cons)
Keith Fisher (Independent)
Kenneth Holt (Green)
Jean Robinson (Labour)

HEADLAND AND HARBOUR

Jim Ainslie (Labour)
Chris Broadbent (Cons)
Shane Moore (UKIP)

JESMOND

Robbie Payne (Labour)
John Tennant (UKIP)
Jayne Wells (Cons)

MANOR HOUSE

Stephen Akers-Belcher (Labour)
Pam Gooderham (UKIP)
Tracey Hutchison (Cons)

RURAL WEST

Chris Cassidy (UKIP)
Michael Holt (Green)
Ray Martin-Wells (Cons)
Syed Shahan Miah (Labour)

SEATON

James Black (PHF)
Martin Dunbar (Labour)
Philip Lindley (UKIP)
Sue Little (Independent)
Iris Ryder (Green)
Mike Young (Cons)

VICTORIA

Christopher James Eddie (Green)
Steve Gooderham (UKIP)
Lesley Hamilton (Labour)
Claire Wells (Cons)

Quote from: Foggy on April 12, 2016, 01: PM

Quote from: Alnwickist on April 12, 2016, 12: PM
Link anyone please for the list.

Seeing as like finding anything on the Fail website is very frustrating and like trying to find a needle in a haystack here is the full list:

BURN VALLEY

I thought Cranney was up for re election ?

Dave Hunter (Labour)
Evelyn Leck (UKIP)
Andrew Martin-Wells (Cons)

DE BRUCE

Brenda Mary Harrison (Labour)
Alan Hind (UKIP) - Although the surname was printed 'Hid' in the Fail
Jean McKenna (Cons)
Carl Aaron Robertson (Independent)

FENS AND ROSSMERE

Bob Buchan (UKIP)
Tom Casey (Green)
Dennis Loynes (Cons)
Ann Marshall (Labour)

FOGGY FURZE

Christopher Akers-Belcher (Labour)
Darren Paul Price (UKIP)
Bill Reeve (Cons)

HART

Bob Addison (UKIP)
Isaac Duffy (Cons)
Keith Fisher (Independent)
Kenneth Holt (Green)
Jean Robinson (Labour)

HEADLAND AND HARBOUR

Jim Ainslie (Labour)
Chris Broadbent (Cons)
Shane Moore (UKIP)

JESMOND

Robbie Payne (Labour)
John Tennant (UKIP)
Jayne Wells (Cons)

MANOR HOUSE

Stephen Akers-Belcher (Labour)
Pam Gooderham (UKIP)
Tracey Hutchison (Cons)

RURAL WEST

Chris Cassidy (UKIP)
Michael Holt (Green)
Ray Martin-Wells (Cons)
Syed Shahan Miah (Labour)

SEATON

James Black (PHF)
Martin Dunbar (Labour)
Philip Lindley (UKIP)
Sue Little (Independent)
Iris Ryder (Green)
Mike Young (Cons)

VICTORIA

Christopher James Eddie (Green)
Steve Gooderham (UKIP)
Lesley Hamilton (Labour)
Claire Wells (Cons)

Cranney was re-elected last year unfortunately.  Luckily for him his year fell in the same year as a general election.  Kaylee Sirs didn't win by much the previous year when there was no general election. This year could be interesting.

Regarding the Hart ward, I really can't believe that Jean Robinson has the nerve to stand again. Saying she is as much use as a chocolate fireguard is insulting to chocolate fireguards.

Michael Holt in Rural west could be interesting,well known and liked up there. Has been very much against the Wells activities, and he knows how to speak in public.

UKIP are beyond hope. You lay out a path for them; provide them with a torch and STILL they f*c* it up. ::)

Anyone feel inclined to search the archives for some of the anti-UKIP rhetoric that Shane used to come out with? - should be a hoot  ;)

There was a Newsnight item last week suggesting that Farage is busy pre-occupying himself with what comes after June 23rd. Whatever the outcome, the item suggested, UKIP is pretty much goosed and Farage is putting 'feelers' out that the party should turn itself into some sort of on-line pressure group - not very ambitious, but probably realistic.

I assume the search is on for anyone even semi-literate within the ranks.

Link to the statement of persons nominated if anyone is interested:

https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/downloads/file/1925/hartlepool_-_local_government_elections_-_statement_of_persons_nominated_-_7416pdf (https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/downloads/file/1925/hartlepool_-_local_government_elections_-_statement_of_persons_nominated_-_7416pdf)

Good for joining a few dots  ::)

Also, it seems you don't have to be a resident of the town to be nominated for election. In my opinion you should be.

Quote from: steveL on April 12, 2016, 05: PM
There was a Newsnight item last week suggesting that Farage is busy pre-occupying himself with what comes after June 23rd. Whatever the outcome, the item suggested, UKIP is pretty much goosed and Farage is putting 'feelers' out that the party should turn itself into some sort of on-line pressure group - not very ambitious, but probably realistic.

I have been reading up on the  way Farage is trying to regain  personal control of UKIP.  After his  idiotic 'I resign/I refuse to accept my resignation' moment he was forced  to allow others some say in UKIP running. Post EU vote I am hearing he is going to 'relaunch' the party as some sort of internet thingy where policy is decided by the number of Emails he gets. I suspect he is looking to recast himself as Trump and become the old one-man-band UKIP of old. I suspect a lurch even further too the right but (like Trump) he will fail because there simply is not enough looneys to get  him into power.

Jean Robinson is a joke. She did absolutely nothing to help the Hart residents during the gypsy site fiasco. She is there purely and simply for the allowance and has no interest in anything else.

I'm hoping she will not be as lucky as Beck was last year.  Having one too many candidates last year saved him. We could have probably done with one less this year.

I feel the same about my ward Seaton, too many candidates.

I understand Mad Dog has been knocking on doors in Fens and Rossmere Ward for Labour candidate, Ann Marshall. 

Keep knocking Marge, your doing a grand job.  Your personality and electioneering technique has been commented on by loads of residents.  A number asked where you got your hair done.

I wonder if Larry, Curly & Mo are canvasing as a trio, it would be akin to having, Prof Stanley Unwin, Jimmy James & Hilda Baker knocking on your door.

It seems that people are starting to see through the masquerade cloaking members of the LabMob.

Again I ask aloud...Who is Jean Robinson?? I have lived in Hart for 35 years and never clapped eyes on her....including during the Traveller Saga.

Quote from: Lord Elpus on April 14, 2016, 02: PM

Keep knocking Marge, your doing a grand job.  Your personality and electioneering technique has been commented on by loads of residents.  A number asked where you got your hair done.

The woman has no redeeming qualities. If anyone dares to criticise her to her face she defaults to swearing and shouting and covering you in spittle. She is just an ignorant female version of Cranney.(hmmm.  I wonder if Cranney has slept with mar................)

^That's not a vision I need thanks  >:(

CAB and his band of followers needn't bother knocking at my door. 

I wonder if 'Bill' Reeve will be out canvassing.  I doubt that very much.  Incidentally, what is it with RMW's relatives using their middle name for election purposes? Just another example of certain people trying to mislead the public.  I know why they are 'standing' but these fake candidates shouldn't be allowed to stand as far as I'm concerned.  It's a joke that has gone on too long.

We had the Bash St Kids around electioneering. Knock on the door, man with unfocused eyes thrust leaflet into my hand and mumbled , " we're out supporting Christopher in the local election" pointing in the vague direction of something that looked like a peroxide pinnochio impersonater. He followed this up by a sort of abrupt command, " you'll be voting for Christopher" then awaited a reply, which duly received a restrained reply. Apparently unhappy with the reply he scuttled off like a three legged hedgehog crossing the A19 and reported to his master.

Quote from: Sanddancer on April 14, 2016, 05: PM
Again I ask aloud...Who is Jean Robinson?? I have lived in Hart for 35 years and never clapped eyes on her....including during the Traveller Saga.

she used to get in the gillens all the time when i was unfortunate enough to be courting a lass from up that way. constantly pis*ed.

Quote
Quote from: Lord Elpus on April 14, 2016, 02: PM


Keep knocking Marge, your doing a grand job.  Your personality and electioneering technique has been commented on by loads of residents.  A number asked where you got your hair done.


The woman has no redeeming qualities. If anyone dares to criticise her to her face she defaults to swearing and shouting and covering you in spittle. She is just an ignorant female version of Cranney

I honestly don't know why people are 'scared' of her. She's a cartoon character. I understand officers not wanting to make waves due to their job security etc. but members of the public and free thinking councillors have nothing to fear.

It's the classic 'play ground bully' façade which she uses to hide behind. All mouth, snide comments, shouting, staring at people, it's laughable. She's never so much as dared utter two words to me aside from across the floor of the chamber. In other meetings she talks 'to me' via somebody else.... "Will somebody tell him to speak up or turn his microphone on... etc" when she herself is sat a few feet away from me.

She's a coward, same a Cranney. They just need standing up to.

She's reluctant to engage people like me, Brashie and Thompson in conversation or proper debate, because she knows she's intellectually way out of her depth.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming to be Stephen Hawking or anything, but I do know that if a property developer removes a 200 year old tree when developing a housing estate it's going to be pretty hard to "Replace it with another 200 year old tree".

I also know that if a ten foot neon sign was erected on the Mayfair Centre, it would be very unlikely to be "a danger" to 150,000 tonne cargo ships several miles out to sea.

I also know that if a local pub opted to build a small, designated, 'no smoking area' within their own car park it wouldn't be a "distraction to drivers". I'm a driver, i have been for 20 years and I can honestly say that never once have I been driving my car and crashed it due to spotting a couple of fellas lighting up a benson and hedges.

I actually hope Ms Leck wins Burn Valley.

I honestly think I could make a million by making a documentary of her and Marge verbally going toe to toe in the chamber.

Labour have 22 councillors and need 17 to have a majority but as we know the 3 Tories will continue to vote with Labour so long as Wells' developer friends are given carte blanche. In effect, this means that Labour have to lose 9 seats to lose their majority. That's a big ask.

A more realistic target is the 2/3 majority they need to get the annual budget through. I expect Labour to lose seats because they have benefited from the split opposition vote in recent years and especially from the cross-over vote from last year's General Election.


UKIP have been given their chance in their swansong year but it's far from certain they have the intelligence to take advantage of it.

in reply to DRIDDLE we hartlepool seacoalers showed maj james up for what she is a lying conniving  manipulative woman
and your right stand up to the woman and she crawls back with the lying conniving labour  lot she  THINKS can protect her NOT

There's miles of distance between what UKIP think they are and what they have turned out to be locally as councillors. Where they get this arrogance from is beyond me. For all of their talk of being the only alternative they have turned out to be a non-event in the council with nothing to say. They may as well sit in the public seats for all the contribution they make.


On their leaflets, they claim to be the only real challenge to Labour but have they ever challenged anything that Labour has done? Seems to me that they just sit there like lemons while the independents do all the work.

Its a shame the tories deliberately placed a candidate there to split the vote, UKIP could have won the seat.

Passing along Lister St yesterday i noticed Barclay leafleting, camo jacket, pants hanging off his a**e & pair of 'trainers'....i can only hope he was also knocking on doors canvasing, definitely  a vote loser.

Quote.....DRiddle
"I honestly think I could make a million by making a documentary of her and Marge verbally going toe to toe in the chamber"

It could end up with officers having to step in.... Ala Cranney  :)

In UKIP's Seaton leaflet, they have put a little bar-chart of the General Election vote with the blurb that only UKIP can challenge Labour. Somehow they forget to mention that this is a local election, not a General Election, and that last time UKIP lost to an Independent with Labour trailing badly in third place.


In a way, I suppose it's further confirmation that UKIP take no interest in local matters and think every election is a national matter.

I have now received CAB's election rag.  It will be going in the recycling but I would like to ask him a few things:

How did you personally contribute to reducing youth unemployment by 80%?
How did you personally help to create 150 apprenticeships?
How did you personally help 900 people to live independently?
How did you personally attract new businesses to Hartlepool?

I could go on all day but I wont.  I don't suppose I will be getting an answer to those questions.  Although I know he will read this so I challenge 'The Leader' to have a crack at answering them and other people's questions.

To a normal person it would seem very wrong that a political party can make totally untrue statements and get away with it.  It's about time Ms Alexander and Mr Devlin basically actually does something about these claims.

Quote


In a way, I suppose it's further confirmation that UKIP take no interest in local matters and think every election is a national matter.

It is UKIP policy to 'do nothing' with its local councillors. The reasoning is if they do not do anything then no one can complain about them. They are only concerned about keeping the name UKIP in the spotlight and Farage could not care less about local issues. 'We' just have to accept we mean nothing other than as a way of getting a deeply repugnant political party some 'neutral' publicity.  Some of the prospective UKIP candidates make SAB look intelligent!

QuoteSome of the prospective UKIP candidates make SAB look intelligent!

Poor SAB, everyone has a pop at him suggesting he's a bit thick. Personally I think he's done very well.

One minute he was chained to a wall in the basement of an abandoned restaurant in Astoria in Oregon, then before you know it he's Mayor of Hartlepool.

I must be getting soft in my old age (pensioner).  Poor Ann Marshall has never been the most elegant of walkers, in my opinion her gait has always been agricultural to say the least. 

I felt for the poor lass Saturday night, out delivering leaflets on her own in Fens and Rossmere Ward. It looked like hard work and she obviously would have rather been somewhere else.  Making an educated guess she seemed to be suffering from a bit of chaffing, nowt a good dusting of talcum powder would not ease.

