POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

I note that the French naval vessels attending the Jersey incident are described as 'patrol boats'. The UK naval vessels are 'gunboats'.
When I went in to vote at Rainhall Centre there was one public pencil with a bottle of disinfectant. I took my own.

[Stanley]

We may have a long wait for election results this year but one result is already becoming clearer and could be the first declaration. Reports coming in say things have not gone well in Hartlepool for Labour..... (LINK)
Later, reports of stupid headlines about the French fishing boats being 'beaten' and 'retreating in the face of the Navy' in the right wing newspapers. How childish can you get? Just the sort of reporting that could exacerbate the situation. Totally unnecessary and childish.

[Tripps]

I didn't think this result was possible, but it has happened. Ungracious reaction from the defeated candidate.

"Does Dr Paul Williams have any thoughts? He turned up the Hartlepool count 30 seconds before the announcement and being filmed running away immediately after, refusing to give a concession speech or talk to the press. "

Surely the end of an era? Time for the 'Labour' Party to realise that we are not in the 1930's still, and most aims have been achieved. In a post match interview with Laura Pidcock who was beaten in Durham in 2019 she manged to mention the Hartley Colliery disaster. I knew about it, but find it happened in 1862 (!)

Another casualty of the 2019 rout - former Sedgefield MP and successor to Tony Blair - Phil Wilson, said the Party is suffering from 'Long Corbyn'. The last mention I saw of Jeremy in the press was a few days ago when he pledged 'solidarity' with the people of Colombia in their struggle for justice.

[PanBiker]

In the local forest, it remains to be seen if letterbox gate has had any effect on Cllr Whipp's majority of only 80 votes. Also whether Sally has prevailed in the Coats by-election for the Town Council. Count is after 4pm today. County Election will be counted tomorrow I have just heard.

[Stanley]

We live in interesting times.....

[Tripps]

Interesting to see that the Council are reluctant to spend a few grand to facilitate the democratic process, (good luck Sally), but happy to enrich m'learned friends with this nonsense. Perhaps if elected Sally could ask what the legal costs were for this affair.


Platt developments says it has spent 10 long months and three costly court appearances fighting Pendle Council and councillors Tom and David Whipp over the naming of the development and is delighted to have won the legal battle.
Mr Platt said the dispute over the name had meant lengthy delays and extensive additional expense, not only to the developers but to the council, which he says will also have incurred substantial costs. “In the current climate this seems to have been totally unnecessary and council funds could have been spent elsewhere in the town,” he said.

[Stanley]

Listening to the comments on the current politics I begin to suspect that in respect of Labour I am part of the problem. In short, part of the old guard who remember Attlee, Bevan and Bevin and admired them. This is not needed now, we need to be agile and change everything if we want power. I'm afraid I can't do that, nor can I forget the history. I shall continue to point out what I believe are the faults but disregard me when it comes to current political strategy, I have read and seen too much history.

[Tripps]

In short, part of the old guard who remember Attlee, Bevan and Bevin and admired them. This is not needed now, we need to be agile and change everything if we want power.

I think that's what I was saying. Most of what they sought has been achieved? Things move on.

Just about related - If you want to be seriously depressed look at the ebay site for a Hospice shop. I did that yesterday - it was like looking at the future; my posessions - precious to me but just junk to most . Things move on.

[plaques]

We live in an age of promises and aspirations. If the first tranche of promises don't materialise forget them and promise something else.
I see that Boris Johnson has set up a commission to find out what levelling up means. Of course levelling up means different things to different people. The commission will work hard finding out what people think. Johnson will then pick out those which will cost the minimum in money but give the maximum return on votes to the Tories. Finally he will claim that this was always the plan as laid out n the manifesto even though he doesn't know exactly what it is at the moment.

