Roger Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 I forgot to mention .... I had a Jesse Norman campaigner at my door about a month ago .... Posh accent and looked like a younger version of Jesse Norman. He gave me a leaflet and I offloaded my local concerns on him. Including Jesse worrying about the Air Balloon Roundabout at Birdlip .... Which is not his patch. The bloke knew absolute zero about that subject! I can't remember what the fella tried to promote to be honest. I don't know if he knew himself! The only Tory visit I might get at my door pre-election! Who knows!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenda Powell Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Roger, you may get a few more Tory visitors on 7th March they are campaigning in Hereford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Roger, you may get a few more Tory visitors on 7th March they are campaigning in Hereford. I'm in that day Glenda! I think! If I'm in I will be the one to answer the door! I will turn my ears off to the spiel that might come my way but I will vote for the least worst option I think .... I'm never gonna be swayed by some joker at the door with a piece of paper .... Or leaflet .... As you would expect! I hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 IOC are laying out their patch on the 7th March as well - it must be kick off day for canvassing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragwert Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Police, teachers and the parents of three teenagers from Liverpool who have run away from home fear they may have been radicalised and travelled south to join the Conservative party. The three girls were last seen at Watford Gap services, wearing traditional Tory dress of yellow corduroy trousers, tweed jackets and a blue rosette. The girls’ headteacher has said it was very unlikely they were radicalised through computers at the school. He did concede a recent spate of industrial action by teachers may have left the girls feeling resentful towards unions and the left, making them a prime target for Tory radicalisation. ‘Looking back we may have noticed some signs they were becoming right wing,’ one of the girl’s parents said, ‘but we thought it was normal for 16-year-old girls to have posters of Boris Johnson on their walls. In hindsight, when she bought a horse, dressed up in fancy dress and started using a pack of hounds to hunt any job-seekers in the area, it was a bit of a clue.’ Merseyside Police say they are following a number of leads in connection with the girls’ disappearance and radicalisation, and have arrested one man for ‘possessing offensive material that can aid a Tory’. A spokesman explained: ‘A man in his 30s is in custody after a dawn raid uncovered a copy of The Sun in his property.’ ‘We will continue to search for these girls and have officers making their way to the Conservative party’s Millbank headquarters, which is where we believe they may be heading.’ When asked what it is that makes people join the Tory party, the spokesman said it was probably due to fundamentalist Conservative dogma which promises that all party members will receive 72 virgins in paradise, or as it’s more commonly known, Henley-on-Thames. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megilleland Posted March 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Very good ragwert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2983627/Council-forced-apologise-squandering-500-000-renovating-reception-demolishing-buildings.html It would be more than nice if our lot could grovel and apologise before 7th May 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megilleland Posted March 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 Worth printing out for our councillors to read. How much has been budgeted for Plough Lane and other works to buildings - did I read that £8.3 million was allocated? Forest of Dean District Council Apology Mar 06, 2015 Full Council passed the following motion put forward by the Leader of the Labour Group: “As we approach the end of the life of this council and the second term (totalling 8 years) of Cabinet rule by the Conservative Administration. I move that the Forest of Dean District Council reflects on its performance and immediately offers a complete and utter apology to the people of the Forest of Dean for the following reasons: * The scandalous waste of tax payers’ money on the refurbishment of FODDC reception area (£650k). The cost of refurbishment was meant to be recouped by the sale of Lawnstone House which is now to be demolished at a further cost of £120K. * The closure of the Tourism information offices, despite Tourism being the one growth industry in the Forest. * The imposition of higher and higher charges for pest control. This has resulted in members of the public failing to use designated pest control officers to deal with the eradication of wasp nests, and the control of vermin. * The imposition of charges for collection of Bulk Waste that has led to the explosion in fly tipping in our Forest and further strain on resources. * The imposition of charges for collection of garden waste. * The imposition of car parking charges in our towns despite 8000 people of the Forest signing a petition opposing the Conservative councillors’ proposal. * The refusal of this Conservative led council to make changes in policy, where a majority of Councillors have democratically voted for change, * The way that members of the public have been shabbily treated at council meetings should they dare to express views contrary to the Council Leaders. * The way officer and back up staff member numbers have been reduced. This has put an enormous strain on services such as planning and licensing –leaving the Forest exposed to, among other things, scatter gun development opportunities for companies that allow them to “take a punt†on an application. * The haste with which the 20/20 vision project is being progressed without any proper analysis of alternatives. * Risking even greater use of contractors for the delivery of current and future services. * For not listening for 8 whole long years All the above, and more have happened in the last eight years. The existing Conservative administration have failed miserably to listen to the people of the Forest of Dean and as a result they have been badly let down. An unqualified apology is due.