There’s a new campaign springing up around here, mostly on twitter at the moment under the tag yes2brummayor, to promote the notion of a City Mayor for Birmingham in advance of next year’s referendum. No problem with that as far as I’m concerned. There are actually some folk I respect involved in the campaign, as well as some I disagree with intently who support the campaign to oppose the notion of an elected Mayor.
What I really struggle with is the near religious zealotry and moral self-righteousness of the ‘Vote Yes’ people. They can’t just say they prefer having a single person taking all the important decisions, because that in itself sounds so bloody ridiculous. So they dress it up in all sorts of moral arguments about democracy, combined with meaningless Blairite jargon around ‘modernisation’ and ‘efficient decision making’ which make my skin crawl. I always get visions of Mussolini making the trains run on time when I hear people talk like that.
I have absolutely no evidence to support this assertion… but I’m not going to let that stop me making it… but I get the feeling that most people arguing so passionately in favour of City Mayors now, are the same folk who argued so long and loudly for changes to the voting system. There’s just something about the downright sanctimonious way they put their argument, as if anyone opposing them must be against the very notion of democracy itself. What’s more, and I doubt you’ll get many of them to admit it these days, I wouldn’t mind betting they were telling us not so long ago that we simply had to join the Euro to guarantee our economic salvation.
Well, don’t believe a word of it. Concentrating power in fewer and fewer hands is not about increasing democracy. It was the Blairite argument for the Cabinet system, and then for transferring executive powers in Council leaders, (does anyone seriously argue that these were democratic advances?) and then for switching powers to a single Mayor.
For Birmingham we hear the spurious argument that we should have a Mayor “because London has got one”. A total irrelevance, of course, because London is comprised of a whole series of local authorities and Birmingham is a single Council.
The other argument we hear is around giving the City a face, a charismatic leader. Given the fact that neither of the two main party leaders in Brum would be considered charismatic, even by their nearest and dearest, this could almost be convincing. But be careful what you wish for. If ever one of the numerous ‘celebrity’ candidates got elected in Birmingham, the City would inevitably be run by the unaccountable and unelected council officers who would ‘advise’ the Mayor. Very bloody democratic.
So, good folk of our major cities, give Blair, Clegg, Cameron and all the other ‘modernisers’ a good swift kick in the privates next year and tell them to stuff their Mayor. Vote No!
Wholeheartedly agree.The Purple Book Proposals by Labour need kicking out as well!But then I’m just an unreformed old leftie!
Hear, hear. A directly elected mayor, as a so-called city leader, would be a disaster for a city as diverse as Birmingham for the reasons you give and because of the the lack of democratic accountability in the proposals. But it would also be a problem for surrounding districts and local authorities too.
There are strong signs that the national political parties will look to someone who is perceived by ‘media friendly’, despite what the local party / community may want. Even worse, is the media chatter for ‘independents’. Carl Chinn anyone? Me neither.
Linked to this nonsense the prospect of the election, to be held in just over a year, for a Directly Elected Police Commissioner for the West Midlands area. If you thought an elected Mayor for Birmingham is going to be dreadful, just wait for the election for the Top Cop.
Yes Bob, thank goodness we have the £ and not the Euro.
It sure as hell saved us from bankruptcy. Yeah sure!
Voting reform? Don’t you just love this system that puts in a paper candidate with one and a half votes out of ten.
Democracy is what made the Tories rule for a hundred years with nothing but shouting from the vast majority Unions.
The only question to be raised on the front runner of any party is:
“Who is paying your expenses for any pre-election run in?”
Have a guess which part of Sandwell paid for our loon?
If you are trying to imply the country is bankrupt, Gary, you either don’t know the meaning of the word, or you are puddled. Either way, the more nonsense you write, the more I hear myself saying things I never thought I would, but thank heavens the NEC intervened to prevent you from making an arse of yourself on a national stage.
Bob, we all know that neither a Country or a Council can go bankrupt.
Ministers and Councillors just pass their incompetence onto the tax payer who either pays for their incompetence or has services shut down (vulnerable services are a must.).