[Stanley]

"I think that's what I was saying. Most of what they sought has been achieved?"
True David, but we are now in the process of losing the gains we made. How many jobs have the same benefits we had as rights? Some don't even have guaranteed hours. How many are on a full wage and yet are unable to pay the family's expenses? Even the crowning glories, public health and housing are being starved of cash and privatised for profit. I shall still rail against things like this.
Ken, you are right. Johnson has been winging it ever since Brexit and has been incredibly lucky in that there is no serious opposition to having an incoherent buffoon who is also a congenital liar as PM. Surely this has to come to an end? (Please!!)

[PanBiker]

Sally was unsuccessful in the by-election for the Town Council which remains firmly with all councillors there on a Lib Dem ticket. No room for alternative views or opposition it would seem. Lib Dems and Labour have taken a hit in the Borough with overall control now with the Tories. County Council result is tomorrow although ballots have been validated. David Whipp mentioned to Azhar that going off the validation he thinks he has lost his seat. Tomorrow will confirm. That will almost certainly mean that the County Council will remain in Tory control also.

33% turnout in Barlick for Coates and the Borough which is pathetic.

[Stanley]

Hard luck Sally but don't take it to heart too much. In so many ways this set of elections has been influenced by matters other than political.
Despite that being the case Labour cannot use that as an excuse for a disastrous performance. I hate to have to say it but they have behaved like a bunch of squabbling kids in a playground for at least five years and have reaped the reward.
I agree with you Ian about the turnout. Pathetic.

[plaques]

The elitist left have lost touch with the working class so what do the do they blame Corbyn. We would all like to think we are aspiring Tories but realise we don't have enough money but equally people don't want to be reminded they are working class after all we have holidays abroad, a second hand car and takeaway meals, how can we be working class? What to do then? Look for something in between the two, split the voting and finish up a Tory controlled country with less and less influence over the real economy. Funny to say that Brexit will be Labour's salvation. When people realize that following Boris Johnson into the never never land of broken promises with no jobs and even less social services the penny may drop but unfortunately as King Canute realised you can't turn the tide back.

[Tizer]

...Surely the end of an era? Time for the 'Labour' Party to realise that we are not in the 1930's still...

I agree. Janice Turner's article in The Times last week analysed Labour's problems. She's a Doncaster lass who has been a dedicated Labour supporter like her parents before her and spends a lot of her journalism work talking to people in the north. She finds that most of them identify with Boris Johnson rather than any Labour politician. They don't think of him as a privileged Eton boy or elite but someone more like them - dishevelled, permanent bad hair day, always making mistakes, always in trouble, messy life, jokes, tells a few fibs and so on. To them it's Old Labour and New Labour who seem distanced and out of touch and now becoming irrelevant to their lives.

Labour should have taken the opportunity before the EU Referendum to put itself forward as the Remain party and done some serious campaigning to point out that Brexit was a project of the Tory right wing and Nigel Farage and that it would be very bad for the UK. It was an opportunity to expose the Tory Brexiteer lies and misinformation. Besides Labour allowing Brexit to happen they've also made Scottish independence more likely by failing to provide a viable alternative to the SNP and Tories.

[Tripps]

Sally was unsuccessful in the by-election for the Town Council

Commiserations - she chose a tough time to try again as a Labour candidate. I read that the meetings will be back live soon, so anyone can attend and ask difficult questions.

Mr Whipp (Sr) only just made it. . . .

Personally I abstained - forced on me by lower back pain which confined me to the recliner in my dressing gown for the whole day. I was OK by the next day thanks to Ibrobufen - I took it as a sign. . . . I'd have voted for the candidate not the party, (Lib dems) - so I don't thinlk they'll notice I was absent.

PS just realised I don't know our result yet, but I know all about the Pendle result.

[PanBiker]

Results have been declared for Pendle Rural in the County Council Election. Two councillors required for the area, both have gone to the Tories. David Whipp has lost his seat as suspected from the validation yesterday and Tom Whipp has also failed to gain a seat at County. Effectively the Lib Dem vote has collapsed to some degree both at Borough and County level. Tories have control over County and the Borough so we all know who to blame now. David Whipp's personal vote in the town continues to support most others that stand on the Lib Dem ticket for the Town Council.

