greg pope
 

hi i was just curious to see what others thought of our mp . i went to see him recently and he wrote a letter on my behalf after i had given a load of details about my issue. from his response it seemed he must have known what the reply would be but conveniently he wrote the letter anyway. ( to make it seem he had done something i guess) ii found him lacking substance and if a someone with more personality came to oust him i would vote regardless of the party. wat are others experiences

Re: greg pope
 

I've had no personal dealings with him, so not much to comment really. He got my vote last time, and probably will next time, unless national issues dictate otherwise.

I think he's a good M.P.

No matter how disillusioned I am with the Labour party nationally, I do think they have changed things for the better, and righted some previous injustices.

Re: greg pope
 

oh idont know about that garinda but i thimk the parties are so similar that i think at a local level i would like to deal with someone who seems to possess integrity. i just got the impreesion that greg was a bit lacking and he seems to have the women in the office who are quick to champion whatever he does. ive been to other mp but have not got the same impression

Re: greg pope
 

I lobbied him in parliament last November about the NHS, and spoke to him for half the time about other topics. I found him to be an excellent MP that seemed to take my concerns in, and give responses that didn't amount 'Everythings great and working fine' he admitted there had been failings in the NHS but that on the most part its moved for the better.

I think hes an excellent, down to earth, genuine person who really cares about the people in his constituency.

ps. As many of you know Labour is not my natural party of preference, so me saying this does have some sort of meaning as its not just party biased.

Re: greg pope
 

Like I say, I've not had to deal with him, so it's hard to comment.

I like him because I think he does have integrity. He seems like a person who knows his own mind, and isn't a puppet, whose strings are pulled by those higher up in the Labour Party. I've followed his voting record on issues that I find important to me, and am happy with the way he voted.

Personally, national issues aside, he will be getting my vote again, at the next election.

Were you dissatisfied with the help he gave you, and if so why?

Re: greg pope
 

it would be really unrealistic to defend such a large complex organisation like the nhs without accepting that there are real problems within such a system. i am talkig about issues particular to accrington eg council issues which doesnt aparently concern mps as it is tory run. and i can wholeheartly say that a few people i have since talked to have felt exaclty the same as myself. i know he seems really nice but he deals with potential voters doesnt he hes not a policeman is he

Re: greg pope
 

he voted for war on iraq.... i aint bothered accept for one thing... he was quoted in the paper as saying.... he knows its not what his constituants want but he had to go with what he felt was right...

well... i thought he was supposed to do what his constituants thought was right.... or at the very least not come out and tell them to there face he doesnt give a toss what they feel...

wally of the week 323rd week running.... greg pope..

Re: greg pope
 

The only time in my life I needed the help of my MP was years ago, and that was Ken Hargreaves. He helped me a great deal, and I was very happy with the time, and considerable effort he gave to me. I've never voted Conservative in my life, but don't think party politics come into the equation. The local MP is there to represent each of his or her constituents, regardless of whether or not we voted for them, that's democracy, and for that I think Greg Pope represents me very well.

Re: greg pope
 

yes i really was although i cant go in to the issue he knew all the details of my point at the time i talked to him. he wrote back saying that he was unable to do anything as he initially thought but he should have made me aware that this was the likely outcome. also he did not put my concerns across fully and like i said many others have felt the same and we have run the risk of upsetting organisations who we 'complained' about.

Re: greg pope
 

I've never had dealings with him either so I can't comment ... without knowing the reasons why you had to see him no-one can really comment skippy. There's always 2 sides to a coin if you know what I mean

Re: greg pope
 

i also feel that greg is ambitious and he seems to be a blair follower if you check his voting record although he may well try to cosy up to gordon now. i just dont think he is of a calibre to get a junoir minister post

Re: greg pope
 

I think if we were to have a referendum every time issues were voted on or debated, instead of letting our elected representatives vote and speak on our behalf, you wouldn't have much time to take your pictures, or for other people to go to work.

Re: greg pope
 

yes i dont think ive come across as a case of sour grapes its like i said my feelings were based on my instincts and these were coorroborated by a significant amount of people who have had similar dealings. i just think he lacked passion for our concerns its not simply acase of two sides to every story. i am mature enough to know that

Re: greg pope
 

Why should we care if he gets a Ministerial role under Blair, Brown, or whoever?

It would make no difference to us as our local MP, infact we might see less of him.

Re: greg pope
 

I understand your frustration but your instincts are based on personal circumstance. As people looking in on your circumstance we may have a different view point.