A deferent perspective to the Goonies.

https://youtu.be/fUxR965b4LU

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/cuts-a-councillor-was-very-happy-to-see-1-3659226 (http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/cuts-a-councillor-was-very-happy-to-see-1-3659226)

Shadow of her former self?

I suspect she may have gained a few pounds since then.  Still delivering leaflets will help her tone up what she's got.

I saw Alan Barclay coming out of the Park Rd, Health Centre this morning.  He looked as rough as a badgers ar**, (no offence to badgers).

It looked like he was preparing to deliver leaflets, if I was a betting man I'd think he'll struggle to last the day out.

Has anyone seen Richardson out delivering yet?  I know he sees himself as taking a more tactical roll, the man behind the thrown.  Perhaps he's in charge of the anti chaffing cream.

I saw Cranney on Friday in Shrewsbury Street, pushing 'offensive literature' through letter boxes.  He actually looked in pain...maybe a bad back...or carrying a heavy burden!  Makes one wonder where all their minions are to do the donkey work when required?

Quote from: Johnny Bongo on April 18, 2016, 10: PM
I saw Cranney on Friday in Shrewsbury Street, pushing 'offensive literature' through letter boxes.  He actually looked in pain...maybe a bad back...or carrying a heavy burden!  Makes one wonder where all their minions are to do the donkey work when required?

I have seen the gang all out doing their own leaflet drops. It appears they do not have supporters willing to do the donkey work for them so we have to endure the  the spectacle of  overweight and unfit  zombies tramping the streets.

Maybe their supporters have jobs ?

I think Ann Marshall is trying to do Fens and Rossmere in little bite size chunks, (chaffing permitting).

No help from anyone, bless.

I wonder if effort is being concentrated on the Leader's ward - All Hail the Leader!

I can just imagine CAB giving the Comrades a rousing speech most mornings, it probably goes something like this;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwx2ce_AyOE

Quote from: steveL on April 19, 2016, 08: AM
I wonder if effort is being concentrated on the Leader's ward - All Hail the Leader!

I saw Cranney out delivering CAB's leaflets on Saturday with a dog in tow (Before anyone says it.... an actual dog, not the mad one!)

Incidentally, I haven't received anything from Darren Price yet.  Hope I get something soon.

Quote from: steveL on April 19, 2016, 08: AM
I wonder if effort is being concentrated on the Leader's ward - All Hail the Leader!

The mother-in-law won't be helping. She has trouble walking!

Quote from: Lord Elpus on April 12, 2016, 11: AM
It's just very long sentence, Capital letter at the start and full stop at the end.

Compared to Evelyn Leck (UKIP Candidate for Burn Valley) Hind is a veritable scholar.  (As only Evelyn and say, 'you know what I mean like').

I'd like to think that thinks can only get better but I'm of the opinion they might even get worse.

Evelyn Lek is a bright Lady. A long term member of healthwatch and chair of many committees plus she has a degree.
What can you say for yourself?

Quote from: Lord Elpus on April 12, 2016, 11: AM
It's just very long sentence, Capital letter at the start and full stop at the end.

Compared to Evelyn Leck (UKIP Candidate for Burn Valley) Hind is a veritable scholar.  (As only Evelyn and say, 'you know what I mean like').

I'd like to think that thinks can only get better but I'm of the opinion they might even get worse.

Evelyn Lek (UKIP Burn Valley) is a sharp lady who also holds a degree.

Quote from: mk1 on April 12, 2016, 01: PM

Quote from: Lord Elpus on April 12, 2016, 11: AM
It's just very long sentence, Capital letter at the start and full stop at the end.

Compared to Evelyn Leck (UKIP Candidate for Burn Valley) Hind is a veritable scholar.  (As only Evelyn and say, 'you know what I mean like').

I'd like to think that thinks can only get better but I'm of the opinion they might even get worse.

Being thick is no bar to getting elected. Labour always  put the stupidest councillors in charge of the group. SAB and Cranney are borderline morons. Mad Dog would also struggle to finish a Sun Crossword.

At least four of the UKIP candidates hold degrees including EVELYN LEK.

Quote from: marky on April 16, 2016, 02: PM
In UKIP's Seaton leaflet, they have put a little bar-chart of the General Election vote with the blurb that only UKIP can challenge Labour. Somehow they forget to mention that this is a local election, not a General Election, and that last time UKIP lost to an Independent with Labour trailing badly in third place.


In a way, I suppose it's further confirmation that UKIP take no interest in local matters and think every election is a national matter.

Last election the unknown UKIP candidate who was born in the south of the country lost to the established standing councillor by only 18 votes. The irony is that 2 of the people who voted for him are standing for election this year in our wards for UKIP.

Angie Wilcox  could show the paperwork which said she had more degrees than Professor Celsius

you can get a degree in hairdressing nowadays, I also know people with degrees who are thick as pigsh*t.... it doesn't mean a thing.

Quote from: Stephen T on April 19, 2016, 08: PM
At least four of the UKIP candidates hold degrees including EVELYN LEK.

I am pretty sure the 2 current UKIP Councillors do not.
Don't feel too bad. Most of the Labour Group are as thick as your average UKIP voter.

Many mentions of a degree but no indication as to which degree. Why is that?

Quote, Stephen T; 'At least four of the UKIP candidates hold degrees including EVELYN LEK'. 

I'd love to see the proof of that.  Seriously, she's barking (in my opinion).

Iris (the virus) Ryder, Evelyn's mate in standing in Seaton Carew for the Greens, it'll be interesting to see how many votes these two get, I doubt they'll get more than 50 each.

I'll show you mine if you show me yours . . !

The 'degree debate' about councillors always makes me laugh. Look at Cranney, there's absolutely no doubt academically he's thicker than a whale omelette. But he's found a way to 'survive', like a street hustler flogging moody perfume does, or a fella on the promenade at Tenerife tricking tourists into playing 'find the lady'.... (the lady being a granny in Kevin's case).

Then there's Ged Hall, on paper he's the cleverest man in the Labour Group, I'm told he's been to Cambridge. That said, I don't know if it was the famous old university or he just took a wrong turn off the M11. Even if he IS clever, he's currently had his 'political career' curtailed by people who couldn't even find Cambridge on a map..... a map OF Cambridge.

And of course there's SAB. I'll bet good money my dog has more b0llocks than SAB has GCSEs.

In fact, I'll bet good money that Hitler had more b0llocks than SAB has GCSEs. . .

Democracy in Hartepool had led to a kakistocracy.

kak·is·toc·ra·cies. Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens. Origin of kakistocracy. Greek kakistos, worst, superlative of kakos, bad; see caco– + –cracy.

I'd agree with that.

My dog's been castrated by the way... but I stand by my argument.

I doubt he went to Cambridge to train as a teacher..

Quote from: Lord Elpus on April 19, 2016, 10: PM
Quote, Stephen T; 'At least four of the UKIP candidates hold degrees including EVELYN LEK'. 

I'd love to see the proof of that.  Seriously, she's barking (in my opinion).

Iris (the virus) Ryder, Evelyn's mate in standing in Seaton Carew for the Greens, it'll be interesting to see how many votes these two get, I doubt they'll get more than 50 each.

I am sure Evelyn Lek would be glad to show you her certificate. I believe she will win in Burn Valley as she is locally respected and has loads of local support.

Quote from: Foggy on April 14, 2016, 06: PM
^That's not a vision I need thanks  >:(

CAB and his band of followers needn't bother knocking at my door. 

I wonder if 'Bill' Reeve will be out canvassing.  I doubt that very much.  Incidentally, what is it with RMW's relatives using their middle name for election purposes? Just another example of certain people trying to mislead the public.  I know why they are 'standing' but these fake candidates shouldn't be allowed to stand as far as I'm concerned.  It's a joke that has gone on too long.

I thought Bill worked for the council in Brierton Health Centre?

Quote from: Stephen T on April 20, 2016, 04: PM

Quote from: Lord Elpus on April 19, 2016, 10: PM
Quote, Stephen T; 'At least four of the UKIP candidates hold degrees including EVELYN LEK'. 

I'd love to see the proof of that.  Seriously, she's barking (in my opinion).

Iris (the virus) Ryder, Evelyn's mate in standing in Seaton Carew for the Greens, it'll be interesting to see how many votes these two get, I doubt they'll get more than 50 each.

I am sure Evelyn Lek would be glad to show you her certificate. I believe she will win in Burn Valley as she is locally respected and has loads of local support.

Locally respected, give over. Pop down to Stranton Green and ask businesses down there what they think of her, far from what I'd call respect.  Ask her when she going to rent her shop out.

She may well have a certificate, but I doubt its little more than a 'bonio fido' degree. 

Quote
I am sure Evelyn Lek would be glad to show you her certificate. I believe she will win in Burn Valley as she is locally respected and has loads of local support.

Just tell us what it is for. I get the distinct impression you are 'less than keen' for us to know exactly what this degree is for and hoping we assume it is in Quantum Mechanics or the like....

Quote from: Stephen T on April 20, 2016, 04: PM

Quote from: Foggy on April 14, 2016, 06: PM
^That's not a vision I need thanks  >:(

CAB and his band of followers needn't bother knocking at my door. 

I wonder if 'Bill' Reeve will be out canvassing.  I doubt that very much.  Incidentally, what is it with RMW's relatives using their middle name for election purposes? Just another example of certain people trying to mislead the public.  I know why they are 'standing' but these fake candidates shouldn't be allowed to stand as far as I'm concerned.  It's a joke that has gone on too long.

I thought Bill worked for the council in Brierton Health Centre?

Scott Reeve you mean.  RMW daughter's boyfriend I believe.  Paper candidate.

I see the Mail's daily election feature has started today:

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/hartlepool-council-elections-who-will-get-your-vote-in-burn-valley-1-7870676

All I have to say is it's a shame for the people of Burn Valley that Jonathan Brash stepped down.

From Facebook;

'SAB and Ann Marshall in Honiton way door knocking. Walking up and down looking lost. Response not looking good as both are legging it up the road and are heading towards Truro drive. Even two dog walkers didn't stop to talk to them Seems the young lad with them has been left behind. Nice day for it though'.

I believe that Lying Ste is now regarded as figure of derision by the majority of people in the town, he & his other half have made the town a laughing stock with their antics & fashionista exibitionism.

I am really looking forward to a tap on the door from the `Boys`

Quote from: fred c on April 23, 2016, 07: AM
I believe that Lying Ste is now regarded as figure of derision by the majority of people in the town, he & his other half have made the town a laughing stock with their antics & fashionista exibitionism.

I am really looking forward to a tap on the door from the `Boys`

Your details will have been firming underlined in the electoral roll, Carl used to mark non Labour supporters with crayon, so the canvassers knew not to knock on the door.  You'll have been underlined in green crayon.

Fred c.

They are not brave enough but they are daft enough.

As EL reports, you have probably been redacted!

I can't believe what I have just read on Facebook.  :o Someone has said that Mohamed El Menabawey has posted this on his Facebook:

To all my Hartlepool friends. The battle for the preservation and survival of our hospital is intensifying. In fact it is a battle for the very survival of our town. If we lost the hospital we loose a large irreplaceable employer with dire consequences. A strong team of councillors together with Ian Wright the town's MP has been formed to reverse and closure of various departments and preserve the hospital.

It is important that team is kept together and those councillors who are undertaking this important task particularly Mr Ray Martin Wells and Christopher Ackers-Belcher. I hope they are re- elected.

I should say that I have not seen this post with my own eyes as I am not a friend of Mr El Menabawey but if this is genuine it is nothing short of disgraceful. Hopefully people will see through these attempts to manipulate the electorate but I really don't know how an intelligent man has been taken in by these idiots.

Although on the plus side it does appear that CAB and RMW are a little worried about May 5th.

RMW pushed his election leaflet through the door this week, banner headline "keeping our promises"

That would be the promises to the developers I would guess, however within its glossy pages is an entry from Mr Menabawey

Under Ray's chairmanship, the council recently won a victory at the high court in London, stopping the imminent closure of the towns fertility unit. We want to go further and remove the current management at Hartlepool Hospital, but we can only do this if Ray is re-elcted.

Help Ray to continue to be a strong voice for all of us in Rural West, Please vote for Ray Martin-Wells on the 5th May

I have met Mr Menabawey a few times and my impression of him is that of an honest, sincere man with the best interests of the community as a priority. He has spent his life building the fertility clinic in the town and it must have broke his heart to learn they wanted to close it. Unfortunately that leaves him open to approaches from opportunists like RMW and the SCABS, who will promise the earth for a good reference. A great pity!

There is no mention in his leaflet about his collaboration with SENECA etc to build a couple of thousand houses in Rural West?

I think I would like to see a screenshot of this as I've had a look at his Facebook account and can't see anything of the sort.

RMW has something of a reputation for writing other people's election leaflets and basically making things up. At one stage, he even forged George Morris' signature on one of George's leaflets. He's quite capable of asking the Dr if it's OK 'to write something' and put the Dr's name on it.

Someone post an actual screen shot taken directly from the Doctor's FB page please. Personally, I don't think the Dr's stupid enough to willingly allow his professional name to be used and manipulated in this way.

Asking people for screen shots of someone's personal facebook page,mmmmmmmmmm.And him a very well respected Doctor.How low will you go??????.

Quote from: pensionater on April 23, 2016, 06: PM
Asking people for screen shots of someone's personal facebook page,mmmmmmmmmm.And him a very well respected Doctor.How low will you go??????.

Claim made that  certain words on Doctors Facebook page.
Doctors Facebook page checked and no such words found.
Simple request for screen grabs of said words.

Quote from: pensionater on April 23, 2016, 06: PM
Asking people for screen shots of someone's personal facebook page,mmmmmmmmmm.And him a very well respected Doctor.How low will you go??????.