†The Council therefore apologises. (Note: Refurbishment costs for the reception area and associated works were £383,320. Costs have not yet been determined for the demolition of Lawnstone House as there is no contract in place.) Forest of Dean District Council accepted the humiliating motion criticising it for ‘scandalous waste’ over the past eight years after an ambush by Labour members. They forced through the vote, demanding an ‘unqualified apology’, when the ruling Conservatives were left short of numbers at a meeting this week. Could they not be bothered to turn up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 It makes you think doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragwert Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 David Cameron call on Ed Miliband to rule our SNP deal This is what's wrong with politics. It makes me suspicious. We've all been lied to and betrayed time and time again by politicians of all colours, and we know that their only interest is to get into power. This plea from the Tory PM to the Labour leader doesn't make me want to think about the specific issues. It make me think "Why has he done this? What tactical game is he playing? In what way is he expecting to manipulate the public? In what way does he think this plea will persuade more people to vote Tory instead of Labour? Does he think that a Labour/SNP pact would be bad for the Tories? Or is this a double-bluff in that he thinks such a deal *would* be good for the Tories and he expects people not to trust him and do the opposite?". It's like dealing with pyschopaths, trying to second-guess what their motive is http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31780935 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megilleland Posted March 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 Bang on Ragwert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megilleland Posted March 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 59 days to the General Election and now The European Union needs its own army to help address the problem that it is not “taken entirely seriously†as an international force, the president of the European commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said in an interview published on Sunday. Or is it Nigel's peoples army! Mike Hookem, a defence spokesman for Ukip, said Juncker’s comments vindicated warnings that his party had been making about the direction of EU policy for years. He pointed out that when Ukip’s leader, Nigel Farage, warned about the EU wanting its own army in his debate with Nick Clegg last year, the Lib Dem deputy prime minister dismissed this as a “dangerous fantasyâ€. Hookem went on: “Ukip [has] been ridiculed for years and branded scaremongers for suggesting that the UK’s traditional parties were slowly relinquishing control of our defence and moving toward a European army. However, yet again, Ukip’s predictions have been proved correct.†Countdown timer to General Election 7th May 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragwert Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Miliband: ‘I will pass law to make collecting Star Wars figures compulsory’ Ed Miliband, leader of the opposition and life-long Jedi commander has stated that if he becomes Prime Minister, he will make collection of Star Wars figures non-optional. The new policy initiative was seized on after David Cameron displayed some indifference to the forthcoming new Star Wars feature films, allowing Mr Miliband to claim for the first time in the election campaign that there were clear differences between the parties. All the figures from the film franchise will need to be collected with a small levy applied on each which will help fund the NHS after the proposed mansion tax has been abandoned, Mr Miliband confirmed. Journalists were left confused, however, as Mr Miliband moved on to other topics but appeared to get his policies mixed up when he said that as Prime Minister he would be using all his powers to combat the terror of I-SITH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragwert Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 ‘I would build 500 schools’ – Cameron’s pledge goes down well in Scotland David Cameron has made a pre-election promise that many are saying is designed to pander to Scottish voters. Speaking North of the border the prime minister and Conservative party leader promised the Scottish electorate that if they voted for him not only would he build 500 schools, but he would also go on to build 500 more. When asked why he was making the promise the PM told the press conference it was just ‘to be the man who built 1000 schools to get back in Number 10′s door’. He then proceeded to dance while screaming ‘Da la-lat da (Da la-lat da), da la-lat da (Da la-lat da), Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da’. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said the PM’s attempt to win Scottish voters over with a half-fried idea based in a popular Scottish song was ridiculous and insulting, something Cameron denied in a strongly-worded letter from America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megilleland Posted March 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Here is a bit of light relief with this Sky News Budget Rap Battle video. The real thing is this Wednesday 18th March. Countdown timer to General Election 7th May 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenknight Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 I know it's not over yet but I just wonder whether we can start a book on where the secret cuts will strike and where we expect to find income generation at both national and local level. I will take a punt at increased national insurance contributions and a 2.5% increase in VAT. ( Autumn budget 2015) Perhaps a 're banding of properties. ( more bands, higher values) This will run alongside an increase in Council Tax with a new ceiling of 5% rather than the current 2%. As for further cuts well I dare not think of this.