Re: greg pope
 

Like Tinkerbelle said, we can't comment unless we know what help you wanted, and with what issues. You don't need to post all the details, just an outline. you won't be prosecuted under the Offical Secret's Act.:D

Re: greg pope
 

im not least bothered its just speculation on my part and after my meeting ive no intention of seeing him again

Re: greg pope
 

If you genuinely feel your problem was dealt with properly, you can complain, and the matter will be investigated.

The address is on this link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A1183321#7

Re: greg pope
 

You must be to bothered or you wouldn't have felt the need to post such a scathing attack on Greg Pope. People power sometimes helps and if we thought you had been treated unfairly I know quite a few of us would send Mr Pope an e-mail telling him what we thought.

Re: greg pope
 

Are you actually upset with the treatment you received from Greg Pope, or the fact that the answers you were seeking didn't go the way you'd have liked them too?

By the way, he is a member on here and does post, so he may reply himself to your grievances.

Re: greg pope
 

no its not the ansews themselves its just that he already knew (as his secretary told me ) of the impact of his letter i just wish he would have told me at the time because i did tell him that i was scared to 'annoy' the council by contacting them via my mp and did indicate that i didnt want a fruitless letter sent. by the way thanks for your kind offer tinkerbelle but i think i will leave my issue for now at least

Re: greg pope
 

Again without knowing what on earth your problem is, it's difficult.

If he wrote a letter for you, and explained that it wouldn't do any good in this instance, for reasons he and his staff already knew, I think you were lucky he tried for you, and explained the limitations.

If I was your MP, I would have explained that to you, as nicely as possible, and not written a letter if it was going to be pointless, and then used my time to give help to someone who I could make a difference for.

Re: greg pope
 

Skippy there is a gentleman somewhere near Rome with a similar name, for what it's worth you may as well ask him as British Member of Parliament.:) This is not a personal attack on Mr Greg Pope who I think under his limited powers does a sterling job.

Re: greg pope
 

Rindy that should be Ken Hargreaves MBE.

I have never spoken with Greg Pope so I can't comment on him.

Re: greg pope
 

I don't believe in the honours system, hence the lack of letters.;)

It's still ok for you to bow to me....as you leave, humbly, backwards, from my presence.:D

Re: greg pope
 

Neil you have spoken to him hehe
He is a member of accyweb:D

Re: greg pope
 

Julie wrote to him when she was trying(and failing) to get a dentist appointment whislt covered under her maternity exemption cert. she was sorted within a couple of weeks and teh treatment done before it ran out.

I disagree with his stance on the war(and emailed to tell him so) and particularly for his comment that he did his own thing rather than what his constituency wanted. Good and bad IMHO

Re: greg pope
 

Re: greg pope
 

I didn't care what his vote was to be honest.. just his self centered and stuff the constituants bit.... its somehting that has stuck and seeing him in the paper every other week after that in some far off country really didn't endear himself to me... nice job eh... travel the world be an mp...

maybe if he actualy did soemhting for hyndburn that we could see was good and made a difference... i daresay he does good all over the place.... what i mean is somehting good everyone can see... cus all i seem to see is reports from around the world...

Re: greg pope
 

There is speak and their is speak. You can't tell what someone is really like until you have had face to face dealings with them.

Re: greg pope
 

Well, as you can imagine I am going to defend Greg. I find him to be a very hard working person who spends as much time in his constituency as he does in parliament. He stands up for what he believes and I think that's quite probably why he hasn't risen through the Labour ranks.

As for his stance on the war - yes, he voted for it and yes, on the face of things you can argue that he shouldn't have done that if his constituency appeared to want the opposite, however, his constituents were working off information that they were reading in the national newspapers, they were not working from the official information that MPs were receiving. He was in the most informed position and he voted for it - as did David Cameron and the majority of both Labour and Conservative MPs.

I know people disagree with the war and think that the troops should be pulled out but once we've made the mess I do think we should be around to clear it up. Also, I wish people would stop beating Labour up for taking us to war when David Cameron has stated on more than one occassion that he would have done precisely the same thing himself based on the information that they had at the time.

Re: greg pope
 

I agree with that KIPAX.

Can anyone list some useful things he has done for Hyndburn and not just individuals that will make me want to vote for him next time (seeing as Ken no longer stands ;) )

Re: greg pope
 

so it was a case of stuff the people of hyndburn.. i know better.... well thats not the best case of defending someone I have ever seen :)



I dont have a thought on it either way.. I didn't care what he voted for... it was the fact that he went against his constituants that erks me

Re: greg pope
 

Yes, and the spin put out by this government was that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. A claim which turned out to be totally untrue. If Greg Pope had a conscience, he would apologise to his constituents for voting to take this country to war under false pretences.

