Labour of Gove

Apparently Warsi has had her feet pulled out from ...

2011-02-06T20:34:37.582Z

Apparently Warsi has had her feet pulled out from under her and is distinctly personna non grata but she seems to be the bravest one amongst them. She's always been hit by the Tory right and it ain't just racism there's a helluva lot of misogyny knocking about also. I'm still giving the lass time as I used to work Dewsbury and good luck to the gal.

I know race & shit like that can seem a bit of a headline issue but these are just noises rather than office. It almost seems like diversion tactics and recommissioning grant aid to less established organisations which is fair enough.

Saddiq Khan did pretty well over grit issues last winter - sure it was a fuck up but no-one ever thought it was his fuck up and he was very clear & organized. First thing his oppo did this year was write a snotty letter to all council leaders saying 'get yer arse in gear'!!!!! Bob Neill - yeah, got my eye on him, Chris. Phoned his office about 3 months before the election asking him a perfectly standard question and got a pizza takeaway by all use it was. Unbelievable, or sadly, rather typical.

Yes, that is Ms Warsi. And yes, in flip-flops and ...

2011-02-06T13:05:39.971Z

Yes, that is Ms Warsi. And yes, in flip-flops and salwar kameez. Dave in stocking feet. Picture cropped to hide darning requirement. Comb over doing similar for bald pate.

Is that Warsi? In flip-flops?

2011-02-06T13:01:20.406Z

Is that Warsi? In flip-flops?

"Coolest mayor ever" Ditchy and Salty. W...

2011-02-01T11:50:32.481Z

"Coolest mayor ever" Ditchy and Salty. What an endorsement
http://www.jonathan-swift-sinatra.co.uk/
Interesting web host to.

There has been an exposition of the main twists in...

2011-01-28T21:08:43.911Z

There has been an exposition of the main twists in the contrived tenancy etc on the blog before and various references in the mainstream media.

One little mystery that needs sorting out I think is who is the Wikipedia vandal that has been removing factual content from Cyril Smith related wiki pages. The old slapper and groucher has someone by the balls from beyond the grave.

More on that anon. If anyone was a York University college radio hack or University Challenge of the perpetrator they may like to get in touch ..

Will anyone get to the bottom of Cyril Smith's...

2011-01-28T09:00:59.048Z

Will anyone get to the bottom of Cyril Smith's (and others) shareholding and past influence of Rochdale Reform Buildings Ltd and the 'rent' that Paul Rowen claimed as a parliamentary expense?

http://rochdaleraw.blogspot.com/2010/02/cyril-smith-and-unreformed-characters.html

Word is there is no money left in the pot with whi...

2011-01-27T14:08:05.279Z

Word is there is no money left in the pot with which to atone.

Loss of the Council means loss of a large part of their approx £75,000 turnover with undeclared Councillors donations funnelled through up to four separate accounts.

With creditors banging on the door, only Oldham's use of printing services keeping the lights on and that not for long.

Expect bancruptcy news fairly soon and hopefully a thorough investigation of financial arrangements.

Treasurer Rush going greyer day by day and Adam Power not sure if pay cheques going to bounce.

But he didn't deny being responsible for '...

2011-01-21T11:32:51.500Z

But he didn't deny being responsible for 'his' comments in the leaflet - on TV and the Radio?!

There are 3 councillors who put their name to the leaflet and have to account for the comments attributed to them.

The next few days are going to be very interesting.

Keith Swify didn't write the libellous leaflet...

2011-01-21T09:32:57.107Z

Keith Swify didn't write the libellous leaflet. A lib dem party employee did.

This is a matter for the Federal Party to resolve in conjunction with the local Rochdale Party bosses.

A swift apology (excuse the pun) followed by a generous cheque to a local charity should end this.

Not only is 'local resident' Sue Etchells ...

2011-01-20T11:30:51.641Z

Not only is 'local resident' Sue Etchells Keith Swifts long time partner, she was also a paid employee of Paul Rowen when he was MP.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/46618/former-mps-office-closes-its-doors

Wasn't worried about MP's spending taxpayers money then was she?

Keith Swift, Rochdale Online shareholder quoting f...

2011-01-20T00:44:18.308Z

Keith Swift, Rochdale Online shareholder quoting from Rochdale Online "news" to illustrate his libellous leaflet.

In addition to being a Rochdale Online shareholder, is Keith Swift a paid advertising executive for Rochdale Online? What accounts has he serviced? Advertising from public funds paid for by the taxpayer? Rochdale Council? Link 4 Life? Rochdale NHS Trust? Kingsway Business Park? Several Rochdale schools?

Is everything in order about this paid arrangement with Rochdale Online, a company that Councillor Swift has shares in?

Keith Swift stood by "his" statement on ...

2011-01-20T00:21:52.942Z

Keith Swift stood by "his" statement on his Milnrow leaflet.

Thing is the same words are used by another Focus "editor" in Kingsway.

So has Keith told lies?

If he fesses up about not writing the leaflet he has put his name to then who wrote it? A Lib Dem employee?

Who pays the libel damages and legal fees? Rochdale Lib Dems?
Cllr Keith Swift?

Or will a book be opened on other suspects...Dave Heineken, Heynotworth or another of Elwyn's little helpers... John Swarbrick?
Paul Rowen?

Will the real Jonathan Swift please stand up? Ame...

2011-01-19T23:37:35.385Z

Will the real Jonathan Swift please stand up?

American Jonathan Swift has been doing a Frank Sinatra tribute act for the past 30 years...

