Topic ID 4324
There are County Council Elections coming up on June 4th, just wondered if anybody was aware of this and whether they would be voting or not?
Reply ID 62615
If it means establishing some sort of opposition to the Tory dominance at County Hall and making them accountable then yes.
Reply ID 62616
How about Independent Councillors as a solution?
Reply ID 62617
Had my local Conservative candidate knock on the door on Saturday afternoon, asking if there was anything he could do for me. Told him I had some ironing and the floor needed mopping, but he didn't find that funny [:p]
Reply ID 62618
quote:Easthertspeople, I see you are a new Forum contributor. Looking at your Forum name together with the topic, is there a connection? If so, could you declare an interest or is it my imagination and/or old age creeping in? ps like Kitty Kat's answer - said something to a Jehovahs Witness once and got similar response[:)]
Originally posted by easthertspeople
How about Independent Councillors as a solution?
Reply ID 62619
Yes we are a new contributor, we're going to be promoting Independent Councillors as an alternative to the current party affiliated councillors we have in Hertford. Sorry to come across as a bit sneaky, we are just keen to start talking to people and finding out what people think of local politics and what can be done to change it. Although we support Independents, ideally we just want to encourage more community involvement and more participation as local politics has become stale and we need to find a way of rejuvenating it. We have a website http://www.ehpeople.org which is the main tool through which we are promoting the upcoming election and issues in Hertford. Thought these forums might be a useful way to guage public opinion and see what people think? I am a researcher for East Herts People.
Reply ID 62620
quote:"Stand down" would have been my reply [:D] As I recall, East Herts People supported independent candidates at the last Dictrict Council election in 2007.
Originally posted by Kitty Kat
Had my local Conservative candidate knock on the door on Saturday afternoon, asking if there was anything he could do for me.
Reply ID 62621
Yes they did, and now we're trying to see what can happen next. I take it you are not a Tory fan then Steve?! Is it Tories per se or just Hertford Tories?
Reply ID 62622
Just to add some balance to this I would rather chop my legs off than vote Labour or contribute towards their success at any level, so despite me being less than impressed of late with the tories, this is where a vote of mine would go..
Reply ID 62623
quote:I think you're making a few assumptions there. I was simply commenting about the performance of the current council and the fact that it is dominated by a single party.
Originally posted by easthertspeople
Yes they did, and now we're trying to see what can happen next. I take it you are not a Tory fan then Steve?! Is it Tories per se or just Hertford Tories?
Reply ID 62624
Ah that is more the point I was hoping for, we don't like persecution of any one party. We would like to see more representation and less dominance by one party, just so we have healthy debate and more accountability
Reply ID 62625
quote:I would very much like to execute Gordon Brown, for ****ing up the country. Would that be ok?
Originally posted by easthertspeople
Ah that is more the point I was hoping for, we don't like persecution of any one party. We would like to see more representation and less dominance by one party, just so we have healthy debate and more accountability
Reply ID 62626
quote:I wish you well, you will find however alot of apathy out there. If only everyone who had the vote used it..........................
Originally posted by easthertspeople
Ah that is more the point I was hoping for, we don't like persecution of any one party. We would like to see more representation and less dominance by one party, just so we have healthy debate and more accountability
Reply ID 62627
I had a leaflet from the loose grouping of independents (I cant remember their name, although I think Sloop sttood as a candidate in an eralier election). These might make a change.
Reply ID 62628
quote:No surprises there, then? [;)]
Originally posted by exiled_in_Reading
Just to add some balance to this I would rather chop my legs off than vote Labour or contribute towards their success at any level, so despite me being less than impressed of late with the tories, this is where a vote of mine would go..
Reply ID 62629
Ray you're quite right I was an East Herts person and stood as an Independent in Castle Ward. I am quite proud to say that our little band pushed the Labour Party into third place, picked up a lot of dissenting votes and if the electorate had chosen to vote tactically as a group we might have had a serious amount of members representing the Hertford wards as well as Ware and Buntingford. You may recall that Nigel and Deborah Clark also stood on an Independent ticket and won.[:D] This is not to say we could have shaped policy at East Herts but as Mr Marvell once said: 'we would have given them a damn good run'.[B)] Unfortunately County elections are not good for Independents. The wards are large and have tended to remain blue for as long as I can remember. This is in some way due to the popularity of Peter Ruffles who always attracts a huge personal vote even if given three votes the electorate will put the other 2 'x's somewhere else. It is a lot of ground to cover to go door to door or even appeal to the electorate from a distance. Because District policies are more relevant ie parking, rates, waste etc they attract more interest. County elections are just that - Watford, St Albans, all the rurals - and a bit less of local interest even if what goes on at County has a much greater impact. At the end of the District campaign there was some regret that we did not contest Town Council seats. Maybe next time. Politics is the art of the possible.
Reply ID 62630
quote:Good for you. What are your main policy proposals? I did vote in last local council elections but found it very confusing and ended up voting pretty randomly. If you were to have a concerted awareness campaign somehow I am sure you would walk the elections as long as you made your intentions and your candidates clear and simple for people to vote for. Just my opinion- no doubt others would disagree with me as usual.
Originally posted by easthertspeople
Yes we are a new contributor, we're going to be promoting Independent Councillors as an alternative to the current party affiliated councillors we have in Hertford. Sorry to come across as a bit sneaky, we are just keen to start talking to people and finding out what people think of local politics and what can be done to change it. Although we support Independents, ideally we just want to encourage more community involvement and more participation as local politics has become stale and we need to find a way of rejuvenating it. We have a website http://www.ehpeople.org which is the main tool through which we are promoting the upcoming election and issues in Hertford. Thought these forums might be a useful way to guage public opinion and see what people think? I am a researcher for East Herts People.
Reply ID 62631
quote:Just to add some balance to this I would rather chop my legs off than vote Conservative or contribute towards their success at any level, so despite me being less than impressed of late with ..
Originally posted by exiled_in_Reading
Just to add some balance to this I would rather chop my legs off than vote Labour or contribute towards their success at any level, so despite me being less than impressed of late with the tories, this is where a vote of mine would go..
Reply ID 62632
quote:Unless I'm mistaken, East Herts People is not a political party, it is simply a support group for independent candidates. Therefore it's the independent candidates that will have their own views and policies rather than East Herts People.
Originally posted by aubend
Good for you. What are your main policy proposals?
Reply ID 62633
I voted for independent candidates at the last round of local elections and might do so again on June 4th once I've heard what they propose to do. I can't see how the tories keep getting in, I don't know anyone who admits to voting for them and apart from the odd exception and that seems to be the case with people on this forum too. Like CSP I would have to be completely legless before voting for them.
