Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for 10 years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
Promoted by Bob Piper of 115 Barclay Rd, B67 5JZ on behalf of the Labour Party, care of 39 Victoria Street London, SW1H 0HA . Hosted (printed) by Swaithe Internet Solutions who are not responsible for any of the contents of these posts.
Please note however, that The Labour Party is not responsible for the content of this website or individual posts as, unless specifically stated, I am writing solely in a personal and individual capacity.
Promoted by Bob Piper of 115 Barclay Rd, B67 5JZ on behalf of the Labour Party, care of 39 Victoria Street London, SW1H 0HA . Hosted (printed) by Swaithe Internet Solutions who are not responsible for any of the contents of these posts.
Please note however, that The Labour Party is not responsible for the content of this website or individual posts as, unless specifically stated, I am writing solely in a personal and individual capacity.
There are probably not that many points on which I would find myself in agreement with Birmingham's Tory Leader, Mike Whitby. But I am in absolute agreement with him on the issue of elected City Mayors.
David Cameron, in typical Blair-lite fashion, is in favour of elected Mayors, and has pledged to get rid of the trigger mechanism for a Mayoral referendum, and to impose one on large cities whether there is a demand or not. Cameron said...
“I think we need someone who will get praise when they get it right and blame when they get it wrong so you can give the city a greater leadership and identity.
“I think it will help accountability."
I wonder if he had Stoke-on-Trent in mind when he said that. One of the arguments in favour of elected Mayors is that they excite the electorate who can identify with a single individual, and they are motivated to take an interest and participate. In Stoke, after 6 years of an elected Mayor giving the City "greater leadership and identity" the public were so excited and motivated by the idea that under 20% of them turned out in a ballot to scrap it... and only about 8% voted to keep a Mayor.
But as Cameron says... the people will decide... and despite the cack-handed way Whitby and his Lib Dem poodles have run the City, I suspect there will be little enthusiasm amongst Birmingham folf for the notion of a Mayor.
Is that what enthused and motivated to participate means... apathetic?
An interesting concept, Duffers, tell me, does that mean people are so enthusiastic about the EU elections... because they are 'satisfied'?
Richard T said:
November 24, 2009 9:33 AM | permalink
Doncaster anyone?
iain ker said:
November 24, 2009 11:16 AM | permalink
Yeah but Comrade Barely-Viewed-Bob is having an elected city mayor not just one step on the Glorious Long March to this 'fundamental and irreversible shift in the balance of power and wealth in favour of working people and their families' (sic) that you bang on about?
2. If 'barely-viewed refers to the blog, I'll settle for the 500-800 visitors a day (even if there are one or two idiots like yourself who are attracted here like moths to a flame). Share with us... how many views does your blog get?
3. No, it isn't
4. I don't 'bang on about' anything.
Sean M. said:
November 24, 2009 1:18 PM | permalink
Bob, I know people have said this before, but why on earth do you tolerate fools like this iain ker person? He is clearly an idiot and a time waster. Do us all a favour and just delete his comments can't you?
Sean, I know what you mean, and perhaps I'm being self-indulgent slapping down minors. I was just trying to encourage the boy. He's only young. If it gets too stupid I'll just bat him in to the long grass.
iain ker said:
November 24, 2009 3:11 PM | permalink
Sean M. said:
Do us all a favour and just delete his comments can't you?
Actually, wayne, you don't have freedom of speech in my house. You come in if I allow you. And whilst I get some fun taking the piss out of your childish rants.. I agree with Sean... you are a bore.
Where's your blog then wayne... if you're looking to play willy-waving games?
redmik said:
November 24, 2009 6:04 PM | permalink
Interesting (and very valid) take on elected mayors.
We set up 'democracy4stoke' as a response to a pro-mayor campaign and lost the first referendum in 2002, resulting in a shambles of a mayor/manager system for 7 years.
Last year we pulled out all the stops and managed to get this scrapped but only got a 'least-worst' option of leader/cabinet rather than the 'enhanced committee' system we had campaigned for.
Lots of casualties in this process. Several rejections by the W.Mids LP 'hit squad' for the 2010 panel included myself (45 years LP member, Cllr 1970-98, 2008 Nat Merit Award - thoroughly subversive !) and some other very dodgy characters.
Currently Stoke is again the guinea pig in Labour's further local govt experiments with changes to frequency of elections, number of cllrs, ward boundaries, etc, etc.
(And, having safe-ish Labour seats, we are the target for political careerists with barely disguised ambitions to get one.)
Sean M said:
November 25, 2009 10:41 AM | permalink
wayne, this site is not free in the manner in which you describe. It is owned, paid for, and controlled, presumably by Bob. Therefore those who enter it to comment do so by the tolerance of the owner. If you want your freedom of speech on the internet, get your own site.
Quite Sean; I can put my favourite pot-plant in my front window for everyone to admire, but that doesn't mean wayne and his pals can stomp in to my house and put his choice of plant next to it.
An obvious point, you'd think. But then, right-wingers often forget about property rights, laws of trespass, contracts and so on when they can't get their own way.
November 23, 2009 8:26 PM | permalink
So most of them were satisfied then.