YOU GOT IT WRONG AGAIN KIERAN!

Once again in the latest history lesson from our leader Kieran Quinn, it would appear that he too has changed the facts of antiquity by alluding to an undoubted act of bravery undertaken by Andrew Moynihan during the Crimean War.

In his blog, http://www.tameside.gov.uk/blog/leader/he tells us that originally the brave soldier was born in Wakefield in 1831, and moved to Dukinfield at a very young age and lived near Crescent Road and up until he joined the army at 17 his life was typical for most young ‘Tameside’ men of that time.

However, as the councillor well knows, ‘Tameside’ is just a made-up name for a borough that came into existence in 1974 as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972. Therefore could poor Andrew’s life could not be typical of a man from a non-existent place!

Dukinfield maybe, Tameside, no!

However, the most extraordinary fact that ‘he who never makes a mistake’ tells us, is in his next paragraph, where he writes that ensign Moynihan’s career did not end with Sevastopol and the Crimea, as he served with the forces that suppressed the Indian Mutiny in 1857 and was then stationed in Ireland and Gibraltar.

Now here’s a strange anomaly; Kieran then tells us that by 1965 he was a Captain and appointed musketry instructor for the island of Malta!

If this man was still in the army in 1965, he would have been 134 years old and if so, deserved more than a VC, but another medal for the longest serving government employee in the world, beating Roy Oldham by some 90 years!

Check your facts Kieran; the secret is, don’t leave proof reading to your Deputy who's prone to frequent confusion!

Remember his 'Frankie Abbott' moment, when he got a little confused with which country The Mercian Regiment was defending, us or Spain?

THE MUSHROOM TREATMENT

It’s little wonder that we have heard not but a peep from all but one of our local councillors (Oliver Ryan – Yvette Cooper) regarding for their choice of Party Leader, as it has been said by prospective candidate Andy Burnham that more than 500 Labour councillors risk losing their seats in next year’s local elections if Jeremy Corbyn becomes their ultra-left wing leader.

The rest of our councillors have got until next Saturday to tell us their preferences and explain their reason of choice, but seeing as they've had months to tell us, they have chosen to embrace silence.

It appears that as a dominant Labour controlled council they are not interest in addressing any sensible questions regarding the boroughs future should the newly led opposition produce policies like nationalising the railways, controlling rents, introducing a National Education Service, following the NHS model, ending public schools’ charitable status”, nationalising the power companies which will involve printing even money or plucking it from their magic money tree!

We should not be kept in the dark over this!

As long as we pay our council taxes, we have a right to know the views and policy preferences of those who decide where our tax pounds are spent, so that we can then react accordingly.

These councillors must realise it’s time for a political reality check. Apart from themselves; their party supporters and activists, very few people in Tameside have any interest in local politics. I suspect most of think of Tameside councillors as a necessary evil.  All we ask is a bit of honesty and a degree of competence. And not lying too often. No smoke and mirrors. And not treating constituents as if we are all fools.

However, until next week, I expect that we’ll get more news and views about Trainspotting, Local History or from the likes of Kieran Quinn who cannot resist pressing the current populist button, blogging a piece on how Tameside council, are acting with others to find a lasting solution to the Syrian refugee crisis, by advocating taking in large numbers of refugees when Labour never stop complaining (rightly) about our housing shortages.

Something they should and could have sorted out during their 13 years in office!

Mark my words, regardless whoever wins, next 

INCONGRUITY COMES TO THE FORE!

This week we were presented with a perfect example of situational irony when Cllr John Taylor, (AKA WAG Taylor) allegedly penned a letter praising the recent educational achievements of many of the students from secondary schools across Tameside.

Now there’s nothing wrong with passing a sincere sentiment, but coming from such an ‘uncut stone’ as the self-decorated councillor, well, it’s like a marriage counsellor filing for divorce or as daft as launching an anti-technology website!

What John Taylor knows about the rigours of sitting exams, let alone passing them, one could write on the back of a postage stamp! 

In all probability he didn't earn the nickname John ‘WAG’ Taylor for his exceptional school attendance record, or, paradoxically, maybe he did!

Now to change the subject.

This week saw ‘The Carbuncle Cup’ awarded to ‘the Walkie-Talkie’ building in London.

This accolade was  granted for being voted the ugliest building in the country! - But hold the front page here, for it would seem that Tameside College in collaboration with the council; who chase every award going, no matter how ridiculous its origin, could well sweep the board next year when they unveil the first phase of the Collage upgrade.

Located on Stamford Street, we are told that when finished the Centre will be an iconic five storey building providing a cutting edge learning facility!

Here it looks like the architect took the ‘cutting edge’ part of the brief rather too literally and has not only given the structure a cutting edge, but has thrown in an enormous ‘cheese grater’ to boot!

