What is that "mate" of mine Sadiq Khan trying to achieve ?

 

You lost you demented little cretin, get over it and concentrate on your job you terrorist sympathiser.

Local/council elections have always been and remain utterly irrelevant compared to the HoC.

Edited April 22Apr 22 by jmjhb

2 minutes ago, jmjhb said:

Local/council elections have always been and remain utterly irrelevant

I agree, nobody gives a fuck about them usually - but the narrative/hype around these is very different - and Reform and Greens will make huge noise about taking over councils

 

As @Traf says, too much success could be to their detriment, if they make a pigs ear of running these councils, as we all know Reform are, at present

15 minutes ago, Sweep said:

I agree, nobody gives a fuck about them usually - but the narrative/hype around these is very different - and Reform and Greens will make huge noise about taking over councils

 

As @Traf says, too much success could be to their detriment, if they make a pigs ear of running these councils, as we all know Reform are, at present

They're not making a pigs ear of them as you put it.

Some aren't being run well, others are.

Exactly as happens with any party.

Which adds to my belief that councils shouldn't be run on party political grounds.

Simply needs good people with knowledge of a particular area that they can bring to work for the people of their town.

Reform will gain more councillors here in Bolton, but not enough to become a majority, so will have little opportunity to change anything.

 

The people of Birmingham might have a different view about these local elections.
 

Edited April 22Apr 22 by BobyBrno

41 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

They're not making a pigs ear of them as you put it.

Some aren't being run well, others are.

 

 

I guess you're right, of course, because it's Reform, the ones that aren't being run well are always highlighted in the press, as a way of attempting to discredit them

I agree, local councils would probably be much better, if they weren't run on political grounds - I don't know, or indeed care, who runs my local council, I've never voted in local elections, and we don't even have local elections here this May, for some reason

47 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Which adds to my belief that councils shouldn't be run on party political grounds.

At least then you'd have a valid complaint about "unelected bureaucrats".

After all the flag waving, most Councils are run by good people trying to do the best with what they've got.  It's all the boring stuff e.g can we manage with less school crossing patrols in order to keep a library open? 

I'm grateful there are folk out there willing to sit in interminable meetings, whatever their political persuasion. Not something I'd fancy.

23 minutes ago, Duck Egg said:

After all the flag waving, most Councils are run by good people trying to do the best with what they've got.  It's all the boring stuff e.g can we manage with less school crossing patrols in order to keep a library open? 

I'm grateful there are folk out there willing to sit in interminable meetings, whatever their political persuasion. Not something I'd fancy.

It's the dull legalese that means Reform haven't been able to deliver the massive cuts they thought they would in the councils they control. Council services have been cut to the bone for the last 15 years. Council budgets just deliver the minimum stuff they have to buy law every thing else comes from individual grants applied for scheme by scheme.

27 minutes ago, Duck Egg said:

After all the flag waving, most Councils are run by good people trying to do the best with what they've got.  It's all the boring stuff e.g can we manage with less school crossing patrols in order to keep a library open? 

I'm grateful there are folk out there willing to sit in interminable meetings, whatever their political persuasion. Not something I'd fancy.

I've always wondered what sort of person actually wants to work on a town council, I don't think it really pays very much. I guess if you want to move into proper politics, and become and MP, it's a good grounding, but other than that, I'd imagine sitting in meetings and talking about the merits of either planting some new bulbs v painting a new pedestrian crossing must be pretty grim. Although, I'm not remotely community minded, I suppose those who are may find it interesting/rewarding 

46 minutes ago, Sweep said:

I guess you're right, of course, because it's Reform, the ones that aren't being run well are always highlighted in the press, as a way of attempting to discredit them

I agree, local councils would probably be much better, if they weren't run on political grounds - I don't know, or indeed care, who runs my local council, I've never voted in local elections, and we don't even have local elections here this May, for some reason

I wouldn't have a clue who runs ours 

I've lived in an area which had a staunch Tory Council and a Labour one elsewhere 

Can't say one was better than the other 

7 minutes ago, Sweep said:

I've always wondered what sort of person actually wants to work on a town council, I don't think it really pays very much. I guess if you want to move into proper politics, and become and MP, it's a good grounding, but other than that, I'd imagine sitting in meetings and talking about the merits of either planting some new bulbs v painting a new pedestrian crossing must be pretty grim. Although, I'm not remotely community minded, I suppose those who are may find it interesting/rewarding 

Aye, you'd not get rich doing it.

