I have been piecing together a very worrying story about the integrity of some of our senior councillors, it goes like this.A highly respected member of our community discovered a bundle of documents that had been left by a person unknown where he was bound to find them. The documents showed irregularities in the way the recent senior councillors trip to china was funded.
He took these documents and showed them to the most respected of the new Conservative Councillors Simon Moores, Alistair Bruce and Ewen Cameron, anyone who has had anything to do with these people will know them to be men of honour and integrity.
Having looked at the documents all three were very concerned and have written a jointly produced and signed a document to the other members of the Conservative group saying that they are no longer happy to support the cabinet.
As far as I understand this, the conservative group are to meet this week to decide if they are going to elect a new leader who would then form a new cabinet.
I gather that the police were used to try and discover the identity of the highly respected member of our community and that our most respected new Conservative Councillors didn’t like having the police turning up uninvited.
The highly respected member of our community has handed the documents to the police and copies to one of the local papers and an injunction is being sought to prevent publication.
We already have senior councillors facing the standards board again and with this as well it is time for our local councillors to put their house in order, I gather that Simon Moores, Alistair Bruce and Ewen Cameron were going to resign but fortunately for us they haven’t, we desperately need people of this calibre to sort out the appalling mess we are in Thanet.
could it be that the three named councillors are plotting to take the top job?
ReplyDeleteGood luck to them if they are. They would surely be better than the current duffers.
ReplyDelete11.26 I think the old adage about leaders, that no one who wants the job is fit to do it comes in here, and I do wonder why anyone would want to do it, however I think that the fact that all three in the first instance offered their resignation could be seen as an indicator that perhaps their motives were different to those you suggest.
ReplyDeleteI would ask you out of the Conservative group who you consider would make up the best leader and cabinet?
Mmmm. No idea who could take the top job. What qualifications are needed apart from being a Tory?
ReplyDeletecan't offer my services as wrong party.
If you consider that any of that trinity are worthy of the top job, you must be desperate , or very much in need of a brain transplant
ReplyDeleteAlistair Bruce I could go along with although I doubt he wants the job, as for the other two,,,,
ReplyDelete13.59 It isn’t something that should be bestowed on the most worthy, like a prize for long service, Thanet has very serious problems at the moment and needs someone most able to organise all of the councillors into the most effective team, and make the council officers support the councillors, so who would you suggest?
ReplyDeleteWalk round Margate town centre look at the M&S building consider the £4,900,000 borrowed to fund it by the council, brain transplants do then come to mind.
Mike the real solution here is for our councillors Labour and Conservative to vote to change to the elected mayor system, that way we could use the best talent from both parties all the time.
I have to agree that we are in dire need of a radical change. Having read the document that is supposed to dictate the behaviour of our councilors for myself I can see now why we are in such a mess.
ReplyDeleteCllr Harrison, It may be politically incorrect, but I would prefer his sister!
ReplyDeleteits unlikely that an elected Mayor would do any thing other than propogate the existing system, He/She would surround themselves with a team chosen from their own particular Party in much the same way that countries who use that system do, America being the prime example. Even though we now have the Cabinet system in a more formal way the truth is that we have always had that, it used to be called the Committee system but the Chairmen of all the Major Committee's met and decided the way forward and then ensured that whatever was decided was carried through their particular Committee. So effectivly that was a Cabinet, it was just called something different. The only advantage now is that decisions are reached a lot quicker and its the responsibility of the Portfolio Holder to ensure that they are implemented.
ReplyDeleteTo get back on topic, if the Councillors who went to China knew that the trip was being funded by someone other than who we, the great unwashed, were led to believe then they are ones who should be resigning.
ReplyDeleteMike the only people I find who appear to be against the Mayoral system are senior councillors of both parties, with safe seats, meaning that essentially they are not elected but selected by their parties. We the great unwashed would like the opportunity to elect a leader, so we will have to just agree to differ on that one.