Will the real Jonathan Swift please stand up? Ame...

2011-01-19T23:37:34.548Z

Will the real Jonathan Swift please stand up?

American Jonathan Swift has been doing a Frank Sinatra tribute act for the past 30 years...

Keith Swift cites local disgruntled citizen "...

2011-01-19T23:33:27.888Z

Keith Swift cites local disgruntled citizen "Sue Etchells" in the dodgy Focus leaflet. Is this the same Sue Etchells that was Paul Rowen's secretary until he lost the General Election? The same Sue Etchells that partnered Mayor Keith Swift as Lib Dem Mayoress of Rochdale last year?

Keith looked ill on the BBC television news tonight.
He has had to maintain that he wrote and published the libellous drivel. Is Keith and Rochdale Online ready for the writ?

Keith is a Frank Sinatra inpersonator. Will he be singing like a canary soon?

Good work Chris. Rochdale Lib Dems are the worst o...

2011-01-19T22:33:01.322Z

Good work Chris. Rochdale Lib Dems are the worst of the worst

Given his track record on past political attendanc...

2011-01-19T18:14:13.363Z

Given his track record on past political attendance, Lord Elwyn of Froggit wouldn't wear any leather out on M'lud's benches.

"Elwyn who?" Isn't that what Nick C...

2011-01-18T23:52:38.074Z

"Elwyn who?"

Isn't that what Nick Clegg said at DPMQs today?

Elwyn who?

2011-01-16T08:04:04.810Z

Elwyn who?

All a bit predictable, really. I guess could spend...

2011-01-14T14:00:12.340Z

All a bit predictable, really. I guess could spend a couple of hours going over the figures but...

Abrahams could do with someone who can write a speech, crickey!

Well done CP, congrats!

All this will be irrelevant in the next few hours....

2011-01-14T01:33:15.122Z

All this will be irrelevant in the next few hours.

What will be next for Elwyn the pontificating serial loser?

Z-list celebrity status on a cable TV reality show? A tabloid encounter with a cheeky girl? Part of the dodgy "faded stars" line up on Never Mind the Buzcocks? A cameo in a Churchill Insurance advert?

Anything but politics.

There is of course the Lords. Elwyn is protesting too much on that vain rumour.

Baron Windbag of Saudi has a ring to it.

It looks like Jane has just started her own (and s...

2010-12-22T21:56:05.093Z

It looks like Jane has just started her own (and slightly scary) blog http://inbedwithjane.wordpress.com/

His attendance was abyssmal. But he did take the ...

2010-12-21T20:34:53.664Z

His attendance was abyssmal.

But he did take the allowances.

Some of which he gave to his party under their tithe system.

But which they have not declared since December 2004.

At which point they declared £24,000 at one go.

Since which time they've - until recently - had more councillors and must have been churning a fortune in taxpayers money into political sponney.

Legal of course. Apart from the not declaring.

Some say this creatures use printing societies to avoid declaring gifts.

Which if true would show what a shower they are; on the run from the transparency and honesty they claim to crave.

I did work out the attendance rate and the donations at one point. But to be honest, like Elwyn, I can't be arsed to look those up at the moment.

Too much of a faff.

What was Elwyn Watkins's attendance rate whils...

2010-12-21T20:21:33.750Z

What was Elwyn Watkins's attendance rate whilst representing Healey ward as one of its councillors well before he was selected as PPC for OES?

If he couldn't be bothered to attend Rochdale Town Hall meetings then why should Delph, Diggle and Dobcross expect anything more than false promises and wind?

Agree entirely with this last comment. The peopl...

2010-12-21T12:08:36.851Z

Agree entirely with this last comment.

The people of Oldham East and Saddleworth face a choice inm all seriousness between three individuals and three political traditions.

In alphabetical order:

Debbie Abrahams - a life time of service to public services, hard work, contribution and ability shine through. A clean campaigner in Colne Valley;

Kashif Ali - a respectable local solicitor who did well for the Tories and did not stoop to the shenanigans that have afflicted both Labour and Lib Dems in this sub region for decades;

Elwyn Watkins - a man of mysterious employment who having had the chance to serve the people of Rochdale as a local councillor scarcely turned up, who lost by a far lower margin than he ought to have arguably *because* Woolas promoted him and because Mrs Duffy influenced Lib Dems to abandon Rowen who counted his chickens, and who is implicated in all the Rochdale Lib Dems chicanery and cowardice and maladministration.

On the parties:

Conservatives - cutting local and national services to ribbons on the back of a mythology about necessity which doesn't stand even the most basic inspection;

Labour - all sorts of errors and achievements both behind them, not least a war many of us opposed, but also a pretty coherent response to world economic events which we are still benefitting from before the ConDem destruction takes hold and possibly takes us the way of Ireland;

Lib Dems - see Tories above and add absolute betrayal of many of their key commitments and complete failures in local government too.

The religious allegiance or culture, the gender, the sexuality, the race and ethnicity, the family life, the details of work done, the age and so on really should not be front and centre in this campaign as the anonymous muppets above would wish to see them.

There are serious issues and, let's have it right, the MPACUK attack on Lorna went way way way beyond what was legal, decent and honest.

She was a war supporter - sincere in her belief that this was the right thing to be doing - and a right winger in Labour terms in many regards, but the racism and personal abuse she received should be condemned by all parties without reservation. Lib Dems were very much associated with that however much deniability they like to build in now.

MPACUK themselves have apologised. Will the Lib Dems who associated with them and even worse their extremist and irresponsible allies also apologise and cease and desist from the same whispering now?