07/06/2009 by Steve Tierney.

A New Blue Day

Friday 5th June was ‘The Count’.  The day when I would find out, one way or the other, whether the long and arduous campaign I had just fought was going send me to Shire Hall as a county councillor or to the Cupboard Under The Stairs to lick my gratuitous wounds. 

I should stress that I enjoyed my campaign very much.  I canvassed 90% of my division and got to meet people from every corner of it; Tydd St. Giles, Gorefield, Leverington, Wisbech, Foul Anchor, Tydd Gote, Four Gotes and Newton.   I leafletted every house at least twice, some more often that that.  I went to every Parish Council meeting and to a great many fetes, quiz nights, events and functions.  (I intend to keep doing all these things.  Some people say they usually ‘only see a politician when an election is coming’.  It’s my intention to change that perception where it exists.)

The night before ‘The Count’ (each time I say that I have the urge to do a faux Dracula laugh, a la Sesame Street) I thought I would be unable to sleep, such was my nervous excitement.  But sleep I did.  Like the dead.  I’ve always been somebody who likes to work, but this was one of the toughest, most gruelling months of my life.  And the last week… that was the toughest of all.  So my head hit the pillow and that was all I knew until the alarm screamed me awake and I stumbled, bleary-eyed, into the Day Of Reckoning.  (You think I’m being dramatic?  Try standing for council!  It takes on a life of its own.)

Our ‘telling’ from the previous day suggested we were at 45% of the vote in my division.  You’d think this would have helped me relax, but no.  Quite the opposite.  You imagine you may have gotten it wrong.  That there may be some place where votes have been cast quite differently to what your canvassing suggested.  Labour and the Liberal Democrats had utterly collapsed in Fenland and that had become clear to us during the campaign (despite a puzzling Cambs Times online poll that suggested Labour were doing well, much to our bemusement.  Luckily that turned out to be a pretty duff poll.)  It was UKIP that made me nervous.  Which is a shame because (and this is a personal, not a party view) I am very much a Euro-Sceptic myself and agree that we would be Better Off Out.

On the day of ‘The Count’ (Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa) I stood at the table with my Wife (Marie Tierney), My Mum (Brenda Barber) and one of my Best Friends (Samantha Hoy) watching the drama unfold.  As far as I could see, in the entire building there were only two Labour people:  the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (whose ‘prospects’ are so limited I can’t even remember his name) and another man in a red tie who looked very grumpy indeed.  Looking around the hall, there weren’t a whole lot of Lib Dems either.  But the Schooling Brothers showed up for UKIP (and they were very nice guys.)  Andrew Hunt showed up for the Libertarian Party (and despite our differences, he was a really great guy too.)  Even independents like Mark Archer (who was trounced soundly by Geoff Harper, proving that the world is a just place after all, in my humble opinion) managed to get there.  Perhaps a message for the ‘opposition’ has been sent by impressive smaller parties and  independents : “Do some work, show some interest, or you’ll wither away.”

The final result was that every single seat in Fenland was won by a Conservative.  The whole area has remained that same wonderful blue and this is great news.  It’s great for Fenland because decent, hard-working honest councillors have been returned to continue doing their vital jobs.  It’s great for politics because it shows that even in the face of public scandal from high above and assault from opportunistic other interests all around the public here remain strongly conservative in heart and soul.  And it’s great for me because I have experienced colleagues to go to for advice and guidance as I begin my own new position as a County Councillor. 

Oh yeah… I won, by the way. Fifty-three percent of those who voted ticked the box next to ‘Steve Tierney’ on their ballot paper.  It’s a truly humbling experience and a great honour.  I’ve said it before.  I’ll say it again.  I won’t let you down.

Thank you, everybody.
  

Thanks

I have so many people to thank who were part of my team and who worked feverishly on my behalf and for the Conservative party.  I’ll get around to thanking them all properly, but in brief:-

Bonnie Drewry and Ann Balls plus their entire wonderful Tydd St Giles team.

Rosemary Peggs, Rachel Tranter, David Humphrey and the entire Gorefield Conservative branch and friends. 

Gavin, Paul, Adam, Laura, Tom, Saluwedin and the brilliant gang at Fens Conservative Future. 

Gary Tibbs, Lynny, Peter Tibbs and Jamie Edwards, who got involved purely because they are amazing friends and worked as hard as anyone (particularly Gary). 

My Dad, John Tierney, who drove up from Hemel Hempstead to canvas with me. 

