26/08/2009 by Steve Tierney.

March West
Following the sad death of Peter Skoulding, the March West District Council Seat will shortly become a political battleground during the necessary by-election that is triggered when a seat becomes vacant.
  
So far we know the Conservative candidate will be Steve Count.  I’ve never met Mr. Count but I do know that he beat off stiff competition to be selected as the Conservative candidate and that he did this despite something of a history of causing the Conservative-run District Council headaches in the past.  The Wisbech Standard columnist Breakespeare had to admit that the fact that our party were so quick to forgive and forget was an interesting and encouraging development.  Of course, those of us who are active Conservatives know that the party doesn’t deserve half the criticism that opponents sometimes throw our way.  The right man for the job (in the view of those selecting) will usually be chosen because that’s the correct thing to do.
  
Meanwhile, local independent Reg Kemp has also thrown his hat into the ring.  I’ve seen his comments plenty of times since he’s not at all shy at making his opinions known (much the same can be said about me - I’m aware!)  He has recently been a member of the political ‘party’ called “Jury Team” (I’m not sure if he still is) - you might remember them, they were beaten by just about everybody except maybe Animals Count, mostly due to the fact that the only thing they seem to stand for is that they don’t want to stand for anything.    He lost the County elections in June, beaten fairly resoundingly by Cllr. John Clark.  He’s also well-known for his disdain for Freemasons and his attempts to have them removed from any office they might hold at the District council.  An interesting character who will be entertaining during the short campaign, I’m sure.
  
Among those who are interested in local politics there is a lot of discussion about who might win this.  Some previous by-elections have been unopposed and so the fact that this might be more of a battle is causing some excitable folk to salivate. 

Some commentators think that Labour have a chance here but I doubt that very much.  Labour, in my opinion, are a dead duck right now.  I don’t see them as a major threat this year in Fenland.  But UKIP are a fly in the ointment.  If they have a candidate in, that makes things more uncertain.  As for the Lib Dems?  Who knows with those guys?  Sometimes they come out all guns blazing and other times they fizzle out like damp sponge (do damp sponges ‘fizzle’?  I suppose not.  Oops.  Bad adjective.  It’s been a long day!) 

Whatever the case it’ll sure be an interesting one and it’s just a terrible shame that it has come about through such tragic circumstances. 

If I were a betting man I’d be betting Conservative.  But, of course, you know that.  

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Posted in March, Liberal Democrats, Labour Party, Fenland District Council, Conservatives | 6 Comments »

22/07/2009 by Steve Tierney.

The Bramley Line
Today’s full county council meeting was a somewhat muted affair, thanks to the absence of Cllr Moss-Eccardt, everyone’s favourite procedural expert.  In fact, during the first few agenda items I began to wonder if the Liberal Democrat contingent had been suddenly struck dumb - so quiet were their ranks.  Not so!  When it came time to talk about the Bramley Line our colleagues on the opposite benches became highly animated.  You would almost be forgiven for thinking that this was a clever political machination.  They had clearly spent some time getting all their ducks in a row.

I should probably explain.  The Bramley Line is the disused railway track which runs from Wisbech to March.  To cut a long story short the people of Wisbech would quite like it opened again, the people of March (who already have a railway station and probably see no need to burden themselves with more rail traffic) aren’t so sure.  There is a very active and dedicated group of local enthusiasts who have been working for several years to get the line re-opened.  There are Conservative councillors like Cllr. Simon King who are part of that group and have been working alongside them towards this goal.  To the best of my knowledge nobody has really seen any Lib Dem councillors anywhere near the project - ever.  This could well be because Fen Folk prefer not to elect them anywhere in the region.  But even so… their sudden interest and support furrowed some brows.

Perhaps the Liberal Democrats had really grown a sudden fervent interest in the Fens traffic infrastructure?  If so, good. Any ideas and support are always welcome.  But there are some amongst us who think what actually happened is that they saw an opportunity for division.  The Bramley Line is a very interesting project, but it’s also a controversial one.  Not everybody feels the economic case has been made for it yet.  Some people prefer other options for improving transport in the area (like giving the A47 the dual-carriageway treatment all the way to Wisbech.)

So when Cllr D.Jenkins (leader of the Liberal Democrats) proposed that a new funding method called TIF be considered to assist in the re-opening of the Bramley Line some people questioned the motives.  I have to say I really don’t know if this was a machiaevellian move or not and I think I’m prepared to give the benefit of the doubt and presume that it was just an honest, well-meant idea.  What a shame then that the motion had to include a load of party-political swipes that devalued it and forced the Conservatives to table an amendment that stripped the unhealthy fat from the bone and left only the meat for consumption.