I agree regarding the current state of the Labour Party. They interviewed a lifelong Labour voter from Hartlepool yesterday. A working class bloke through and through if you like. He said that when Starmer came to speak in the town he failed to get over what the party stood for or any of the policies. My view is that we are effectively being led by a "wet sheep". He has no fire and nothing to impress or engage the rank and file members of the party. I see yesterday that that waste of space Mandelson was having his two-pennorth and blaming it all on Corbyn.

[Whyperion]

Voting has been a bit more complex than the headlines will skew and pull apart. (and the Scots and Welsh Regionals are even more complex so I wont over worry on them as such, of course PC and SNP additionally complicate thing), but I think I can pull apart.

Scotland : Turnout up roughly from 55% (I am going to wear out the % key) to 68%. Splits generally at constituency levels to Pro IndyRef2 vs Against IndyRef2 split roughly on those voting 50.5% 49.5% (I would not call either way, some SNP voters went for them because they thought they would be best in the Scots Parliament but would not vote independence, likewise the Lab/Con/LibDem unionst parties got support for the parliament as they might be best for it rather than there unionist stance (possibly less than the situation for SNP), Greens I think support a referendum but not necessarily independence - unless they decide it on best for Scotland (and poss the nuclear situation). Alba basically Salmond needs to find a new job or live on a pension and writing and speaking , as a political influencer he has gone.

Wales : Starmer has noted the embedded nature of Labour at the Local Level in Local Communities (wow !). However looking at the electoral map its probably as it has been since the 1960s , Tories strong in Mid Wales and SW Wales. PC in Anglesey and West Wales, Labour in the Valleys and NE Wales. One could argue they are a metropolitan elite based around Cardiff but thats not really how its perceived in wales. Turnout up a fraction at 47% but I suspect even another 20% would not have varied the results. Drakeford promises a "stable and progressive" government. I suspect most policies would tend to get the Support of PC and LibDem, and no formal association needed as such (uncertain of technical voting on ties in the Senedd). Notes that the Torie gains are basically regionals off UKIP, and that PC should feel no shame in not winning Rhondda.

English Counties / Districts / Unitaries. Many Tory gains have been from the mopping up of UKIP Votes, Labour's support not really down much compared to last locals, Turnout - well everone must have got Tripp's headache and forgot to take the ibruprofen the day before. Noted that even only 50% of postal votes sent out get returned. Is that amount enough to pick-up the ones that Labour are not getting out ? At present it seems that the Tories are not doing badly (in all things), to cause them to lose votes. Northumberland only lost by Labour due to two ties dealt with on drawing lots, though if you cannot get your marginal one supporter out I guess you deserve to lose. Addtionally for an anti-tory vote the other 2/3 parties are splitling a lot of vote, more so on three name ballots where it looks like local personalities win as much as a party ticket does. In many places Conservatives have seats based on about 31% of votes - a rough comparison with overall opinion polling of about a third and a bit of voters currently going for Tory, less than 30% for Labour. The Greens influence Sheffied to NOC, surely a response to the Tree felling disaster of previous administrations and an increased student vote. Indeed the Greens have generally retained or won elsewhere, looks like Brighton might be spreading to places like Hastings, with the not impossible if a consistency and sustainability in leadership can work , that a green sword along the South Coast of England could occur over the next few election years, it may be either new voters the Greens are picking up, some vote agreements with LibDems where values do appear to overlap, and possible intellectual left labour drifting to Green as do not feel Labour (and the trade unions) reflect changes in long term values. Maybe Labour should give up locally in certain areas in favour of Libs (but I dont really trust them) or Greens. Reform UK are not spliting a anti-boris vote and probably wont unless the Conservatives ever re-discover they like to be pro-europe. Could though IF Brexit looks like causing the UK to fall apart economically would centerist Conservatives move to the LibDems ? they have not done it yet in big names and numbers. Blackburn Tory Indian heritage seems a little strong, but as does bits of Pendle Labour Indian.