In Stoke, our LABOUR Council pumps it out that Stoke is a (and I quote verbatim) “a business”.
The Tories, now running this Country reckon Stoke Councillors do their sums on a “fag packet” (Pickles) and so Stoke Labour balance the books by shutting down services (even screwed that up). Most of this pack claimed to be ‘businessmen’ on their leaflets (laugh).
So how does Labour balance the books these days Bob?
Nice to see you have even adopted ‘Fat Eck’ as your latest guru Gary. I have no idea what your silly question is supposed to mean either. All local authorities, of all political persuasions, have a legal duty to produce a balanced budget at Council every year. Always have had. Of course, I forgot, you never actually got elected did you, so you may not appreciate that.
so spot on Bob and can not believe how many labour people including good friends are falling this actual betrayal of democracy.
Bob; I think you are quite correct with your comments about a mayor for Birmingham. Personally I’m not opposed to the election of a mayor, but the setup of a cabinet reduced the level of accountability in the council chamber. Doncaster was one of the areas/towns that elected a mayor, and it has been an unmitigated disaster, from the start(they kept the ceremonial mayor, as the legislation allowed, which imho just sowed confusion, they should have abolished one of them, the ceremonial one not being the one chosen by the electorate should have been the one to go.) The 1st mayor in Doncaster , Martin Winter started alright but then it became a cult of the personality and it split the Labour Group down the middle, then he refused to adhere to an agreed policy of two terms, and wouldn’t step down, until forced to amid allegations of corrupt land deals(from which he was cleared) and jobs for his cronie’s. The end result was defeat for Labour, a poor 3rd, and the election of Peter Davies, the only prominent English Democrats Party in the U.K. another disaster visited on the town, but fortunately will be corrected by his defeat at the next election, if he decides to stand. So Bob, unless the dye is cast, I think the progressives in Birmingham should do everything they can to oppose the campaign for an elected mayor.Looking at the correspondence between you and Gary Elsby; I think its’ sad to see how he has deteriorated since he lost out on the candidacy for Stoke North in the 2010 General Election. It’s more than likely that he was stitched up by Mandelson and the N.E.C. in favour of Tristram Hunt; it’s happened many times in the past to many a good local candidate, and you don’t very often beat a rotten corrupt political machine that Labour has operated so successfullly over the years. Maybe Gary should have remained in the Labour Party, and who knows? he may have been rewarded with a safe costituency sooner rather than later. But judgeing by his comments on your blog Bob, he is so eaten up with bitterness that he is drifting or galloping so far to the right that he will end up with the Lib/Dems or the Torie’s, such is his disillusionment and bitterness with Labour. He seems to be trying to blame, or drag you into the situation Bob, is there any previous between you? If he carrie’s on much more in the same vein, he will bring to mind that quotation of Oscar Wilde’s “Far better to be thought a fool, and remain silent, than open your mouth and remove all doubt”
No, there’s no previous, Gerald. I always used to quite like him when he was getting inspiration from Nye Bevan rather than Eric Pickles and Gideon Osborne.
Very good Bob, the insults from you are quite pleasant considering they are the only insults I actually get from anyone in Labour or any other party.
The truth is, in case you didn’t know, all other political parties claim me to be the legitimate runner for Labour and even the BNP went public to defend my rights (you’ll love that one).
Now Bob, about balancing budgets.
Again, you inform the blog about something that everyone already knew. Even me.
The difference in Stoke is that they spent £36m of our own money wastefully and this is the exact same amount they are ‘balancing’ back (shutting down care homes….etc.).
Again I ask you to read ‘Refounding Labour’ (shutting down Labour’s democracy).
In it they speak of closing down City Party’s and letting the Labour Group Leader chooses candidates and all that.
Done and dusted in experimental Stoke with the end result being that the Elected Mayor run out of the City slides back in with a whopping vote and our Cabinet made up of paper candidates who were selected by no one whatsoever with no one whatsoever to challenge them on a ballot paper.
Uncle Ian’s bestest mates walked it.
The Party has responded by boycotting 20/20 branches and all three CLPs now meet in a phone box.