Cue lots of long speeches by councillors on all sides which basically seemed to be saying the same things from slightly different perspectives.  Cllr. Alan Melton delivered one of the blistering verbal barrages for which he is so famous in support of better transport all over the Fens.  Cllr. Geoff Harper read a prepared speech full of deft lyrical flourishes in which he pointed out the many improvements that had already taken place - in order that proper perspective be maintained.  Speaking to the chamber myself, I took the opportunity to make it quite clear that Conservatives do not oppose rail, nor the Bramley Line (quite the opposite, as far as I’m concerned) and that our amendment unequivocally expressed that we felt this was a strong option that deserved serious consideration.  There’s no lip service there.  We do.  Because it is.

All’s well that ends well, the amended motion met the approval of all councillors and resulted in a (very rare) unanimous vote of “yes”.  Which doesn’t mean the Bramley Line is suddenly going to find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but does surely bring Wisbech one step closer to getting the rail link it wants so badly.

Armed Robbery
When I got home from the council meeting today I was surprised to find the Police in my shop and a member of my staff clearly badly shaken by something.  It turns out that we had been victim of a robbery.  Two young men had entered the shop and snatched a laptop from behind the counter (one made a distraction while the other snatched, then both ran.)  Dominic, who works for me part-time, gave chase!  Following the two men out of the shop he managed to grab one of them.  During the struggle a gun fell from inside the jacket of the criminal and landed on the pavement.  The man made a grab for the gun, Dominic (no doubt terrified of the consequences of this nutcase getting his hands on the weapon) kicked it across the street.  The man struggled free and both of them fled with the laptop - leaving the weapon behind. 

Now it appears that the gun was actually not a ‘real’ gun, but an airsoft weapon or something that looked very authentic.  At least, that’s what the police suggested before they bagged it up as evidence.  Even so, you wouldn’t want to be shot in the eye with something like that, nor meet the sort of person who carries it around.  The police officer was clear that somebody caught carrying one of these would expect prison time.

I’m a little torn about all this.  In the first instance I’m horrified that this sort of thing can have happened on my doorstep (quite literally), I’m angry that I wasn’t here to try and prevent the crime and I’m furious that they have (so far at least) apparently gotten away with it.   But I have got to give it to my staff member Dominic, who found himself in a dangerous and frightening situation and whose first instinct, against all common sense, was to come out fighting.  I suspect many people would have let the criminals go.  Why risk your safety for a part-time job and a single stolen item?  Even the police were keen to point out that they suggest people do not try and tackle criminals of this type.  What did Dominic do?  He chased two guys out onto the street, struggled with them and relieved them of a firearm.  

Where I come from they call that sort of person a hero.
  

Posted in Fenland District Council, Cambs. County Council, Wisbech, Conservatives | No Comments »

27/06/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Is There A Time Lord In Town?
I was walking my dogs through St. Peter’s Church gardens tonight and was absolutely stunned to see a life-size Tardis sitting amid the beautiful flower displays.  A tardis!  I kid you not.  I presume this is something to do with the Rose Fair coming to Wisbech next week, but even if it is I really hope they leave it there afterwards.  It looks fantastic!  I was chuckling to myself and grinning like a loon all the way home.  The gardeners have set it up so that flowers and vines trail over it, blending it into the display quite effortlessly.  I probably did a double-take when it first caught my attention.  I’m glad nobody was around to see me gaping gormlessly.  And i’m not particularly a Doctor Who fan.  Imagine how excited people who are will feel…

High Maintenance
I happened to catch the Cambs Times this week and lo and behold if it doesn’t have the full list of expenses paid to Fenland District Councillors inside.  As regular readers will know I’ve taken issue with the style of an independent councillor in the past and I admit that a wicked grin crossed my face as my eyes scanned the names and fell upon my old pal Mark Archer.  I’m pretty tired of the national expenses witch-hunt now but Mark has previously criticised pay and expense levels of other council employees and I feel this makes his own fair game.  Now according to Mark’s FDC webpage he lives in Manea.  Hardly the other side of the world from the council offices.  Travel and Subsistence expenses of £1533.00 put Mark at fourth highest claimer in the council.  Considerably more claimed than the leader of the council, in fact.  This should not be taken as a criticism though.  I’m sure Mark beavers away very hard indeed and is worth every penny.

I should probably stress that I know just how much work District Councillors do and in my humble opinion they aren’t given enough credit for their work or enough respect for their contributions.  Even Mark Archer.  I actually think the small remuneration they receive reflects incredible value for money since many of these guys will put incredible time and effort into their jobs way beyond the call of duty. 