ReplyDeleteBut I suppose the real issue here is not so much resignation, as if there is a change of leadership it will be decided by the whole Conservative group.
Certainly as at least three of them see this as serious enough to resign over merely because of having some association with existing cabinet members, one assumes the others must be considering their positions very seriously indeed.
Hello Michael
ReplyDeleteSee you are doing a good job on TDC still.
I hsve retired from echo sounding blogging.
The situation re Rosemary Nelson Inquiry is that I have questioned the immunity certificate issued on behalf of the Attorney General by a Civil servant called Kevin McGINTY.
I have queried whether if Cllr HAYTON and other TDC councillors and Police were to be called before the Judicial Inquiry how could it be right that they might enjoy immunity from prosecution fopr criminal offences which might be revealed.
Our Mr McGinty is no stranger to Thanet Matters. The complaints against the conspiracy against a custody death inquest in Thanet which would have gained grounds for appeal which would have cross compromised the Kent Police Deal Bombing CID team. (You may recall Rebecca Cobb standing down and a new Coroner holding a complete new inquest)
And at the time our former Chief constable was sticking his nose into the Rosemary Nelson case who wrote to the late John Allen Chair of East Westcliff Residents Assn acknowledging that he knew complaints were with Jack Straw ? Yes our Mr McGinty.
So could it be that Mr McGinty has signed potential immunity which would benefit people he has already been involved in exempting from proper criminal inquiry.
So there is a "Absolute Secret Custodianship of Public Interest" big wopper of a question.
I knocked some posts off my blog and replaced them with one on the Rosemary Nelson case.
Nonetheless I would opine that anyone taking advantage of immunity, by giving evidence of admission to criminal conduct, if it is on offer would be finished as a councillor or police officer.
Please keep your ears tuned for any development Michael and best wishes to you.
I can remember the time when politics were absent from local affairs, and local businessmen etc deemed it an honour to be elected. Councillors will never work together until politics are erased from local government.
ReplyDeleteGood to see rick's analysis once again, complete rambling .....
ReplyDeleteHas anyone ever read through to the conlcusion of his comments?
Well done, Michael! The problem seems quite simply that all decent honorable Councillors, of which there are many, need to pull together, irrespective of party, to sort out the leadership of this Council and to investigate fully this whole dubious business. Local democracy may not be understood, it being a strange concept to Chinese firms coming to the UK, but thank G-d we have it and that you have aired this issue.
ReplyDeletemartin wise has been kingmaker for so long surely he wants it.
ReplyDeleteWho is seeking the injunction to prevent publication of the papers - and story?
ReplyDeleteNo one is seeking an injunction - its bluff like so much drivel posted by the politicians?
ReplyDeleteIts all too late to seek one anyway..ha,ha,ha?
Rick once again I never know what to say to you apart from the relevant part, the answer is yes I am keeping an eye on the situation but lacking anonymity I tend to be very restrained in what I publish from what I hear.
ReplyDelete21.49 22.33 Sad as it is the decent and honourable councillors of both parties could at any time get together and resolve this and many of the other pressing local issues, instead what I am told is that if the decent Conservatives put up a good candidate for leader then the labour group would be compelled to put up their own candidate and the decent Labour councillors would be compelled to vote for this candidate.
It is however just possible that they could find common ground in voting for a mayoral election, which could put a stop to this nonsense.
9.46 I don’t think a candidate from our present cabinet would resolve the problem, all I can say about Martin is he used to respond to my questions and although I never broke his confidence he suddenly stopped replying to me.
11.07 11.18 what confounds everyone I have spoken to is why a senior cabinet member should lie about this and other issues, when the lie is so easily exposed.
Matt (link on sidebar) yes I read your posting and followed the link to the rules governing our government, thanks.
what a load of nonsense
ReplyDeleteMike just a though here if Alistair Bruce stood as a candidate for leadership would the Labour group be prepared to forgo putting up a candidate and vote for him for the good of Thanet?
