This Is Not Democracy!

It may be that just one of the appointments that Bob Wellington, the labour leader made in May 2008, was illegal, because the chair of the audit committee should be elected by the councillors on that committee. I think that the way the other appointments are made, probably legally, is totally wrong and undemocratic.

The appointments are made by the leader, they are voted for as a package and as the majority of the councillors are included in the package, which includes over £8000 per year extra allowance for each of them, they vote for it. Then, to keep that allowance, they, almost always, vote for every other thing in the way that the leader recommends. Historically anyone who seriously rocks the boat on any major issue is excluded from positions offering an extra allowances and sometimes deselected and/or excluded from the labour party. (Alastair Cunnington can testify to this)

The leader is in a job for life. It is virtually impossible for someone to challenge him. The last leader was decidedly dictatorial, largely disliked and not respected by even labour councillors, let alone the rest of the borough. However so strong an influence has the leader over the lives of his flock that the only challenge made to the previous leadership was doomed to failure, with the challenger sent to the naughty step, with reduced allowances, for a considerable time.

The three Plaid and the two independents who are currently supporting the labour leadership are, like it or not, whether they admit it of not, supporting a virtual dictatorship. They say that their support is "to ensure the supply of essential services to the people of the borough" or other such expressions, but that is the officers job. If the ragbag of independents, Liberals, conservatives etc had taken over in May 2008 essential services would not have suffered, officers would have seen to that. I suggest that within weeks that ragbag would have developed into a co-operative bunch of decision makers, the diverse political opinions ensuring that no one person came forward dictating decisions to the rest of the group, (which is what we have with the present leading group).

The deadwood and loudmouths would have been quickly left aside, where as in the current labour regime that deadwood and those loudmouths are paid SRA's amounting to over £8000 each to do little and sing the praises of their leader, or say nothing. Without an opposition this has worked smoothly over the years. BUT IT IS NOT DEMOCRACY!

I invite comments from all sides.

Update 21st of July. The creation of a new committee, at the May 2009 Annual Meeting, apparently with the main purpose of creating an SRA for a labour councillor (Details here) should bring this matter back into the limelight. On all critical votes, with few exceptions, the split is between those that receive SRA's, who vote with the Leader, and those that receive only the basic allowance. Is there anyone who thinks that this is acceptable?

"Assembly members consider pay rise" (Argus Article)

Email received from "DT" concerning an article in the Argus on the 15th of May (see here)

"I read with interest the comments made by Torfaen Labour AM. Lynne Neagle. The way her and Husband Huw Lewis juggle there expenses so they can maximise their claims, together with her comments lead me to believe she really believes in the saying charity begins at home and will pocket every last penny? and I expect hubby Huw has been given his instructions.
They are probably already browsing holiday brochures. Or are they in Curry's looking for that third washing machine? One purchased 29 August 06 another purchased 29 September 07 will there be another sometime 08 but then they are claimed for on expenses.
Has this poor woman been forced to take in washing to make ends meet, that could be the explanation for what seems an excessive washing machine claim? This couple seem to have more bookcases than Ikea. Why all the half claims, half a bed, half a wardrobe etc. after all they are both claiming for the same second home which must be some pad with a mortgage that well exceeds one assembly Members expenses and so could in no way cover any of the second home council tax and day to day expenses?
Anyone who has the effrontery to claim for a second home and all the furnishing, television, broadband, Telephone and all the other general running costs that are involved, when their place of work can almost be seen from their home in Cwmbran, will have little or no compunction about acceptance, I am therefore not at all surprised Mike German AM. is taking the rise. I would have thought Mike German AM and his Councillor wife are doing very well already out of the public purse but it appears they have a desire to do even better. And as for Huw Lewis and Lynne Neagle they could well feel they have won the lottery.
I believe once an Item has been purchased it then becomes the property of the AM to do with it as they will. And so once they have purchased one, or a second item one could quite legitimately go to the main residence? At this moment in time peoples trust has been so seriously damaged by politicians and their behaviour, It even makes one suspicious of their neighbour.
I would like more information, I am not concerned that they are permitted to claim. I would rather have the details of the Assembly Members claims for what seem, unexplained excessively large sums for meals and subsistence.
At home or at work the vast majority of an Assembly Members constituents have to pay their own.
Exactly how many times per annum is the second home, in all honesty, justifiably required for members who live within the same or even shorter commuting distance than the many thousands who have to commute at all times of the day or night? Nurses, Steel Workers etc.
Is it possible to have more detail, example: Lynne Neagle AM. hire car £313.62 petrol.
Travel claims for regular journeys explanation and reason?
Some of these claims are vague and mean very little to any Assembly Members constituents.
I suppose in a lot of cases the second home could well be a very good investment and although the tax payer has generously contributed to this and the politicians lavish lifestyle we will see no reward."

Fred Wildgust will stand for Parliament against Paul Murphy

Fred sent out the following email today....