Scorched Earth Video

Posted in Scorched Earth, Labour Party, Fenland District Council, Wisbech | No Comments »

11/06/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Induction Day
Last Saturday I proudly attended my ‘induction meeting’ at Shire Hall, Cambridge. Very earnest staff led a tour group of newbie councillors around the elegant building. Cue much “oohing and aahing” like starstruck tourists. No flash photography please, there are wild politicians around and we wouldn’t want to disturb their natural habitat. We had our photos taken (presumably so they can be stuck onto the County Council website to terrify unwary visitors who venture within.) Then we enjoyed a very pleasant buffet lunch, shook each other’s hands, and managed to ignore the fact that many of us would spend the next four years violently disagreeing across the council chamber. If I sound flippant then you should probably put it down to whistling in the dark. I now have the sober responsibility of representing thousands of people. It is a daunting idea but also a task that I am very much looking forward to. I think it’s going to be exciting and interesting and infuriating and challenging and lots of other adjectives. But you know what? I’m ready! Bring it on.

To Work
The first meeting I must attend at county is this Friday. This is not a council meeting per se, but a morning training course followed by the Conservative Group AGM (Annual General Meeting.) This will be the first time I (and a number of other new Conservative councillors) will be attending anything ‘official’ and as such I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll report in full here once its all over. By all accounts, it might be quite interesting. The rumour mill is certainly buzzing. More to follow…

The Conservative Machine
Following his healthy defeat by Cllr. Geoff Harper, independent county candidate for Forty Foot, Mark Archer was reported by the Cambs Times as saying:-

“I’m very encouraged by this. Cllr Harper knows he will have to pull his socks up because I will be standing next time.I don’t think I was beaten by Cllr Harper the candidate, more by the Conservative machine.”

I’m pretty sure Mr Archer had assumed he might win but if he says he feels: ”very encouraged” then fair enough, good for him.  He really misses the point when he talks about the “Conservative Machine”.  By using this sort of mechanical metaphor he is trying to convey a cold, calculating image which has no bearing on reality.  The Conservatives, Mr. Archer, are a team.  A solid, loyal, dedicated team.  While Mr Archer loudly proclaims his ‘lone wolf’ status (a status which I’m somewhat sceptical of) and derides the team that beat him, I would respectfully make the point that all the baseless accusations, local press coverage and political cynicism in the world can’t beat a strong, hard-working team and a great candidate.  If anybody should be “pulling their socks up”, district councillor Archer, it is you.  The Conservative team isn’t going anywhere either.  You know the old saying: “May the best man win?”   Well he did.  I am “very encouraged” by that.
   

Posted in Mark Archer, Fenland District Council, Election, Cambs. County Council, Conservatives | 5 Comments »

15/04/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Local Action To Improve The A1101
The A1101, combining Leverington Road and on into Sutton Road is an infamous blackspot in our area for a number of reasons.The A1101 has too many accidents, too many near-misses, too much speeding and too much dangerous driving along it.  Everybody knows it.  It’s no secret.  The road has grown steadily in traffic flow and usage by heavy goods vehicles over recent years.  It is an important and busy trunk road from Cambridgeshire and into Lincolnshire. 

This week, a petition has been organised by one action group for one area of the road.   You have to admire them because they have fought long and hard to improve awareness of the dangers of the route.  So far, the response from the Powers That Be hasn’t been particularly inspired (in my humble opinion).  A few new signs saying things like: “XXX people have died in the last three years” and “Danger Of Death” or whatever are very dramatic and all, but are just a token response.  We need and deserve more.  It is vital that proper measures are taken before anybody else is killed.  It really is as urgent as that.

(Update: From the Fenland Citizen: Officials have pledged action including new warning signs, re-assessing the bends to see if double white lines can be installed and working in partnership with other agencies to place mobile speed cameras along the stretch.  Okay, that sounds a bit better than just the signs.  But I suspect more still will be needed!  Some traffic calming in built-up areas and some speed cameras would seem to be the least we could do!)

Also this week Leverington Road has made the front page of the local newspaper thanks to the inspired campaign of a local resident, Lisa Goddard.  Pitted with potholes and damage, vehicles thunder along the road causing unreasonable disturbance and discomfort for the residents unfortunate enough to live alongside.

I’ve made these points in writing to Fenland District Council and Cambridgshire County Council and I am now awaiting their response.  I hope the action they take will be speedy and positive.  It really isn’t much to ask that our main roads are kept in a good condition.  I want to be fair though.  Both our district and county councils are generally very good.  There is no reason why they cannot act promptly to address these issues now that the residents and I have raised them clearly and unequivocally.  I am confident this is what they’ll do.  It not… well, we’ll cross that bridge in a couple of months if we come to it.  If I need to put on my fighting gloves (metaphor) to get some action, I will.  I have been encouraged by the response from local councillors over this, though.  It looks like we’re all on the same page.

