Local Elections - May 5th

[The Great Dictator]

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

[Land Phil]

Is that literally or are you referring to CAB ?

[mk1]

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.

[steveL]

sometimes a video is all it takes

[Land Phil]

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.

[Lord Elpus]

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.

[Lord Elpus]

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

[for fawkes sake]

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.

[steveL]

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.

[mk1]

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!

[steveL]

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.

[The Great Dictator]

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

[Hartlepudlion]

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.

[mk1]

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.

[beanzontoast]

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.