Reply ID 62635
Hi easthertspeople May I ask who funds your website and your office premises? P
quote:
Originally posted by easthertspeople
Yes we are a new contributor, we're going to be promoting Independent Councillors as an alternative to the current party affiliated councillors we have in Hertford. Sorry to come across as a bit sneaky, we are just keen to start talking to people and finding out what people think of local politics and what can be done to change it. Although we support Independents, ideally we just want to encourage more community involvement and more participation as local politics has become stale and we need to find a way of rejuvenating it. We have a website http://www.ehpeople.org which is the main tool through which we are promoting the upcoming election and issues in Hertford. Thought these forums might be a useful way to guage public opinion and see what people think? I am a researcher for East Herts People.
Reply ID 62637
quote:Just to correct myself; From the ehpeople website: "East Herts People is a registered political party which acts as a platform for those who would like to serve their local community as Independent Councillors, without being tied to the traditional political parties." You can read more about their objectives at: http://www.ehpeople.org/about-us
Originally posted by Stevequote:Unless I'm mistaken, East Herts People is not a political party, it is simply a support group for independent candidates. Therefore it's the independent candidates that will have their own views and policies rather than East Herts People.
Originally posted by aubend
Good for you. What are your main policy proposals?
Reply ID 62638
How anyone could vote labour is beyond me. The country is crippled and it happened on Brown's watch twice.I would rather vote for the monster raving loony party than Labour.
Reply ID 62639
quote:Absolutely! The current government are entirely responsible for the current world recession and it certainly wasn't triggered by a far right-wing regime in the former colonies across the Atlantic. I bet China is right miffed with Gordon Brown for single-handedly stalling their own economic miracle[:D] There were no recessions, unemployment, house repossessions, bankrupt companies, riots, or problems of any kind under the Conservatives. Council rates were ridiculously affordable before poll tax sensibly doubled them for poorer families and halved them for the rich. Nobody really minded the 15% mortgage rates, did they?. After all, if you're evicted, you can always get housed by the coun.......... wait a minute, they've flogged all our housing stock! None of our profitable national industries were sold cheap to their mates, or our natural resources squandered to cover the massive shortfall. We were not all bribed with a quick couple of grand on Gas and BT shares to let all this happen. There was no sudden, pointless war when their popularity slumped. Damn fine chaps and jolly smartly dressed too![;)] There is much to blame New Labour for, some of it very seriously damning, but this recession isn't it. If there is blame, it lies with the public, who threatened instant loss of office if Thatcherism was challenged in more than words. We were so conditioned to the concept of greed is good back in the eighties that we teach it to our children. Poll City bankers, news and media owners and most of those who really caused this and you'll find most support the party which begins with a C, or a few New Labour, if they act like Conservatives. Is it me, or does anybody else detect that I may have wandered from the subject of local politics?[:I][:0] Sorry folks. Insomnia.
Originally posted by exiled_in_Reading
How anyone could vote labour is beyond me. The country is crippled and it happened on Brown's watch twice.I would rather vote for the monster raving loony party than Labour.
Reply ID 62640
quote:Yes, as usual local politics gets hijacked by national issues. If we could stick to the point please [:)]
Originally posted by shunt
Is it me, or does anybody else detect that I may have wandered from the subject of local politics?[:I][:0]
Reply ID 62641
I agree with shunt. As far as local voting, I will now be looking at the independent people standing; have lost all trust in the big parties.
Reply ID 62642
quote:It's funny you have not deleted this particular comment. I'm not going to take the time to prepare a particularised response because it would no doubt get censored.
Originally posted by Adminquote:Yes, as usual local politics gets hijacked by national issues. If we could stick to the point please [:)]
Originally posted by shunt
Is it me, or does anybody else detect that I may have wandered from the subject of local politics?[:I][:0]
Reply ID 62643
quote:Is this a leaflet you received recently? It might be from us, we're currently delivering
Originally posted by Ray_by_the_Beane
I had a leaflet from the loose grouping of independents (I cant remember their name, although I think Sloop sttood as a candidate in an eralier election). These might make a change.
Reply ID 62644
quote:This is really interesting sloopjohnb. It is great that you stood as an Independent. We are hoping to really promote the idea of community invovlement this time round and see if we can make local politics more accessible to those who are not interested in it. We have a lot of work to do but fingers crossed we can at least raise the profile and idea of Independents over the coming months and beyond.
Originally posted by sloopjohnb
Ray you're quite right I was an East Herts person and stood as an Independent in Castle Ward. I am quite proud to say that our little band pushed the Labour Party into third place, picked up a lot of dissenting votes and if the electorate had chosen to vote tactically as a group we might have had a serious amount of members representing the Hertford wards as well as Ware and Buntingford. You may recall that Nigel and Deborah Clark also stood on an Independent ticket and won.[:D] This is not to say we could have shaped policy at East Herts but as Mr Marvell once said: 'we would have given them a damn good run'.[B)] Unfortunately County elections are not good for Independents. The wards are large and have tended to remain blue for as long as I can remember. This is in some way due to the popularity of Peter Ruffles who always attracts a huge personal vote even if given three votes the electorate will put the other 2 'x's somewhere else. It is a lot of ground to cover to go door to door or even appeal to the electorate from a distance. Because District policies are more relevant ie parking, rates, waste etc they attract more interest. County elections are just that - Watford, St Albans, all the rurals - and a bit less of local interest even if what goes on at County has a much greater impact. At the end of the District campaign there was some regret that we did not contest Town Council seats. Maybe next time. Politics is the art of the possible.
Reply ID 62645
quote:As a whole, East Herts People do not have a manifesto or policies. Our main purpose is to offer supprot and guidance to Independent candidates as it can be a daunting process standing for election on your own, so we are doing the research in to what matters in Hertford, all the electoral procedures etc and are trying to promote community involvement and encourage people to represent their community.
Originally posted by aubendquote:Good for you. What are your main policy proposals? I did vote in last local council elections but found it very confusing and ended up voting pretty randomly. If you were to have a concerted awareness campaign somehow I am sure you would walk the elections as long as you made your intentions and your candidates clear and simple for people to vote for. Just my opinion- no doubt others would disagree with me as usual.
Originally posted by easthertspeople
Yes we are a new contributor, we're going to be promoting Independent Councillors as an alternative to the current party affiliated councillors we have in Hertford. Sorry to come across as a bit sneaky, we are just keen to start talking to people and finding out what people think of local politics and what can be done to change it. Although we support Independents, ideally we just want to encourage more community involvement and more participation as local politics has become stale and we need to find a way of rejuvenating it. We have a website http://www.ehpeople.org which is the main tool through which we are promoting the upcoming election and issues in Hertford. Thought these forums might be a useful way to guage public opinion and see what people think? I am a researcher for East Herts People.