In the meantime, I’ve emailed Lisa Goddard offering my full support for any protest she wishes to stage (that is within the law, of course).  There is something wonderful about positive local activism.  People who are willing to stand up and be counted are a boon to any community and need our full support when they do so.  If any reader of the blog wants to offer Lisa their help, her number (shown on the front page of the newspaper) is 01945 587195.  I’m sure she’ll be glad of the additional support.

Posted in Fenland District Council, A1101, Cambs. County Council, Leverington, Newton, Tydd St. Giles | No Comments »

12/04/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Playground Antics
The schoolyard was a tough place, as I remember. Not ‘no food on the table’ tough, or even ‘five mile walk to the waterhole’ tough, but nonetheless kids can be mean. They say cruel things with little understanding of the hurt they cause to their peers. They can bully mercilessly, with little respite allowed to their victims. Usually, as people grow older and more confident the need to behave in this way is routed into other, more positive, outlets. Instead of being pointlessly mean, adults affirm themselves by the work they do, the life they lead, the part they play in society and family.  But apparently there are folk in the Labour Party who still lack that maturity.

We hear today that arch-blogger Guido Fawkes has uncovered a planned Labour Party attack on the Conservatives. Emails between Damian McBride and others (including lefty blogger and Labour-insider Derek Draper) show the depths they were prepared to sink to. Was the attack on policy? Of course not. How could it be? Their policies have consistently failed. Was their assault based on sound rhetoric and solid argument? Of course not. How could it be? They wouldn’t know honest debate if it grew horns and fangs and bit them in the (excuse my language) ass. No, Labour’s ‘big idea’ was to go for good old-fashioned character assassination. Lies, lies and more lies.

Among the various stories they planned to literally ‘invent’ out of thin air;- “David Cameron has an embarrassing disease.” “George Osborne used a prostitute.” “A Gay Tory MP was misusing his position to benefit a boyfriend’s business.” But the one that angers me the most is that they planned to make suggestions as to the state of George Osborne’s wife’s mental health. Now listen, I don’t approve of any of this rubbish and nor would any decent person from either side of the political spectrum. It’s playground bullying practised by adults and those responsible need to be dealt with promptly to demonstrate our lack of tolerance for this kind of infantile behaviour.  But Dave and George and the unnamed gay MP aren’t children, they are big enough and ugly enough to deal with this sort of mindless attack. They live in the political world, they know Labour make it dirty. Mrs. Osborne, on the other hand? What sort of slimy miserable scummy piece of filth picks on an innocent women, choosing her possible fragility as a source of ammunition? If one of Labour’s filthy spinners tried that on my wife I’d make John Prescott look gentle. Damian McBride has been sacked. Let’s hope it’s for good. Derek Draper needs to be next.

More Playground Antics
I’ve been involved in a debate over on ConHome about a new story “Police Swoop On Whitstable Graffiti Suspects”.  This was the story:-
A joint initiative between the police and Conservative-run Canterbury Council has resulted in a dawn raid on two teenagers who have been arrested on allegations of widespread graffiti. The police also removed plastic bags full of aerosol paint cans.

Quite a few Conservatives were applauding the police for their action and I can appreciate why.  Graffiti is a problem in many places and as adults we find the practice of it (and other antisocial behaviour) by youths worrying and sometimes frightening.  But I just want to make a call for a little proportion. 

It’s easy to jump on the ‘hoody-bashing’ brigade and assume kids have gone feral. But have you noticed it’s always ‘everyone else’s kids’ rather than our own?  Anybody would think we’d never been teenagers! Or that the men amongst us were all teenage boys who did nothing wrong.  Well, I’ll come clean.  I was a little tearaway!  I had a couple of rebellious years when I was a royal pain in the derriere and then some.  Not violent, or anything like that, but certainly the sort of young man who can be, um, ‘challenging’.  Some proper guidance (and punishment, where required) helped me grow out of it.

Without wanting to get all Eighties “pop culture” on this blog, let’s just take a look at the presumption that the young men in Whitstable were so bad they really did require a ‘dawn raid’ involving joint-police action at great expense to the public.

I remember being a teenage boy quite clearly. I was a graffiti artist too, involved in the ‘breakdance’ craze for a number of years. In my ‘crew’ there were fifty or so young men.  We hung out on street corners, lay pieces of lino on the floor, spun on our backs and so forth.  We painted colourful murals on huge walls. Mostly where people wanted us to. Sometimes not.  We probably swore a lot. We certainly played loud music from our ‘beat boxes’.