Dear Group Members

In today’s Freepress you will see an article about me. It is publicly announcing that I intend to stand as an Independent Parliamentary Candidate in the Torfaen constituency, I didn’t inform you prior to the announcement in the press as I am well aware that some members of the group feed information directly back to the Labour party. I had to keep this as quiet as possible both for political and financial reasons. The timing of the announcement has been critical because by May 10th 2010, there will have to be a general election called by the government. This gives us a maximum of 362 days to change history and make a Torfaen, a better place to live and work. I ask you to pledge your support to this campaign in anyway you can… Please call me 07852268419, email me, stop me in the street or just knock on my door, let’s do this together. I have no serious money to fight this campaign it will be done on a shoestring and with lots of physical effort on my part. On May the 18th there is a community meeting planned where residents of Torfaen are welcome to meet me and discuss issues that affect their lives, the meeting is an open forum and commences at 5.30 at the Ponypool Civic Centre.

It has always been my intention to stand, the day after I won my seat on the council I had made the decision to stand against Paul Murphy. I have even made a point of telling him face to face to prevent any doubt. I have been informed that he does worry about things, so why not give him something real to worry about other that how much more he can squeeze of the parliamentary expenses system. Paul Murphy is a good man, but he is a bad local Parliamentarian. He is so wrapped up in his ministerial duties that he does not deal with the needs of Torfaen, this is compounded by the fact that he is so closely linked to the Torfaen’s Labour Council he will not challenge them or hold them to account. If he had the interest in Torfaen at heart, he would be confronting this council over the mess they have made of it over the past twenty plus years since he took his seat in Westminster.

You may be thinking why should I support Wildgust, he will be just like the rest.. Well you are very wrong, I know the value of a pound, I know what needs to be done to develop Torfaen and I actually care about people…. Our local political representatives have completely lost touch with reality, we need a fresh start a politician that is free of party politics and will listen to the voice of the people, represent their views and then act in the best interest of Torfaen and its residents…

No longer can the party politics be allowed to control our lives without the people of this fair land being able to challenge a clearly bad decision. It is important to note that over the coming weeks and months I will be attacked in the press, I will not react by entering into personal insults and mud slinging… There are better ways to win, its important just to focus on the real goal of a free Torfaen.

I await your thoughts

Fred

See also Argus Article Here

Please comment

This man is a Hero!

For those that don't recognise him this man is Stuart H Evans, Independent Councillor for Blaenavon. Since May 2008 he has been leader of the opposition and has to be congratulated for his dignity and integrity in carrying out that position.



However the main thing he should be congratulated for is his refusal to accept a position on the cabinet, with an extra allowance of £13000 plus.

It may look like a liberal idea to offer a cabinet post to the leader of the opposition but it is one of the most divisive aspects of the constitution, giving the leader of the council effective control over the opposition leadership.

For the £13000 the opposition leader hold no portfolio and has no specific duties, it is basically just a perk, almost hush money. They just have to turn up to some of the cabinet meetings. They may have a say in theory but after a while they realise they have no effect on decisions so they say very little. Then, when it becomes time to challenge the decisions in the council, they do not, because, although they had little say, they feel they have been a part of a collective decision.

It worked for years with Margaret Pead, a conservative member who led the opposition, she said virtually nothing in Council, and offered no effective opposition.

Stuart refused to be put in this position. This decision will have cost him personally over £50,000 in the four years of this labour administration. This man is a hero, a man of principle, someone you can trust. We need more like him in power.

Who will be Deputy Mayor?

Update 20th May 2010: At the Annual meeting last night Tom Huish, Independent Cllr for Blaenavon was nominated by The Labour Leader for Deputy Mayor. He was elected by 28 votes to 16, the other candidate being conservative Margaret Pead.

The AGM of Torfaen CBC will be held on the 19th of May, at 5pm and should prove interesting.

Nye James is retiring as Mayor. It is usual for a retiring Mayor to be given a position of extra responsibility by the leader but the rumour from the ranks is that he will be left out in the cold, having been a bit of a loose cannon over the last year (all to his credit I think, but he does get a bit confused at times).

Bob Jones, labour member for Upper Cwmbran is taking over and he is apparently a bit apprehensive about the role. It is a much more difficult job now, with a real opposition, than in previous times.

So who is going to be deputy Mayor? This has a Special Responsibility Allowance of (SRA) of a mere £5534 so none of the cabinet are going to accept that as their current allowance is £13,839. Similarly those labour members with scrutiny chairs get £8,304 SRA, as do the Chairs of Planning and Licensing, so they won't be happy with a reduction.

So who is left out of the labour members who is likely to accept the position of Deputy Mayor?

No-One!

In fact to be offered the position of Deputy Mayor this time or last time will be or indeed was AN INSULT, not an honour it might appear. In a stretched labour coalition you don't put your best troops in the firing line!

So the labour leader might have no other solution than to offer the post to an opposition member. If he does I am sure he will make out that he is doing it in the interests of democracy and listening to the people but WE will know better. Of course it will do no harm to democracy if the mayor in one years time is not from the leading group.

What are the other possibilities? Buy some more labour support from the opposition group like he did after the last election? Possibly, I am sure there are a few more there who will bend their principles for the extra cash. What about Alistair Cunnington or Maria Graham for Mayor? Who knows?

Interesting times (all information gratefully received).