Reply ID 62647
Sloop, EHDC may have smaller wards and more local contact but the county council still controls plenty of services that have a direct impact on Hertford residents' lives. The CC controls schools, libraries, care services (social care), highways, large planning applications, landfill and more. Putting aside national politics, if you've had trouble getting kids into a particular school (Wheatcroft for example), or you have been let down by a care provider contracted by the council (Care UK for example), or you have an opinion on how winter snow affects the county's roads, or you have watched with interest how the council has invested up to £28million into failed Icelandic banks, then you may well want to ask your local ward candidates some questions before voting this year. The ward councillor for All Saints, Sally Newton, is also the council's executive member for adult care and health so must have a fair amount of clout. IMHO, EHPeople failed at the last district elections because they did not put forward a positive agenda. They won votes for being generally well-known Hertfordians and campaigning on an anti-Tory cockup ticket, but didn't win any seats. The Tories increased their majority across the district. Providing a means for greater accountability and community envolvement in local government are admirable targets. But if the collective that is known as "East Herts People" don't have any policies or manifesto then what would happen if they were elected?
Reply ID 62648
quote:My last line is no less of a send up than the rest of my post and intended to make exactly the point that Admin then clarified.
Originally posted by exiled_in_Readingquote:It's funny you have not deleted this particular comment. I'm not going to take the time to prepare a particularised response because it would no doubt get censored.
Originally posted by Adminquote:Yes, as usual local politics gets hijacked by national issues. If we could stick to the point please [:)]
Originally posted by shunt
Is it me, or does anybody else detect that I may have wandered from the subject of local politics?[:I][:0]
Reply ID 62649
It wasn't the last line of your post I was particularly making mention of; I have made posts which were deemed to be "off topic" by the self appointed Lord and Master here which he promptly deletes. Perhaps it really is the case that all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Perhaps this only coincides with a differing of political opinion with "Admin". Who knows.
Reply ID 62650
quote:Thank you for this analysis. It is true, as a collective we don't have a manifesto or any policies so to speak. This is because we leave the policies up to the individual. We do not tell people what to say or think as we promote the idea of Independent thinking. Our main objective is to promote Independents who represent the views of their community not their party, so obviously this will differ from area to area. As long as an individual is committed to serving the electorate and doing what is best for the community, this is all we ask. When the election period starts we will declare any Independent candidates that we have and then they can reveal their ideas. I hope this makes the purpose of East Herts People a little clearer. We want more participation in local politics, more choice and accountability for the electorate, opportunity for the electorate to be part of the decision making process, an end to disillusionment and a more active and involved East Herts Community. We have no issue with parties at a national level but locally party policy has no place in dealing with local issues.
Originally posted by xtra_xtra
Sloop, EHDC may have smaller wards and more local contact but the county council still controls plenty of services that have a direct impact on Hertford residents' lives. The CC controls schools, libraries, care services (social care), highways, large planning applications, landfill and more. Putting aside national politics, if you've had trouble getting kids into a particular school (Wheatcroft for example), or you have been let down by a care provider contracted by the council (Care UK for example), or you have an opinion on how winter snow affects the county's roads, or you have watched with interest how the council has invested up to £28million into failed Icelandic banks, then you may well want to ask your local ward candidates some questions before voting this year. The ward councillor for All Saints, Sally Newton, is also the council's executive member for adult care and health so must have a fair amount of clout. IMHO, EHPeople failed at the last district elections because they did not put forward a positive agenda. They won votes for being generally well-known Hertfordians and campaigning on an anti-Tory cockup ticket, but didn't win any seats. The Tories increased their majority across the district. Providing a means for greater accountability and community envolvement in local government are admirable targets. But if the collective that is known as "East Herts People" don't have any policies or manifesto then what would happen if they were elected?
Reply ID 62656
quote:I think if I, or anyone else were to climb on a political soap box on behalf of any party (in any other context than parody) I would also find myself deleted, just as those who do so on R4s 'Any Answers' often find their call cut short. This thread, in particular, is about non-party, local politics. I have no idea of Admin's politics, nor he of mine.
Originally posted by exiled_in_Reading
It wasn't the last line of your post I was particularly making mention of; I have made posts which were deemed to be "off topic" by the self appointed Lord and Master here which he promptly deletes. Perhaps it really is the case that all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Perhaps this only coincides with a differing of political opinion with "Admin". Who knows.
Reply ID 62659
quote:You're welcome. Of course, party or no party, all councillors would argue they act in the best interests of their community. You could equally argue that a councillor acting independently would have little to no opportunity to effect any kind of change at all against the might of the parties. An ineffectual councillor can hardly be acting in the best interests of their community. But I look forward to hearing more about the candidates, because it seems I will have little reason to vote for them until I hear what exactly they intend to do. Will the name 'East Herts People' appear on the ballot paper? Will you allow more than one EHP candidate contest the same ward? Because if not, you would sound like a party.
Originally posted by easthertspeople Thank you for this analysis. It is true, as a collective we don't have a manifesto or any policies so to speak. This is because we leave the policies up to the individual. We do not tell people what to say or think as we promote the idea of Independent thinking. Our main objective is to promote Independents who represent the views of their community not their party, so obviously this will differ from area to area. As long as an individual is committed to serving the electorate and doing what is best for the community, this is all we ask. When the election period starts we will declare any Independent candidates that we have and then they can reveal their ideas. I hope this makes the purpose of East Herts People a little clearer. We want more participation in local politics, more choice and accountability for the electorate, opportunity for the electorate to be part of the decision making process, an end to disillusionment and a more active and involved East Herts Community. We have no issue with parties at a national level but locally party policy has no place in dealing with local issues.
Reply ID 62661
Well, this [url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5162836/Councillor-raps-manifesto-on-YouTube-to-attract-youth-vote.html"]Telegraph article[/url] has one of the Herts. county councilors rapping about the upcoming local elections here. Not sure that isn't horribly cringemaking...[:0]
Reply ID 62662
Hmmm... ,,,no answer Not exactly transparent are they. Could this be Gordon trying to split the vote in Conservative Constituencies? P
quote:
Originally posted by Paul
Hi easthertspeople May I ask who funds your website and your office premises? P
Reply ID 62668
I.M.H.O. Anybody who "wants" to enter politics, should be automatically banned from doing so!