I think you should be addressing that question to the manufacturer of the dodgy FB posts.

Quote from: pensionater on April 23, 2016, 06: PM
Asking people for screen shots of someone's personal facebook page,mmmmmmmmmm.And him a very well respected Doctor.How low will you go? ??? ??.

So a guy puts (or doesn't put) comments on Facebook for all to see but you then argue he is entitled to some sort of privacy?

What's worth keeping an eye on when the dust settles after the election is the situation with these 5 councillors below. This data is from 2014. I've included the raw number of votes they got in their ward. I've focused on just these 5 because they are the ONLY 5 of the people who won a seat in the 2014 'all out' who have opted to defend it this May. The other 6 have either retired or opted not to defend the seat for various reasons.

In my view, this will be the true measure of the 'strength' of the Labour/Tory vote in the town. The other 6 wards have 'new' candidates who will potentially bring with them a 'clean slate' and most come with no obvious baggage which would immediately dramatically effect the vote. However, these 5 below have a measurable track record of 4 years (more in some cases) under their belts. The question is, are the voters in these 5 wards still happy with their choice of PARTY? but more importantly are the voters in these 5 wards still happy with the PERSON?

Stephen James AKERS-BELCHER                  The Labour Party Candidate                     906                                 (Manor)

Ray WELLS                                          Local Conservatives                            1039                         (Rural West)

Jean ROBINSON                                          The Labour Party Candidate                      713                         (Hart)

Christopher AKERS-BELCHER                  The Labour Party Candidate                      895                         (Foggy Furze)

Jim AINSLIE                                          The Labour Party Candidate                      763                         (Headland)

I'm not going to make any public statements about the candidates above. I don't feel I need to.

Oh and by the way, in 2014 in Foggy Furze the following number of 'non-Labour' votes were cast.

Putting Hartlepool First   512
UK Independence Party   377
Local Conservatives           223
Liberal Democrat           148

That's 1,260 non-labour votes against CAB's total of 895.

Still, maybe that was just a flash in the pan eh?

Let's look at 2015 in Foggy Furze.

Chris CASSIDY - UK Independence Party (UKIP) - 1028
Kevin CRANNEY - The Labour Party Candidate - 1330 (Elected)
Diane MCINTYRE - The Green Party - 188
Darren Paul PRICE - Putting Hartlepool First - 623
Bill REEVE - Local Conservatives - 531

Cranney won it with 1,330 Labour votes.

But there were another 2,370 non-labour voters seemingly unwilling to put a cross next to the rose.

It's going to be an interesting one Foggy Furze.  ::)

I certainly hope it is an interesting one  ;)

Taking nothing away from the point you are making but I think the figures you have quoted are from 2012, rather than 2014 aren't they?

Just going back briefly to what I posted yesterday about what I had seen on Facebook. I thought I should edit my original post and add the word 'allegedly' in there somewhere but I can't see the option to modify my post.

I think you would have to be a friend on Mr El Menabawey to see the alleged post on Facebook and I haven't seen a screenshot anywhere yet. However, given the similar statement that has been made in RMW's election rag, I would say there is a good chance of this being genuine.

When Candidate are asking the electorate for the support would it not be reasonable to expect an honest photo of the Candidate.

There are a few who seem to have either used an air brush or a using photos taken of them many years ago.

Ann Marshall (Labour Candidate for Fens and Rossmere) is using a photo which appears to have been taken at least 10 years ago, says it all really.

I thought that the photograph used by CAB in his Mail write-up made him look positively ill. Surely they could have found a better one.  :-[

Quote......... given the similar statement that has been made in RMW's election rag, I would say there is a good chance of this being genuine.'

You can't attach any weight to what RMW says in his election rags; he routinely lies in everyone. In fact, if you go back over the Tory leaflets for the past few years you'll see that there is very little variation between them with most of the space used to slag off opposition councillors (not Labour) and very little used to list any achievements of their own. This is hardly surprising when your main achievements amount to supporting Labour at every opportunity and acting as a catalyst for his developer friends planning applications.

Throw in the annually repeated lie that Conservatives are the only councillors who don't claim expenses and you could probably write your own Tory Leaflet for 2017 right now.

Quote from: Lord Elpus on April 28, 2016, 07: AM

Ann Marshall (Labour Candidate for Fens and Rossmere) is using a photo which appears to have been taken at least 10 years ago, says it all really.

Was she the woman in blue with SAB & Mad Dog when they had the car accident in Grange Road?

It is true actually, the only expenses a councillor can claim are for their landline rental, the £6000 is classed as allowances not expenses.

No that's not quite right. It's true the 6k (actually a smidge less) is classed as an allowance and given automatically. However, there are a range of expenses that can be claimed, including: line rental, mileage (including to political meetings), conference fees, travel and subsistence.

CAB and SAB's expenses.

Summary
2010/11 = £3,434.56
2011/12 = £4,698.52
2012/13 = £4,179.77
2013/14 = £7,179.66
2014/15 = £7,133.54

Total = 26,586.05 over 5 years on top of basic and special allowances.

I've claimed £0 in the same period. The allowance should be enough!

Quote from: Jonathan Brash on April 28, 2016, 10: AM
No that's not quite right. It's true the 6k (actually a smidge less) is classed as an allowance and given automatically. However, there are a range of expenses that can be claimed, including: line rental, mileage (including to political meetings), conference fees, travel and subsistence.

CAB and SAB's expenses.

Summary
2010/11 = £3,434.56
2011/12 = £4,698.52
2012/13 = £4,179.77
2013/14 = £7,179.66
2014/15 = £7,133.54

Total = 26,586.05 over 5 years on top of basic and special allowances.

I've claimed £0 in the same period. The allowance should be enough!

I wonder, is it an Oxford (street) Graduate that does their expenses ?

Quote from: fred c on April 28, 2016, 11: AM

I wonder, is it an Oxford (street) Graduate that does their expenses ?

I used to think Ged was basically OK  but after a conversatIon with him where he flat out lied to me about something he did not know I knew I realised he was a sheep willing to keep his head down and do nothing in the hope things would 'get better'.

Quote from: mk1 on April 28, 2016, 12: PM

Quote from: fred c on April 28, 2016, 11: AM

I wonder, is it an Oxford (street) Graduate that does their expenses ?

I used to think Ged was basically OK  but after a conversatIon with him where he flat out lied to me about something he did not know I knew I realised he was a sheep willing to keep his head down and do nothing in the hope things would 'get better'.

Ged is keen to get the position of Chair of Children's Services in May, however Cllr Alan Clark is also keen to have the same roll.

CAB knows neither are 100% loyal to the current cabal but who is there within the Labour Group capable of doing the job as well as Simmons?

Barclay is in need of some SRA so it will be interesting to see who gets what.  Obviously the decision will have little to do with what's best for Hartlepool, just what's best for the CAB cabal.

If CAB get beaten in May all bets are off and the Comrades have to decide who they get behind as Leader, Mad Dog or Thomson.

Chair of Children's Services must be a poisoned chalice following the Angela Wrightson trial.

Land Phil.....


Anyone who had anything to do with chidrens services at that time may think that, but any appointment after the up coming elections should be starting with a clean slate.

After all "Lessons" will be learned.

Quote from: Lord Elpus on April 28, 2016, 12: PM
If CAB get beaten in May all bets are off and the Comrades have to decide who they get behind as Leader, Mad Dog or Thomson.

Lord Elpus - Surely you mean getting behind Thomas (Steve) rather than Thomson.  I think there is more chance of our UKIP 'colleagues' making a contribution to council than there is of me being invited to be leader of the Council.

Or are you suggesting that I should put my name forward as Chair of Council again, seeing as that went so well last time :)

I don't think Thomas is the only contender.  I have had a number of conversations with members of the Labour Group who are really unhappy with their 'leadership'. To quote one in particular, they are an "embarrassment". From my basic maths, there are enough of them unhappy to change the leadership but they just need to get their acts together and talk to each other.  Pending the outcome of next Thursday, maybe a helpful 'independent' volunteer should give them a hand talking to each other :)

Any one who follows the political process in Hartlepool, especially by attending council meetings are all to aware of the problems created by the Cabal presently running things, Hartlepool  must have the only Labour/Tory coalition in the country.

The embarrassment, or should i say ridicule, heaped on the good name of the town by the antics of members of that ruling group have have made for inclusion in  Private Eyes, Rotten Boroughs on 7 or 8 occasions.

The constant propaganda Bo***x of visions, masterplans & expensive consultations has wasted millions of pounds of money that could have been better spent on services & local facilities.

The questionable use of individual councillors budgets is also something that gives cause for concern every year, coincidentally around March/ April time, some ward scheme or another comes to the front of some councillors agenda's.

But the biggest damage faced by Hartlepool is the abandonment of the town plan & not solely because of the cost of £1.5 million pounds, although that appears to have been conveniently  forgotten by the ruling group.

It is the 'Planning Free For All' that was created by abandoning the town plan, it has left the council defenceless in the face of any & every tin pot planning application put forward by "Developers"

Democracy in Hartlepool has never been more compromised than at the present time, the use of the "Secret Squirrel" Pink Paper system, has led to a lack openess, transparency & most importantly accountability.

Politics in Hartlepool  needs fixing & the sooner the better.

Paul, humble apologies, I did indeed mean Thomas.

It would verging on the impossible for Thomas to take over the leadership, the obvious problem he would face is that he works for Cwistopher.

It would be a constant, yes dear, no dear, 3 bags full dear  :) :)

Has anyone living in Foggy Furze actually received a UKIP leaflet yet?

I still haven't got anything and am getting a little worried that it could play into a certain person's hands.  I will still be voting for Darren Price even if I don't get a leaflet but obviously a lot of floating voters vote of the basis of the information that comes through their door.  If they don't receive anything then I hate to think what might happen. :-\

After reading some of UKIP's Mail nonsense you would think the two dormice had been running rings around the labour lot for the past two years instead of cowering under the table. They've been handed a gift by PHF but it looks like they're still trying to figure out how to get the wrapping paper off. ::)

Well it's up you foggy people - the fate of the town is in your hands!

VOTE FOR DARREN PRICE!

Forget Labour for once!

Forget the UKIP price tag!

It's worth the sacrifice to save the town.

Oust CAB and the decent Labour Cllrs may just find the b***s and rid us of the Stalinists in the once proud Labour Party.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that SAB is as vulnerable. But you Manors could prove me wrong!

Come on you foggies, save the town.

It is not easy to work out the mindset for Hartlepool residents when it comes to elections and dare I say it possibly another vote of confidence in Labour again this time round, things don`t change unless there is a greater desire to do so and a will to make it happen, I can tell you  those dormice refered to by not4me were not handed a gift by PHF it was more of an understanding of how best to proceed in getting a result in line with what many on this forum wanted, I might add it has not been easy to think outside the box and do what was best for all, and yes not4me we knew how to take the wrapping paper off we have done so, the rest as they say is up to you. I couldn`t put it any better than Hartlepudlion and I thank him as i do some from another party who have suffered insults for daring to forge common ground.   

Quote from: beanzontoast on April 29, 2016, 06: PM
I can tell you  those dormice refered to by not4me were not handed a gift by PHF it was more of an understanding of how best to proceed in getting a result in line with what many on this forum wanted, I might add it has not been easy to think outside the box and do what was best for all, and yes not4me we knew how to take the wrapping paper off we have done so, the rest as they say is up to you. I couldn`t put it any better than Hartlepudlion and I thank him as i do some from another party who have suffered insults for daring to forge common ground.   

My understanding is you (UKIP) were going to  run candidates in every ward because that is what the National Party has told you that you have to do. That is you were going to split the vote and thus more likely to let labour in. You had no intention of standing down and to suggest this is all some 'masterplan' UKIP worked out with others is bollocks.
Fact is the other  group stood aside and gave you free run. Time will tell if it works but in my opinion you will only be able to pull this off once.  UKIP have been inept at local issues and are so bong-eyed obsessive about 'You-Rope' that I forsee chaos when the deranged try and wangle some anti-EU spin into dog fouling or bin collection. The only chance you would have is be letting Shane dictate tactics and keeping the real nutters hidden under the stairs. Fat chance given how these  true -believers will not take kindly to some johny-come-lately getting in the way of their dream of declaring Hartlepool a 'EU Free Zone'.
I think UKIP are going to make the SCAB Cabal look intelligent!

Quote from: beanzontoast on April 29, 2016, 06: PM
It is not easy to work out the mindset for Hartlepool residents when it comes to elections and dare I say it possibly another vote of confidence in Labour again this time round, things don`t change unless there is a greater desire to do so and a will to make it happen, I can tell you  those dormice refered to by not4me were not handed a gift by PHF it was more of an understanding of how best to proceed in getting a result in line with what many on this forum wanted, I might add it has not been easy to think outside the box and do what was best for all, and yes not4me we knew how to take the wrapping paper off we have done so, the rest as they say is up to you. I couldn't put it any better than Hartlepudlion and I thank him as i do some from another party who have suffered insults for daring to forge common ground.   

If your starting point for any 'understanding' was to insist that you do your national leaders bidding and put forward a candidate in every ward then I fail to see what you have contributed to the arrangement. I see similarities to Farage's inability to work with others in the 'leave campaign' where he has been left looking like the spoilt brat in the corner of the school playground threatening to take his ball home if he can't be captain.

for fawks sake, May i remind you that it was UKIP that got you this referendum on the EU and may I also remind you that you have a vote either to stay in or come out and take our country back, even Jeremy says the EU isn`t democratic if it`s not democratic then what is it he dosen`t say I say democracy has been the english way for a very long time another word for it is freedom it is of course not perfect but at least you, yes you, can vote them out, with that out of the way the only thing i see UKIP causing you a dilema is that we have given you a choice to make but even that has been made easy for you both Labour and consevatives want to stay in stop getting on UKIP`s case because we gave you a choice.