In my experience they fall into 3 types.  Them that just want to do good in their community, Egotists and those who dream of getting in the HoC one day.

1 hour ago, Duck Egg said:

Aye, you'd not get rich doing it.

In my experience they fall into 3 types.  Them that just want to do good in their community, Egotists and those who dream of getting in the HoC one day.

The middle ones are a right pain in the arse. They'll turn up when the BEN are around but can't get them to do the day job for love or money, or they love to spout off in the BEN but don't have any interest in paying attention to the answer as they've been seen to be anti whatever the latest bugbear is.

3 hours ago, Sweep said:

I've always wondered what sort of person actually wants to work on a town council, I don't think it really pays very much. I guess if you want to move into proper politics, and become and MP, it's a good grounding, but other than that, I'd imagine sitting in meetings and talking about the merits of either planting some new bulbs v painting a new pedestrian crossing must be pretty grim. Although, I'm not remotely community minded, I suppose those who are may find it interesting/rewarding 

The same sort of prick who wants to be a referee. 

4 hours ago, Duck Egg said:

Aye, you'd not get rich doing it.

In my experience they fall into 3 types.  Them that just want to do good in their community, Egotists and those who dream of getting in the HoC one day.

And those who like nice things from Peel Holdings to give the land up for fuck all

7 hours ago, mickbrown said:

The same sort of prick who wants to be a referee. 

Which reminds me, has Barry Knight died yet? I've got a grave to piss on....

7 hours ago, mickbrown said:

The same sort of prick who wants to be a referee. 

wouldn't have a game without them.

9 hours ago, only1swanny said:

wouldn't have a game without them.

Wouldn’t have councils either.
 

Still pricks. 

I'm not sure your average Reform voter will really care all that much if Reform destroy some local councils. 

Reform will just blame any poor performance on central government/immigrants anyway. Which will feed into their narrative. 

Reform and the modern right wing movement in general is a sunk cost fallacy anyway. 

Does anyone else who has Facebook get the results of every council by election fed in for some reason ?

With one side or the other celebrating a 100 vote win with a 17% turnout ?

Salford elected their first Reform candidate this week. They will be voting again in the same area in 2 weeks. But held this as stand alone rather than tying into the city wide elections 

Edited April 23Apr 23 by Ani

 

This seems like a welcome step in the right direction 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz0ev7enk2lo

How’s that ‘one in, one out’ scheme coming along? I thought it was devilishly clever. 

28 minutes ago, Zulu said:

How’s that ‘one in, one out’ scheme coming along? I thought it was devilishly clever. 

377 out - 380 in. Costs approximately £50,000 per person so it’s cost around £19 million for a total of +3 in. 
Allegedly. 

34 minutes ago, BobyBrno said:

377 out - 380 in. Costs approximately £50,000 per person so it’s cost around £19 million for a total of +3 in. 
Allegedly. 

Ridiculous really isn't it, this scheme is a waste of time and money, as was the Rwanda scheme (was that £700M for 4 people?) - no scheme will ever work, they'll just keep coming, and the number will continue to increase, no matter who is in power

They only stop coming, if/when we don't make it an attractive proposition to be here

35 minutes ago, Sweep said:

Ridiculous really isn't it, this scheme is a waste of time and money, as was the Rwanda scheme (was that £700M for 4 people?) - no scheme will ever work, they'll just keep coming, and the number will continue to increase, no matter who is in power

They only stop coming, if/when we don't make it an attractive proposition to be here

 

It's common sense really, isn't it