Secondly, should we just meekly accept any decision that the government takes, whether we agree with it or not, because they're in "the most informed position"? What a strange view of democracy!

Re: greg pope
 

but clearly the fact that they were told that he had WMDs and the papers were all reporting Hans Blicks view that he hadn't suggests that actually 'we' were the better informed.

Re: greg pope
 

from the front page of www.gregpope.co.uk

Really? how can he have that AND say he knows the constituants want one thing but he is going to do what HE feels is right instead... and as now pointed out the irony being he was wrong and the constituants where right..
.

The words "face" and "two" spring to mind.

Re: greg pope
 

maybe theres no reply because there busy compiling a list....... hehe

Re: greg pope
 

so thats covered the next 3 micro seconds then :D

Re: greg pope
 

Re: greg pope
 

[quote=KIPAX;368469]he voted for war on iraq.... i aint bothered accept for one thing... he was quoted in the paper as saying.... he knows its not what his constituants want but he had to go with what he felt was right...

How does anyone know what the constituents want? Nobody asked me. The majority may have agreed with him. Who knows?:p

Re: greg pope
 

Re: greg pope
 

you mean in spite of whats on his website and his promise to do what the constituants want..

and he said the majority.. how he knows is beyond me.. but the point is he believed he was going against what the majority of his constituants wants... the reason matters not.. he isn't supposed to do what he wants.. thats the point ...

Re: greg pope
 

[ he isn't supposed to do what he wants.. thats the point ...[/q

Hey, I rarely do what I'm supposed to do, It's much more fun doing what you want to do. Don't vote for me, I'd be rubbish as an MP.
Go GREG!!!!!:Banane06:

Re: greg pope
 

yeagh... GO GREG

:)

Re: greg pope
 

How on earth do you know what his constituents wanted or want, re:Iraq. Did I miss a local referendum organised by your good self?

Democracy for this country means that the majority of people in any consituency elect a member of parliament. What they do, or don't do over the next four or five years, will be up for debate come the next election.

Every time one of the tabloids organises a poll, concerning the reintroduction of capital punishment, there is a massive majority in favour of bringing back hanging. Thankfully. in my opinion, the elected members of parliament think otherwise, everytime the matter is debated.

Re: greg pope
 

Personally i think he is a great MP & does take an interest & try to help where possible, i've had 2 dealings with him 1] with council & 2] with nhs dentist, both done via email. I have to say he was rather fast at getting back to me on all occaisons & managed sucessfully to resolve both cases with minimum fuss & hassle, i certainly got a lot further with his help than without, certainly on a local level he is quite pro-active:D

Re: greg pope
 

I think the issue of national politics is something different to local, as a local MP i cant fault him at all & hope he stays on in the local constituency.

Re: greg pope
 

who ?

I have no idea how he knew... but he did say he knew he was going against what the majority of his constiuants want him to do... how he knew I have no idea... maybe he guessed ? :) the point is that he believed he was doing what he wanted and he believed the people who voted for himw anted soemhtign else... yet still decided to stuff them and go for what he wanted..

Ask him how he knew.... is he in the country at the moment.. ?

Re: greg pope
 

Going with what they think is right is all any MP can ever do. If the majority of people don't like those choices, they can exercise their democratic right to vote him or her out come the next election.

Like I said earlier, personally I'm glad the majority of MPs don't believe in the death penalty, unlike the vast majority of the public, according to polls conducted on behalf of the tabloids.

Re: greg pope
 

eeerm really? ... He says he is here to represent the people of hyndburn... how exactly is he representing them if he knows they want one thing (according to himself) but he does the other.... please explain ?


I see we are still waiting with baited breath for an answer to Neils question ...

Re: greg pope
 

I'm not here to defend him, or what he has done, or not done, for Hyndburn, but after a quick shufty on his website, he did make a speech in Parliament recently, trying to stop the planned closures, and centralisation of the Fire Service in Hyndburn.

http://www.gregpope.co.uk/story.asp?storyID=110



Why don't you stand against him at the next election Kipax, you will after all have one vote, from Neil...though who he votes for, and then who he wished he'd voted for after, does seem to change.

Re: greg pope
 

yeagh i think we where looking for what he has done.. not what he tried to do :)

http://www.gregpope.co.uk/story.asp?storyID=110



what a wierd thing to say... why dont you stand against him at the next election garinda?


no answer to my question to you in the last post I see..

Re: greg pope
 

I'm not answering you.

You seem to be in one of those moods, similar to when you come on tanked up in the early hours of the morning.

I fear me answering you will give you another thrill, and that I am unwilling to do.

Re: greg pope
 

true to form... start somehting then ****** off as soon as your proven to be talking out of your backside again..