Without wanting to get drawn into the 'UKIP putting themselves first' versus 'PHF putting the town first' issue being debated above, this is a litmus test election to determine where the local Labour Party are under it's current 'leadership'.

Go back 20 years or so and May 5th would be more of a question of how many votes each Labour candidate would win by. Totals of 3,000+ were not unheard of for local Labour candidates.

Things have changed.

Even under what is arguably the most hated Tory government since Thatcher's, when usually 'opposition' Labour councillors do very well in local elections, i'd be surprised if any of the current lot poll over 900 votes.

I also think the Foggy Furze seat will be won, or way or the other, by a majority of less than 150.

That's some sorry state of affairs when you've got a Tory government carving up the NHS, doctors out on strike, mass protests on the streets of London calling for the Tory PM to resign.... yet in a Labour heartland like Hartlepool, the Labour leader may or may not limp home in what should be a safe ward in an historically very safe Labour town.

Still, that's democracy ... beautiful isn't it?  ;D

Quote from: beanzontoast on April 29, 2016, 08: PM
another word for it is freedom..........

You sound just like that other famous racist Mel Gibson in Braveheart. Give it up this stupid idiotic obsession with the EU. You are all fecking lunatics

Quote from: beanzontoast on April 29, 2016, 08: PM
for fawks sake, May i remind you that it was UKIP that got you this referendum on the EU and may I also remind you that you have a vote either to stay in or come out and take our country back, even Jeremy says the EU isn`t democratic if it`s not democratic then what is it he dosen`t say I say democracy has been the english way for a very long time another word for it is freedom it is of course not perfect but at least you, yes you, can vote them out, with that out of the way the only thing i see UKIP causing you a dilema is that we have given you a choice to make but even that has been made easy for you both Labour and consevatives want to stay in stop getting on UKIP`s case because we gave you a choice.

My post was on the subject of the local elections; my concern has always been that UKIP are not in the least bit interested in local politics and are unable to debate anything for any length of time without falling back to the one of their only two interests - something you have just proven perfectly.

Quote from: beanzontoast on April 29, 2016, 08: PM
I say democracy has been the english way for a very long time

But not as long as other nations. You do not even know basic history if you think 'England (another stumble  by the little Englanders) can teach Europe about Male suffrage. I checked and France, Germany and Switzerland were well ahead of the backward UK. But I know little  things like 'facts' never make any impression on  deluded people who 'know' they are right.

For Fawkes Sake, I accept this topic was about Local elections and lets by all means stick to that, I do however have a confession to make and that is when I joined this forum I was asked to have a user name, I did this in good faith and with the belief we would ALL operate under the same code ie we could all put our points across, rightly or wrongly but overall have debate.
Many on this forum have took it upon themselves to find out which person was attached to their user name, which I feel does degrade what this site was intended to aspire to, nevertheless this site has a lot to commend it.
May I say for my part, apart from a very few user names attached to real persons, I don`t know who you are nor do I solicit nor wish to, I also believe this was the intended view of the Hartlepool Forum.

With the above statement in mind, and with the less than favourable view of SAB and CAB from many on this forum, and bearing in mind i don`t know who you are or which ward you are in, and based on Hartlepudlion `s thread.

I challenge you to make known on this forum who YOU  have or intend to vote for next Thursday.

Quote from: beanzontoast on April 29, 2016, 09: PM

Many on this forum have took it upon themselves to find out which person was attached to their user name, which I feel does degrade what this site was intended to aspire to, nevertheless this site has a lot to commend it.
May I say for my part, apart from a very few user names attached to real persons, I don`t know who you are nor do I solicit nor wish to, I also believe this was the intended view of the Hartlepool Forum.

Hartlepool is a small place. Everyone knows everyone else. Lots of people post here and part of the fun is working out (not very difficult) which councillor is using which name.  SAB/CAB/Alan Clark/ Barclay/Drummond have all given it a go. You simply screamed UKIP and the connection was made. Was it a such a big secret?

MK1  That was not my point and you know it, so lets get to the chase, personally i don`t know who you are or what ward you are in ( honest ) however in the spirit of my last thread Which Party are you voting for in this Local election. I assure you i wish to make no political capital out of this nor, I assure you am I the least bit concerned, I only ask as many on this forum want to see the back of SAB and CAB, UKIP have a candidate in both wards get used to it.
My belief is you won`t mention who you have voted for, and of course that is your choice, thankfully you still have that choice. Now should CAB get voted in again.
My thoughts on this senerio is this, will this forum go off air on May 6th rightly it should as you moanining minnies have voted and as always you get the council you deserve. It is after all just a thought.

I have stated several times in this topic who I will be voting for next week.  However, I'm not sure what people stating who they will vote for will achieve.  It doesn't take a genius to work out that the majority of posters on here will not be voting labour on May 5th. It is not the people on here you want to worry about, it's the ones who don't visit this forum or the various Facebook groups that you need to get your message to.... And by message I don't mean any of that EU rubbish, I mean what are UKIP going to do at a local level to make this town a better place.

I think referring to people on here as 'moaning minnies' just shows how out of touch with reality you are. The difference between what some people on here have done to try and challenge and expose certain councillors and what UKIP councillors have done since being elected is fairly staggering.  ::)

BOT......................

"My thoughts on this senerio is this, will this forum go off air on May 6th rightly it should as you moanining minnies have voted and as always you get the council you deserve. It is after all just a thought"

I have no intention of getting involved in this particular battle of wits, suffice to say, I don`t consider myself or the vast majority of contributors to this forum as "Moaning Minnies".

There have been many instances were issues brought to the publics attention started on these pages, the one constant in the criticism of the way The LabTor Mob operate has been the Hartlepool Post.

It may have escaped your attention, but the Post & its founders have been in existence for many more years than your party.

The Labour Party will be in charge of the council on May 6th, it's mathematically impossible for them NOT to be, assuming the coalition says in tact.

What people are hoping for, begging for, praying for on here and across the town is for a change in the balance of power within the Labour group. Ideally, that will come via the leader of their group loosing his seat.

However, i won't be holding my breath even if that happens. There are simply too many who are too weak within their group. They simply wouldn't have the guts to stand up to Cranney, James et al even if one or both of the A-Bs lost their seat.

I'm happy to be proven wrong, but i don't see a leader within their ranks.

Even if there IS one who emerges, he or she will get little or no respect from me because they should have done something to sort out the farce of a council a long time ago. Not just sat back and allowed the council to be dragged through the mud time and time again.

Anyway, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Nobody really knows which way the polls will go on May 5th. 

That's not what I'm praying for ..... to me the unwillingness of the local Labour Group to police itself properly means that is has surrendered any legitimate right it has to govern this town.

I don't see a Labour Party presence in Hartlepool. What I do see is a bunch of self-serving crooks who have hijacked the brand aided and abetted by a supporting cast of total cowards. The very suggestion that the likes of the SCABS and Cranney are socialists is laughable.

Quote from: DRiddle on April 30, 2016, 08: AM


However, i won't be holding my breath even if that happens. There are simply too many who are too weak within their group.
Anyway, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Nobody really knows which way the polls will go on May 5th.

Which is the reason they were picked as candidates in the first place. Spineless jellyfish waiting for the chance of an extra allowance and nothing else.

If only Clark would grow a pair.

https://youtu.be/WY7UlwMSBUw?t=4m17s

Hi Beanzontoast , AKA Cllr Tom Hind.

When I signed up for this forum, I was also asked for a username and I chose Paul Thompson, because
a) that's my name
b) I wanted people to know who was making the comments
c) because I have the courage of my convictions to stand by what I say and say it again to someone's face if asked

Therefore, in response to your other question on how I have voted for next week (I'm a postal voter)....I have voted for James Black in Seaton as he is the most credible and intelligent of them all (which is why I was more than happy to sign his nomination papers) and I have voted for Sultan Alam in the PCC elections (if you are interested why, you can follow this https://www.facebook.com/Paul-Thompson-Seaton-Matters-1548132715454300/?fref=nf)

BTW - one of your UKIP activitsts was apologising on a previous Facebook post of mine for your poor attendance at Full Council and other meetings by saying that you worked full time but are now retired. Congratulations on your recent retirement and I look forward to seeing you more at council and reflecting on your observations. See you next Saturday at our Ward Surgery :)

Look no further than today's write up about SAB in the fail if ever evidence is needed that ward budgets are used to influence voters.

I see the Tory candidate put a lot of effort into their write up.  ::)

In other news... I have now received a UKIP leaflet  ;)

I've just read this on a UKIPPERS election burb in The Mail...

QuoteThe hospital at Wynyard will not be built so the best course is to try to regain some of the facilities we used to have at the University hospital, Hartlepool. Only UKIP seems to have the will or any idea how to do this.

Read more: http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/hartlepool-local-elections-who-will-get-your-vote-in-hart-ward-1-7882607#ixzz47K9X9Gv8

The last i heard the lad who stood for UKIP in the general election was trying to save it via a facebook page. Then there's Tom who wants to ban anyone from another country coming here (thus putting even more pressure on finding Doctors and nurses to work within the NHS) and there's George... I'm not entirely convinced he knows where the hospital is, let alone how to save it.

Oh and let's not forget UKIP in its wider sense and Mr Farage... what does he think about the NHS and local hospitals?

Quote"I think we are going to have to move to an insurance-based system of healthcare."

"Frankly, I would feel more comfortable that my money would return value if I was able to do that through the marketplace of an insurance company, than just us trustingly giving £100billion a year to central government and expecting them to organize the healthcare service from cradle to grave for us,"   - Nigel Farage

Sounds to me he want's to privatize the NHS in the same way the Tories do.

Election soundbites in Hartlepool have reached laughable levels.

Pity Jean wasn't allowed more space to finish the sentence ...

Councillor Paul Beck and I have used our ward member's budgets to improve the area and support local groups. Other councillors from opposition parties have voted to remove this vital support to our electioneering campaigns.

Interesting to see what she looks like as well, about as elusive as that lass from Seaton.

The UKIP leaflet I received is a little disappointing. Nothing about Darren Price the person. Usual stuff about council tax, the combined authority and hospital services. All issues which are just about in the past. What do UKIP plan to do going forward?

Apparently "only UKIP will fight to keep Council tax affordable"  ::)

Also, a totally pointless illustration with last years poll totals stating that PHF can't win here. Well at least that's a true statement.. They can't win as there's no PHF candidate standing!

I don't want to have a go at Darren Price as I would like to think he will do a good job as a councillor. BUT come on UKIP... There's an opportunity here... Don't screw it up.

The little histogram they have used is actually the results from the General Election; the sort of slight-of-hand that we would more usually expect from the SCABS but then again, if we've found someone within UKIP that actually knows how to construct a histogram then that has to be an advance - hasn't it?  ::)

Quote from: Foggy on April 30, 2016, 08: PM


Also, a totally pointless illustration with last years poll totals stating that PHF can't win here.

The design was probably  completed when UKIP was planning to make sure it ran in every ward so they had to expect PHF candidates. When PHF gave UKIP a free run (which despite UKIP claims had nothing to do with them in any way) they were caught out.  That is what happens when you back-stab in the cause of the greater good of the National Party!

Been watching Farage on the 'Andrew Marr program', he said voting UKIP at a local level ensures you have Councillors who will be vocal and stand up for their communities. 

Not in Hartlepool, the current UKIP Councillors are a complete waste of space.

Made me feel a bit queasy reading this

(http://i64.tinypic.com/aokqyh.jpg)

(http://i63.tinypic.com/1zzm58h.jpg)

So the partner of the man who agreed to the closure of Hartlepool Hospital for a donation of £5000 to himself is now going to bring back the hospital?

That smacks of desperation to me.

As myself and others on here have said many times, in Hartlepool you can put virtually anything you want on an election leaflet.

It really doesn't matter if what you say is true, exaggerated, embellished or an absolute tissue of lies, nobody will do anything.

This particular leaflet suggests to me somebody is worried. VERY worried.  ;)

Note the use of a Labour stooge to promote CAB. Sedgwick is a man who can be relied upon to make sure councillors and their families will be well provided for despite the cutbacks.

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/923/Z1f9Tf.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnZ1f9Tfj)


http://www.high-tax-hartlepool.co.uk/index.php/topic,2820.msg29923.html#msg29923

Another Labour stooge posing as a member of the public.




(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/922/Mmqat4.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmMmqat4j)


Now where have we seen her before...........................ah yes. Remember when SAB sold out hospital for £5000 quid towards his clapped out bus project?

March 2012
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/923/rxqwmw.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnrxqwmwj)

There is little Linda on the far right.

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/924/XfXbO9.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poXfXbO9j)

'Bob Farrow?    Hmmm...................... isn't he one of the front men Cranney uses to siphon money through his bogus comapnies?.
Here he is (far right in grey shorts))  with an earlier stooge Sedgwick and the beast Cranney.

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/921/Q7VoOi.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/plQ7VoOij)

Another Labour stooge posing as a member of the public.

A simple Google of the names in the leaflet shows them all to be listed as proposers for Labour candidates up for election.

You don't need to be a Mob councillor to live off the back of the s**t wagon, there are those who are all to ready to stumble along behind it sucking up the slurrie that seeps from it.

