Malcolm Robinson

I think given what's been said about the EU on other threads, this site could well be monitored by these new EU trolls. Reading down to the last bit maybe we should start a new EU political party, seems there is going to be plenty of our tax monies given to any that do. http://www.telegraph...ptic-surge.html

Don't you mean trawling? Anyway you know I always thought you were one of a very limited amount of elected members who could discuss matters with a degree of detachment and we have done so many times and disagreed profoundly. Unsuprisingly this is another case in point. I think given the fact that several members had been WDC councillors and two were also long standing NCC councillors there should have been enough experience there to bed even a brand new parish council down after say the first year. Others managed it! You seem to be implying our Town Council couldn't make a difference because it had been set up from scratch but at the same time putting an onus onto the next one to do so? Secondly, and I think most importantly, the mention of "no single party running it” speaks volumes seeing as my campaign is about politics being part of the problem not part of the solution. How many times did we hear the Mayor telling us to shut up even though there was more specialist knowledge in the public gallery about the item being discussed that was apparent within the ranks of the elected councillors. You yourself suspended standing orders when you chaired a subcommittee to ask me about my organisation's experience with another body so you understood their input into our area. One way allows decisions based on merit and knowledge the other expediency, hegemony and hubris! To intentionally ignore potentially valuable information can only lead to poor decisions and I think we have seen plenty of them. We even saw the elected members vote against a planning application and they didn't even know where the place was! Finally I read through the rules, regs and recommendations regarding Parish councils when they were imposed onto our area 4 years ago and in part of it was mentioned the fact that political parties should have no mention. The recommendation was that Parish councils should be independent of any sort of party political control. Funnily enough that isn't in the rewritten one out now, mores the pity!

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Aye ya'll be hacky dorty coming away.

Morpeth Herald....Maggie........! http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/landform-up-for-honour-1-5606355

Of course, I certainly will. You will, naturally, be expected to provide proof of purchase, as well as nationality, blood type, inside leg measurement, hat size and registration of the vehicle that plug was fitted to. Failing that see Tesco terms of trading!

This has got to be part of a deal Cameron/Boris in the same way Blair/Brown used to operate isn't it? http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/benedictbrogan/100213778/jo-johnson-at-no-10-this-is-a-big-gamble-for-david-cameron/

Sorry can't resit............it is the last week! Here is one a bit different to what you are describing Cyril: Malcolm leaflet.pdf

Flipping heck, if we loose this last one we might as well not bother getting up in the mornings! I noticed it is listed as a Scottish division/business on the letterheads we get?

That's one hell of a leap of faith Cyril………..accountable. All politicians say they are accountable at the ballot box which if everyone actually voted might have a grain of truth. It's almost exactly the same as running a business except, and there's the cruncher you will enjoy, if they want more money to spend they just vote through a tax rise! I have been to my council's meetings where the next year's rates charges were discussed and set and I have to say I found the process unbelievable. One year's increase was put through because the majority felt they should! It wasn't even aligned to costs! The public are not allowed to speak at these events but I do think we should be handing out rotten fruit to be used as we see fit! I ran my own business Cyril and I once had an argument with a councillor at a public meeting who wanted to double the rates so they could spend the money on 'feel good' projects. I asked him what did he think would happen if I decided I wanted to double my pay so I went in the next day and doubled the cost of everything I was selling. I am not even sure he understood the analogy but a lot of his compadres did and told him to shut up! This is the problem, spending other people's money is the easy bit and most councillors have never had to actually go out and make money for themselves, if they did they might value the stuff and where it comes from a bit more! I am not saying every councillor has to have been self-employed to be competent only that the vast majority seem to me to display a disconnect between the real world and how they manage the public purse. The perfect example is Westminster where our great and good leaders have never had anything approaching what most people would call a real job, how the hell can they make decisions which affect the vast majority of people in the country: there is absolutely no empathy or understanding we might as well have Martians ruling us!

