Labour Leadership - irrelevant in Rotherham!

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So the young upstart, Ed Miliband wins and ends up forcing his older and wiser brother out, at least for now!

The ruthlessness with which he pursued his campaign against his older brother and 'heir apparent', would have made Lenin proud. Ed's ability to cast off the past that he was inextricably involved in as if he wasn't at the 'Cabinet Table' has given us a masterclass in political positioning coupled with once again seeing 'democratic centralism' in action giving Ed victory over David only because of the Trades Union Votes!

His first Leaders speech although pleasing those in the conference hall, was pretty thin, containing just enough to conceal from the public his left wing credentials, much more evident at the hustings that were not televised and to provide a moment of pure political theatre when David got irritated with Harriet Harman during his brother's maiden Labour Party Leader's speech, I'm sure you have all seen it, but in case you haven't?

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It will be difficult I think for him to convincing step beyond the caricaturists delight, as Red Ed!
Some have already claimed that the next election was lost with Ed's victory, we shall see?

For us in Rotherham this rather unedifying spectacle is a matter of great indifference to most of us, it is also largely irrelevant to the Labour Party as a whole in Rotherham. The Labour Party's writ does not really run as far as our town!

Here the Labour Party consists of a self perpetuating oligarchy who pay only lip service to Labour's Constitution and Rule Book. The Labour Group is the centre of power and control is exercised from the top by just a few, now, old men, a gerontocracy as well! Step out of line, ask questions and they will turn on those that will not accept the status quo. Ask Peter Thirlwall, if you are not convinced!

For us it is change in Rotherham that we seek to bring about and until this self serving and greedy bunch are replaced with effective, competent, basically decent and honest representatives, nothing at all will change.

Rotherham Independents want to restore real democracy, insist its members embrace the idea of public service at the expense of personal advancement,  provide value for money and consider Rotherham and its electorate before any party dogma.

Our mission is to use the ballot box to improve the lot of all our Town's citizens! Join us and make a real difference!

To find out more about us, email us here.

To find out how your MP's and Local Labour Members voted in Labour's Leadership elections, click here.

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Cross Over or Double Cross?

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A few thoughts on the issues raised by the recent defection of Darren Hughes from the Tory Party to the Labour Party. This is becoming an issue because of the defection to Labour of a growing band of Liberals that abhor the Coalition and want no part of it! 

"As Independents we are all too aware of the vagaries and illogical results thrown up by our current electoral system.

British politics is based on political parties. At election time, each party puts out its manifesto for the electorate to consider and eventually place its votes.

In theory personalities play no part in the system and results are based on the votes collected by a party which happens to be represented in a ward by a party member.

In spite of this set up, look what happens when the party representatives change sides? Nothing! He just chooses to vote with what was the opposition and pay his subs to his new masters.

In effect, he is saying the people that elected him sorry you got it wrong, so hundreds of voters are told they wasted their time and the country its money. 

If we are to stay with the basic premise of party politics, surely the disaffected guy should at least be replaced by the party that was elected, or a by- election called to enable the electorate to once more express their wishes.

Interesting thought, in Rotherham, what would happen if the Mayor changed her allegiance mid term, in view of the Labour only for Mayor Policy?

If the personality is elected, and not the party, where on earth have the Rotherham Labour Party found so many charismatic candidates time after time year after year?

Another required change to add to our ever growing list of anomalies and undemocratic practices!"

Don Blow

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Ten Reasons to join the Rotherham Independents.

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The Rotherham Independents exist to bring about real change in our local politics.

What do they want to change? 

To answer that question, we need to consider what 40 years plus of absolute Labour rule in Rotherham has brought about:

1. Councillors so confident of re-election that they crow in public “Rotherham is Labour Territory”. So confident they become, arrogant and treat the  electorate with disdain, see reports  and letters in The Advertiser as to how they behave in  public meetings and even the council chamber.
So confident of re-election they vote themselves onto the   local government pension scheme. They take full advantage of increases recommended by their Independent Review Board.

2. Council Officers on exorbitant salaries, paid we are told to obtain the best, why then do they pay so much out in consultancy fees? Why do they, erroneously, compare themselves with people in similar positions in private companies?  When did they last run a meaningful cost cutting exercise?  When did they last have to fight off commercial competition in order to remain in business?  If they are running the borough what are the councillors doing?  In private companies the CEO and his board get paid for taking responsibility, long term decisions and establishing policy and middle management get paid for   turning it into action and control  day to day activities,  middle managers on  six figure salaries???