Bob, I left Labour on a principle that a Lord should not choose my MP.
I had four weeks to press the case. I now have a lot of time.
Nice to see the Liberals suggesting that principle should be the main arm of politicians.
I’ve always known politcs to be corrupt and I’ve always known the Tories to be more corrupt.
Labour is corrupt through and through and I name those within it hat are corrupt without a care in the world of being sued.
Believe me Gary, the ‘insults’ you say you get from me are quite mild compared with some. If you think my comments are bad… try these. If these are some of those you are claiming as ‘supporters’… thank heaven you’ve got no enemies son!
If Stoke are only cutting the money they have ‘wasted’… and I make no defence of Stoke, I’ve always thought there was a touch of East Anglia about the place myself… then they have performed an economic miracle, because the rest of the country are facing massive cuts to frontline budgets from your new buddies Fat Eck and Gideon.
All power to the soviets
Too true comrade!
Ooh, a Guido blog wading into me. Famous at last.
Too busy at that time taliking to the British and European media (BBC ITC CH4 Mail Telegraph Le Monde Bild all rado and even your own Central news.
Central news blonde airhead: “Gary, the BNP will win if you stand won’t they?”
Gary: “No”.
BBC auburn airhead: “Gary, you want the BNP to win don’t you?”
Gary: “No”.
Two people were allowed to stand in the rigged selection as well as Tristram, friend of Mandy.
One Aisan man came from as near Sandwell as possible and that is a link worth prosecuting.
Question from the floor: “How much do you know about child allowances and divorce?”
Spinning round in circles clapping his hands like a lunatic he came out with the following:
“Nothing mate, I’m a taxi driver, that’s all but I can take you anywhere you want to go!”
Tristram won the selection.
Bob, Stoke Labour (Ex Elected Mayors and Ex Deputy Elected Mayors running the Cabinet full of nobody’s nobody in Labour wants) have indeed started the claw back of £36m and this is before they get down to the serious business of another £20m+.
Say again how much Sandwell is cutting because of Cameron (Ed accepts Labour’s fault but that is by the by)?
So… No-one insulted you… except the people that insulted you! Gary, you’re just too easy. Stop digging.
Will you point me to that final reference, please, or was this just one of your imaginary conversations with the mighty… Perhaps it was live, on one of your many television broadcasts.
The bit about Ed?
His TUC speech.
Read it carefully because many a Labour (blind) loyalist cannot for their life of them see the bit where he blames Labour.
It goes without saying that he makes a meal out of blaming Cameron.
Whatever eh.
Gary, I’ll have a puff of whatever you are smoking! Or I would if I wasn’t worried it would completely addle my brain too.
The reason no-one can find anything in Miliband’s TUC speech which says the financial collapse was Labour’s fault, is that there is nowhere in Miliband’s TUC speech where he says Labour were to blame for the crisis.
And yor final point, once again, is complete twaddle. Throughout his speech to the TUC, and I heard it live, I’m pretty damned sure he never mentioned David Cameron… once.
Bob, would you please deny that you have been invited (invited, mind) to undergo any form of ‘common purpose’ training.
You are beginning to worry me.
Easy to deny… No idea what you are talking about (although that’s not unusual since the new Tory Gary emerged)
Please google Common Purpose and find out why selected Councillors and Officers along with certain business types are selected.
Freemasonary has nothing on what is going on in local authorities.
It’s how they are getting away with it and probably answers most questions you raise.
The person next to you is not allowed to tell you they have undergone training. It’s all in the name.
I would… if I cared!
But I thought you cared about how democratically elected people by pass rules and reason to push through something no one wants, be it a local counci lissue or a UN resolution?
Take a look, they all belong to the most secret European/world wide secret organisation on earth.
You are invited and you are expected to comply.
A contender for Elected Mayor or Deputy will win neither if not ‘invited’.
Chief Executives are not Chief Executives unless on board.
You can scratch your head all day long wondering how this or that got through, but now you know.
You will be seeing little green Peter Mandelson’s sitting on top of your wardrobe next, and looking for grainy images of people on grassy knoll’s in downtown Dallas. Bloody hell, I’m starting to worry about what this failure to be selected as done to your state of mind. Get help.