Quote from: fred c on May 01, 2016, 05: PM
You don't need to be a Mob councillor to live off the back of the s**t wagon, there are those who are all to ready to stumble along behind it sucking up the slurrie that seeps from it.

Too right Fred, many of the groups some Councillors support are rarely audited or outcomes monitored.  Often the money would be better spent supporting established charities who would deliver. 

NYPD (Wilcox) was a classic example, in my opinion it did more harm than good to the children involved.

Looks like someone has sold his soul - I wonder what the price was?

It s sad really that CAB could not find a genuine member of the public to support him and was forced to ask 'friends/hangers on'  to pretend to like him. It shows how little public support he really has.

Quote from: mk1 on May 01, 2016, 06: PM
It s sad really that CAB could not find a genuine member of the public to support him and was forced to ask 'friends/hangers on'  to pretend to like him. It shows how little public support he really has.

It's looking like 'endorsements for sale' to me - Rift House and Belle Vue? I think we've been here before but then they'd better hurry up. Credit Risk warnings against Belle Vue are almost a daily appearance in The Post's inbox as another of Cranney's portfolio of organisations teeters on the financial brink.

"We want to go further and remove the current management of Hartlepool Hospital, but we can only do this if Christopher is re-elected"... I respect Dr Menebaway, but that statements absolute rubbish. The ruling group were given an opportunity to help remove the management last year when Keith Fisher's proposal to withdraw cooperation was put forward in full council. That could have been the catalyst to forcing the current management out.

But Labour bottled it and accused the proposers of putting the lives of children and vulnerable adults at risk. Instead they wasted their time on a jaunt to London to see Jeremy Hunt.

They were also given the opportunity to have a town wide referendum in which 90,000 people could have made their feeling known and passed a formal 'no confidence' vote to the trust.

Again, Labour bottled it with the 'casting vote' going to the current leaders partner, who voted not to do it.

At the time i said a train ride to London was a waste of time and that seeing Jeremy Hunt to talk about saving a hospital was pointless. Hunt is firmly in the 'privatize the NHS' camp and has been for years. I also said well over a year ago that he (Hunt) did not have the support of the British Medical Association and over a 100,000 doctors had no confidence in him.

Since then Doctors have gone on strike for the first time since the NHS was formed, Hunt has firmly established himself as one of the most hated men in the country and Hartlepool's Labour councillor's are still pussy footing around 'threatening' to remove Foster and Garvin from the health and well being board.

A 'punishment' which is tantamount to telling an arsonist carrying a can of petrol and a lighter, that he's not welcome at a meeting about the installation of smoke alarms.

Just to be clear both Alex Sedgwick and  Bob Farrow run  Belle Vue Community and Sports centre and survive on Labour handouts.  .   

I find it somewhat strange that he claims to be "standing up for Foggy Furze ward" when I don't recall him uttering the words 'foggy' and 'furze' at any council meeting I have been to. Aside from the Anderson's bakery bandwagon which he only jumped on to save Cranney's seat last year, what exactly has he done to stand up for Foggy Furze?

Clearly being a ward councillor for FF is just a vehicle for him to achieve much bigger ambitions... I really hope that particular vehicle gets a few punctures on May 5th.

The first pic of CAB (with the Doctor) looks like it's been superimposed onto a pic of the hospital....possibly two separate pics (one of CAB, one of the Doctor) made to look like one photo!  Who would do such a thing...and why?

Quote from: Johnny Bongo on May 02, 2016, 12: AM
The first pic of CAB (with the Doctor) looks like it's been superimposed onto a pic of the hospital....possibly two separate pics (one of CAB, one of the Doctor) made to look like one photo!  Who would do such a thing...and why?

It is even more stupid than you can imagine. Here is the sequence.

Top is the original photo.
2nd down is how it would look it it was a straight photo-shop.
3rd pic shows that CAB wanted to take the RH spot so they did a 'horizontal flip' to pander to his vanity.




(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/922/KTPeXO.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmKTPeXOj)


It is as fake as him!


Note they got rid of Ray.

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/921/keeGwA.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/plkeeGwAj)

Notice how the orignal pics of SAB have been airbrushed to remove the bags under his eyes in one

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/923/jWpDta.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnjWpDtaj)


and the creases on his forehead in another


(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/923/Le2OpD.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnLe2OpDj)

Well spotted mk1.  I remember a long line of dodgy election photos, Ray Waller usually used one taken at least ten years previously. Bob Flintoff was another serial offender.

The best (or worse) I've seen recently was Ann Marshall, Labour Candidate for Fens and Rossmere.  Looks like she's used an old photo and airbrushed it as well.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_SYKYPWZ0EI

Lovely song this.

Serious point here in that the guy is intrinsically deceitful whether it's about his record or his looks - as Lennon said 'nothing is real' - he Photoshops his record in the same way he Photoshops his face.

Is the Good Doctor aware of the fact his image has been adulterated for political purposes..... I suspect not, I also suspect he wouldn't be overly happy about.

I realised there were lots of holes to pick in that leaflet but I didn't quite think there were that many. In fact its difficult to find anything genuine about it or him at all. I just hope enough people realise that and vote Darren Price.

I am trying not to get my hopes up after last years disappointment but I think the 2014 result in FF gives cause for some optimism, along with the number of people's eyes that have been opened about certain people in the last 2 years.

I see it's the turn of Rural West in the fail today. Interesting that the young Labour candidate has a very short and weak write up with no photograph.  ::)

mk1, the photo of the good Dr with RMW and AB, is what appears in RMW election blurb, the poses, the ties, the smug look, only in the leaflet posted through the doors in West Park, its AB who has been cut out.

The wording regarding RMW leadership, high court victory etc is exaclty the same as the wording used in support of AB, the only difference is under RMW its "chairmanship" and AB "leadership".

They do seem to have got their respective acts together, but certaily the Dr is being used for politics in the town, I wonder if he is aware?

Quote from: Shepherd on May 02, 2016, 11: AM
mk1, the photo of the good Dr with RMW and AB, is what appears in RMW election blurb, the poses, the ties, the smug look, only in the leaflet posted through the doors in West Park, its AB who has been cut out.
The wording regarding RMW leadership, high court victory etc is exaclty the same as the wording used in support of AB, the only difference is under RMW its "chairmanship" and AB "leadership".
They do seem to have got their respective acts together, but certaily the Dr is being used for politics in the town, I wonder if he is aware?

I still have serious doubts whether any of this is genuine. I would be shocked if the Doctor had allowed his name to be used in this way even if he did believe that CAB and RMW were the best thing since sliced bread; Professional people tend to have the wisdom to stay clear of politics.

In addition, the statement, "We want to go further and remove the current management of Hartlepool Hospital, but we can only do this if Christopher is re-elected" simply reeks of CAB and Wells.

Above all though, it's the grammar that just doesn't hang right. You just don't get through years of Medical School and medical practice with grammar as poor as that.

I would have thought if the doctor knew about the photo being 'doctored', pun ! He would be issuing a statement to clarify the photo was 'doctored' ?

Quote from: seaton on May 02, 2016, 03: PM
I would have thought if the doctor knew about the photo being 'doctored', pun ! He would be issuing a statement to clarify the photo was 'doctored' ?

If as stated Ray is using the exact same wording in his leaflets with just his name/title switched for CAB  then it is must be a  fake.
Anyone got a copy of Rays version?

    As a group of so called leaders they are not very clever.   The same old tactic of picking at random  a supportive passer-by  being wheeled out again. 
  About two years ago Beck and Robinson (Hart Ward) used the same stunt asking a "dog walker" for favourable comment  as they opened Hartfield swings etc.   By pure luck she turned out to be the mother of SAB!!!!!! She later went on to stand in the same ward even ringing people at home, asking for the Mr. to vote for her, not bothering to ask if the lady of the house would vote for her.   Stange.   Anyway she was not elected on that occasion.   We all know the rest and the reward of a brand new bungalow for her troubles.     No offer was made to us ........wouldn't have taken it anyway , glad I was out when she rang!!!!

   Desperate people trying to cling to power. I am sick of their deceit ( well worth a check in a dictionary and thesaurus - all options fit them )  and willingness to treat the electorate with contempt.

I've just pulled the young Tory kid up for his comments on his Facebook page. The ones who's trying to win a seat on the Hart Ward.

He's still spinning the 'The Conservatives are the only political party in Hartlepool not to claim expenses' line.

He's still doing this despite being made aware it's not true. His 'campaign publisher' has also been made aware by Peter Devlin that the claims isn't true.

Still, this is Hartlepool. You're allowed to lie on your election leaflets.

Shouldn't he be disqualified from standing on Thursday then.  :) :) :)

Fred, this is HBC. He'll be given 200 votes start and some sweets.

Silly me..... I'd forgotten, it's surprising what you can get a young person to do for a Swizzel Lolly & a couple of Refreshers  :)

Good God - I'm convinced the Tories grow these creatures on a petri dish somewhere . . .


(http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/images/isaac%20duffy.PNG)

Sad, Sad....


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35999707

I have a copy of RMW election leaflet!

Just out of interest, front page of RMW blurb, it  says:-

"As promised, since being elected in 2012 Local Conservatives continue to be the ONLY political party to refuse to accept a single penny in expenses"

Claims made in the leaflet include him "summoning the CEO of North East Ambulance with respect to lack of paramedics", and his "demands" that the town gets more paramedics. "He has been guarentteed the town will have significantly increased fully trained paramedics to cover Hartlepool by the end of the year"

He did something similar with the police and crime commissioner with respect to neighbourhood policing.

He also claims to have "summoned NHS England to Hartlepool to challenge them over their proposals to downgrade Special Care Baby Unit" and made them "back down" no less.

With respect to his reference for this work from Dr Menabawey, it says:

"Under Rays chairmaship, the council recently won a victory at the high court in London, stopping the imminent closure of the towns fertility unit. We want to go further and removethe current management at Hartlepool Hospital, but we can only do this if Ray is re-elected. Help Ray to continue to be a strong voice for all of us in Rural West. Please vote for Ray Martin-Wells on 5th May"

So Ray has been a busy boy or so he says and there was me thinking all he had done was sell out to housing developing companies (allegedly).

Quote from: mk1 on May 02, 2016, 02: AM
Notice how the orignal pics of SAB have been airbrushed to remove the bags under his eyes in one

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/923/jWpDta.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnjWpDtaj)


and the creases on his forehead in another


(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/923/Le2OpD.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnLe2OpDj)

How many of the following apply  :)

"Vanity can easily overtake wisdom. It usually overtakes common sense"

"Under all wrongdoing lies personal vanity or the feeling that we are endowed and privileged beyond our fellows"

"Vanity can apply to both insecurity and egotism"

"Any fear of aging, I think, is simply vanity"

"There's nothing so unattractive as vanity... particularly male vanity"

"Vanity is a weakness. I know this. It's a shallow dependence on the exterior self, on how one looks instead of what one is"

can someone send me a scan of RMW's leaflet please?

I hear Chrissy Akers Belcher has had his photo taken with another Doctor today......

(http://www.thethompsons.tv/images/CAB.jpg)

This is the alleged posting by the good doctor on his Facebook page:


(http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/images/doctors%20facebook%20post.PNG)

A few things to note:


1. I can't find any Facebook post by the doctor beyond 16th September 2015 when he changed his profile pic
2. The graphical error in the top right-hand corner
3. The general poor grammar and punctuation
4. The error use of the word 'and instead of 'the'
5. How the end of the penultimate sentence is left in mid-air.

Not really the expected output from someone who has based his whole career on the precision of language.

Well it looks like the gloves are off concerning the Tories local campaign. They're still blatantly spinning the 'we're the only party not to claim expenses' line. Despite two councillors and the monitoring officer pulling them up on it.

Still, lets hope people see through the spin.   

http://politicalscrapbook.net/2015/08/isaac-duffy-bollinger-quaffing-tory-boy-appeal-for-free-manservant/

https://tompride.wordpress.com/2014/09/30/tory-conference-delegate-celebrates-austerity-by-tweeting-bottle-of-bollinger/

On the issue of the IVF unit and possible further action, RMW has been the driving force and has done all the work with little noticeable help from Labour Cllrs, including CAB. As he admits, he couldn't have done as much without the valuable support and assistance of the good doctor.

So, on this occasion RMW has admirably filled his Chair  of Scrutiny.

Are you really so gullible? Wells is a very recent convert to the hospital cause. After the election, assuming that he's re-elected, Wells will revert to type, forget about the hospital and go back to his main 'business' of helping his mates get their planning applications through.   

So much to criticise RMW for but I will leave it as this ...

RMW is the most intelligent member of the Labour group and that is what makes him a big concern.

I reckon the thing people will be most talking about on Friday is the pathetically low turn out. Politicians might be bad but the general public is a disgrace.

Unfortunately marks, I have agree with you.

However, perhaps, the people of foggy will save the town and give us cause to celebrate.

I was concerned at the number of candidates for the Seaton ward but have only had leaflets to Sue Lttle and PHF.

Unfortunately they both make good reading and risk splitting the vote.

Tomorrow is certainly going to be interesting. Seaton and Hart could go anywhere and getting the right result in Foggy Furze is crucial. Good luck Darren Price  ;)

I am trying not to be too optimistic after what happened last year but the 2014 results give some cause for a little hope. Just to remind anyone that needs reminding:

http://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/results/2014/78/ (http://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/results/2014/78/)

The key thing is where the PHF vote will go (apart from Seaton obviously). I think we know where it won't go but will those voters opt for an alternative or just abstain?

Any sign of Labour activists being out in certain wards urging people to vote? It's against the rules if done close to a polling station. But, hey, rules don't apply to the 'invinceables' or should that be 'untouchables' ? I certainly wouldn't want to touch them!