Reply ID 62669
Is it Gordon's men that are paying for this website? No. It's HSCPM From Whois.net Domain ID:D130332420-LROR Domain Name:EHPEOPLE.ORG Created On:09-Oct-2006 15:30:56 UTC Last Updated On:10-Sep-2008 15:13:31 UTC Expiration Date:09-Oct-2009 15:30:56 UTC Sponsoring Registrar:Tucows Inc. (R11-LROR) Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED Registrant ID:tuH2Y35kHyZITfCa Registrant Name:Jim Thornton Registrant Organization:HSCPM Registrant Street1:3 Castle Gate Registrant Street2:Castle Street Registrant Street3: Registrant City:Hertford Registrant State/Province:Herts Registrant Postal Code:SG141HD Who are HSCPM? They appear to be - Hurford Salvi Carr Property Managment And who is Jim Thornton? Director of the Property Management Division. So - no problems there. Good luck Jim. P
quote:
Originally posted by Paul
Hmmm... ,,,no answer Not exactly transparent are they. Could this be Gordon trying to split the vote in Conservative Constituencies? Pquote:
Originally posted by Paul
Hi easthertspeople May I ask who funds your website and your office premises? P
Reply ID 62670
quote:A very, very good post. I haven't seen a manifesto or structured agenda either.
Originally posted by xtra_xtra
Sloop, EHDC may have smaller wards and more local contact but the county council still controls plenty of services that have a direct impact on Hertford residents' lives. The CC controls schools, libraries, care services (social care), highways, large planning applications, landfill and more. Putting aside national politics, if you've had trouble getting kids into a particular school (Wheatcroft for example), or you have been let down by a care provider contracted by the council (Care UK for example), or you have an opinion on how winter snow affects the county's roads, or you have watched with interest how the council has invested up to £28million into failed Icelandic banks, then you may well want to ask your local ward candidates some questions before voting this year. The ward councillor for All Saints, Sally Newton, is also the council's executive member for adult care and health so must have a fair amount of clout. IMHO, EHPeople failed at the last district elections because they did not put forward a positive agenda. They won votes for being generally well-known Hertfordians and campaigning on an anti-Tory cockup ticket, but didn't win any seats. The Tories increased their majority across the district. Providing a means for greater accountability and community envolvement in local government are admirable targets. But if the collective that is known as "East Herts People" don't have any policies or manifesto then what would happen if they were elected?
Reply ID 62674
Must be me, (although I do live outside of Hertford) but I have never heard of "East Herts People" other than of course being "People from East Herts" or is that the point??
Reply ID 62678
quote:Former Conservative Town Councillor Jim Thornton http://www.ehpeople.org/about-us/key-people
Originally posted by Paul
And who is Jim Thornton?
Reply ID 62679
Hurford Salvi Carr Property Developers seems to own (and thus presumably runs) the ehpeople website. And I would assume, Hurford Salvi Carr Property Developers, drive the initiative. Why should they bother to do it, and anonymously? P
quote:
Originally posted by Stevequote:Former Conservative Town Councillor Jim Thornton http://www.ehpeople.org/about-us/key-people Transparent enough for you?
Originally posted by Paul
And who is Jim Thornton?
Reply ID 62680
quote:If my memory serves me well he was a Tory East Herts councillor for the Castle ward (town centre) though he may have sat on other councils too. Anyhoo... he defected prior to the last round of local elections, becoming one of the independent candidates to stand under the banner of "East Herts People", alongside at least one member of this forum. The upshot was that he promptly lost his seat. As I said, the Tory majority increased at the last election. Where's the better democratic accountability after that?
Originally posted by Stevequote:My guess would be former Conservative Town Councillor Jim Thornton
Originally posted by Paul
And who is Jim Thornton?
Reply ID 62681
quote:Maybe I'm missing your point, although it sounds as if you've got some conspiracy theory. Jim Thornton used to be a Tory councillor but he left the party. He is the man behind EHpeople. Why would you assume the company he runs is behind the initiative and "driving" it? Do you have a particular issue here? Or an agenda? I only ask because you almost seem to be trying to smear the organisation. You certainly seem to be suggesting that something untoward or clandestine is behind EHpeople. If you've got an allegation to make, then make it. The O/P has created this thread in good faith, something that appears absent for your posts.
Originally posted by Paul
And also Jim Thornton Managing Director Hurford Salvi Carr Director of the Property Management Division, is a chartered civil engineer and builder with particular expertise in Design and Build contracting. This expertise is invaluable as most problems in property management relate to the building fabric making construction expertise an integral base discipline for property management. Who's company Hurford Salvi Carr Property Developers owns (and thus presumably runs) the ehpeople website. And I would assume, Hurford Salvi Carr Property Developers, drive the initiative. Why should they bother to do it, and anonymously? What is your best guess? Pquote:
Originally posted by Stevequote:Former Conservative Town Councillor Jim Thornton http://www.ehpeople.org/about-us/key-people Transparent enough for you?
Originally posted by Paul
And who is Jim Thornton?
Reply ID 62683
Again IMHO, EHPeople would be better off ditching this confusing 'collective of independents' title - you'll never get a message across as local politics seem boring to most people and their attention spans are short. You should loosen up on your (albeit admirable) ideals and create a PARTY that campaigns on issues that matter to the people of Hertford at the county council level. For example, will the current councillors be talking about the Bengeo rat run coming up to this election? I doubt it. You should be though. Care UK? A company so bad it was featured on Panorama last week. Talk about that too. Between you and me, its been a terrible year for the county council (and I happen to know that they know it). You need to let everyone else know it. But coming second isn't worth anything in politics nationally or locally. Democracy is about collective power. It's built into the system. Wake up and smell the coffee EHPeople.
Reply ID 62684
One wonders why a property company would pay the 10K it usually costs to set up and run such a site without seeking some profit motive. P
quote:
Maybe I'm missing your point, although it sounds as if you've got some conspiracy theory. Jim Thornton used to be a Tory councillor but he left the party. He is the man behind ehpeople. Why would you assume the company he runs is behind the initiative and "driving" it?
Reply ID 62685
And that's before we talk about the Chief Executive's salary - one of the highest in the country at £202,000. Councillors owe their jobs to be people who elected them - not the people who financed their campaign. And unfortunately The Executive are unelected and don't seem to think themselves answerable to those that actually pay their salaries.
Reply ID 62686
quote:10K????? I'm sorry, but this is bull****. Are you seriously suggesting that the EHpeople website cost £10,000 to set up???? And the registrant of a website is not necessarily the owner - in the same way as the registrant of a car is not the owner.
Originally posted by Paul
One wonders why a property company would pay the 10K it usually costs to set up and run such a site without seeking some profit motive.
quote:He's the only Managing Director from what I can see. Come on, tell us why you have such a keen interest in discrediting EHpeople.
Originally posted by Paul
I don't believe he runs HSCPM he seems to be one of many directors
Reply ID 62687
I have had my say Steve. Lets see what Jim has to say. P
quote:
Originally posted by Stevequote:10K????? I'm sorry, but this is bull****. Are you seriously suggesting that the EHpeople website cost £10,000 to set up???? And the registrant of a website is not necessarily the owner - in the same way as the registrant of a car is not the owner.