So the one about the UKs, Chiefs of Police forming a Freemasons Lodge in the West Midlands would send you into fits of laughter then?
And in your opinion, who would get any promotions on offer?
Common Purpose exists and it exists for a reason.
Volunteer yourself to go in for it Bob, if only to dismiss the wild accusations of nutty Professors in your local University.
You have 72 Councillors in sandwell.
At a guess, 20 and all in nearly of high places who funnily enough, get their way with everything.
Hey, Gary, give us the one about the fake moon landings, or the Bush administration’s secret conspiracy to drive planes in to the twin towers to give them an excuse to bomb the taliban.
Gary Elsby exits stage left screaming hysterically….
Those are conspiracy theories Bob which may be wayward.
I challenge you to ask the question in your Town Hall.
“Has any Councillor or Officer undertaken a course in ‘common purpose’?”
Be worried if one is a Tory and one is Labour who admits to such a thing.
Common purpose between them being?
Do you not understand the meaning of the phrase “I don’t care a toss”? You were once just a nut. Your internalized pain has turned you into a conspiracy nut.
Hi Bob; As you say, it’s sad to see how Gary Elsby has deteriorated; got to be honest here ,anybody who comes up against the Labour Party machine, or Transport House(with its inbuilt/inbred ultra rightwing,Gaitskellite, modestly referred to these days , as New Labour/Blairite, apparatchiks) as we so affectionately used to refer to it as; has my sympathy, over the years there have been numerous instances of candidates, invariably Tribunite/Left, parliamentary and local election candidates and costituency officials being removed by Transport House. One example comes to mind, of many, going back many years; Clive Jenkins,at the time General Secretary of what was then called A.S.S.E.T.(Association of Supervisory, Secretarial, Executives, Technicians), he had been nominated,and was favourite to be chosen as Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for what was the then rock solid, safe Labour seat of Finsbury park and Shoreditch, one of the safest Labour seats in London, if not the country. There was a dirty tricks campaign, including some really scurrilous personal smears about Jenkins’s domestic situation, thought most certainly to have emanated from Transport House, though unfortunately never proved, but every member of the constituency General Management Committee recieved these smears through the post. Come the vote for selection at the G.M.C. Jenkins lost out to Ron Brown; whose brother happened to be George Brown M.P. Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party and ultra right wing hatchet man(when sober) to Hugh Gaitskell, H.M.s Opposition Leader. This was prior to the 1964 General Election wich Harold Wilson defeated Sir Alec Douglas-Home by just 3 seats(getting momentarily carried away there, Gaitskell died in 1963, Jan/Feb I believe; wilson beat George Brown for Leader of the P.L.P. Brown then became Deputy Leader, and I believe Shadow Chancellor). If possible Ron Brown was even more right wing than his brother George, and the left then lost what would have been a great addition to the Tribune Group in the P.L.P. in the person of Clive Jenkins, So Bob, while I may have seemed to have been a little long winded, or to have got carried away, I may hopefully have pointed out to Gary that he is in a very long line of good Labour Party members who have suffered injustice at the hands of the party machine, but most of them remained in the party and fought for the wider goal of a just and fair society; rather than sink into an orgy of recrimination and self pity. And while I will always sympathise and give the benefit of the doubt to anyone who comes up against Lord Mandelson, until proved otherwise; Gary should surely have realised that Stoke has always been a centre of rightwing reactionary Labour influence, just look at Jack Ashley, former Labour M.P. for Stoke Central? for years, as rightwing reactionary as you would find anywhere in the House of Commons, and I would imagine a Labour Group of councillors of the same ilk, so if Gary had any progressive/ socialist leanings he was on a hiding to nothing. So as I said at the beginning, it does seem that Gary has really deteriorated politically, and I hope I am wrong on this, but looking at his rambling contributions on here ,maybe mentally. The tragedy is that he seems to have turned to such as Guido Fawkes, and even mentions the B.N.P. to gain sympathy and support; Ithink I could stomach him sucking up to Cameron and Clegg, rather than those reprobates.