Steve Barclay PPC, Cllr Nick Meekins, Lucy Heighton, Janet Stott, John Lewis and the many other Leverington and Peckover tellers.

My stepdad Tony Barber (and the whole Leverington team), who delivered more leaflets, canvassed more houses and walked more streets than I could have ever hoped for. 

Cllr Simon King for getting me involved in all this in the first place and for being the font of all knowledge and sage advice whenever I have needed it.

My wife Marie Tierney for putting up with my barely being in the house for a month and managing all the usual things we do together, plus taking great care of our Son while I was seldom around, with good humour and grace.

And most of all:-

Debbie Clark, almost certainly the most wonderful Organising Secretary any Conservative area could ever hope to have.  

Samantha Hoy  - My Right Hand Girl.  Who worked every bit as hard as I did and without whom I would have been lost.

Steve Brunton - Who put in so many hours of help I lost count and who deserves a medal for his dedication.

Brenda Barber - My Mum, who was the lynchpin of the entire campaign and who offered support, encouragement and almost all her free time in the same way she always has whenever i’ve needed her.
 
My victory belongs to all these people as much as, or more than, it does to me.

You guys were absolutely, mind-blowingly, awesome.  Thank you so much for everything.

Posted in Cambs. County Council, Family, Election, Victory, Gorefield, Wisbech, Tydd St. Giles, Newton, Leverington, Conservatives | No Comments »

09/03/2009 by Steve Tierney.

The ‘REAL’ IRA
This weekend the news broke that Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar were shot dead by dissident republicans in Antrim, Northern Ireland. We had all hoped we had seen the end of these sort of horrific attacks by lunatic Irish extremists. It’s been twelve years since members of our armed forces were last subjected to this kind of assault in Northern Ireland. The question on everyone’s lips, of course, is: “Is this an isolated incident orchestrated by some fringe players, or is this the start of renewed hostility?” (Although I accept the actual words on people’s lips might not be as long-winded as that.)

There has been such progress in Northern Ireland that it would be absolutely tragic if things were allowed to deteriorate again. Our government and security forces must tread a delicate line; making sure the perpitrators are caught and properly punished, while not tarring those who want peace with the same brush. We must quickly bring these evil terrorists to justice, while taking great care to protect the optimistic peace which has developed in the troubled region. Let’s play hardball with the men who did this by all means, they deserve the heaviest penalties the court’s have available. But let’s try not to let this derail the region. That’s exact what the terrorists want.

Sorry Is The Hardest Word
My young son was a little naughty the other day and I had to put him in his room for a while to calm down and think about what he’d done. After a while I went in and we had a chat. I explained to him why what he’d done was wrong and I told him it was time to come down and apologise. I explained that this is how ‘good guys’ behaved (he’s four, this is language he ‘gets’) He did so in that earnest way that only young children really can and to be honest my heart melted. When somebody says sorry and means it, it takes a hard heart not to forgive them.

Gordon Brown could take a lesson from my Son. He can’t possibly believe he’s perfect, can he? He must accept that he is, in some part, responsible for our current economic woes. After all, he’s been at the helm in one form or another for over a decade. Now we can argue all day about just how much of it is Labour’s fault and how much of it is a ‘global phenomenon’. At this point, I’m not sure it matters. What does matter is that people all over the country are finding things very tough and are becoming very angry about the state of our nation.

I’m not suggesting that if Gordon Brown says sorry it will magically ‘fix’ everything. Of course it wont. In fact, I’m of the opinion that the current administration do not have the skills to begin the job of getting us out of our national hole. But when you apologise you don’t do it because you think it will ‘fix’ what you did wrong. You do it because its the right thing to do. If Gordon Brown expressed his sincere and genuine regret for his part in the crisis he thinks it will be a weapon that can be used against him by the opposition and the press. And he’s right. But he should still do it because that’s the way ‘good guys’ behave. Didn’t his father tell him that?

Jury Team
A new political party (organisation) was formed this weekend that made the news with some fanfare. Called JuryTeam their website says that they are:
a political movement created with the goal of making politics more accessible, politicians more accountable and political institutions more transparent.
Which is all well and good. Their ‘method’ for achieving this is apparently to avoid the need for political ‘parties’ by supporting independents across the U.K. and getting them elected. Independents are important to our political system, it is the ability for ‘anybody to stand’ that makes democracy what it is. But I’m a little sceptical as to how a group of people who may have diametically-opposed political views can possibly stand under the same ‘banner’. I can see that if a lot of JuryTeam MPs were able to get elected it would force the government in power to properly justify their actions and would hold them to account by circumventing the power of the whips. But on the flip side, doesn’t this mean the elected government will find it difficult to achieve the aims for which they were elected due to the impossible task of trying to convince a bunch of independents who all want completely different things for the country?  It seems like a bit of a ragtag idea to me, but I’m keeping an open mind about it.  Fresh ideas can’t hurt, can they?