Originally posted by Paul
One wonders why a property company would pay the 10K it usually costs to set up and run such a site without seeking some profit motive.
Reply ID 62688
quote:So you're not going to address any of my questions then? Or maybe "transparency" is for other people.
Originally posted by Paul
I have had my say Steve. Lets see what Jim has to say.
Reply ID 62689
quote:Indeed. But executive members of the council are elected - and they govern policy rather than big wig officers like Caroline Tapster. From memory Sally Newton is the only executive member from these parts. And what is her portfolio? Adult care and health - a department that has seen overseen incredible cockups in the administration of services over the past year (countywide).
Originally posted by Steve
And that's before we talk about the Chief Executive's salary - one of the highest in the country at £202,000. Councillors owe their jobs to be people who elected them - not the people who financed their campaign. And unfortunately The Executive are unelected and don't seem to think themselves answerable to those that actually pay their salaries.
Reply ID 62690
Yeah , but the big question is , what are East Herts People doing for the good folk of Cornwall ?
Reply ID 62691
quote:[:D]
Originally posted by Donostia
Yeah , but the big question is , what are East Herts People doing for the good folk of Cornwall ?
Reply ID 62697
quote:Mick you have hit the nail squarely on the head there. Anyone who puts themselves forward must have an over inflated ego and a puffed up sense of self importance (sloop anyone?). The onlyright way to do it would be to randomly pick people from the community to make decisions, much like juries.
Originally posted by Mad Mick
I.M.H.O. Anybody who "wants" to enter politics, should be automatically banned from doing so!
Reply ID 62699
quote:It is pleasing to see such a response to this forum topic. In response to you Paul, it is also pleasing that you are so astute. Apologies for not replying sooner. I am afraid to say there is no scandal or underhand dealing involved in East Herts People. It was founded by Jim Thornton who was a previous Tory Councillor. He became disillusioned with the current system in Hertford, the fact nothign ever changed and wanted to see a rejuvenation in local politics. He believed that party politics had little place locally and wanted to promote the idea of Independents and offer them support. He is Managing Director of Hurford Salvi Carr but that is irrelevant to the workings of East Herts People, they are not funding the project, Jim is. All financial aspects are above board and approved by the Electoral Commission who are responsible for maintaining the standards and procedures involved in elections. I hope this brings some clarity on the issue. I can assure you the website did not cost 10k to set up and also we do not charge membership fees so the chances of makign any financial gain are impossible! Please feel free to ask any further questions... However, can we get back to the matter in hand, how to make local politics in Hertford more efficient and encourage greater participation...
Originally posted by Paul
Is it Gordon's men that are paying for this website? No. It's HSCPM From Whois.net Domain ID:D130332420-LROR Domain Name:EHPEOPLE.ORG Created On:09-Oct-2006 15:30:56 UTC Last Updated On:10-Sep-2008 15:13:31 UTC Expiration Date:09-Oct-2009 15:30:56 UTC Sponsoring Registrar:Tucows Inc. (R11-LROR) Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED Registrant ID:tuH2Y35kHyZITfCa Registrant Name:Jim Thornton Registrant Organization:HSCPM Registrant Street1:3 Castle Gate Registrant Street2:Castle Street Registrant Street3: Registrant City:Hertford Registrant State/Province:Herts Registrant Postal Code:SG141HD Who are HSCPM? They appear to be - Hurford Salvi Carr Property Managment And who is Jim Thornton? Director of the Property Management Division. So - no problems there. Good luck Jim. Pquote:
Originally posted by Paul
Hmmm... ,,,no answer Not exactly transparent are they. Could this be Gordon trying to split the vote in Conservative Constituencies? Pquote:
Originally posted by Paul
Hi easthertspeople May I ask who funds your website and your office premises? P
Reply ID 62700
quote:I think perhaps we have been a little confusing in our explanation. We are not a collective of Independents as that defies the very nature of Independents. If we were to act as a collective that would make us a party and we are simply an enabling paltform for those who want to serve their community in East Herts. We don't ask people to run on any particular issue, that is up to the individual and what they think is best, we simply offer them support and guidance on running for election. You say Democracy is about collective power and we agree, we believe that a group of Independents who are united on one simple agreement - serve their community - would create a much more effective council. We want individuals to come forward who are local people, who know about the area and know what is important, we anticipate that a candidate for Hertford Bengeo would run on a different issue to someone in Hertford Castle etc. If these Independents then came together at Council level and were there to do what is best for their local community who elected them we believe this would act as a more effective means of governing rather than having to follow a party line. Locally, representatives need to do what is best for the community, not Westminster.
Originally posted by xtra_xtra
Again IMHO, EHPeople would be better off ditching this confusing 'collective of independents' title - you'll never get a message across as local politics seem boring to most people and their attention spans are short. You should loosen up on your (albeit admirable) ideals and create a PARTY that campaigns on issues that matter to the people of Hertford at the county council level. For example, will the current councillors be talking about the Bengeo rat run coming up to this election? I doubt it. You should be though. Care UK? A company so bad it was featured on Panorama last week. Talk about that too. Between you and me, its been a terrible year for the county council (and I happen to know that they know it). You need to let everyone else know it. But coming second isn't worth anything in politics nationally or locally. Democracy is about collective power. It's built into the system. Wake up and smell the coffee EHPeople.
Reply ID 62702
quote:You do not mention Jim Thornton stood at the last district council elections for Hertford Castle Ward in 2007 as an Independent, coming 5th and failing to be elected. Why not stand again if he is so behind the independent cause? How does he feel he can make a difference to the current Tory stanglehold from the sidelines as it were?
Originally posted by easthertspeople I am afraid to say there is no scandal or underhand dealing involved in East Herts People. It was founded by Jim Thornton who was a previous Tory Councillor. He became disillusioned with the current system in Hertford, the fact nothign ever changed and wanted to see a rejuvenation in local politics. He believed that party politics had little place locally and wanted to promote the idea of Independents and offer them support.
