Local Mps To Fight For Seat On The Gravy Train?

[Malcolm Robinson]

There is one further question on local politics............

If Northumberland is going to be a twin unitary authority and the councillor numbers will be decimated, will that mean there will be less MP's needed as well? Locally Wansbeck is to dissappear as is Blyth Valley so will we see Big Ron and Dennis at fisticuffs to see who will remain MP for the new area?

[threegee]

...and in which Indian will the contest be?

My money's on Head-ripper Campbell.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...30/ncurry30.xml

Entertaining as this would be isn't this confusing parliamentary wards with local government thingamys? All part of the grand illusion that is British Democracy!

[Malcolm Robinson]

Entertaining as this would be isn't this confusing parliamentary wards with local government thingamys? All part of the grand illusion that is British Democracy!

The democratic process should start with the first rung on the ladder of elections, ie, local ward councilors. You would see them for anything to do with your local council. Next step would be county councillors and like wise they are there to represent your views on a county level. MPs are next for a variety of things but essentially when you need to access central government. Lets not mention EMP seeing as most poeple do not even know who their EMP is!

Someone (?) has decided to change this time honoured formula and we are about to loose 200+ ward councillors. It looks very much like centralising democratic power, certainly at a local base. The real problem I have with this change is that Bedlingtonshire returns 17 ward councilors to sit in WDC, and I think there is 40 or 42 in total for WDC, we will now have 2 or 3 to sit in what is really the old SE county area. Any influence we had having nearly half the total of councillors sitting locally is about to be lost completely. The proposed changes, which are imminent, make provision for the likes of parish councils but in reality we have lost control over most of the important layers of local government and these are replaced with the likes of cleaning streets and public spaces. The likes of economic and social regeneration policy instead of being decided by local people directly effected by it are now decided by a much more remote body and one in which we have very little by way of influence to respond to indigenous problems. We need Merlin's wall now more than ever!

For anyone who thinks my political cynicism unfounded, are you being spied on,

http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/news/main.jh...MC-new_12042008

[threegee]

Anti-terroist legislation being used to spy on dog walkers and small children going to school! Why is it that those of us with a few decades experience of our system aren't at all surprised.

I wonder if the person posting here a while back that they welcomed biometric ID cards is still of the same opinion? Add to this the current low copy number DNA farce and the apocryphal tale of the person ending up on death row because someone of the similar name failed to pay a library fine, could become reality.

And we are already well on the way there by the looks of it: http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-news...ring-jail-time/

Or on a more serious note how about this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7326736.stm

Ridiculous when you have to get information under another country's laws in order to prove your own innocence! Where would he be now if he only had recourse to his rights under UK law?

[ex Bedlingtonian]

Bedlingtonshire returns 17 ward councilors to sit in WDC, and I think there is 40 or 42 in total for WDC....... Any influence we had having nearly half the total of councillors sitting locally is about to be lost completely

Didn't seem to do us much good before anyway.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Didn't seem to do us much good before anyway.

Quite agree ex-B but we could/should have been able to exploit those numbers! Now there is no chance!

[Monsta®]

sack the lot! shower of peado half wits

[Malcolm Robinson]

sack the lot! shower of peado half wits

Concise as ever Monsta!

[Monsta®]

Concise as ever Monsta!

more concise than local council backstabbers!

[Malcolm Robinson]

more concise than local council backstabbers!

What do you mean by that monsta? Have you not noticed some councillors coming out into the open expounding great development plans for Bedlington of late? A cynic out there might even venture there is an election about to occur!

[Monsta®]

What do you mean by that monsta? Have you not noticed some councillors coming out into the open expounding great development plans for Bedlington of late? A cynic out there might even venture there is an election about to occur!

i exactly theres an election! there all out to get there fat pay checks then they'll scurry back where they came from.

the only thing the actual councillars do is get in the way of the real people! monkeys sack em!

[sizsells]

Hows about this then!!!

The person who is all of a sudden knocking on doors to remain the ward councilor boasts

"LOCAL JOBS FOR LOCAL PEOPLE"

then you look at his printed leaflet and his "local" office is in bloody BLYTH and wait for it the "local" printer he uses is 20 bloody miles away now unless I,m mistaken and please feel free to correct me but exactly where does our LOCAL Bedlington boundary encompass?? does it include South Tyneside and with regards to his office being in Blyth is it forward planning for the eventual takeover from that lot............. I think not

[Malcolm Robinson]

Hows about this then!!!