Quote from: marky on May 04, 2016, 07: PM
I reckon the thing people will be most talking about on Friday is the pathetically low turn out. Politicians might be bad but the general public is a disgrace.

Some countries have compulsory voting... you can choose who you want, but you must choose. Other countries make it simple for you. You have to vote but they tell you who you are voting for before you go and the voting papers are already completed when you get to the poling station.
Perhaps this country should look at going down the compulsory voting route. I know which variety would be favourite in this town.

People live in their own personal bubbles these days. I doubt the level of interest for a lot of people extends beyond around 9ft.

I agree Steve.  When I try to talk to some people about the local elections and the goings on in the council you can see their eyes glazing over and they look at me like I'm slightly mad.  But I try anyway.

I've been to vote this morning.  There was only one other person there, an elderly lady who is seems couldn't vote anyway as she had already sent a postal vote a few weeks ago.  Although she didn't fully recall doing it, she did get one thing right... as she left she said "They all want throwing out so we can start again".  ;D

Correction:  She got it almost right.... three current Councillors can stay but the rest are a waste of space   ;)

Quote from: Gustaf I of England + BWH on May 05, 2016, 09: AM

. You have to vote but they tell you who you are voting for before you go and the voting papers are already completed when you get to the polling station.
Perhaps this country should look at going down the compulsory voting route. I know which variety would be favourite in this town.

The Labour group are quite happy with the system in place where wardens in all the old folks homes  make sure all postal ballot forms  are delivered to the Labour ward candidate for him/her to fill in. So much easier if mummy runs the place as well!

Rumour has it that Cwissy has a 'Piper'  out rallying support in Foggy..... i hope he uses it near a polling station.... it could then be considering electioneering & thats very nawty....

It also looks as though the police will be investigating the Tories for the election expense fiddling.... if they do it could possibly apply here with a mob candidate

Mr. Barclay is keeping himself busy. Staggered along Belmont Gardens with his clipboard and satchel, knocking on selected doors as he went. He called in at the Poling Station in Eldon Grove and was last seen heading for St. Matthews Hall in Elwick Road. Is their defense going to be that he wasn't campaigning in his own ward ?

I spotted him earlier prowling around Eamont Gardens. I had to look twice, I thought it was a tramp.

The guy ( think I spelt it right) just loves to be talked about, he revels in it, not bad for a lad on his forces pension (due to discharging a flashbang in a confined space) who only stood as a so called councilor to top it up, look at the good he brought to the RAOB, diminished it beyond recognition with a little help from other outsiders, all round good guy, who could say otherwise hey, technicolour dreamcoat.

I saw Carl Richardson, notepad in hand, talking on his mobile, outside the Supporters Club in Duke street at approx 5.50 pm.  Over the last few days, I've noticed Carl, with a gang of saddos, in Murray street, Barclay and a gang up the Manor (I think!) and the gruesome twosome (Scabs) in Kingsley Avenue.  The whole lot of them seem to be worried and rightly so....let's just hope their worries come true! ;D

Fingers crossed. I daren't say anymore.  :-X

Will anyone be reporting back from the count tonight?... and what time are the results expected roughly?

He is so 'settled' he has big 'vote Labour' signs up in his front window  ::)

(http://i63.tinypic.com/286z72w.jpg)

The picture is as honest as he is.

Fisher did what he was supposed to do and  got Jean back in. As I said Labour through and through. When personal advancement and ego are concerned there is nothing a attention seeker will consider other than himself .

Shane got rid of that smug git Ainslie.

Roby payne got shafted by UKIP

Jim Ainslie loses by 2 votes to Shane, UKIP gain seats.

Ann Marshall lost to UKIP


http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/live/daily?2055065

I shall focus on the positives first I think.

Well done James Black ;D Excellent news. I wish the voters in other areas of Hartlepool thought like the people of Seaton.

Congratulations also to Shane Moore. I would have loved to have seen the look on Mr Ainslie's face. Looks like Bob Buchan won by a relatively big margin too. I just hope the three new UKIP Councillors show the other two bookends how it's done.

As usual vote splitting has meant that a totally useless candidate has won Hart AGAIN. It is unbelievable that Beck and Robinson are in the position they are in after their appalling 'support' during the gypsy site business. Well done Keith Fisher... I am beginning to think you have a point mk1.

As for the SCABS... God help us all.

Burn Valley
Dave Hunter (Lab) 687
Evelyn Leck (UKIP) 562
Andrew Martin-Wells (Con) 345


De Bruce
Brenda Mary Harrison (Lab) 765
Alan Hind (UKIP) 491
Jean McKenna (Con) 137
Carl Aaron Robertson (Ind) 88

Fens and Rossmere
Bob Buchan (UKIP) 1191
Tom Casey (Green) 134
Dennis Loynes (Con) 240
Ann Marshall (Lab) 769

Foggy Furze
Christopher Akers-Belcher (Lab) 828
Darren Paul Price (UKIP) 748
Bill Reeve (Con) 268


Hart
Bob Addison (UKIP) 529
Isaac Duffy (Con) 383
Keith Fisher (Ind) 394
Kenneth Holt (Green) 70
Jean Robinson (Lab) 568

Headland and Harbour
Jim Ainslie (Lab) 617
Chris Broadbent (Con) 117
Shane Moore (UKIP) 619

Jesmond
Robbie Payne (Lab) 648
John Tennant (UKIP) 754
Jayne Wells (Con) 150

Manor House
Stephen Akers-Belcher (Lab) 772
Pam Gooderham (UKIP) 529
Tracey Hutchison (Con) 100

Rural West
Chris Cassidy (UKIP) 531
Michael Holt (Green) 240
Ray Martin-Wells (Con) 1058
Syed Shahan Miah (Lab) 264

Seaton
James Black (PHF) 586
Martin Dunbar(Lab) 278
Philip Lindley(UKIP) 482
Sue Little(Ind) 540
Iris Ryder(Green) 55
Mike Young(Con) 123

Victoria
Christopher James Eddie (Green) 104
Steve Gooderham (UKIP) 421
Lesley Hamilton (Lab) 727
Claire Wells (Con) 169

Keep an eye on Burn Valley. Something tells me that particular wards election is far from over.

Am too knackered to do a full write-up at this hour but a few things I would raise as notable:

Firstly, there's a distinct possibility that the Burn Valley election will have to be re-run after it was revealed that the Labour candidate lives in Bishop Auckland and had put Robbie Payne's house down as his living address. He doesn't live, work or own a business in Hartlepool and therefore is and was illegible to stand as a candidate. If you're looking for the technical term which describes this situation - it's called cheating.

A re-run could be interesting as Labour's majority depends on it.

Secondly Darren price came bloody close to un-seating CAB who was saved by the Wells clone splitting the opposition vote.

Thirdly Wells' face as he realised that Shane had taken H&H from Ainslie. It was Wells who argued with Devlin for two recounts and then had an argument with him over spoilt votes even though the Tory on H&H was nowhere near.

Fourth The image of the night - as James Black was declared winner in Seaton, Dave Riddle broke out the paper cups and a bottle of guess what - Veuve Clicquot to celebrate - absolutely priceless. ;D

Fisher is a kn*ob. I said this on April 27

'Fisher is also featured  but I see him as Labour through and through. He might have personal issues with the current mob in charge but apart from the Hospital issue he will always vote with them if there is any attempt to bring them down. A career Labour man just waiting to get back in the fold.'

I hope he is happy having made sure a completely useless woman is back for 4 years because of his delusions. He is a complete fecking tool.

Beau Jest won Hart, gobsmacked.

I think I might change my surname to Labour and stand as an independent and see how many votes I get.

I love those people that effectively voted for another 4% rise next year, thank you every one of you.

Firstly, there's a distinct possibility that the Burn Valley election will have to be re-run after it was revealed that the Labour candidate lives in Bishop Auckland and had put Robbie Payne's house down as his living address. He doesn't live, work or own a business in Hartlepool and therefore is and was illegible to stand as a candidate. If you're looking for the technical term which describes this situation - it's called cheating.

A re-run could be interesting as Labour's majority depends on it.

SteveL..... Would it be a re-run ? or would it be a matter of the Labour candidate being disquailified & the candidate with the highest number of votes takes the seat ?

If D Hunter is disqualified, having a re-run, in effect gives Labour a second chance of winning the seat, even though they could be acccused of "cheating"

A couple of questions come to mind about the selection of D Hunter for the seat, what political genius in the Hartlepool Constituency Labour Party thought it a good idea to select someone who "Alledgedly" does not qualify as a candidate in Hartlepool, why would they want him as a candidate & why would he allow himself to be put forward as a candidate ?

Ann Marshall! she'll be gutted, all that hard work.  At least she'll have time to let the chaffing heal.

Congratulations to UKIP and Cllr Black.  Shame the big scalp of the night was not taken but there are plenty to target in two years time.

Wells has shown what the Tory's will do to help Labour, shameful.

Robinson (and Beck last year) back in Hart...words fail me.Enjoy your last year D Riddle as our only representative.

I've got 2 more to go actually but I take your point. Regarding Hart it's Paul Beck I feel sorry for. I can speak more freely now the elections over because I'd been warned about denigrating another candidate (jean) during the election.

Now that it's over and she's inexplicably got back in, I can confirm what many suspect across Hart. The being she's absolutely useless. Paul 100% carries her regarding ward duties and basically any issue at all within the ward. She turns up at surgeries, sits there and says and does nothing. Much like her contribution in the chamber.

Don't even get me started about her conduct over the gypsy site issue.

I'm actually embarrassed for her that she had the brass neck to even try to get elected again. I'd be embarrassed and ashamed to take an allowance if I was her.

Anyway, lots of stories to tell regarding last night, many of which I'm sure will seep out on here over the course of today.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vLopvgJpZU

Its a shame about Foggy Furze. I just wonder if the 'quote' from the good doctor made a difference. Although, I think what annoys me more is that 268 people voted for a fake Tory candidate who made absolutely no effort to campaign and had no intention of being a Councillor. He didn't even use his real name for god sake. What is wrong with people??

I hope Darren Price will have another go in two years time as its Kaylee Sirs turn.... There's another useless one.  ::)

I bet nothing is done about the Burn Valley situation. It wouldn't surprise me if the Labour candidate in question is desperately trying to rent a property in the ward as we speak.

I think another good thing to come out of tonight is its proved what many on here have thought for a while. That being Labour are vulnerable and beatable in every ward aside from Manor and De Bruce.

Any other ward either HAS been won, or has very nearly been won by a non-labour councillor in recent years.

The Tories are safe in Rural West obviously, but there are 24 seats which can be won by basically anyone who campaigns hard.

The Labour councillors due for re-election in 2018 need to get their heads together and change their leader or that 21 will be in the teens by 2018.

I bet some of the current Labour Councillors were praying that CAB lost his seat. Question now is.. Which one will dare stick their head above the parapet and stand up for what's right?? Or will they just be happy with more of the same for the next 4 years and keep their mouth shut. I know which option is most likely but I would love to be proved wrong.

This interview amused me:

https://audioboom.com/boos/4528458-audio-labour-s-20-year-old-candidate-shay-miah (https://audioboom.com/boos/4528458-audio-labour-s-20-year-old-candidate-shay-miah)

Shay Miah basically said he didn't bother campaigning in Rural West as it was an unwinnable seat and compared it to climbing Everest. I welcome his honesty but I'm not sure how the 264 people who voted for him would feel about his attitude towards the ward.

If the challenge is upheld, then it should go to the next candidate.

And what about the cost of a rerun? If Labour are to be believed about the drastic effects on public services, how can they justify the cost of a bye-election? But then, when have they considered the CT payers of Hartlepool? Just add another 2% to the bill. They still believe the public purse is bottomless.

So now we know what Labour mean by "A fairer deal for Burn Valley Ward". Has anyone checked that he is actually a member of the Labour Party ? I suspect not.
The biggest disappointment of the night has to be the level of turnout. I suspect it is less than 50% but does anyone have the actual figures ? I keep looking in the NOED to see if Majority has been re-defined, but no change yet.

50%??   Dream on   ::)  I think 18 - 20% is the norm in locals

Good morning everyone - this is my first post - I lived in the town for 31 years and now live away however it is my home town and I defend it diligently and my first point of call each morning is the Fail and Hartlepool Post sites.

I simply do not understand how the SCAB's can have been re-elected. It seems inconceivable to me as an outsider looking in and clearly I am not going to accuse anyone of anything illegal however I would be interested in the number of postal votes received in each of the SCAB's elections and if possible would like to know if the voting pattern of the postal votes mimicked the voting pattern in general on the day _ the cynic in me would suggest that I believe that the postal vote would be heavily weighted to SCAB vote - am I wrong?

Is this something that could be found out via a Freedom of Information request?

Riddle should probably resign too, outside last nights venue he called a member of the public a   f....g    a......e   in front of witnesses and was spoken too by the police.


We talk about Cranney being a dick but he's no better, he contributes very little and takes plenty, i expect more from a serving member.

Quote from: mk1 on May 05, 2016, 02: PM

Quote from: Gustaf I of England + BWH on May 05, 2016, 09: AM

. You have to vote but they tell you who you are voting for before you go and the voting papers are already completed when you get to the polling station.
Perhaps this country should look at going down the compulsory voting route. I know which variety would be favourite in this town.

The Labour group are quite happy with the system in place where wardens in all the old folks homes  make sure all postal ballot forms  are delivered to the Labour ward candidate for him/her to fill in. So much easier if mummy runs the place as well!

Proof?