Reply ID 62703
Electoral procedures mean that candidates do not have to declare themselves until a certain time. This year it is by the 17th May. The difficulty of promoting Independents is that we are unable to talk about any policy or individuals as the election period has not started yet. This is where parties have an advantage as no one is picking up on the fact the main parties haven't declared their candidates because we all know (or think we know) what the parties stand for and therefore we don't need to see individual names. At the moment we are trying to get people thinking about the idea of independents in the hope that a) they might consider voting for an Independent candidate and b) they may feel they wish to nominate thmeselves as an Independent candidate. Jim is very passionate about the Independent cause and changing East Herts for the better, hence the fact he is using his own money to employ three young researchers to find out what can be done to change politics in Hertford, inspire young people and get everyone out voting. The important thing to note is that Jim is not making any profit out of this venture at all so there is no gain in this for him other than to try and engage with the voters and create a more active and involved East herts community. Therefore Jim is not standing at the side lines, he is very much actively seeking to make a difference to the "Tory stranglehold"
Reply ID 62704
Just a quick aside, for anyone who wants to know a bit more about what we are up to see today's Hertfordshire Mercury - P3
Reply ID 62707
Nothing wrong with philanthropic, commercial organisations trying to help the community. But lets not keep it a secret. Lets have the name on the website. Hurford Salvi Carr Property Management is proud to support the East Herts People website. After all, this is politics and we can't be too careful. p.s. Glad the site wasn't expensive Jim P -------------------------------------------------------------- What is a registrant? A registrant is the individual or organisation (e.g. limited company, partnership, sole trader etc) that registers a specific domain name. This individual or organisation holds the right to use that domain name for a specified period of time (two years for a domain name ending in .uk ). This person or organisation is the ‘legal entity’ bound by the terms and conditions of the domain name registration agreement with Nominet. Registering a domain name means that you or your organization becomes the legal holder/owner of the domain name, and that you designate an administrative contact of your choice. Once registered, the domain is typically associated with an active website.
quote:
Originally posted by Steve
And the registrant of a website is not necessarily the owner - in the same way as the registrant of a car is not the owner.
Reply ID 62708
Hurford Salvi Carr have nothing to do with East Herts People other than their boss also dabbles in politics in his spare time. It is funded from Jim Thornton's pocket, not the pocket of HSCPM. I think that you will find Jim probably had to put his occupation on the registration form when starting the website. There is nothing to hide, hence why we are being so open with you. I feel you may be trying to provoke some sort of scandal out of nothing. East Herts People are above board and funded by a kind hearted businessman who wants to promote community involvement in East Herts.
Reply ID 62709
quote:Fair comment, although it doesn't necessarily follow that the owner of the domain name is the owner of the active website.
Originally posted by Paul
What is a registrant? A registrant is the individual or organisation (e.g. limited company, partnership, sole trader etc) that registers a specific domain name. This individual or organisation holds the right to use that domain name for a specified period of time (two years for a domain name ending in .uk ). This person or organisation is the ‘legal entity’ bound by the terms and conditions of the domain name registration agreement with Nominet. Registering a domain name means that you or your organization becomes the legal holder/owner of the domain name, and that you designate an administrative contact of your choice. Once registered, the domain is typically associated with an active website.quote:
Originally posted by Steve
And the registrant of a website is not necessarily the owner - in the same way as the registrant of a car is not the owner.
quote:So it's not just me then! [:)]
Originally posted by easthertspeople
There is nothing to hide, hence why we are being so open with you. I feel you may be trying to provoke some sort of scandal out of nothing.
Reply ID 62710
Well then, I am glad we have cleared that up. :-) P
quote:
Originally posted by easthertspeople
East Herts People are above board and funded by a kind hearted businessman who wants to promote community involvement in East Herts.
Reply ID 62712
quote:So East Herts People wants to assist all the Town and Parish councils with what they already do? A very generous and great idea. [:)]
Originally posted by easthertspeople
East Herts People are above board and funded by a kind hearted businessman who wants to promote community involvement in East Herts.
Reply ID 62723
quote:Do they really though? That's what we are trying to unearth.
Originally posted by James007quote:So East Herts People wants to assist all the Town and Parish councils with what they already do? A very generous and great idea. [:)]
Originally posted by easthertspeople
East Herts People are above board and funded by a kind hearted businessman who wants to promote community involvement in East Herts.
Reply ID 62829
Bah! I can't find the post I want to respond to now... I think someone said that national parties don't matter at a local level. I agree to a certain extent but it does tell you something about what they would do in power. I.e. you could be failrly sure that Conservatives would be keener to push privatisations/contracting out (hence the disasters that are Care UK and Herfordshire Highways!)
Reply ID 62834
I think that on a national scale, an Independent candidate tends to take a very negative stance on a single issue. For example, Martin Bell stood as an Independent on an anti-sleaze campaign, and therefore my perception is that independents do not seem to have a rounded manifesto. Indeed, I understood that EHP was originally founded after Jim Thornton was ejected from the Conservative Party and his appeals to be reinstated were rejected; as least that is how I understood the original founding of EHP. When the Independents stood in the district elections last time round I wasn't clear what they were each standing for and how they could make a change. That said, I do believe that Independents would add great value at a Town Council level, and would be interested to see the manifesto of those with the inclination to stand. I think that this time round EHP can have a much more positive stance (rather than anti whatever is the status quo), but having received two copies of the recent mail-drop I am unclear on what EHP is actually going to deliver and who is going to stand?? Can I also ask, at the risk of going off topic, why EHP is only looking at Hertford? There are no postings on the Ware Online website. East Herts is a much bigger area covering a population of about 130,000 people. Is the focus only on Hertford?
Reply ID 63265
The Bengeo Ward Community Newsletter from East Herts People dropped through my letterbox tonight. In an article about what services Herts County Council provide , instead of a picture of County Hall , there is a lovely snap of McMullens Brewery . I like that in an organisation.[:D]
Reply ID 63269
quote:Here (hic!) here.........[:o)]
Originally posted by Donostia
The Bengeo Ward Community Newsletter from East Herts People dropped through my letterbox tonight. In an article about what services Herts County Council provide , instead of a picture of County Hall , there is a lovely snap of McMullens Brewery . I like that in an organisation.[:D]
Reply ID 63273
quote:We thought the good people of Bengeo might like to see pictures relating to their area, after all, aren't the Council involved in talks to turn the Brewery site in to Sainsbury's?
Originally posted by Donostia
The Bengeo Ward Community Newsletter from East Herts People dropped through my letterbox tonight. In an article about what services Herts County Council provide , instead of a picture of County Hall , there is a lovely snap of McMullens Brewery . I like that in an organisation.[:D]
Reply ID 63275
quote:No, that's the District Council
Originally posted by easthertspeoplequote:We thought the good people of Bengeo might like to see pictures relating to their area, after all, aren't the Council involved in talks to turn the Brewery site in to Sainsbury's?
Originally posted by Donostia
The Bengeo Ward Community Newsletter from East Herts People dropped through my letterbox tonight. In an article about what services Herts County Council provide , instead of a picture of County Hall , there is a lovely snap of McMullens Brewery . I like that in an organisation.[:D]
Reply ID 63280
Yes, that's right. However we just wanted to put pictures that were relevant to each ward on there. Although the brewery is not necessarily linked to the County Council, we just thought it was an appropriate Bengeo picture. Apologies for any confusion caused.