Actually Keith, probably the parish council. Bus shelters and their upkeep were one of the devolved services that went through over a year ago. Unless there is a 'special expenses' on your parish rates demand then its definitely the parish council. If they refused to take them on the county still charge for them but call it special expenses. Now is it just me or does that smack of double taxation coz as far as I am concerned we paid NCC to oversee bus shelters, and a lot more which could be coming the Parish and Town council's way! Play grounds, allotments, etc. Last bit of factual info so everyone can draw their own conclusion, whilst NCC took the Government 'Shilling' (£3M PA) and didn't raise their rates charge for the last 3 years there is no such restriction on parish precepts (rates). In fact the parish councils can put up their charge by as much as they like! So we have NCC getting £3M for not raising charges and at the same time they devolve some of their services to the Parish councils who have to out up their charge to cover their increased costs! Slight of hand or smoke and mirrors or what! Interestingly last autumn NCC sent the usual scare story around (they have done it twice before) about devolving a huge amount of services and the cost for the West Bedlington Town Council would have been more than the total they currently collect in parish rates. Someone must have remembered there was an election coming up coz that little wheeze was scrapped but the cat was out of the bag, some of us saw the figures! Our council then promised a no increase this year even though they have increased the rates EVERY year since their inception, really as far as I could see for no good reason! Even that back fired when an increase was foisted onto them. I am starting to limber up now if any of the trolls want to come on and really debate this stuff!

Listen I wasn't electioneering honest, but I do think much more can and should be done.

Couldn't agree more tomtom and I am not electioneering! Looks to me like our 'local' council prefers to invest in its own bureaucracy rather than the image and wellbeing of the town. With more than half their income going on things like office and admin costs they are now taking on an extra clerk so that's going to push that percentage up even higher! So invest in unproductive staff would seem the order of the day. If we really have to have these little councils then someone needs to get a hold of ours and give it a dammed good shake!

I gave up Ex-Bed! I didn't think it was going to load.

Happy St George's Day.

Two medical students were walking along the street when they saw an old man Walking with his legs spread apart. He was stiff-legged and walking slowly. One student said to his friend: "I'm sure that poor old man has Peltry Syndrome. Those people walk just like that." The other student says: "No, I don't think so. The old man surely has Zovitzki Syndrome. He walks slowly and his legs are apart, just as we learned in class." Since they couldn't agree they decided to ask the old man. They approached him And one of the students said to him, "We're medical students and couldn't help But notice the way you walk, but we couldn't agree on the syndrome you might have. Could you tell us what it is?" The old man said, "I'll tell you, but first you tell me what you two fine medical students think." The first student said, "I think it's Peltry Syndrome." The old man said, "You thought - but you are wrong." The other student said, "I think you have Zovitzki Syndrome." The old man said, "You thought - but you are wrong." So they asked him, "Well, old timer, what do you have?" The old man said, "I thought it was GAS - but I was wrong, too!"

Need some volunteers people. Within the Heritage Project we have a large event planned for 25th May in Attlee Park. It's a Saturday on a Bank Holiday weekend. The event will run between 10.30am -3.30pm. We need some extra stewards. We have professionals coming but we need some volunteers too. Nothing too onerous and I will make sure you are fed and watered! If you can help out please get in touch. PM either way.

See link https://www.change.o...ns_dialog_false

Need some volunteers people. Within the Heritage Project we have a large event planned for 25th May in Attlee Park. It's a Saturday on a Bank Holiday weekend. The event will run between 10.30am -3.30pm. We need some extra stewards. We have professionals coming but we need some volunteers too. Nothing too onerous and I will make sure you are fed and watered! If you can help out please get in touch. PM either way.

Hope you have a good'un.

St John's Terrace?

Sorry Keith, its an age thing!

Thanks to Keith Dalton.

What's the MEDIUM showing you then Keith?????

The Gables?