3. PFI schemes that  will see the people of Rotherham having to find 3.5 million pounds in rent for the next 30 years before their Council Tax starts to pay for anything else.

4. A dead town centre not helped by the council for years insisting that parking should be paid for,  in the face of repeated requests, from traders and the public,  to provide free parking.  Surprise, surprise,  the council have recently discovered free parking.

5. A  democratic system where every committee and council from the Borough to school governors has its Labour faithful.

6. Area Assemblies which cost a lot but seem to achieve little or nothing except to provide another vehicle for councillors to claim expenses.

7. A Council which without permission or consultation sets its self up as a banker lending money to private concerns in the borough namely Magna and the local Rugby club.  Which begs several questions, on what terms was money loaned, has it been repaid and if not when (in the current climate these should be at the top of  a list of jobs to do), these two were high profile how many others exist?

8. A Council and  its highly prized executives who set up a partnership with BT and went into a blaze of publicity about what advantages it had brought naming management  techniques which were taught 50 years ago in the council’s own college virtually  across the road from the council offices.

9. Before the current round of cuts this caring council had savaged the services to elderly and the least advantaged in the Borough while maintaining their own remuneration.

10. The position of Mayor used to be an honourary position bestowed to recognise years of public service,  irrespective of party affiliation, not in Rotherham,  this is now the domain of the ruling Labour Party only.

Rotherham Independents want to change things like this, restore  real democracy, insist its members embrace the idea of public service at the expense of personal advancement,  provide value for money,  consider Rotherham and its electorate before any party dogma.

Want to know more about us? Then please contact us using the links on this site.

Don Blow

Member Rotherham Independents

Be Part of the Future! Not the Past!

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Chief Executive - Martin Kimber - It's what your paid for mate!

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Rob Foulds

RMBC Chief Executive, Martin Kimber, who made in the Advertiser a request for involvement of the public at large in suggesting those areas of expenditure where cuts should be made and stated quite outrageously that Rotherham Council "has a real pedigree of listening to local people".

Needless to say this has had a similar effect to lighting the blue touchpaper and standing back. The Advertiser carried a number of letters this week commenting on this novel approach and the claims to be a 'listening council'!

Rob Foulds, our candidate in May for the Rother Vale Ward added this contribution which, as usual, goes straight to the main issues.
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"Dear Sir

So, Rotherham Council is asking for our help in ways to save money  -  the self same money that they have been flushing down the drain and into their very highly paid pockets for decades.

And to compound the insult, the Chief Executive, Martin Kimber, outrageously states how Rotherham Council "has a real pedigree of listening to local people". 

Well let's nail that lie straight away and any reader of this paper will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Rotherham Council did not listen when local people said that it wasn't a good idea to incur the cost of the Dolly Parton Library, when we already had several such early reading schemes.

They didn't listen when we said it was a bad idea to demolish All Saints Buildings, you know, the building that used to bring £250,000 per year into the council coffers - how useful that would have been right now.

They didn't listen when we said it wasn't right to expect us to stump up for their First Class travel on their jaunts around the country.

Did they listen when we said there was no economic case for their daft Supertram idea? No, but thankfully the government did.

They didn't listen when we said there was no need to spend millions on refurbishing the Town Hall, when it was a perfectly serviceable building.

And what about swanning off on jet planes to the other side of the world at our expense? No, they didn't listen to us then.

I could go on ad infinitum, but there's no need because as I said in this paper only two weeks ago, their chums in government have disappeared into oblivion and Martin Kimber and those he so slavishly serves, haven't got a clue.

In fact they are so clueless that they are having to ask us for clues and all of a sudden we are no longer their "customers" as they so like to call us, oh no, our status has indeed now been elevated to that of 'partner'.

Here's my suggestion to Mr Kimber, get off your arse and do your job, you're paid a huge amount of dosh every year by us, so earn your corn mate and manage the town's affairs.

And just so you know, the decisions that you are so afraid of taking, are having to be taken by private sector managers every day of the week and as you and your other very generously paid mates at Rotherham Council are so fond of comparing yourselves to them, don't you think it's about time you took responsibility, rather than trying to offload the hard bits on to us.

Yours faithfully

Rob Foulds"

Advertiser story: BUDGET CUTS: tell us what to axe, says council

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