Reply ID 63282
I must admit that the more I hear about and from East Herts People, the dodgier they sound - dodgier even than the people they are trying to displace. Last time out I deliberately voted for independent candidates because like many, I was completely disillusioned by the normal parties. After all the nonsense that easthertspeople has posted on this forum, I will now make sure that none of the candidates associated with this organisation gets my vote: Not appearing to know the difference between the Town and District Councils and implying that McMullen's Brewery is in Bengeo is completely laughable. God know's who I will vote for now.
Reply ID 63284
If you look at the boundaries McMullen's Brewery is indeed in Bengeo. As for not knowing the difference between the different levels of government I would direct you to this on our website http://www.ehpeople.org/get-involved/i-am-interested-becoming-independent-councillor/guide-being-councillor. Finally; if you were to vote for an Independent you would not be voting for East Herts People, you would be voting for an independent candidate. EHP promotes Independents and helps them wade their way through the rules and regulations that can be somewhat daunting for anyone who does not have the support of a party to guide them through election procedure. We do not tell candidates what to think or say, we are just here to promote the idea of Independents to the local community and to offer advice to anyone thinking of standing. Our aim is to make local politics far more local than it actually is. I hope this allays any fears you may have. We appreciate all feed back that people may have about our leaflets, our aims and our work and the community newsletters are a new idea we are working on as a means of promoting a more active and involved community to those who may not want to look at our website or may want to have hard copies of information. We want to be accessible for all, not just the computer literate. Apologies again for any confusion caused by the picture of the brewery. But all constructive criticism is always welcome so that we may improve what we are doing.
Reply ID 63292
no EHP leaflets delivered here this week and we are in firmly in Bengeo
Reply ID 63302
quote:Can I recommend a spell check on your website; I'm no great speller but there are some awful gaffs on your website. Also I would appreciate an answer to my question raised earlier in this thread about why East Herts People is only targeting Hertford (so it appears - see above).
Originally posted by easthertspeople [But all constructive criticism is always welcome so that we may improve what we are doing.
Reply ID 63306
quote:Lower Lower Bengeo , surely ? [;)]
Originally posted by easthertspeople
If you look at the boundaries McMullen's Brewery is indeed in Bengeo.
Reply ID 63318
quote:I'll certainly look in to that, any examples? The reason it appears to be mainly Hertford based at the mo is that we have limited resources and until we can measure response rates and see if this could go somewhere or not we are not expanding the rest of East Herts, if it works out well then we will certainly be expanding our base. I hope this helps.
Originally posted by SMTquote:Can I recommend a spell check on your website; I'm no great speller but there are some awful gaffs on your website. Also I would appreciate an answer to my question raised earlier in this thread about why East Herts People is only targeting Hertford (so it appears - see above).
Originally posted by easthertspeople [But all constructive criticism is always welcome so that we may improve what we are doing.
Reply ID 63321
quote:I cannot see what you are aiming to do. If you are of a political persuasion can you carefully describe your policies as you are running out of time. No leaflet here by the way too.
Originally posted by easthertspeople
If you look at the boundaries McMullen's Brewery is indeed in Bengeo. As for not knowing the difference between the different levels of government I would direct you to this on our website http://www.ehpeople.org/get-involved/i-am-interested-becoming-independent-councillor/guide-being-councillor. Finally; if you were to vote for an Independent you would not be voting for East Herts People, you would be voting for an independent candidate. EHP promotes Independents and helps them wade their way through the rules and regulations that can be somewhat daunting for anyone who does not have the support of a party to guide them through election procedure. We do not tell candidates what to think or say, we are just here to promote the idea of Independents to the local community and to offer advice to anyone thinking of standing. Our aim is to make local politics far more local than it actually is. I hope this allays any fears you may have. We appreciate all feed back that people may have about our leaflets, our aims and our work and the community newsletters are a new idea we are working on as a means of promoting a more active and involved community to those who may not want to look at our website or may want to have hard copies of information. We want to be accessible for all, not just the computer literate. Apologies again for any confusion caused by the picture of the brewery. But all constructive criticism is always welcome so that we may improve what we are doing.
Reply ID 63334
quote:Also, if by law you are able to claim £1100 for leaflet distribution, why don't you do it yourself (or elves [:)])?
Originally posted by easthertspeoplequote:I'll certainly look in to that, any examples? The reason it appears to be mainly Hertford based at the mo is that we have limited resources and until we can measure response rates and see if this could go somewhere or not we are not expanding the rest of East Herts, if it works out well then we will certainly be expanding our base. I hope this helps.
Originally posted by SMTquote:Can I recommend a spell check on your website; I'm no great speller but there are some awful gaffs on your website. Also I would appreciate an answer to my question raised earlier in this thread about why East Herts People is only targeting Hertford (so it appears - see above).
Originally posted by easthertspeople [But all constructive criticism is always welcome so that we may improve what we are doing.
Reply ID 63335
quote:With respect, I'm not going to proof your whole website, but if you check your 'Starbucks wins Planning Dispute' story, it's says Bercherley Green and the "store FIST opened". I just find that errors such as these undermine the professionalism of the site and therefore dilute its impact.
Originally posted by easthertspeople I'll certainly look in to that, any examples?
Reply ID 63336
quote:Thank you for bringing this to my attention, it will certainly be dealt with.
Originally posted by SMTquote:With respect, I'm not going to proof your whole website, but if you check your 'Starbucks wins Planning Dispute' story, it's says Bercherley Green and the "store FIST opened". I just find that errors such as these undermine the professionalism of the site and therefore dilute its impact.
Originally posted by easthertspeople I'll certainly look in to that, any examples?
Reply ID 63353
quote:Excuse me, what? Claim money for leaflet distribution?? What are you talking about?
Originally posted by James007
Also, if by law you are able to claim £1100 for leaflet distribution, why don't you do it yourself (or elves [:)])?
Reply ID 63355
For newcomer: http://www.ehpeople.org/blog/vote-thornton-hertford-st-andrews
Reply ID 63356
quote:£1100 is how much they are allowed to spend on their entire campaign, not just leaflet distribution. Do you know how many households there are in Hertford? It would certainly require a dedicated team and some considerable time to leafet them all.
Originally posted by James007
Also, if by law you are able to claim £1100 for leaflet distribution, why don't you do it yourself (or elves [:)])?
