Walking Blindly

[steveL]

A characteristic of our forced entry into the new Cleveland County has been the lack of any real detail of what it was we were signing up to and that deliberate vagueness continues. Just 3 months before the poll to elected a Teesside elected Mayor, no one knows just how much of a salary the position will receive. Somewhere between £12,000 and £63,000 seems to be extraordinary range but there's no sign of an actual figure as yet.

What we do know is that whatever the eventual figure, it will come out of the paltry £15m a year promised by the Government as will all other running costs of the Combined Authority now busily taking up its plush new accommodation offices at Stockton Riverside. So we can already say goodbye to a significant chunk of that £15m from the onset.

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/how-much-new-mayor-teesside-12481318

[craig finton]

I predict a p**s poor turnout leaving a Mayor with no real mandate to do anything.

[kevplumb]

judging by the comments after the article
I don't think the smoggies are to keen on the idea either

[mk1]

I predict a p**s poor turnout leaving a Mayor with no real mandate to do anything.

Yes, just look at the way Trump is powerless because Clinton got 2.5 million more votes than him!

[Inspector Knacker]

Sadly, I think the only way to voice your displeasure is to not vote for any of the candidates. That way at least a poor turnout is proof a of no confidence in the authority.
Why vote for a 'mayor' when we weren't allowed to vote for the concept in the first place?
There are no other options available.

[Hartlepudlion]

I disagree Riddler.

The best option is to use your vote but to have it disallowed by saying "none of these" or "I don't want a Mayor &/or a Teesside authority" etc.

None votes are not counted but spoilt votes are. More spoilt votes than actual votes would send an emphatic vote against but no votes are not considered and are therefore ignored.

[Steely Dan]

I predict a p**s poor turnout leaving a Mayor with no real mandate to do anything.

Yes, just look at the way Trump is powerless because Clinton got 2.5 million more votes than him!

Hahahaha. Excellent.

[Inspector Knacker]

An election where the electorate don't vote speaks for itself.

[Hartlepudlion]

Sorry R5 but I disagree.

The reason Labour keep getting elected in this town is because of the people who do not vote not because of the ones who do.

Nobody takes any notice of the voters who do not vote.

[Inspector Knacker]

In Hartlepool, no one takes any notice of the ones who do vote.

Let's try not voting for a change, voting has done us no good, and anyway, in this case the voting will be for a Teesside Mayor which means Hartlepool will get shafted regardless.

[Inspector Knacker]

Going back th the rebirth of Cleveland, I fail to see how £15m after deductions for running costs is going to change anything apart from pauper status for Hartlepool.
Even the full amount would make not a jot of difference as it'll be going south of the river. We won't even get the crumbs from the table. Like Cleveland, it'll be like ripples in a pool, Middlesbrough being where the pebbles land and the likes of Hartlepool out on the periphery.
We only get a vote on these matters when those giving us it are sure they'll win, when they believe the odds are stacked in their favour. They must have known that from previous experience the public weren't going to fall for that one again. So a vote was a no no. Yet, we can vote for a Mayor for the same body when the the vote is irrelevant because whoever wins their wagon will roll on.
We have a situation, where by voting in a mayoral election, we are in effect confirming our approval of an action we weren't allowed a vote on in the first place.
You either vote foe each step or none at all .

[stokoe]

Going back th the rebirth of Cleveland, I fail to see how £15m after deductions for running costs is going to change anything apart from pauper status for Hartlepool.
Even the full amount would make not a jot of difference as it'll be going south of the river. We won't even get the crumbs from the table. Like Cleveland, it'll be like ripples in a pool, Middlesbrough being where the pebbles land and the likes of Hartlepool out on the periphery.
We only get a vote on these matters when those giving us it are sure they'll win, when they believe the odds are stacked in their favour. They must have known that from previous experience the public weren't going to fall for that one again. So a vote was a no no. Yet, we can vote for a Mayor for the same body when the the vote is irrelevant because whoever wins their wagon will roll on








POST OF THE WEEK.
We have a situation, where by voting in a mayoral election, we are in effect confirming our approval of an action we weren't allowed a vote on in the first place.
You either vote foe each step or none at all .

[Lord Elpus]

I will be spoiling my voting paper

[fred c]

We were denied a referendum on this issue by CAB & his fellow LabTor hypocrites, despite a number of them disagreeing with 'His' diktat......The only protest available to the electorate in this situation is to 'Spoil' your vote, imagine the situation if more votes were spoiled than those counted.

[Inspector Knacker]

Did any of the other four authorities get a referendum ? (Mind you they can spoil the plans of the politicians.) Did the leaders have the choice to hold a referendum in their authorities or was there a pre ordained agreement not to hold them?