Hartlepool , Given the previous 10K for Brexit falling back 30percent to Labour 70percent for Tory (roughly how I assumed the general english split would be and I think it has been), AND a still not high turnout , again that non-voting chunk is the one Labour need to target. Street talk reported effectively that votes dont go to Starmer (who? or boring), and that Boris gets voted for like some X Factor personality vote. Which makes Labour's General Election in England a Problem. Labour stands for so many things that there is no clear ground they can easily pull out a distance from tories, who have the appearence of covering aspirations, and hopes for a better future better than Labour who can only despair at the money and structural mess the tories actually produce. Internationally the Conservatives are not as clever as they think they are, Within UK they get a mixture of luck and enough smokescreen to state, well its bad, but with Labour it would be worse. If I were Starmer what would I do - Hire Cummings as adviser.

[Whyperion]

Not really politics, but why this obession, in media, in the parties, in the population, of a desperate desire that 10days holiday in a european sun acheieved by queueing closely at an airport (both ways) , being crammed into some confined metal tube breathing everone elses air (and engine fumes) is somehow a right and that the consequences of muddling up with others in restaurants, bars or hotel lobbies whom may or may not have some fairly deadly or life limiting respiratory disease is some kind of time-bound imperative ?

[Whyperion]

Final Note, on Rotherham (S Yorks) Not looked in detail at overall vote (though 38% turnout), media will be going on about 20 Conservatives in Rotherham but again its more complex with reduction of total number of councillors, to 59 and ward changes to the 2/3 councillors being returned so different pattern. Essentially last time 14 Councillors were Brexit Party, 11 Have effectively gone Tory, 3 to Independent (Rotherham Democrat), Lib Dems have taken 3 seats off labour , and conservatives another six off labour, Labour still biggest on 32 seats (4 still to declare presumably 2 2 councilor wards)

The Media (and The BBC despite being placed in Salford nowdays) Seems to think that 'The North' retains flat caps, whippets, pidgeon racing , coal mining (as the only industry unless its steelworks) and rarely inhabited by ethnic minorities. Think again folks, the part semi-rural nature of Rotherham with small villages, jobs in engineering, distribution, vehicle servicing, and yes some steelworks - mostly hi-tech and automated, a large urban Pakistani population mostly related to the textile trade and retail, is basically the fourth South Yorkshire administration that basically exists because its not Sheffield, Barnsley or Doncaster (one could make an argument to expand the three other cities and towns to incorporate all its area !) slicing across the south of the metropolitan area and indeed has lost the coal mining specialisms of some of the smaller towns, which themselves are remote from anywhere. Jobs have tended to rely on travel into Sheffield as well - both retail at Meadowhall and govt administration in Sheffield, other jobs are very much public sector - schools, colleges, health services, and served by patchy local rail services to nowhere in particular bar Sheffield, and sliced at the bottom by the M18. In short , if you are doing well the leafy rural seems like a good escape from covid filled towns , the ex-NCB and similar interwar housing is modest , but OK terraced runs of larger houses and interspersed semi-detached cottages with 1930s/50s private built Semi Detached houses for the middle classes. Many of the smaller, older terraces have gone , so community ties that might have been seen in the south wales valleys are less pronounced and being land locked can be as tricky for localities as having a sea coast. Its the kind of place where investment will be difficult to spend wisely, there are good modern retail parks, and older and newer nature reserves and urban parkland, HS2 passing nearby might improve cross rail links to the east coast or accross the pennines on the most southerly route, but the town centre in terms of retail offering is not vibrant as such , think Barnoldswick but bigger (Burnley is probably a better comparison than Nelson even). Labour's stewardship will basically be limited to children and older peoples services and emptying the rubbish bins (S Yorks runs the big recycling centres and they went through a cost saving five day a week opening some time ago, which I feel is frustrating) . So , get the rubbish, the schools and the roads right and there is not much else that can be done - running the municipal market is the closest to economic development objectives.