Re: greg pope
 

i ddont think kipax was trying to have a go its just that like a lot of people i know he probably thinks gregs work for accy hasnt amounted to much. iwas just talking to someone today and they agreed that he seems to not want to get involved in certain issues

Re: greg pope
 

Im a firm believer in the constituents voting an MP to use his own judgment in parliament.

Like garinda says, the majority of the population would probably want the death penalty, however thankfully the MP's make their own judgment on it and vote overwhelmingly against it.

In the case of Iraq I happen to think he was wrong, but he believed he was right and thats what people voted him to do, we can't have a referendum for every vote in parliament, and if we did, the country would be in a much sorrier state than it is now.

Re: greg pope
 

I dont know enough to make that call... i think he probably has done good stuff for people.. but its all little stuff (big to them but you know what i mean) and he probbaly does a good job on the whole... but what sticks in my memory i what I outlined earlier.. So....

lets say your his campaign manager.. you want him re elected and you have been given the task to show what he has done for hyndburn....not what he tried to do.. promised to do... but what positive effect he has had on hyndburn.... Off you go.... anyone ?

Re: greg pope
 

Right this is where we are at loggerheads.. I "presumed" and am happy to be proven wrong.. that he was voted in to do what his constituants wanted... to be the voice of the people as they cant all fit in parliment.. so he goes for them and does what he knows they want.... on the one occasion I know of... he did the opposite of what they wanted...

So is he there to do what the poeple want as he says on his website.. or what he wants as garinda says?

Re: greg pope
 

Although he is in Parliament, he is there to represent his constituency on numerous issues, not just local ones. You brought up his vote on going to war with Iraq. I'm sure there are numerous other debates and votes, that are nothing at all to do with local constituencies, wherever they may be.

Personally I don't see my MP as someone who is in some sort of X-Factor contest. Winning what they can, in some sort of lottery contest. A lot of that is and should be done at local level. I'm bloody glad he's not trying to win one of the Super Casino bids for Hyndburn.

Re: greg pope
 

ok

ok


ok



anything to add to the debate or just passing wind ?

Re: greg pope
 

Not saying you are wrong, but where did he say that he voted against his constituents wishes, re:Iraq. I want to see it.

Re: greg pope
 

i think in the case of iraq he was trying to impress blair there was a lot of reliable sources at the time which pointed to no weapons of md in iraq. the only explanation for his vote was to keep chums with blair after all no one expected the war to go so wrong

Re: greg pope
 

This thread is proving a bit like life in general.

Some people are 'doers', and others are just happy to sit on their arses and watch....or take photographs.

Re: greg pope
 

it was in the accy observer.... to the best of my memory he said he knew he was going againt the wishes of the people of hyndburn but he felt he had to do what he thought was right..... thats my bone of contention.. surely he should do what he knows his constituants want...... again i have no idea how he knew... but he said he did... it was his collum written by him (or?) and not a report which I would ahve taken with a pinch of salt..

Re: greg pope
 

Link.......?

Re: greg pope
 

When I read that I think he is saying that he represents people equally regardless of race, whether they voted for him, etc.

I don't read it as saying 'I shall represent what the majority of the constituency want regardless of what I think the consequences of that might be'

If we wanted our MP to vote on everything according to what the majority of the constituancy wanted, and use no judgment, then we might as well have no MP and just have a referendum on everything, which would lead to a crappy country, rule by mob.

Re: greg pope
 

so you are standing for election then? or still passing wind... your pathetic attempts to insult instead of answer the question are.....

Re: greg pope
 

yeagh i was focussing on the represent bit... not who :)

you mean dont let the people have a say... hmmm i wonder if thats been tried already? :)

Re: greg pope
 

Like I said, if you can show me, rather than just rely on your memory, that Greg Pope said he voted against the wishes of his constituents, then I agree with you, because he had no idea what those wishes were.

Re: greg pope
 

Re: greg pope
 

I highly doubt this is the case, Blair didn't need any help so its hardly "one for the team Tony", both Labour and Conservatives voted for the war so Greg could have easily voted against it without Blair caring too much. It's in big votes like that where people can best express their opinion on the matter as they wont be losing the vote for the party if theres such an overwhelming majority.

Re: greg pope
 

People have a say, they vote every 5years minimum, and can be much earlier than that.

Re: greg pope
 

my point was that by voting for action in the gulf its not that blair needed his vote so desperately but im sure by voting on such important issues note was taken and it indicates that the mp likes to play follow the leader. im sure greg eyes a promotion

Re: greg pope
 

There was a debate this afternoon in Parliament at 3.30pm, as to whether juries in Welsh Courts should be Bilingual.

http://www.parliament.uk/what_s_on/what_s_on.cfm


Perhaps Kipax should have start a poll on Accy Web, so Greg could have gauged our thoughts on this matter.