Leverington Action Group
Road safety in our villages is something which matters greatly to all of us. Despite hard work on the part of the Conservative council there is always more we can do! That’s why it’s so great to see people united in working for safety and security in our area! In Leverington, a group of concerned homeowners are forming an action group to deal with places that are known as local trouble spots; most particularly Leverington Common. The group will act in a concerted way to represent their concerns to the District and County Councils, the police and to other relevant agencies. Led by Caroline Benincasa, assisted by veteran campaigner Tony Kiddle and my humble self, a group of dedicated villagers will make their case over the coming months to ensure something is done to reduce the problems and potential for injury in local black spots! This is the sort of positive, sensible action that gets things done. I met with the organisers of the new group last Saturday and was very impressed by their knowledge, enthusiasm and dedication. Local Activism is vital for the health and success of our society. Government should be there for a few specific national jobs, everything else is best decided at the most local level.

Posted in Parliament, Recession, Family, Leverington, Credit Crunch, Conservatives | No Comments »

06/01/2009 by Steve Tierney.

It’s The Economy! (Stupid)
It’s hard to escape the conclusion that this is going to be a horrible year. The economy is taking a swan dive into the abyss. Retailers are closing faster than Gordon Brown can borrow money to mindlessly waste on pointless gimmicks and an ever-expanding bloated public sector. Unemployment is rising sharply. The banks are asking for another bailout (and it wont be the last). But if other governments or international bodies decide they no longer want to loan us money or buy our bonds, what then? I can hear those printing presses warming up as we speak, ready to print pounds until they no longer have any worth at all. Hold on to your hats. It’s going to get scary.

But look on the bright side. We’ve got our families and friends. We live in a (mostly) free country. I suspect, despite Labour’s criminal mismanagement, we’ll get through it. Older and wiser. Perhaps poorer, but maybe with a better understanding of what’s really important. And hopefully with a different party governing us…Birthday parties are a threat. Apparently.
My son had his four-year-old birthday two days ago. He goes to pre-school in Wisbech. I had decided to throw him a party at play2day (a kids adventure-play type place) in Guyhirn. We wanted to invite ten or so other children he knows to the party. Since he is so young we don’t really know who his friends are yet. He mentions names of other children at school, but we thought it would be a good idea to ask his teachers the first names of the children he commonly plays with at school so we could then give them invites to pass to the parents of those same children. Does this seem unreasonable? We didn’t want pictures of them, or to meet them, or to be allowed to give them sharp objects to play with. We just wanted their first names, so we could write on the invites “to the Parents of…. whoever” and then ask the teachers to pass those invites on to the relevant parents. Apparently, this is not allowed. Child Protection forbids it. My son’s schoolmate’s first names need to be ‘protected’ in case their classmates parents… god forbid… invite them to a birthday party.
Help! Help! There might be cake! There might be games!
I wonder if the teachers would reprimand my little son for telling us his friend’s names? “How did you find out this boy was called Jack? Your son told you? Police! Police! Arrest that child!”

Anyhow… Happy new year to anybody who stumbles across this page. I don’t know if I actually have any readers, but if I do, Best Wishes for 2009! It might still all end in roses!

Posted in Family, Credit Crunch | No Comments »

13/12/2008 by Steve Tierney.

Christmas is coming! Whoo-hoo! It doesn’t matter how old I get, or how many people bah-humbug around me, I love Christmas as much now as I did when I was eight! Particularly, I now enjoy the wonder and excitement in my son’s eyes. I couldn’t wait to get decorations up, or pick presents, just to see the smile of joy on his face. So for any reader’s who share the same thrill at this time of year with me, seasons best and good will to all!