Alison and I were sorting through some papers this morning.  Some of them were old Labour Party leaflets, one that stood out was from Bill Isley reminding the electorate that he was happy to personally collect their postal vote papers from them at any time.

Nowt's changed, bending/breaking the rules to Labours advantage is ingrained within the senior Party Officers.

I think you'll find I was spoken to be a police officer who asked me if I was ok as a member of the public attempted to literally shove his business card down the collar of my shirt. The police officer (who witnessed this) then spoke to the person in question. His only words to me were "Are you ok?" and "I'll speak to him" (him being the other person).

No drama here.

For Info:




http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/141784/Part-1-Can-you-stand-for-election-LGEW.pdf

I wonder if Darren had stood as an Independent or even PHF (as he did last time) he would have won. I voted for Darren even though I wouldn't normally vote ukip, there was no way I would vote labour or cons and not voting wasn't an option. It could be that some who voted cons did so because they wouldn't vote ukip or labour. Lets hope we see a change in the next local elections.

Yes I noticed you sat next to Fraser last night having a good chat. Are you his latest friend?

The question surrounding the qualification or not, of labours candidate in Burn Valley, could provide UKIP, now the towns second largest party with an opportunity to start off with a bit of a bang, especially as the UKIP candidate finished second in the election.

Will there leader be knocking on the MO's door anytime soon ?

I don't know if there's enough evidence to clarify he's from Bishop Auckland though Fred.  ::)

I mean, if you google 'Dave Hunter bishop Auckland', granted you can find pictures of him turning on their Christmas lights.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/11547264.Festive_market_at_Christmas_lights_switch_on_in_Bishop_Auckland/

and you can find a website with information about him being a school governor there.

http://www.bishopbarrington.net/school/information/governing-body/hunter

You can also find out he's been involved with Bishop Auckland's town team.

http://www.bishopaucklandtownteam.org/town-team/

However, as a fully qualified lawyer I'm confident Peter Devlin will be able to demonstrate this is merely circumstantial evidence and that in fact he lives in Robbie Payne's airing cupboard.

On the statement of persons nominated it says that Dave Hunter lives in number 48 and Robbie Payne number 44.

Just out of curiosity... I also see on the statement of person's nominated that Isaac Duffy's address is in Horden.  How did he qualify to stand?  Or am I missing something/being thick?

Regarding Keith Fisher, I have been speaking to a friend today who lives in Hart and he is not their favourite person.  That's two years now where him standing has enabled Labour to retain a seat they do not deserve.

Close run things all round, one that did please me was Ainslie losing his seat. Been to many things going on on the Healand  in the Local parish council mafia. This also gets him away from being Champion of Heritage, for which he made some of the ridiculous statements and voting for Wells requirements.
Yes,' man to the end.Good riddance.

The fact is that 2 people witnessed Riddle's appalling behaviour that was reported to police, he should still resign because of his outburst and because he is a jumped up little pillock that looks homeless.

I'm glad you found my behaviour appealing.

Bloody predictive text  :'(

Quote from: Foggy on May 06, 2016, 02: PM


Regarding Keith Fisher, I have been speaking to a friend today who lives in Hart and he is not their favourite person.  That's two years now where him standing has enabled Labour to retain a seat they do not deserve.

I don't see him as how he would like to be seen. In my mind he is first and last a devoted Labour man. He even got an allowance from CAB and they never give sweeties to anyone they can not rely on.  I think Fisher knows full well what he is doing and in his world him standing has no down side. If he gets in them fine. If he does not get in then his splitting the vote keeps Labour in. Either way he gets what he wants.

QuoteYes I noticed you sat next to Fraser last night having a good chat. Are you his latest friend?

This is Fraser's prediction in yesterday's Mail.

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/921/sTe2Kf.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/plsTe2Kfj)

By the way, to be fair to Jim Ainslie what I saw was him taking the defeat on the chin with good grace. My understanding is he was willing to concede the seat a lot earlier with less recounts that he ultimately did.

Others we pushing for the recounts.

There was also information coming out that two councillors (one of whom wasn't even labour) were pushing for a spoilt ballot slip to go down as 'one to labour'.

The circumstances of the ballot slip in question was there was a 'X' in the UKIP box and a 'tick' in the Labour box.

This is a textbook example of what has to go down as a spoilt ballot due to filling it in in a manner that makes the voter's decision incomprehensible.

Apparently a Labour and a Tory member, (no prizes for guessing which one) were arguing a 'x' next to a name on a ballot slip means 'not that person'.

You have to laugh.  ;)

Quote from: DRiddle on May 06, 2016, 12: PM
a member of the public attempted to literally shove his business card down the collar of my shirt.

He must have thought he was back in his favourite Gay Lap-dancing Club. 

Why did Labour select D Hunter, I asked myself ?

So, just thinking out loud here, But,`If` CAB had been defeated last night, by selecting a candidate they knew would probably be disquailified ? they would have, in all likelyhood another opportunity to select a new candidate in the Burn Vally Ward, who would that have been I wonder ?

Apparently a woman tried to shake hands with SAB. He refused and called her a "fat racist pig".

Quote from: Hairy Blackhead on May 06, 2016, 05: PM
Apparently a woman tried to shake hands with SAB. He refused and called her a "fat racist pig".

Not unlike the  fat  lying cheating pig he cuddles up to at night.

Wells was absolutely fuming that Shane won Headland & Harbour and it was he who was arguing the cuss with Devlin demanding recounts and that an 'X' on a ballot paper means that you're not voting for that candidate - excellent stuff when personal vendettas are seen in public to trump common sense. The Tory guy came last, for God's sake and yet there we had Wells arguing that the seat should be given to Labour. What a perversion of a council we have under the present Tory/Labour coalition.

Quote from: mk1 on May 06, 2016, 05: PM

Quote from: Hairy Blackhead on May 06, 2016, 05: PM
Apparently a woman tried to shake hands with SAB. He refused and called her a "fat racist pig".

Not unlike the  fat  lying cheating pig he cuddles up to at night.

Well speaking as a fat, failed, middle-aged wanna-be journalist, I can only concur.


By the way, here's Dave Hunter's real address:


(http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/images/david%20g%20hunter%20192%20info.PNG)

SAB actually said he won't shake hands with a Fascist, i was there when she told Mary Fleet.

Quote from: The Great Dictator on May 06, 2016, 06: PM
SAB actually said he won't shake hands with a Fascist, i was there when she told Mary Fleet.

What dimension are these tossers living in, "he won`t shake hands with a Fascist".....

Yet he & even more tellingly the CEO, expected members of the public to stand when he, even after being outed as a Blatant Liar entered the council chamber.

What can members of the public expect if Cranney assumes the mantle of ceremonial Mayor/Chair of Hartlepool council & they refuse to stand when he enters the chamber.....

Will she have everyone thrown out ? the moral compass of HBC needs re-calibration as a matter of urgency.

Surely the Electoral Roll for Bishop Auckland is the first place to look. Then what about the Labour Party records, DVLA, the Land Registry etc.
Councils can also run credit checks on people, access their passport details, police checks and even bank accounts. It's amazing the access to our personal details that Councils can have. In theory only 'senior' named persons have this access but in practice junior personnel have been given the access codes as the senior is too busy. They can even invoke the Terrorist Act on the flimsiest of excuses. Cllrs are not allowed this access but I wonder how this is implemented?

Quote from: The Great Dictator on May 06, 2016, 06: PM
SAB actually said he won't shake hands with a Fascist, i was there when she told Mary Fleet.

Well based on the accuracy of your version of the Fraser/Riddle incident I would say that it's just as likely that the lady had baked a cake especially and flung it in SAB's face.

Don't dispute witness accounts unless you were there to see it for yourself.

Someone mentioned about the post-pubescent Isaac and the legitimacy of his own candidature in Hart Ward. On his campaign literature he claimed to have moved to the Bishop Cuthbert estate which is true - in 2011, I think and he even stayed there for a few months before moving to Horden in County Durham. This means that he will be on the electoral roll for Durham; not Hartlepool which is in fact the case. This makes him not eligible to stand as a candidate in Hartlepool unless he either had a business in Hartlepool or worked in Hartlepool during the 12 months prior to his candidacy.

This was brought to the attention of Peter Devlin and when he made his inquiries to Wells he was told that young Isaac had indeed worked in Hartlepool during the previous 12 months.

Doing what? You might ask - well working for the local Conservative Party, that's what, and we know it's true because Wells said so.  ::)

Apparently, the party was putting together a Calvin Klein underwear catalogue - for charity purposes only, of course.

Either way, this explanation was more than enough to satisfy the make no waves Returning Officer.

I think this goes some way to explaining Wells' sudden interest in maintaining IVF facilities at Hartlepool Hospital. I understand that Wells has several more embryos, just like Isaac, in development incubators as we speak.  ???

Thanks for answering my question about Isaac Duffy.  I suspected there was something fishy about the situation.

As for Mr Devlin, I presume he went to university to study law at some point in his life and I would imagine a rather important word cropped up a few times during his time there...Evidence. I know it might have been a while ago but I think Mr Devlin needs a gentle reminder that what comes out of RMW's mouth does not constitute 'evidence'.

Actually, I think he could do with a refresher course on a number of aspects of his role.

Quote from: The Great Dictator on May 06, 2016, 07: PM
Don't dispute witness accounts unless you were there to see it for yourself.

er...I was...but then as a s**t-hot, totally observant witness you obviously saw me.

This refers to a previous post.  For Foggy Furze, I watched each of the black envelopes being opened that were the postal votes and the vast majority of them were Labour.  About 90%

I then watched each of the ballot boxes being opened and sorted, and the majority of them were UKIP, about 60%

So, if votes on the day were counted, UKIP would have won Foggy Furze.

How could the voting pattern be as polarized as this?

It is rather curious that nobody votes for Labour in this town, but they keep getting in.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-36220568

Strictly speaking this fella should be in big trouble for tweeting the result before it was officially announced. Still, i guess it's a pretty minor offence compared to the stuff that goes on in some towns. ::)

Quite sad that local politics, ref skullduggery as mentioned/reported on, has descended into lavatory or should that be labortory standards. If there should be a re run in the burn valley ward, then labour must be omitted from it for knowingly allowing a candidate to stand knowing the person to be inellidgable, should the case be proven. Clearly the red tory's and the blue labourites are at best dubious. But then again, when your trying to protect your self inflated income as opposed to seeking gainful employment, its not that suprising I guess.

Dead right.

There are so many stories whizzing around at the moment it's hard to separate the grain from the chaff. On the night, Wellsy was heard giving battle orders to the troops (Labour troops that is) telling them that they all need to get together 'to freeze them all out completely'. By 'them', I guess he means all non-coalition councillors (well apart from Lauderdale who I think just turns up to water the plants.)

Forget all the public spin; Labour are awash with private chit-chat and groupings at the moment.

Council meetings are certainly going to get more interesting now that we have some UKIP members who actually know how to speak.

Shame Jim Ainslie went the journey he was a top man, the department he worked with are upset at his loss and fear the new incumbent.

I hope they do try and freeze us out. They've frozen me, Paul and Brashie out for the last two years. How did that work out for them? Embarrassed in the chamber every month, packed public galleries, people literally protesting on the streets about the hospital and a crowd of people chanting "Labour out!" at a public meeting.

Statistics can be made to say pretty much whatever you want, but these are facts.

- Labour 'lost' well over 6000 votes at local over the last 12 months. 13,388 people voted for local Labour candidates in 2015, compared to just 6,923 in 2016. The 'general election bounce' that saved Beck and Cranney didn't bounce for Ainslie, Payne and others just one year later.

- But we're also now at a stage where close to 2 out of 3 people who DO bother to vote in local elections in Hartlepool, do NOT vote for Labour.

- 39,490 voted in last years General Election in Hartlepool. 25,411 of them did NOT vote Labour. That's 65% (Pretty much 2 out of 3).

- Under Ted Leadbitter and even under Mandelson, Labour could pull in 50-60% of the votes in Hartlepool, and local Labour councillors would romp home with totals of over 3,000 per candidate.

Where as under 'Wright and SAB's version of the Labour Party, Iain has turned Mandelson's majority of 17,508 into a majority of just 3,024. Christopher has managed to make the local Labour group so repugnant 2 out of 3 of the voters who actually bother to vote in local elections refuse to endorse his leadership with by putting an 'X' next to the rose.

That's quite an 'accolade'. In a Labour town, under a Tory government, right in the middle of hard hitting austerity agenda... 2 out of 3 voters don't want Labour.

I'm happy in Akers-Belcher is taking advice from Wells. In fact, whoever IS advising him, people keep doing exactly what you're doing. You're very close to completing the 'oppositions' mission for us.  ;)

I notice Wells got just over 50% of the vote in Rural West which makes it Labour's strongest ward   ::)

Yes an impressive result, rumour has it he has just had 53% tattooed on his ballbag to compliment his other collection of trampstamps  :-[

Is that literally or are you referring to CAB ?

Just saw one of Labour's finest staggering down Northgate and cannoning off the side of the front door  into The Globe.  None other than 'Father Jack' Barclay looking every inch the dishevelled alky that he is. For every 3 steps forward he took one sideways.  He was having trouble judging the speed of traffic as he crossed to the Globe and a white transit van caused him no end of problems as he tried to work out if he could get across before it clipped him.

sometimes a video is all it takes

Which champion is he again, is it drunken sailor ?

I saw Ged on his lonesome this morning, If it wasn't him, I suppose it could have been the double (accounts) of him.

Ged would have been off to the bookies, this time next year he'll be a millionaire.

Father Jack, a lone drinker, sad, in reality 'Billy no mates'.

In 2018 he will not be the Labour candidate for Manor House and in his heart he knows it.

