Originally Posted by turkishdelight (Post 680412)

I dont feel you can ever over answer a question even if you just gain one vote i would go with a more in-formed decision the more information the better.

Originally Posted by andrewb (Post 680413)

We might not have an excellent council, as rated by the audit commission, if they spent all their time responding to Labour misleading people on AccringtonWeb. There's a very open debate for everybody to see called council. It's a shame expenses are not so open, then I wouldn't have had to FOI request them, and councillor Jones wouldn't have tried to trip the Tories up by starting this thread. Shame really, because it's all the Labour councillors whining, not a single Conservative councillor has contacted me over the issue, not even the leader himself.

Originally Posted by cashman (Post 680416)

WHY on gods earth should these conservative councillors contact you? yer reminding me of Humpty Dumpty.:rofl38::rofl38: unless yer far more than a student doing a degree?:rolleyes:

Originally Posted by andrewb (Post 680413)

Shame really, because it's all the Labour councillors whining, not a single Conservative councillor has contacted me over the issue, not even the leader himself.

Originally Posted by andrewb (Post 680413)

We might not have an excellent council, as rated by the audit commission

Originally Posted by claytonender (Post 680236)

I can tell you why I vote Labour - I remember the damage that apology for a 'woman' Maggie Thatcher (the milk snatcher) did to the ordinary working man and woman of this country. How she said 'there is no such thing society' and set out to try and break the spirit of hard working people, consigning so many to the scrap heap. Selling off all the utility companies, the railways, British Telecom, closing all the coal mines (when we had 600 years of coal left in them). Attempting to break the trade unions, decimating our industries, ending apprenticeships and brining in YTS (slave labour for 16 and 17 year olds. who were then consigned to the scrapheap, because there was a fresh supply of 16 year olds to fill their places). Allowing building societies to become banks, and loosening the financial control on them. Unfortunately we will have to live with the consequences of her incompetence for years to come.

Cameron is in just the same mould - last year he questioned why anyone would live in the North (maybe he would like us all to commit hari-kari). Over the past few years we have had millions of pounds of LABOUR government money, ploughed into Hyndburn for regeneration via Elevate, in 2009/10 there will be another £8.3 million pound to help to regenerate West Accrington. Cameron has said he will withdraw this funding - leaving East Lancashire to its fate (after all he doesn't think anyone should live in the North). As well as the regeneration money, there is money from LEGI and I am sure Graham will tell you all the other LABOUR government money that we receive in Hyndburn.

I am sure that the Tories would not be coping any better with the current economic crisis - they would probably be making sure the rich were looked after but it would be 'devil take the hindmost', after all the ordinary working person is expendable.

Are these enough reasons to let you know why I am proud to be a member of the Labour Party and a priveleged to be a member of the Labour Group on Hyndburn Borough Council.

Originally Posted by andrewb (Post 680417)

Exactly. Why should they, when I'm requesting something I'm perfectly entitled to. Where as Labour councillors will was time posting on here when members of the public freedom of information request. No wait, let me rephrase, they post when it's somebody who voted Conservative at the last election, I can't find evidence of them being outraged at other FOI requests.

Originally Posted by garinda (Post 680420)

As stated earlier, I've lived in both the most expensive and least expensive borough to live in in the country, and I don't think the level of services here in Hyndburn represents good value for money, when weighed against the amount of tax paid.

Originally Posted by andrewb (Post 680427)

Ah, you mean the council that gets a budget of £1,800 per head. Compared with our council that gets one of £187 per head. I couldn't imagine why the services you had before were better. :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris (Post 680421)

I don't want to comment on the local politics aspect of this thread, as I've done so on here in the past and usually had my fingers burnt, probably due to lack of local knowledge.

However, can I just say, what a great post from Claytonender. Although I regard the present government as a bunch of unprincipled shysters and I will never ever forgive them for lying to the country to get us involved in an unnecessary war which has cost so many lives, this post reminds me of why I supported Labour in the past, way back before the cynicism set in...

Karma sent.

Originally Posted by claytonender (Post 680433)

As you are no doubt aware, the only councillor, who has served on the council longer than PB is Bernard Dawson- however rather than acknowleging that Bernard has much (if not more) knowlege of Hyndburn coucil than himself he constantly belittles every contribution he makes to any debate.

Originally Posted by andrewb (Post 680413)

We might not have an excellent council, as rated by the audit commission, if they spent all their time responding to Labour misleading people on AccringtonWeb. There's a very open debate for everybody to see called council. It's a shame expenses are not so open, then I wouldn't have had to FOI request them, and councillor Jones wouldn't have tried to trip the Tories up by starting this thread. Shame really, because it's all the Labour councillors whining, not a single Conservative councillor has contacted me over the issue, not even the leader himself.

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris (Post 680446)

Very sorry to hear that. Although I've never met Bernard, I know from other people's opinions going way, way back to when I lived in Accy just how well-respected and experienced he is. You would think that Councillor Britcliffe would treat him with the respect he deserves, despite their party differences.

One other good thing about Bernard...he actually turns up to watch Stanley as a matter of course and not just when there's some publicity involved! ;)

Originally Posted by garinda (Post 680429)

Well trust me they were, both in Conservative Wandsworth)

Originally Posted by andrewb (Post 680461)

No doubt they were, having £1000 extra per head does wonders if spent correctly.