Full County Council Meeting
Anybody who has read earlier postings will know that in my preparation to stand as a county councillor next year I am visiting as many district and county council meetings and functions as I can (along with Parish Councils and other community gatherings.) On Tuesday this week I accompanied Simon King and another prospective councillor John Clark to the latest full Cambridgeshire County Council meeting. It was an interesting day involving several heated battles between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems, but the excessive heat in the chamber proved difficult to deal with (for me, anyway) as the long meeting progressed. I’m sure I can’t have been the only one that was gasping for air by the end. I was particularly impressed by my fellow prospective candidate who seemed both insightful and strong-willed. I’m glad he’s on my side!

After lunch there was a carol service with a quartet of talented musicans playing popular christmas songs. Most members of all political persuasions gathered in the grand hall and on the stairs and joined in with enthusiasm! I’m not given to sentimentalism generally, but I found something touching and inspirational about the huge group of councillors taking the time to celebrate the season and doing so in such fine voice.

By-Election: Parson Drove and Wisbech St. Mary’s
The By-Election held in this ward was won by the Conservatives. Robert Scrimshaw was the candidate and having met him several times now I feel that the people of the area have made a very intelligent and informed choice. He’s a genuine, decent, hard-working man. Local Conservatives (myself included) campaigned hard with him here and its such good news that all that hard work has paid off. What people need are local folk who know the area, care about the area and are going to work hard to deliver for the people who voted them in. I was so pleased when I heard the result!
Congratulations to Mr Scrimshaw! Now the real hard work begins!

Detailed Results
Parson Drove and Wisbech St Mary’s, Fenland DC (North East Cambs) Con hold. 
Con vote 51%
Lab 19% LD 21%, Green 10%.

The Great ‘Alexandra Road’ Licensing Debacle
Actually, its not as exciting as I make it sound. There have recently been plans to open a ‘theatre’ in Alexandra Road, which describes itself as hoping to be “art-house” in style, showing classic, black-and-white and foreign movies. The old Women’s Institute building had been purchased for this purpose. Local residents, initially supportive of the idea, were worried at the license being requested. 3AM alcohol and dancing, seven-nights-a-week seemed somewhat ‘extreme’ for a theatre. Many locals in this mostly-residential area worried that the place might become a ‘night spot’ with all the potential noise and trouble that might bring. Since the police also had reservations, a licensing meeting was called. Many locals (including myself) attended and spoke opposing (principally) the late hours being requested. Councillor Simon King also spoke, supporting residents as the area’s County Councillor. Councillor Jonathan Farmer was supportive of the theatre’s case, being one of the area’s District Councillors. In the end, the license was granted pretty much as requested, but with some small reduction of the times on weekdays.

My Conclusions:
I’m kind of torn about this one. Mr. Ibbott (whose plans have caused all the consternation) seems a nice enough guy and I really do believe he has no intention of letting his theatre become anything other than what it purports to be. But with the best will in the world, if the business isn’t immediately successful I worry about the temptation to ‘make ends meet’ by using the license he has been granted to plug financial gaps. An art-house theatre in Wisbech is a challenging idea on its own, even taken outside the current difficult economic climate! Still, the decision has been made and the residents lost the argument (at least as far as the licensing committee were concerned), so I’m just going to wish Mr. Ibbott all the best and hope his dream is realised. If it is, everybody will be more than happy to be wrong and congratulate him on his success. If it isn’t … well, that’s a worry for another day now.

Aside from the local issue, I do feel this raises some concerns about the state of licensing in this country. There are only a very few issues that can even be used to object to a license. And since none of them can contain ‘conjecture’ it really renders people powerless to object to anything! A place which has not yet got a license and so isn’t in business cannot, obviously, have any ‘evidence’ against it. So anything you say is always going to be ‘conjecture’. The upshot of this is that people who live and work in an area have no say whatsoever over what licenses are granted near them. They get to speak and voice their opinion, sure. But then an overpaid ‘agent’ discards all their objections with legal doublespeak, citing “no evidence that my client will allow this”. It’s not the fault of the licensing committee either. If they agreed with residents and refused the license it would only go to appeal, get through, and cost a whole lot more as a result. When did we so thoroughly remove power from the people who will have to live with the consequences? I find it a matter of some concern. Madagascar 2
I took my four-year-old Son Joe to the cinema today, Peterborough Showcase. We saw Madagascar 2 (which was interesting, since I didn’t ever see Madagascar 1). The place was literally packed to the walls with screaming kids. It was heaving, chaotic, incredibly noisy and frenetic in the extreme. It was also wonderful. I know this isn’t the most detailed entry I’ve ever written in my blog, but I just wanted to say that. Wonderful.

Posted in Movies, Family, Cambs. County Council, Conservatives | No Comments »