My great fear is that this blot on the landscape is merely the beginning not the end, as future carbuncles appear to be mushrooming across the borough at astonishing speed.

There are many local architects who have endured the familiar frustration of having minor planning applications refused on spurious grounds; submitting plans that the authority have refused stating that they were considered of ‘unacceptable detriment to local character’ yet here we have the local planning authority passing designs that appear to be trying to provide the next logical progression in the Prince Charles pastiche by inflicting a strange wedge, a giant multi-coloured oil filter on stilts and a large shoebox of a building on the urban landscape.

Perhaps Cllr Taylor in his role as the chap responsible for all that’s wrong with Tameside can explain in his next letter the architectural intent of these monstrosities for our edification.

What is now becoming increasingly clear is that Tameside’s planning system that is spawning these urban monstrosities is entirely unfit for purpose.

EENY, MEENY, MINY, MO...

"Stuck behind the Black, Green, Brown and Blue, ...Now I'm wheelie snookered!"

As the great Tameside ‘Bin Swap’ controversy rumbles on, we were treated this week to an image of our Deputy Leader, Cllr John Taylor, apparently deliberating which bin to use to deposit his weekly letters!

Should it be the Blue Bin for waste paper or the Black, or is it now the Green Bin, for the recycled miasma of political garbage he regularly writes upon it?

Reading his latest drivel, there are times in life when I am unsure whether the imperturbable individual to whom I often refer has not received some authority from some divinity giving him the power to recreate, bend or annihilate the truth.

How, anyone who has benefited from 16 years of cabinet control governance can talk about how proud he is of our democratic process, given our present local authority’s voting system, must know full well that democracy is a total nonentity in Tameside!

Let us not forget that in 2000 it was a Labour administration who forced the vast majority of councils across the country to give up their committee systems and adopt a new executive model of governance.

This cynical move by Tony Blair’s government has had the effect of focusing far too much power in the hands of the Council Leaders (Roy Oldham and now Kieran Quinn) and a few of his hand-picked colleagues, which in effect has allowed this small number of career councillors to make unchallenged decisions; thus undermining all the other ward councillors, who, by listening to the needs of local people, know far more than the cabinet cabal about how their particular areas should be run.

Previously, local authorities could take decisions in full council or could delegate decision making to committees, sub committees or officers. But now, if an individual councillor has eyes on a long career in local politics, they must learn the rule of the greasy pole and don't question the Leaders decisions!

Then we have the voting situation as I’ve pointed out previously and recently touched on again in Carl Simmons excellent blog: http://carlsimmons-independent.blogspot.co.uk/

Today, as it stands with 52 Labour and 5 Tories making up Tameside council; and local elections only concerned with 1/3^rd of the council coming up for re-election every 4 years, means that in any local election, even if Labour lost every one of their 19 councillors, Labour would still have 33 out of 57 councillors and would still be in control.

We then read from the heavily blinkered councillor that he and his party was against the alternative voting system in 2011 and crowed about the ‘No’ result in the referendum for electing MP's!

Strange then councillor that the alternative voting system (AV) has now been adopted by the Labour party to elect their new Labour leader! Perhaps you could explain that in your next letter (or will you duck the question and harp back on the history trail or enthral us with further adventures of a Train spotter?)

I suppose it depends which way the wind is blowing, eh councillor?

If Tameside is ever to return to democracy, two things must happen.

First, the council should return to the committee system.

Secondly, all the councillors should be up for re-election at the same time.

SLIGHT OF HAND - SMOKE and MIRRORS and LOCAL HISTORY RE-WRITTEN!

The Charge of the Light Brigade as happened it Tameside!

Just what is it with our so called council leaders and their penchant for twisting historical facts?

Upon reading the latest walk down poor-memory lane written ostensibly by Councillor Taylor, we were treated once again to complete fallacy in his opening paragraph!

He wrote, ‘ A century ago this month, Tameside won the first of five Victoria Crosses its men were to receive during the First World War!’

Now first of all, I do not wish to denigrate the honour or bravery of the fine fighting men he mentioned, but if one is to write about these brave souls, then the very least the councillor could do is to give them the courtesy of getting the basic facts right!

The men in question lived in the once proud towns of Aston, Denton, Hyde, Droylsden and Mossley.

Tameside did not exist one hundred years ago! – Therefore Tameside could not have won anything as it was only created, ironically on 1 April 1974.

However, the twisting of historical facts is not, it would seem the sole monopoly of the Deputy Leader. Councillor Quinn can show an equal disregard for accuracy too!

