‘COURTESY AND RESPECT’ – A BRIDGE TOO FAR FOR SOME MPs

As secretary of State for Education, I thought it was extremely regrettable and utterly impolite for the MP Justine Greening to behave in such a churlish manner when a respected reporter attempted to question her on the Government’s decision to favour building an extra runway at London Heathrow.

Obviously, she may not have been pleased with the decision, on account that her Putney constituency is in the southwest, near the airport, but that doesn’t excuse the ill manners she showed by blatantly ignoring the journalists legitimate questioning; then adopting a frigid October face, she flouncing off, throwing her toys out of the pram and rounding off her high handed tantrum by slamming the courtesy car door in added temper.

http://news.sky.com/video/oooooh-greening-in-a-huff-over-heathrow-10632780

It was no way to set an example to those children in education whose department she leads – in my opinion she did not do herself any favours by exhibiting this pedantic, childish behaviour.

If this is how the Secretary of State for Education behaves in public, then is it any wonder that the job of teaching classrooms full of unruly kids who show a complete disregard for respect and total lack of basic manners, has rendered the quality of education at its lowest ebb?

Sadly though, she is not alone. It appears to have become a growing habit among a increasing proportion of today's MPs who do not like answering awkward questions.

Politicians are people we are supposed to look up to. They're supposed to be 'shining examples' of how figures in authority should be, for goodness sake.

If they don't like being 'door-stepped' then tough!

Let them not forget, it was they who put themselves forward for public service, so being interviewed occasionally, other than by the usual pre-arranged, pre-conceived and well rehearsed question and answer sessions we are constantly subjected to, (mainly by the BBC) unfortunately goes with the territory.

All politicians, in all parties, need to grow up, take a long hard look in the mirror and start putting the country and its people before airing their own personal and petty squabbles.

 

 

 

  

 

COUNCIL TO CHANGE ITS NAME TO ‘TIMESIDE’

Welcome to Timeside where time literarily fly's!

Was it really any great surprise that Tameside's Council chiefs have been embarrassed once again after two of the boroughs Town Hall clocks were put forward an hour, instead of back?

It would be laughable if it was not so tragic!

Not for the first time the local council became a laughing stock as ‘social media’ burst into life over the weekend as the ‘blunder was shared with the nation.

According to the article in the Manchester Evening News, Town Hall leader, Kieran Quinn said he was unaware of the issue until contacted by the M.E.N. and that bosses would get the problem fixed as soon as possible. Although at 11.30am today the clock on Hyde Town Hall was displaying 1.30pm!

The report also said that an ‘outside firm’ is responsible for the error!

Its a shame the council didn't contract the rise in council tax to the same 'outside firm' - who knows, we might now be paying 8% less!

Could it be that Tameside council bosses are now far too busy choosing the wall coverings and office furniture for their new ivory tower, that they've had to employ an ‘outside firm’ to wind-up their timepieces?

Is this the same ‘forward thinking’ council who have spent £3million transforming the old Ashton Baths into a start-up hub offering high tech superfast fibre broadband, when basic timekeeping evades them?

So, what’s next for these ‘forward thinking’ council managers? Perhaps contracting another ‘outside firm’ to assist them in tying their own shoelaces?

I find it ironic that the council have become so afraid of wind-ups that they’ve had to employ a specialist company to do it for them!

Why do we vote for these people?

EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION.

Regarding the row that's raging over the ‘proposed consultation paper’ on the subject of opening new Grammar Schools; I find it totally amazing that we have our local Labour councillors marching the streets to demonstrate their dogmatic opposition to such a suggestion, whilst up in Westminster the Labour leadership, and other well-heeled politicio's have and many of their families still are, benefiting from either private schooling or attending Grammar schools.

Let’s start with the Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn and his Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell who were both Grammar School boys.

Then there’s Diane Abbott, Corbyn’s new Shadow Home Secretary, who sent her son to the private City of London School and Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry sent two of her three children to a selective school.

There are many more of these Labour naysayers, but let’s look at the newly appointed Baroness Chakrabarti whose son goes to a top private school?

Surely not! I hear Tameside Labour voters say? ..Er… yes, actually. It has just emerged that the Baronesses 13-year-old attends £18,915-a-year Dulwich College in South-East London.

Locally too, this hypocritical anomaly is rife! 

Tameside Labour’s “do as we say, not as we do” approach is quite unpalatable as they stand for yet another photo shoot, morally evading the fact that the current Tameside Mayor, pictured demonstrating with the others, was a pupil at the now abolished Hyde Grammar School.

Personally I have nothing against Grammar School education or indeed private schooling.

If a person wants to save and spend their well earned money on furthering the life chances of their sons and daughters, then nobody has the right to deny them, especially those who have benefited from Grammar school education. It’s nothing but rank hypocrisy. Its classic Labour: do as I say, not as I do.

Hypothetically, can you imagine the outcry if Labour councilors’ told their constituents that they should not shop at Sainsbury’s or Waitrose, they must all go to Liddle and buy own label food, or the liberally inked John Wag Taylor leading a campaign to close down all Tameside’s tattoo parlors?

What people choose to spend their money on is nobody's business but their own.

 

 

BEWARE OF THE CLOWNS

Coming to a ward near you!

Following the recent news in the media reporting a spate of incidents in which groups of menacing clowns have been seen marauding the boroughs streets; scaring members of the public, I have to say this is not a new phenomenon here in Tameside!

For many years now, Tameside householders have been confronted on the streets and frequently accosted on their doorsteps by groups of ‘clowns’ badgering, gesticulating, spouting scare stories and stuffing political junk mail through unsuspecting and politically apathetic householders letterboxes.

The predominance of Tameside’s ‘clown’ sightings appear to frequently materialise in the vicinity of Ashton Town Hall - at times that just so happen to coincide with ‘full council meetings’ From there, armed with hundreds of propaganda leaflets, they gather their happy band of pro-clown factions around them and travel unswervingly to their mini-fiefdoms, terrorising all who stand in their path, in their single-minded quest to tighten the grip on their miniscule majorities by maintaining the public’s inconsolable fear of suffering the consequences, should they not choose to vote for the red-nosed nemeses.

Next year, as we approach ‘local election time’ you must take great care.

As a general rule, if a malicious looking, Sunday suited group of clowns materialize uninvited out of thin air, wrapping on your doors, do not encourage them. Don’t answer it, don’t wave at the window, don’t make eye contact, and don’t smile at them and, if all that fails because they’ve caught you unaware, whatever you do, DON’T ACCEPT ONE OF THEIR LEAFLETS!

If you do, the Tameside clowns will have the last laugh, again!