New Labour leader says his group will listen to the people (From Swindon Advertiser)
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New Labour leader says his group will listen to the people
1:10pm Friday 29th May 2009 in News
SWINDON Council’s “arrogant” administration is failing to listen to the people of Swindon, according to opposition councillors.
At their inaugural meeting under the stewardship of Coun Derique Montaut, the Labour group’s shadow cabinet pledged to do more to engage with the voters.
Labour leader, Coun Montaut (Central), said: “The Tory administration in Swindon is becoming increasingly arrogant in the way that it runs the council. You only have to look at the way they have cut services without proper consultations over the past few months to see that.
“The Labour group is committed to engaging and listening to the people of Swindon – it is their council and they should be able to have their say on how it is run. My new shadow cabinet will be leading on this. From now on we will be holding our meetings in various locations across the borough and will be spending time talking to local residents on the key issues affecting the council.
“People feel disconnected from politicians at the moment and it is vital that we show we want to listen to the people who have put their trust in us. This process will be key to developing our policies to drive Swindon forward in the future. I am proud to be working with the team I have around me and I keen to use their skills to produce real outcomes for our town.”
The new shadow cabinet consists of Coun Jim Grant as deputy leader and spokesman on transport, regeneration and the environment; Coun Des Moffatt has responsibility for resources and property; Coun Fay Howard for education, young people and culture; Coun Ray Ballman for health and social care; Coun Steve Allsopp for housing and strategic development, and Coun John Ballman for communities, leisure and supporting people.
Comments(24)
Big-Brother
says...
1:30pm Fri 29 May 09
Hahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahhahahahahah
ha!!
mowgli
says...
1:49pm Fri 29 May 09
grumper
says...
2:06pm Fri 29 May 09
PetersComments
says...
2:25pm Fri 29 May 09
bilzinuk
says...
2:47pm Fri 29 May 09
I noted with some concern that Mr Turner of the English Democrats intends to " work to withdaw Britain from the UK from the inside"
Bit drastic innit ?
Common Dreads
says...
2:54pm Fri 29 May 09
The various Labour Councils were pretty much as much of a disaster for Swindon as their government has been nationally. What makes anyone think they'll ever change?
It's ironic that Mr Montaut himself would not be a councillor were it not for the local party parachuting him into what has become the safest Labour ward in Swindon.
Derique Montaut is simply jealous and frustrated that the people of Swindon democratically voted to give the Conservatives such a clean sweep of the wards that they are able to govern effectively.
The Librarian says Oook
says...
2:55pm Fri 29 May 09
bilzinuk wrote:Yes, its odd how posted comments seem to vanish like that, or in the case of the Christians, never get put there in the first place.
Seeing as how yet again NO comments are being allowed on Master Whalley's stories, I'll put it here instead ! I noted with some concern that Mr Turner of the English Democrats intends to " work to withdaw Britain from the UK from the inside" Bit drastic innit ?
So far the Adver has covered a few of the 17 groups of candidates seeking election. In the interests of fairness and balance can we assume they will be covering the BNP at some point?
bilzinuk
says...
3:09pm Fri 29 May 09
The Librarian says Oook wrote:There you go again !!!
bilzinuk wrote:Yes, its odd how posted comments seem to vanish like that, or in the case of the Christians, never get put there in the first place.
Seeing as how yet again NO comments are being allowed on Master Whalley's stories, I'll put it here instead ! I noted with some concern that Mr Turner of the English Democrats intends to " work to withdaw Britain from the UK from the inside" Bit drastic innit ?
So far the Adver has covered a few of the 17 groups of candidates seeking election. In the interests of fairness and balance can we assume they will be covering the BNP at some point?
Those 3 initials coupled with the "C" word are guaranteed to get this comments section pulled ASAP !
Interesting security word yet again....why not Yardie City ???
Big-Brother
says...
3:16pm Fri 29 May 09
You are going to get a 'dam' good hiding in the elections when the people take their voice to the polls.
The pipe-piper is coming to chase you and your fellow rats out of this town!
swindonistani
says...
3:49pm Fri 29 May 09
Labour, Tory, libdem: they all the same, they don't work for us, they work for their party and themselves period!
yeti
says...
3:52pm Fri 29 May 09
the party of cutbacks and reduced services.
they say they gave us the library.what they dont shout is that they continually halted the labour council every time they tried to get it updated.
park and ride closures,local librarys shutting,etc,etc.
bilzinuk
says...