ReplyDeleteno cos hes a tory
ReplyDeleteI have just had to remove two derogatory comments slandering a Conservative councillor please do not do this here, whoever you are.
ReplyDeleteAlistair Bruce has NO support from members.
ReplyDeleteAlistair Bruce is not a leader
ReplyDeleteI don't agree 17:33 I am a Labour party member I think that the Labour group on TDC should support Alistair Bruce as Leader, and we should invite him to the join our group because he is already doing a good job speaking out against right wing interests
ReplyDeleteI think that things will sort now that the police serious crime squad are doing the business!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that the much vaunted new tories will want to wait and see who they align with first before they make a move!
Resigning on a matter of honour and morality is one thing; but I don't see that happening! More likely just posturing and waiting for the dust to settle!
This is Thanet after all!
Ok all, look , i do not know all the facts, when i do i will post my views. as to which party should support any candidate, be aware of individual party rules. ie You should not support any other party member in a ballot for office . so that lets out both the labour and conservative group.
ReplyDeleteOk chaps and chappesses. What we’re asking you to do is something you’ve never considered before - to find a compromise – a leader you don’t like very much, but can all put up with or hopefully, and yes I’m sort of begging here – a leader who will take from the limited amount of talent we’ve got in both parties and choose from both parties. The best people we have to hold each portfolio. 3 brave men stood up, heads above the line, and yes the alternative will be their resignations. Sometime in some clouded history everyone here thought they best serve in their community, and then people came along and who for their own ends thought they all wanted things and walked them down the road where most people would think there would be a definite line to cross. But no! It’s only grey areas. So here we are, and you all have the opportunity, or you can leave the status quo and walk away from it and say to your own ends, “Thanet was not best served”.
ReplyDeleteAlistair Bruce & co are politically naive.
ReplyDelete(full stop)
Ken, yourself and Edwin have been in both parties, why don't you stand as leader and Edwin can be the deputy, that will confuse the punters.
ReplyDeletesorry that was mebut what the children have done to the computer in the living room.....
ReplyDelete20:07
ReplyDeleteYes you are right and I know that because the tooth fairy told me!
Tony, your own party wanted you elected so badly they stood you in a safe Tory ward. Surely that tells you something?
ReplyDeleteI might not have a political bone in my body, but I am very important because people can call myself Dr
ReplyDeleteannon 20:21, I really couldn't give a monkees where I stand for election, being a councillor is not the be and end all of everything. I must say it was great fun watching the tories panic in Garlinge as I worked the ward and I worked it hard.In fact they concerntrated so much on Garlinge they did naff all in marine ward and lost a seat. So for me that was a result.
ReplyDeleteTony, even the 88 year old Grey party candidate got more votes than Labour in Garlinge.
ReplyDeleteBut he didn't beat me, did he.
ReplyDeletenever mind Tony, I am sure someone likes you!
ReplyDeleteTony just face the facts you lost and you always will :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I did lose to Simon Brown and Shirley Tomlinson and regardless of their politics, they are good ward councillors and their votes reflected on the work they done. So I can't complain but I did give them a run for their money and it was good clean politics, great stuff. I am sure they will do their best for Garlinge, but I not too sure about their party.
ReplyDeleteWhat a pathetic attempt by the melting down Tories to deflect attention from their parlous state by cheaply smearing Labour personalities. Stick to the issue of your local leadership crisis.
ReplyDelete"it was good clean politics" Yeah, in Garlinge only. Your comments regarding Bill Pankhurst in Salmestone last year were libellous and you never apologised for it.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the deletion but it had to go for obvious reasons, I know you chaps are annoyed but please keep this above the belt, I have been very restrained in my comments and the information I have published and would prefer to keep it that way.
ReplyDeleteWe are very luck in Thanet to have a good team of councillors on the bench. Shame about the green party leader David La rue and his sister Iris from the red corner
ReplyDeleteI would love to be on the bench with all those nice councillors. x x x
ReplyDelete