The changes in the West Midlands, and the Mayor I cannot explain quite so easily, other than maybe look at longbridge, once mass car manufacturing, now a mixed retail and new brick housing estate. (as to if the mayor race had any emphasis on crime concerns I dont know - I think some of the northern areas did not have local elections so a low turnout might have affected the Labour standing )

Am I right though overall (England) generally Labour's vote share might just be up a touch compared to previous local elections, along with total vote, and that the combined UKIP/Conservative votes are down ?

[Whyperion]

Conservative Mayor Of Birmingham City Region
"First and foremost I've been a champion for the place, not a servant for my party."
"says he won because he had "delivered" during his time in office and voters had "bought into" his plans for the next four years.
The former John Lewis boss says he will use his second term as mayor to reopen rail lines, extend the metro system, reduce fares and get more people walking and cycling.
He also describes himself as "a proud Conservative" but adds that he is "not particularly partisan".


Labour Mayor Of Greater Manchester
" promises the voters to adopt a "place first, not party first approach".
"Where government gets it right I will work with them, where they don't, I will challenge them for you," he says.
" make a plea for more devolution and pledges to give his region "a London-style transport system with London-style fares".
-Asked if he would consider running for leader of his party, he replies: "I've just been re-elected to the job I love - that's my priority now."

No wonder voters dont know whose policies are tory and whose are labour.
(actually a Burnham Labour vs a Street Conservative Party would be interesting - their biggest fights would be within the parties they have chosen to be in)

[Stanley]

"When people realize that following Boris Johnson into the never never land of broken promises with no jobs and even less social services the penny may drop but unfortunately as King Canute realised you can't turn the tide back."
I agree with Ken and also Ian. Peter is right about Corbyn sitting on the fence and refusing to take a stand for Remain. So many mistakes and so many wasted opportunities many of which we pointed out at the time.
Funnily enough Starmer is on the right track with one policy (but it's too late now I fear), shift power in the Party North. Remember what Labour in Scotland said when they collapsed? They thought they were seen as a back office for London. Remember how I railed at them when party funding and candidate selection was all taken in by London leaving the local parties with no purpose other than to support London?
Unfortunately Starmer is the epitome of the left wing elite and a lawyer to boot.
What's really depressing is that someone said that Boris could be in post for longer than Thatcher. I doubt it, the pigeons will come home to roost as they are now in trade and fishing disputes where we find Johnson has negotiated a position worse than we had before. However, the idea of Johnson being in post for that long is current thought. The world looks on as we are led into the future by a buffoon who has never done a day's work in his life and is a proven serial liar and that's regarded as a political victory.
God help us.....

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report of Starmer sacking Angela Rayner, his campaign manager after saying he was taking full responsibility for the result of the elections - and he said change was needed. Nice one Kier, that'll show them you are serious!

[plaques]

Back to local politics. Pendle have now got a Conservative majority council. Forget all the arguments about building on brown field in preference to greenfield sites. It will build where you want irrespective of local objections. Of course nobody will take any notice of Cassandra we are all Tories now.

[PanBiker]

One thing we should note is the streak of green running through Burnley. I believe five Green Party councillors were elected at the Borough elections.

The only saving grace I see in this tranche of elections and it's cold comfort but the Tories now have the lot. Government, County and Borough and can no longer blame anyone else for any shortcomings. Like you Ken I fear for the countryside it will be open season now on any field they want to build on.

[Tizer]

I tried to post this as an attachment but it ended up very small. The original is much larger. This is not much better but here goes...It's an article written by the Chief Features Writer of the Northern Echo and was published in The Times on 8th May 2021. It reflects my own views very closely...