Reply ID 63358
Makes me laugh that Jim Thornton appears on his own website ehpeople as if he is a third party being given a favour. "Vote Thornton for Hertford St Andrews! Submitted on Thu, 07/05/2009 - 11:10am Thank you EHP for letting me use the blog <cut> Jim Thornton" Strikes me he is using his own website and this forum to raise his own political profile under the guise of philanthropy. P
quote:
Originally posted by James007
For newcomer: http://www.ehpeople.org/blog/vote-thornton-hertford-st-andrews
Reply ID 63361
quote:Thanks! That all reads a bit odd to me (more on that later!) I was outraged about the suggestion that someone could "claim" this money like MPs expenses. There is no pot of money to be claimed for campaigning, it will all be out of your own pocket (or those of the party/organisation you may belong to but sometimes not even then!). Unless EHP is doling out £1100 for campaigning? If that's the case, it is well funded! It gets my goat that some people think that people someone get paid or get expenses for campaigning. It's all voluntary! Back to the referenced blog posting by Mr. Thornton. I'm amused that it says he "can spend only about £1100". You could print an A4 leaflet for every house in the area for <£100! What are they planning to do with the money?
Originally posted by James007
For newcomer: http://www.ehpeople.org/blog/vote-thornton-hertford-st-andrews
Reply ID 63362
The £1100 isnt a grant , its how much of your own money you are allowed to spend .
Reply ID 63363
There was a girl handing out their leaflets in Maidenhead Street this morning.
Reply ID 63364
Just to pick up on a few points. Re the spelling mistakes, these are currently being looked in to, all I can say is that in the rush to get EHP up and running a few errors have been made for which I apologise. Secondly, re the allowance for Jim's campaign. £1100 may seem like a lot of money but in reality it is very tight, even more so if you are going it alone as an Independent. This budget has to factor in leaflet printing, leaflet distribution, office costs, the cost of any equipment that is is used in the campaign, the wages of anyone who works for EHP that does any form of work for Jim's campaign, phone call costs, electricity that is used for anything election related. If Jim uses anything that is owned by EHP he has to rent it from them or have a fraction of the cost incorporated in to his expenditure. The list goes on, but basically the Electoral Commission lays out strict rules and limits to ensure that elections cannot be bought. This is obviosuly a very important thing. Parties have an added advantage in that the costs can be spread over all their candidates whilst an Independent is on their own. If you think that the regulated period runs from the minute someone is nominated (May 7th or earlier) to June 4th, that is a fairly long period of time to ensure you spend no more that £1100 on your campaign. You have to be so careful about who does what and how much everything costs. So much so that EHP employees are currently completing timesheets in 15 minute intervals so that timings can be monitored in respect of costings, any over spending is taken very seriously indeed.
Reply ID 63374
quote:As I understand it EHP don't have any policies, that will depend on the individual candidates, EHP not having any particular political leaning required for membership so to speak. They are there to provide support and advice - just as the big parties would get from their party machine - and so level the field a little to give the independants a fairer chance.
Originally posted by James007quote:I cannot see what you are aiming to do. If you are of a political persuasion can you carefully describe your policies as you are running out of time. No leaflet here by the way too.
Originally posted by easthertspeople
If you look at the boundaries McMullen's Brewery is indeed in Bengeo. As for not knowing the difference between the different levels of government I would direct you to this on our website http://www.ehpeople.org/get-involved/i-am-interested-becoming-independent-councillor/guide-being-councillor. Finally; if you were to vote for an Independent you would not be voting for East Herts People, you would be voting for an independent candidate. EHP promotes Independents and helps them wade their way through the rules and regulations that can be somewhat daunting for anyone who does not have the support of a party to guide them through election procedure. We do not tell candidates what to think or say, we are just here to promote the idea of Independents to the local community and to offer advice to anyone thinking of standing. Our aim is to make local politics far more local than it actually is. I hope this allays any fears you may have. We appreciate all feed back that people may have about our leaflets, our aims and our work and the community newsletters are a new idea we are working on as a means of promoting a more active and involved community to those who may not want to look at our website or may want to have hard copies of information. We want to be accessible for all, not just the computer literate. Apologies again for any confusion caused by the picture of the brewery. But all constructive criticism is always welcome so that we may improve what we are doing.
Reply ID 63587
The Telegraph now has a [url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/news/newstopics/local-elections/5279505/Hertfordshire-county-council-local-election-2009.html"]short summary[/url] of our local elections in Hertfordshire.
Reply ID 63886
quote:That would be fine - presumably things are really bad in Reading?
Originally posted by exiled_in_Readingquote:I would very much like to execute Gordon Brown, for ****ing up the country. Would that be ok?
Originally posted by easthertspeople
Ah that is more the point I was hoping for, we don't like persecution of any one party. We would like to see more representation and less dominance by one party, just so we have healthy debate and more accountability
Reply ID 64090
Blimey , any news from County Hall ? http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/4439920.Angry_scenes_anticipated_at_BNP_debut/
Reply ID 64100
quote:It would also be a bit like excecuting a TV weather girl because it rained.
Originally posted by exiled_in_Readingquote:I would very much like to execute Gordon Brown, for ****ing up the country. Would that be ok?
Originally posted by easthertspeople
Ah that is more the point I was hoping for, we don't like persecution of any one party. We would like to see more representation and less dominance by one party, just so we have healthy debate and more accountability
Reply ID 64103
quote:not if she was in overall charge of the rain at the time it wouldn't be, or don't you remember that he was also the chancellor?
Originally posted by shuntquote:It would also be a bit like excecuting a TV weather girl because it rained.
Originally posted by exiled_in_Readingquote:I would very much like to execute Gordon Brown, for ****ing up the country. Would that be ok?
Originally posted by easthertspeople
Ah that is more the point I was hoping for, we don't like persecution of any one party. We would like to see more representation and less dominance by one party, just so we have healthy debate and more accountability
Reply ID 64113
quote:So you think that it's just Britain then? If Brown had a fault in this scenario, it was being too like a Conservative chancellor. It would'nt have made a blind bit of difference who was in power, as demonstrated by those countries with right-wing and left-wing governments who shared our predicament. It does matter now and I'm still waiting for someone else, anyone else, to come up with a plan or even demonstrate understanding of the problem. Sorry that this is a bit political (though I advocate no particular party), admin, but I get a little tired of blind hatred and knee-jerk reactions. None of this has anything to do with local elections or should have effected the results, but it did. I have yet to find anyone who can give a rational reason for changing their vote on the back of either the economy or expenses fiasco, since one is international and the other, across all parties.
Originally posted by exiled_in_Readingquote:not if she was in overall charge of the rain at the time it wouldn't be, or don't you remember that he was also the chancellor?
Originally posted by shuntquote:It would also be a bit like excecuting a TV weather girl because it rained.
Originally posted by exiled_in_Readingquote:I would very much like to execute Gordon Brown, for ****ing up the country. Would that be ok?
Originally posted by easthertspeople
Ah that is more the point I was hoping for, we don't like persecution of any one party. We would like to see more representation and less dominance by one party, just so we have healthy debate and more accountability