Re: greg pope
 

Kipax, when you say "What has Greg Pope done for Hyndburn".. I don't particularly know offhand, but what would you expect your MP to do if it was somebody else and not Greg?

Re: greg pope
 

garinda im not being funny but i hate having to scroll past that terrible pic. please please why cant you put a cute cat or something on instead you would make me feel better

Re: greg pope
 

Tell you what, we'll have a referendum.:D

I change it quiet often...but will keep it a while longer, now that I know you like it.:D

Re: greg pope
 

oh please god know its torture im going to make sure you change it today a nice kitten should please my eye

Re: greg pope
 

I have absoloutly no idea! ... hence why I am asking .... do you follow ? :)

Re: greg pope
 

See.

Answering a question with a question.

Just like a politican.

Re: greg pope
 

well i would ask a question why are drug dealers driving around selling drugs in daylight with the police issuing cautions if they are arrested with cocaine. surely greg should be adressing these issues with the police before hyndburn becomes the new moss side

Re: greg pope
 

£1000 fine if you dont put your rubbish in the right box is it... and a telling off if your caught selling drugs to kids... but dont worry.. there doing there best :)

Re: greg pope
 

Well since the rubbish thing is the council and law and order is police, I dont see where greg pope comes in to this, unless he voted to legalize hard drugs, which im pretty sure he hasnt!

Re: greg pope
 

Never mind Greg Pope, HM Queen Elizabeth represents us too. What is she doing about drugs in Hyndburn.:D

Re: greg pope
 

i was generalising on the way of the world.. thats twice now...will you be investigating every single word I post.... I just need to know in advance...ta :)

Re: greg pope
 

I don't tell people in advance, it ruins the fun!

Re: greg pope
 

You still here?

I thought you were off trawling through old Observers, to prove what you though Greg had said.

Re: greg pope
 

haa the hyndburn branch of the spanish inquasition....no one expects them...


Its a monty thing :)

Re: greg pope
 

sorry have we been ignoring you?

Re: greg pope
 

Hilariously witty. You are like the new Oscar Wilde.

Now just run off and find proof of what you claim Greg Pope said, there's a good chap.

Re: greg pope
 

I think I will go to watch stanley instead...... sorry... just another man letting you down :)

Re: greg pope
 

That's it.

Run off and play with your friends.

I shan't be waiting with bated breath for you to return with the proof to back up your statement, shall I?

Re: greg pope
 

I wouldnt if I was you.. I think you have wasted enough of your life...

Re: greg pope
 

he should be concerned as he claims to care about hyndburn

Re: greg pope
 

No, I have faith in you, that hopefully you will one day find the evidence to back up your arguments...again.

Re: greg pope
 

kipax blows garinda a kiss............ keep ya going until I get back... :)

Re: greg pope
 

on a final note on this thread i think greg is just complacent as he knows we vote for him the competition is non existent. i like people who are forthright

Re: greg pope
 

Re: greg pope
 

its not what he did willow its the way he fobbed me off ith a letter and didnt point out to me at the time that my case didnt have much substance. i also didnt like the way his deputy was trying to defend him in a overbearing fashion

Re: greg pope
 

For his parliamentary record visit

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/gre...ndburn#numbers

In my mind there are two ways that a local MP should be working for us

1. dealing with issues that are relevant to the whole country that quite frankly the rest of us can't be bothered about or aren't informed enough about to make decisions - take a look at the list of papers that he has signed and answer honestly would you be prepared to wade through all the papers and make a decision on any of these points. It's his job to make decisions on our behalf on these issues.

2. local issues that he can campaign or get involved in - i.e. a road crossing for a school or local health service - bearing in mind that he has no powers and decisions are with the local council. What he does on these issues is take up people's cases. A good example, St Mary's school needed a crossing or something else to ensure that the children got across Mayfield Ave safely - he joined the campaign by writing to Lancs County Council on the parents behalf and we now have a lollipop man there. I'm not saying that he personally got a crossing there but he certainly added weight to the argument. He has helped me on a number of occassions by being a referee for funding bids and is very supportive on that score when it involves bringing more money into the borough.

If you've had a bad experience and the results didn't go your way then just consider is it really his fault that things didn't go your way or is it because the local council were never going to do anything in the first place?

The government gets blamed for a lot of things - but you have to separate local issues from national ones as I have always said. We have a Conservative council and it's very easy to blame the government but a lot of the stuff is more local than that.