Labour Laugh Off 5th Mention in Rotten Boroughs

[steveL]

http://youtu.be/7w7M4PSUxy0

[for fawkes sake]

As I mentioned earlier, this magazine is everywhere when I go to the smoke but I would imagine that it's almost mandatory reading in Parliament. While these retrogrades may try to laugh it off, I doubt if any of them have intelligence enough to wonder what damage they are doing to the reputation of the town and how much of that damage is done in Westminster where it really matters.

[steveL]

I shouldn't think they give a toss, FFS. Bare in mind that they automatically thought that it was this site that contacted Private Eye which wasn't the case. It doesn't seem to have occurred to them that their s**t reputation is now so well known that no one needs to contact anyone.

Ironically, the grapevine that operates between council officers in different authorities knows all too well the reputation of Hartlepool Borough Council - something of which I'm sure our own council officers will be all too well aware and probably wondering what impression it gives on their CV.

[testing times]

Such shameless arrogance when they have so little to be arrogant about.

[DRiddle]

Do you think we'll see a bizarre situation where a 6th appearance in Private Eye comes because some councillors were stupid enough to boast and laugh about the previous 5?

[steveL]

I would say that with Wrighty at more at risk of losing the seat for Labour than has been the case for years then that particular clip is likely to find an audience high up in the Labour machine - and they won't be impressed.

[craig finton]

I hope lots of people get to see this video. What a disgrace.

[PostItNote]

The Untouchables!

But maybe with candid camera, we might see some action?

[Inspector Knacker]

Too dumb to realise we're laughing at them ...... not with them.

[mickys19]

This sums up our town in one video.

If I was finishing school/uni/apprenticeship nowadays id be along the 689 and outta here.
No wonder a lot of folk i went to school with in the early 90's have up sticks long ago and live elsewhere.

I hope the guys at PHF make some headway and get this lot of jobsworths out. Fact is too many people would vote a dog in if it was dressed in labour colours

[Hopingforbetter]

I have noticed this tweet from 11 August by a Tim Minogue, editor of Private Eyes Rotten Boroughs.  Maybe a Sixth mention will appear in Private Eye?

https://twitter.com/TimMinogue/status/498821742430027776

'Shameless: complacent £460-an-hour allowance Lab cllr laughs off appearance in #PrivateEye. Good job #Ukip no threat http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/shameless.htm'

[stokoe]

Good spot H.

[SRMoore]

Jim can laugh as he knows he's sat comfortably on the gravy train until 2016. Complacency...

When will UKIP start contesting Headland and Harbour again? The St Hilda wards was your strongest ward by a good margin and it seems odd that you wouldn't continue to fight this ward. Especially when you are probably the key to breaking the Labour stranglehold there.

[one direction]

St.Hilda wad no longer exists? Wasn't  it  merged with Stranton in a deliberate gerrymandering action to swamp the area with rock solid labour votes to destroy the troublesome tendency of the headland to repeatedly reject labour candidates?

[steveL]

I don't have much time for Jim Ainslie largely because he has proven to be such a disappointment. He was first elected not long after the Peer Group report was finally published and his comment at the time, the first comment that he made as a councillor, was that after reading it, he thought that the whole council should resign. For a brief moment there were grounds for optimism and that we had a councillor who was prepared to say what he thought even if it meant going off-message.

It didn't take long for him to fall into line and to take his place at the trough.

Even so, let's not forget that there are TWO Neighbourhood Forums and so TWO Chairmen receiving this lucrative allowance, the other Chair being Kevin Cranney.

I guess in Cranney's case, screwing the system for all he can get doesn't really qualify as news.