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragwert Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 With fingers crossed, fidgeting and winking to the camera, David Cameron fired the starting pistol to the longest sustained stream of affluent effluent in electoral history. He was swiftly joined by the leaders of all the main political parties keen to shovel on extra dollops of steaming manifesto do-do’s and don’t-don’ts. All the way through to May 2015, candidates are expected to indulge in levels of non-stop shiftiness which would normally send Pinocchio looking for emergency rhinoplasty. One animal behaviourist explained: ‘There are subtle tell-tale signs when a politician is lying. Lips moving, or taking in breath are the two most obvious ones. But the one that people usually miss is whenever they meet a member of the electorate; they have to adopt a fixed grin, in order to suppress their natural gag reflex.’ Naturally voters are somewhat less enthused about five months of dissembling electioneering. One swing voter commented: ‘We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf, but no one mentions the story of the boy who pretended the NHS was safe. In that version of the story the wolf gets so embarrassed by the boy’s actions that he votes for the Green Party. And that’s saying something, as wolves are notoriously UKIP.’ Meteorologists have suggested that the mild winter may be to blame for early spring buds and a tsunami of inexactitude, but the BBC’s other most trusted presenter after the weather forecasters, Nick Robinson, hinted at the immediate perception of perfidy by ‘Messrs Cameron, Clegg and Miliband’. â€Beware of Greeks bearing gifts’ as the saying goes,’ he mused. ‘But these election promises seem less like a Trojan Horse filled with sneaky Greeks and more like a dyspeptic donkey about to unleash a fountain of diarrhoea on your best rug. Then they’ll rub salt into the wound, or poo into the shag pile, by spending the next five years telling you how it is your own fault and that you have to pay for the clean-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megilleland Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 A very critical analysis of what is coming to our doorsteps very soon. These politicians will get away with it - where I live you need to watch where you tread on the grass verges so it will be difficult to tell whether these hopefuls have passed this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 When will we know who is standing where Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megilleland Posted March 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 With only 37 days to go more humour from Cassetteboy - Emperor's New Clothes rap Countdown timer to General Election 7th May 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsgood Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 When will we know who is standing where Deadline for nominating papers is 9 April, so 10 April we should know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ubique Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 The Independant Councillor for Burghill etc ,Cllr Sally Robertson is Standing Down in May for family reasons . She is a very good Community Cllr . Really involved with her patch . There is a nominated person , name unknown at this time who is Standing as an Independant . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsgood Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Her patch at the moment is huge and she's had to deal with all of the various developments at Holmer as part of it (and the fall out from them), a full time job on its own. Burghill will be a lot smaller when boundaries are redrawn in May - new wards created out of it include Queenswood, Racecouse and Holmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Thank TWG for that bit of knowledge - mind you they're nearly all out canvassing now so it's a bit like shutting the door after the horse etc etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragwert Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Anyone else feel like bloody hibernating for the next six weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ubique Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Anyone else feel like bloody hibernating for the next six weeks Cannot recall any previous Elections having so much hype / coverage / interviews / red settees / etc etc . I am interested in the Local Election but as for the National Election it's a big switch off for me . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 1, 2015 Report Share Posted April 1, 2015 At 2 PM today I was sat in my front room when I saw Councillor Brian Wilcox briskly walking up the pavement towards my house. I walked through to my front door to speak to him as I had a couple of things I wanted to raise. However when I got to the door all I found was his rubbish leaflet half pushed through my letterbox. He was already two houses further up the street. Moving at the speed of a gazelle. I suppose that is what he considers as engagement with his electorate. I don't. The image below is the actual leaflet he left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamboyant Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Agh... How engaging! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenda Powell Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Just to remind everyone the TV Debate with all seven leaders is tonight! 8pm to 10pm on ITV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Yes I watched it. The presenter/Chairman was outstanding alongwith Ms Sturgeon and Wood and of course the Heckler. Farage bless him I am sure he has been planted as a wind up merchant. I was disappointed that more was not spoken about care of elderly/vulnerable and of course people who rely on food banks. Of course the real winners of this election will be the developers. I bet they are already rubbing their hands together and clicking their heals all the way down to the bank. As much emphasis should be placed on where these houses should go. There is no doubt that houses are required but they should go where they are needed and preferably on brownfield to start with. The brownfield issue was brought up by Farage but was not really expanded on by the others. I think they take the I'm alright Jack view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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