I wonder if there'll be a bye-election in Rural West before 2018?

I'm inclined to think that people are being a little optimistic here about UKIP's abilities. If you read the coverage in The Hartlepool Mail then you will read their claim of a 'UKIP surge' which is absolute nonsense. As I see it, the only people to have been working to a coherent plan here is PHF who have most appreciated that Labour have survived recent polls purely because of the split opposition vote and that in many wards, the anti-Labour vote is higher than the Labour vote itself.


At some stage, some sort of decision has been made by PHF to attempt to consolidate the opposition vote by not putting their own candidates forward in 10 of the 11 wards in order to maximise the chances of removing Labour councillors. I think this was a very brave and commendable thing to do and to some extent it appears to have worked but there must be some who have been bitterly disappointed by UKIP's inability to grasp the opportunity presented to them and in particular in Foggy Furze.


UKIP do not seem to have understood the importance of decapitation and have merely left Price to his own devices and resources; a sign of political naivety which the town now has 4 years to regret.

There has been no UKIP surge. The anti-Labour vote of PHF has simply transferred to UKIP but what UKIP should take particular note of is that not all of the PHF vote transferred to them. Some traditional PHF voters simply couldn't bring themselves to vote for UKIP - even for tactical reasons.


Not that any of this will register with them - Tom Hind thinks he's having 'a surge' and no one will tell him any different.

Quote from: steveL on May 08, 2016, 12: PM
There has been no UKIP surge. The anti-Labour vote of PHF has simply transferred to UKIP but what UKIP should take particular note of is that not all of the PHF vote transferred to them. Some traditional PHF voters simply couldn't bring themselves to vote for UKIP - even for tactical reasons.


Not that any of this will register with them - Tom Hind thinks he's having 'a surge' and no one will tell him any different.

The problem for UKIP is the original 2 councillors. They have proved themselves to be useless. Whats more they are just as dim as your average Labour Councillor. If they start getting delusions now and claim they are 'senior' to the 3 new ones then they are in trouble. Just  imagine a speech in the council chamber ranting about 'Yourope' and 'Immigrants'. That is just what CAB wants. Shane needs to get a grip on the 2 blockheads and gag them. If they keep doing   what they have done so far(nothing) then they might escape notice. However it seems they believe they have ' 'surge' so the incoherent rambling (as posted here)they call 'policy' might resurface. Shane better  keep them on a short lead!

I spoke to the two newbies and Shane on the night. I would say that there are tentative reasons to be optimistic. That said, I'm afraid June 23rd will be UKIP's Swansong so we'll have to wait and see what happens when their raison d'etre disappears and more importantly, the money dries up.

Once we leave EU there will be no place for UKIP in local or national politics.

Not sure I agree with you there stevel. People all over Europe and, some would say, thevWorld, are disenchanted with the established parties. We want change but the first passed the post system effectively disenfranchises at least half of the population. One reason Corbyn is attractive not only to the far left but many others as well is that he is different.
UKIP is more likely to disappear if there is a Remain vote than if there is a Leave. We need to get away from the two party, first passed the post system. Germany and many other countries rule by coalition and it works. We have minority governments that take us from one extreme to the other each pushing alternatives and opposite agendas. We need stability and a coalition could give that and also curb the more extreme policies. Compromise and conciliation can work. We certainly need it at a local level!

I don't know if anybody has done the analysis yet but I would guess that considerably more voted against the Labour Party than for. Yet they still rule the rule the roost.

Quote from: Hartlepudlion on May 08, 2016, 05: PM
Not sure I agree with you there stevel. People all over Europe and, some would say, thevWorld, are disenchanted with the established parties.

Given UKIP is a one-man-band ruled by an ex city spiv caught hiding his money abroad and the only leader to refuse to release his tax details there is no chance of UKIP changing things.
Farage is using UKIP to realise his dream-being bought off by the Tories with a seat in the Lords. How any ordinary person can believe a party bankrolled by a couple of  millionaires  will ever do anything for them is just as puzzling as the reason Hartlepool always vote Labour.

SteveL, since the cat is out of the bag, I Councillor tom Hind have never said there is a surge for UKIP, in Hartlepool, and in that respect i would appreciate who your contact is with,  this random comment. Many are quick to judge on this forum without knowing the facts  ( from the horses mouth as it were ) consider if you will a statement in the Hartlepool mail on line under the heading (who will win the Manor ward ) was the statement by SAB that UKIP  has requested the removal of the Ward Member Budget, when in fact we have always voted to keep it, there are those on the council who have always wanted the removal of the WMB,  it is a blatant untruth which any cursory check would verify to be a  more accurate interpretation of the facts. It is therefore incumbent on yourself to correct this untruth and furnish this forum with those names who have consistently at council wished for the removal of the WMB.

I think the actual phrase was "a massive statement". Presumably, that 'massive statement' was that if one of the opposition parties willingly stands aside, the non-Labour/Tory voters will vote for what's left. This is what bothers me about you Tom, you don't seem to be able to grasp the reality of what has just happened or why it was done.

As for ward budgets, where did that come from? Did I mention ward budgets? What has what SAB says in the Hartlepool Mail got to do with me?

You talk as if it's a big secret that PHF and other Independents want to see the scrapping of ward budgets when they have said so openly in council meetings and in their election literature. The reason they want them scrapped is that they are being used to bribe the electorate, especially before election time; we even had one councillor stating that he thought ward budgets "were a good way to buy votes."

Oh hang on a minute, that was YOU Tom, wasn't it?

Quote from: Hartlepudlion on May 08, 2016, 05: PM
Not sure I agree with you there stevel. People all over Europe and, some would say, thevWorld, are disenchanted with the established parties. We want change but the first passed the post system effectively disenfranchises at least half of the population. One reason Corbyn is attractive not only to the far left but many others as well is that he is different.
UKIP is more likely to disappear if there is a Remain vote than if there is a Leave. We need to get away from the two party, first passed the post system. Germany and many other countries rule by coalition and it works. We have minority governments that take us from one extreme to the other each pushing alternatives and opposite agendas. We need stability and a coalition could give that and also curb the more extreme policies. Compromise and conciliation can work. We certainly need it at a local level!

I don't know if anybody has done the analysis yet but I would guess that considerably more voted against the Labour Party than for. Yet they still rule the rule the roost.

All of that may be true or untrue. The question is, what has any of it got to do with UKIP?

I was watching Farage on the Sunday Politics last week and he was asked what relevance UKIP were to the local elections after June 23rd. Farage's answer was that the more councillors UKIP won on Thursday the louder the voice would be to force Cameron to fully implement BREXIT if that's the way the vote goes.

In other words, he's still harping on about Europe even if the country votes to leave it. They have nothing else to talk about.

I happen to think that Local Politics and Local Issues are important and it's about time UKIP started to take an interest in what's going on locally and not just see local elections as an opinion poll on UKIP's own attitude towards Europe.

I haven't seen any local policies from UKIP that they haven't nicked off this site.

steveL, In some way I thank Councillor Paul Thompson for outing me from my user name, although i did say on this forum that the user name was, how can i say it a way of getting a view across without the political associations attached to it, and in that respect this forum and the user name system was of benefit to all.
As a Councillor on this forum it did not take long as predicted to find the untruth in the statement by SAB in the Hartlepool Mail regarding the UKIP stance
on WMB. within the council chamber, I thank you for the correction, and hope you will accept my assurance that i cannot and will not put information on this forum which compromises conversations with individuals from whichever political party.
That said I will make an exception i did indeed make the comment as you describe, it was at a Finance and policy meeting, it was only a few words and therefore only  part of a written statement to that committee, before i had finished speaking and therefore able to put my comment in perspective, Marg James saw the opportunity to, well create that soundbite, it was taken out of context and considering as a newby at council i did ask advice from several councillors she being one, disgusting behaviour.

Mk1 that may or not be the case but Farage made his money before entering politics. Unlike Blair who made his money during and after Premiership.

Quote from: Hartlepudlion on May 08, 2016, 10: PM
Mk1 that may or not be the case

It is a fact that:
a) Farage was caught moving his money abroad in his brothers name to avoid tax.
b) Farage has refused to release his tax returns.

There is no 'may or may not be' about it.

Quote from: Hartlepudlion on May 08, 2016, 10: PM
but Farage made his money before entering politics. Unlike Blair who made his money during and after Premiership.

Farage is a tax avoiding bloodsucker who  makes the ordinary person pay more tax to make up for all the cash  he shifted abroad.
Blair is a war criminal  lying thieving  nut-job who believes 'god' talks to him. If you want to put Blair and Farage together then be my guest.

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/woking-election-result-thrown-out-5379770

This is an interesting case.

Seemingly what went on here was hundreds of people were added to the postal vote list quite late in the day toward the election.

These votes were then targeted and harvested by the winning candidate without the main rival candidate even knowing these people were on the postal vote register.

http://www.wokingnewsandmail.co.uk/?p=5039

Probably just an isolated case of malpractice I'd imagine. There are interesting comments from the returning officer who presided over this election about the whole issue of postal votes though. (See the article linked in above).

Oh and by the way, just in case anyone is interested, contesting an election is a dangerous situation to be involved in. If a petition against a winning candidate is successful and the election is declared 'void', if the case had dragged on and taken a while to reach a verdict there will obviously costs incurred.

Costs in such a situation will almost always have to be paid by the person who loses the case based on the recent case law I'm aware of.

Typical legal costs for a local election petition case which, initially at least, has to be put before the high court......... £150,000.

It's probably worth it for UKIP to use some money from their national kitty to fight one if they think they've got a good case anywhere in the country. Imagine the national coverage it could get them right before a referendum on the EU. It'd be worth far more than £150,000 in publicity.

On the flip side, risking a legal bill for £150,000 in exchange for £400 a month after tax by way of a councillors allowance isn't quite so worth it.

16 days to go before the deadline for election petitions.

16 days to go before the deadline for election petitions.

Explain more please DRiddle

From your comments, can we assume that if a candidate is actually elected & is then subsequently disqualified after a successful petition was brought..... that candiate or the candidates party would be liable for the costs of the petition ?

My understanding is a petition to dispute an election result at local level must be submitted within 21 days of the vote. So the clock is ticking for any person or persons who feels there was some form of 'issue' with the election of a local candidate last Thursday (anywhere in the country, not necessarily in Hartlepool).

I'm not an expert, but it's quite easy to read up on these things.

http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06937/SN06937.pdf

For example in the document above it refers to a petition made in Birmingham in 2005.

Quote
An election court was convened in February 2005 to try the election petitions brought in the
wards of Bordesley Green and Aston under section 127 of the Representation of the People
Act 1983. The petitions alleged that the Labour Party respondents and their agents had
engaged in systematic and organised fraud of postal votes in the local elections held on 10
June 2004. The petitioners challenged the election of the three Labour councillors in each
ward.

Richard Mawrey QC, sitting as a Commissioner in the Election Court, delivered his
judgments on 4 April 2005. He found that the elections for both wards were void because of
the 'corrupt and illegal practices' on the part of the respondents and reported to the High
Court that for both wards:

'I found that corrupt and illegal practices have extensively prevailed at the
election of the authority for which the election was held...In summary, there
was extensive personation by the fraudulent alteration of postal ballots
improperly obtained from the true voters for the same ends...'

As a result of the judgments the election of each of the councillors was declared void and
under the provisions of section 160 of the Representation of the People Act 1983

Anyway, this isn't my fight, if indeed there's even a fight to be had. We only contested one ward and we won it fighting a very clean, very positive, solution based approach to campaigning.

However, for anyone who feels there is such an issue anywhere in the country, they should be aware of the following:

1 Local government election petitions
Local government election petitions may question whether a successful candidate was, at
the time of the election disqualified or was not duly elected (Parker's Law and Conduct of
Elections, paragraph 19.2). The Electoral Commission guidance for candidates for local
elections in England and Wales lists the grounds for a local election petition:
 the successful candidate was disqualified at the time of the election
 the successful candidate was not duly elected
 the election was invalidated by corrupt or illegal practices
 the election was invalidated because of general corruption or the employment
of a corrupt canvasser/agent.

For local elections the petition must be presented by four or more voters who voted or who
had the right to vote at the contested election or by one of the unsuccessful candidates.
An election petition must be in a form prescribed by the relevant Rules and must be
submitted within a set time. For local elections it is within 21 days after polling day. There are
exceptions to the time limit for lodging a petition; petitions relating to payment or other
rewards made in relation to corrupt or illegal practices must be filed within 28 days of the
alleged payment or reward. For petitions relating to corrupt or illegal practices that come to
light from returns or declarations relating to the successful candidate's expenses, these must
be filed within 14 days of the filing of the return.
The trial of a petition takes place in open court without a jury and is tried by one judge
qualified to hear the case taken from a rota. The judge, sitting as a Commissioner in the
Election Court, must have 10 years High Court experience and not be resident in the local
government area to which the petition relates. The court has the same powers as those of a
Parliamentary election court.
At the conclusion of the trial the court must determine whether the person whose election or
return is complained of, or any and what other person, was duly returned or elected, or
whether the election was void in the same way as for a Parliamentary election petition. For
local government election petitions the election court must notify the High Court of its
determination. This must be sent to the Secretary of State by the High Court.

Simply reporting the concern to the monitoring officer won't cut it. You have to go through the proper channels. Anyway, as I say, it's not my fight.  ::)

Anybody heard anymore about the Burn Valley voting fiasco? If nothing forthcoming then I take it the result stands! It seems the guy is already considered a councillor within the setup, regardless of eligibility to stand in the first place. Not holding breath on this one.