In his Blog (Aug’ 13^th) he states, If Britain was the workshop of the world then Tameside was the workshop of Britain, clothing and fuelling the Industrial Revolution through its cotton mills and coal mines!”

He too, appears to have forgotten that until 1974, Tameside did not exist! And to make matters worse, he went on to tell us that The Moravian Church arrived in Tameside in 1751!

 …Really?

But that’s all smoke and mirrors!

Isn’t it strange that whenever there’s a hint of unrest and unease within the Labour ranks, the dynamic duo instantly stop writing about their stringent political dogmas and whinging about having to deal with ‘the cuts’ and cynically brief their ghost writers to pen some harmless yet trite utterings in an effort to take the readers eye off the comical political cat-fight unfolding over their leadership contest.

Councillors. Harping on about history is all very well, and it’s indeed important that lessons from the past be learned, but, with all the shenanigans going on with the Labour leadership contest, it just goes to show that this Labour Leadership contest is another glaring extension of Senior Labour party officials political incompetence, organisational fiasco, and downright inability to run, manage or control anything, anywhere at any time!

So, why are we surprised that they choose not to voice their opinions and preferences?

But surely the perspective of our local Labour government as to who they are backing in this chaotic political bun-fight should be announced so that we, the electorate; who keep them in a position to make decisions on our behalf, is vitally important.

Are we wrong to expect the leader and deputy leader and all their acolytes to tell us for whom they intend to vote, so that we, in turn can make an informed judgement as to how their policies will affect us in the future?

As it stands at local level we have a Labour fiefdom with no true opposition and no accountability to the electorate, an example of which you may remember, when they in effect imposed the Council Tax increase on us without the democratic problem of having a referendum as other councils did. And at National level, we have a Labour party that made pledges before the General Election then immediately withdrew them after the General Election!

So, if they say they are voting for Corbyn, they are backing far left polices that will consign Labour to the wilderness, like in the days of comrade Foot and brother Kinnock. 

However, if they back any of the others, it’s more of the same Blair/Brown/Millipede and their debt ridden policies.

WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH!

It is always encouraging to learn that one is not alone. 

At least 3000 people have now taken the trouble to object to the council’s totally irrational bin swap scheme.

A Tameside resident, proving that not all Tamesider's are of the lemming persuasion, has opened an on-line petition stating logical objections to the scheme and questioning the council’s validity in introducing such nonsense.

So far, Kevin Cooper of Denton has gathered the names of over 3000 like-minded souls on: https://www.change.org/p/tameside-council-environmental-services-stop-tameside-council-s-plans-to-bin-swap-the-general-waste-bin-to-the-smaller-green-bin/share?just_signed=true

Throughout this sorry pilot scheme the council has claimed initial success for recycling rates and reductions in items going to landfill, but there is growing evidence, right under our feet, that the new bin swap collection scheme is going to turn out more costly in a whole range of ways.

A seventy eight per cent success rate! Frankly, Tameside Council, that’s rubbish!

Another point you might like to take note of, is when ‘the council’ introduce us to one of their brainchildren, they usually announce it through the particular councillor who is ‘responsible’ for that particular function, however, if their brainchild is criticised in any way, shape or form, it’s always a nondescript ‘council spokesperson’ who is dragged before the media in the hope of appeasing the populous! 

They do this for two main reasons; first a 'spokesperson' is anonymous and therefore cannot be called personally into question. 

The second is to protect the councillor ‘responsible’ from public ridicule thus allowing them to carry on regardless!

In this case the ‘spokesperson’ appears to have missed the salient point in that if a family currently fills their large black bin with general waste over the collection period, that same amount of waste will not fit into a smaller bin, no matter what colour it is!

To put it plainly, the consents of a full big bin, into an empty small bin won’t go!

I urge all my readers to sign the petition. …It won’t make any difference, as those on the council have already decided to proceed with this stupidity regardless, but it will illustrate that these career councillors only come knocking when they need re-electing!

COUNCILLOR JOINS THE B.N.P. (Brain Not Present)

So, John Taylor doesn't like the fact that the late Cilla Black liked Margaret Thatcher and the Tories!

Charles Manson liked The Beatles …So what does that say?

Ironically, according to his own website, we are led to believe that the Dukinfield lad likes Rock and Gothic Music,(which goes some way to explain his close-knit affiliations with Black Plastic Bin Liners) yet Gothic ideology is generally apolitical and Rock Music by its very nature is a form of musical resistance against entrenched power structures of which he himself has clung onto for over 3 decades!

So why anybody should take notice of an ostensibly confused politico with a penchant for abusing ink – an alleged writer who appears to have mastered everything except language and who has now spent most of his adult life wallowing in a political system that is rife with corruption, political incompetence, and a rising tide of public apathy is beyond me!