The person who is all of a sudden knocking on doors to remain the ward councilor boasts

"LOCAL JOBS FOR LOCAL PEOPLE"

then you look at his printed leaflet and his "local" office is in bloody BLYTH and wait for it the "local" printer he uses is 20 bloody miles away now unless I,m mistaken and please feel free to correct me but exactly where does our LOCAL Bedlington boundary encompass?? does it include South Tyneside and with regards to his office being in Blyth is it forward planning for the eventual takeover from that lot............. I think not

Pity none will come on here, we could have debated their policies!

[Malcolm Robinson]

So Bedders now has 2 Lib Dem councillors out of the 3. That is a shcok in itself!

[threegee]

Pity none will come on here, we could have debated their policies!

Polices - what polices? There's not one (of any party) that has the guts to engage properly with their electorate. Oh for an honest politician!

Come on local politicians and prove me wrong! This (TOTT) is a closed forum only readable by people in the Town or who have a personal interest in our Town. Let's debate the art of the possible when we have such an all-controlling central government. We are not idiots, we know the severe limits of a local councillors power, but let's have some honesty and some engagement with the electorate without spin-doctors and other party minders. In the old days our politicians stood on a soap-box and did this without turning a hair - some actually enjoyed the cut and thrust.

Who are you representing - the People of Bedlington or your own career interests?

[sizsells]

Who are you representing - the People of Bedlington or your own career interests?

That speaks for its self wait and see how many come knocking on your doors now, in particular the ones who got voted in and lets not forget "local jobs for local people" my a!@*

[Malcolm Robinson]

Who are you representing - the People of Bedlington or your own career interests?

That speaks for its self wait and see how many come knocking on your doors now, in particular the ones who got voted in and lets not forget "local jobs for local people" my a!@*

I understand what you are saying sizsells and agree but WE also have a responsibilty.........making sure the people we elect stick to their mandates! I for one would be keen to see just how a councillor is going to impliment the above or was it just another empty jingoism! Can't see it being anything else really.

[Hamburger Pimp]

Good to see the BNP's only candidate in Bedlington getting their !*!@# handed to them, finishing plumb last with 88 votes.

[Pete]

Good to see the BNP's only candidate in Bedlington getting their !*!@# handed to them, finishing plumb last with 88 votes.

But they have made gains in other parts of the country

[Brian Cross]

sack the lot! shower of peado half wits

I am with Monsta on this one we have recently gone through a similar thing here we amalgamated four shire councils and replaced them with one central council ...............

[Malcolm Robinson]

I am with Monsta on this one we have recently gone through a similar thing here we amalgamated four shire councils and replaced them with one central council ...............

Better or worse Brian?

I don't see how moving the decision makers even further away from the public can bring local Gov closer to the people it serves?

[Hamburger Pimp]

But they have made gains in other parts of the country

They haven't, actually. They gained eight council seats but lost eight that they previously held.

[Brian Cross]

Better or worse Brian?

I don't see how moving the decision makers even further away from the public can bring local Gov closer to the people it serves?

We don't know yet if it is better or worse the change was made about two months ago so we will have to await the outcome, hopefully they may have the right formula............I doubt it though. Council rates rise at about 10% per annum and wages are adjusted at around 5% so work that out. I noticed in a newspaper yesterday the new council has spent 356 grand on new cars for the council so the future is not too bright.........signed 'hopeful"

[Malcolm Robinson]

We don't know yet if it is better or worse the change was made about two months ago so we will have to await the outcome, hopefully they may have the right formula............I doubt it though. Council rates rise at about 10% per annum and wages are adjusted at around 5% so work that out. I noticed in a newspaper yesterday the new council has spent 356 grand on new cars for the council so the future is not too bright.........signed 'hopeful"

Perchance it is the same the world over?

[Denzel]

Hows about this then!!!

The person who is all of a sudden knocking on doors to remain the ward councilor boasts

"LOCAL JOBS FOR LOCAL PEOPLE"

then you look at his printed leaflet and his "local" office is in bloody BLYTH and wait for it the "local" printer he uses is 20 bloody miles away now unless I,m mistaken and please feel free to correct me but exactly where does our LOCAL Bedlington boundary encompass?? does it include South Tyneside and with regards to his office being in Blyth is it forward planning for the eventual takeover from that lot............. I think not

Bedlington's flooded with decent printers like isn't it?