4:00pm Fri 29 May 09
Today children...we're going to look through the Round Window as Hamble tells us yet another story ?
bilzinuk
says...
4:09pm Fri 29 May 09
Where we once had Michael FOOT
We now have David MILLI band
Nuff said ?
Kineasy
says...
4:36pm Fri 29 May 09
swindonistani wrote:I would like to see the majority of councillors as Independents. No Political, Trade Union, or railway affiliations. Just ordinary folk living within their constituency, bit of common sence and some civic pride, working for the people of Swindon. Not power crazed empire builders who see the population as a nuisance and easily conned.
I hope that nobody is falling for this Labour spin. Labour, Tory, libdem: they all the same, they don't work for us, they work for their party and themselves period!
Kineasy
says...
4:45pm Fri 29 May 09
yeti wrote:They all deserve a good deal of stick! Control freaks the lot of them. They genuinely have no ides of what is required. They are fixated on making SBC bigger and bigger. Lets go for Municipal Status, Lets go for City Status. We no longer need proffessional, career, politicians,busy lining their own nests at our expense and spouting what ever rubbish is handed down from the Whitehall Kremlin.
i think labour deserve some stick,but what about the tories? the party of cutbacks and reduced services. they say they gave us the library.what they dont shout is that they continually halted the labour council every time they tried to get it updated. park and ride closures,local librarys shutting,etc,etc.
Concerned of Wiltshire
says...
7:50pm Fri 29 May 09
Bobfm
says...
8:21pm Fri 29 May 09
http://www.timesonli
ne.co.uk/tol/news/po
litics/article639006
9.ece
The BNP it seems continue their lying ways claiming to know the postal votes cast in the NW, something that is impossible as these will only be opened after the count, unless of course they are admitting corrupt practice.
bilzinuk
says...
8:28pm Fri 29 May 09
Nice to see that you actually recognise a party other than your own !!#
Nice one mate !
Terence
says...
8:48pm Fri 29 May 09
Kineasy wrote:I think it was Rousseau who described political parties as parasites on the body politic, well whoever it was they had a point.
swindonistani wrote:I would like to see the majority of councillors as Independents. No Political, Trade Union, or railway affiliations. Just ordinary folk living within their constituency, bit of common sence and some civic pride, working for the people of Swindon. Not power crazed empire builders who see the population as a nuisance and easily conned.
I hope that nobody is falling for this Labour spin. Labour, Tory, libdem: they all the same, they don't work for us, they work for their party and themselves period!
The problem is of course that as yet no one has thought of a better solution to the problem of mass representation than organised political parties; for all their problems they at least make voting a rather simple affair (considering that the electorate is a largely apathetic and uninformed group).
I might add here that a more representative government (i.e. formed from elections based upon not single-winner but plurality voting) would make coalition government more likely and perhaps alleviate some of the problems of back-biting and other vices which plague our current system.
Bobfm
says...
7:06am Sat 30 May 09
UKIP as we predicted several weeks ago are on target for a brilliant result. The poll results are:
The actual figures for European voting intention were
CON 30%(-4),
LAB 16%(-9),
LDEM 12%(-8),
UKIP 19%(+13!), Green 10%(+5),
BNP 5%(+3),
It has to be said that at this point in 2004 UKIP stood at 10% and polled 16% on the day. We could be seriously challenging the Tories for top spot on Thursday.
William Hill also believe a shock could be in store and have slashed their odds on UKIP.
trustnopolitician
says...
2:50pm Sat 30 May 09
If only
UKIP as we predicted several weeks ago are on target for a brilliant result. The poll results areonly there because we haven't founf UKIP out yet - wait until they have seats if they ever do
Kineasy
says...
2:53pm Sat 30 May 09
Any politician that thinks the British are apathetic will be badly mistaken.
Labour is now dead, Montaut and a few die hard activists will be left behind to talk and talk about the good old days.
bilzinuk
says...
6:17am Sun 31 May 09
The Librarian says Oook says...
1:26pm Fri 29 May 09
I listen to the wind, but that doesn’t mean I do anything about it.
What would this person actually do that is better than the way it is being done at the moment?
Would he, for example reverse the plans of Swindon Council to withdraw from the Wilts Speed Camera Partnership?
It’s a simple question with a yes / no answer?
I wonder what he’d say?