A considerable number of people turned out to vote for candidates other than Labour/Conservative and are entitled to have their vote taken seriously and not ignored by councillors as if they did not matter. When the number of people who, for whatever reason, did not vote is also taken into account then perhaps Councillors would be wise to ask themselves why they and their Party are not as popular as they supposed. Labour Councillors should take heed of the words Ed Milliband with regard to how the Labour Party is perceived not just by the public but by its own membership.
Culture in Thurrock; the new heads at William Edwards and Gable Hall; who will run Thurrock Council after Wednesday and the perception that it is open season for criminals in Thurrock all come for scrutiny in our sunday comment page.
I have several things I would like to write about this month. My life has been pretty full lately, with looking after my grandson whilst my daughter is at work; the busiest time on my allotment and my elderly mother. My mum had a fall one evening about 8.30 pm and wedged between an armchair and coffee table, was unable to move.
"It is often the case that in the backwaters of northern Engerland, (known as Scotland) the great political debates rumble on without any real concern and a positive lack of credulity and passion, not at least on the part of the politicians. With local elections forthcoming in the south, a complete vote for Scotland’s new government and the AV referendum in full flow UK wide much has been made of the politicians' new and informed grasp of the peoples mood, an incisive and in depth understanding of what makes them tick. Whilst trying not to laugh or ridicule, outwith some permitted giggling, they have still failed to grasp some fundamentals…
Maybe Mr Stuart St.Clair-Haslam is unsure which ward he is representing as I believe there is a Planning Issue involving barristers in the Homesteads Ward.
I was prepared to overlook this ploy to solicit votes from those concerned about Greenbelt development, as I am also concerned about the Greenbelt. However when I read the leaflet rushed out by Shane Hebb for the Conservatives I decided I had to speak up as the leaflet is totally inaccurate.
In 1922, the novel Ulysses by James Joyce was banned in the United Kingdom when it was declared obscene and offensive. James Joyce is one of the world’s most influential authors and not only did this censorship prevent us from have a glimpse into the time it was written, it stopped us from learning his writing technique and creative linguistics.
Now, I’m in favour of electoral reform, as I believe that the current system does not reflect the genuine wishes of the electorate. A lot of people do not vote as there seems to be very little trust in any of the candidates put forward by the political parties therefore a minority effectively dictates who gets into power. That said, I think that the Alternative Vote system is not only a worthless compromise to the more radical alternatives, but also further compounds the inadequacies and unrepresentative nature of the current system. To demonstrate, we have to look at the AV system…
Over the last few days, YT has interviewed Shane Hebb, Ben Gadsby and Gemma Robbins. All under 23 years of age and all with a political fire in their eyes that augurs well for the future. Whilst the Labour campaign is being co-ordinated by 25-year-old Richard Speight.
As a floating voter, I issue a challenge to the prospective candidates – run your campaigns without all the political point scoring and mud slinging, convince me that you deserve to have my vote, that you are prepared to put aside the ideological differences with your opponents for the greater good and that, if you are successful in getting into office, you do not let down the people of your ward or of Thurrock.
What exactly are the roles and responsibilities of a Civic Enforcement Officer? Labour on the march, Tories on the rails? and the Scouts acting out their motto.
Move ahead to Wednesday 30th March and a repairman turned up to drain the tank so that it could be repaired or removed. I have to say at this juncture that this gentleman is the only person in this mess that is entirely blameless for being unable to help. The outlet valve was, you see, too hard to unscrew and, with extremely hot water within the tank liable to spurt out in a scorching torrent, would have been unwise to even try to open. Thankfully, that meant we had hot water that night as we had to wait for the water inside to cool enough to try to drain the tank. That evening, I called the council to ensure that the immersion tank would be replaced the next day and I was given assurances by the man on the telephone that it would all be sorted.
This Sunday we are looking at some achilles heels: For the Tories it may be Grays Beach Park. For Labour it may be Academies. We also say well done to all the organisations and clubs out there and w
When it was time for Tina to share her opinions on anorexia, she responded: “I am very biased when it comes to things like this. I think it’s irresponsible and selfish to put your life at risk just to stay thin. The best way to say slim is to eat healthy and exercise, however, I can understand how some models may feel pressured to lose weight, especially in the fashion industry. Luckily this is something I haven’t had to deal with personally and the glamour industry is much more appreciative of curves and womanly features…which I happen to have plenty of!” She laughs.
But if it is a political tactic then they may have handed so much ammunition to the politicians. Because we can envisage a situation, where the government may say. "Ok. Now next year, try the raids with half the officers and half the budget and see if you can arrest, now let's not be too ambitious..eight. No, lets go wild...ten".
Chief executive Graham Farrant and council leader John Kent may counter such criticisms by using the "That was then; this is now" defence and may claim that they are steering the council out of choppy waters. Sometimes the raft is going to hit swirls and eddys (no not that eddy) but will at some stage, will hit clear and calm blue water.