I think I’d struggle to name a single ONE of the teenagers I knew who didn’t do *something* some commentators would consider ‘deliberate vandalism’, or ‘contempt for the norms of society’ (except me, of course.  I was an angel.  Ahem.)  The more troubled youths ‘tagged’ walls all over town. Got into fights. Stole people’s milk from their doorstep. Climbed on school and government building roofs. Ran along lengths of front garden jumping people’s hedges. I could go on, but you get the picture. They were acting stupidly while navigating the difficult path to adulthood and responsibility.

And these were the GOOD kids. The breakdance group weren’t the ‘bad boys’. There was an altogether darker element involved in gangs and drugs and the like who thought the breakdancers were ‘goody goodies’ (I’m cleaning up the language a bit here.)

I still talk to many of those people now, via the wonders of Facebook and its electonic friends. They are businessmen and bankers and lawyers and accountants and builders and electricians and doctors et al. They are married, with families. They vote. They are governors in schools. They do charitable work.

So, you see, my point is that sometimes this behaviour is just high jinks and its part and parcel of the norms of society. Even though its irritating, expensive, annoying and occasionally criminal.  Every time I’ve ever known a parent tell me: “My child wouldn’t do that, they were brought up RIGHT” has always been the parent of the most evil little oik of the lot.  It would be wonderful if we lived in a world where kids melded directly into adults without the confusion and hot-blooded ferocity that are the teenage years.  Or would it?  There always has to be a period of learning, or adjustment, or getting to know your value and place in society.  Guidance and discipline can be given without tick-box criminalisation.

I’m not saying: “let them off the hook.” No way. Now that i’m forty all that stuff annoys the hell out of me, just like it does you. But keep a sense of proportion. Punish, but don’t criminalise. You run the risk of turning what is basically a good young man doing a stupid thing into something worse. In the immortal words of a band from the Eighties, the Blow Monkeys: “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

Go Archer!
I wrote to the Fenland Citizen last week, turning my blog post “It’s Not Big and It’s Not Clever” into a letter the paper could publish.  The Leftie and Independent supporters in the area were quick to fly to the defence of the district councillor in question, Mr Archer.  But (predictably) their idea of defence didn’t include any sort of actual debate, didn’t address the issue I’d raised, and came across (to me anyway) as blind partisan solidarity.  Well, that’s okay.  Blind partisan solidarity has its place.  I value loyalty as much as the next guy.  But couldn’t we have some actual argument too?  The two things aren’t mutually-exclusive you know. 

One person asked “What right does Mr. Tierney have to speak on behalf of Manea?”.  Even though nothing in my letter suggested I felt I had any such privelige.  Mr. Archer was having a pop at the District Council.  I live in the District.  It doesn’t take a genius to work out that unless the laws on free speech and democracy have changed utterly, I have every right to take him to task. 

Somebody else pointed out that maybe the Conservatives were afraid that Mr. Archer might be looking to take a County Council seat as well?  Uh-huh.  Doesn’t that just confirm what I said?  Mr. Archer doesn’t care a hoot about the pay of a district officer.  He just knows a populist flag to fly while pursuing his own self-promotional agenda.  I don’t mind independents at all.  They are healthy for our democracy.  But only if they have something genuine to offer.  If some of the people of Manea are happy with Mr. Archer’s recent performance, good for them!  I know a fair few who have been put off by this latest piece of grandstanding.  If he stands for county he might be in for a surprise.  And a trouncing.

Posted in Fenland District Council, Cambs. County Council, Conservatives | No Comments »

19/03/2009 by Steve Tierney.

It’s Not Big & It’s Not Clever
I’ve got to get this off my chest.  But before I do, I need to make a few qualifications.  First of all, I strongly believe there are way too many people employed in the public sector, that some of them get too many perks and that some of them get too much pay.  It needs to be dealt with and I hope a future Conservative government stops the waste, particular on the infamous government ‘non-jobs’ (Co-Odinator in charge of Street Football et al.) which can be done by other departments and most especially the unelected, overpowered Quangos which are the bane of the country.  That said, the current trend of every jumped-up oik demanding to know the detail of every public sector employee’s pay negotation is irritating.  Some people just want to find a scapegoat they can use to divert the public attention from whatever nefarious thing they are doing (Gordon Brown is a case in point.)  Others are just trying to make themselves look important.

Just look at the headline on this week’s Fenland Citizen.  “Anger over perks silence”.  What we have here is an independent (the only independent) on the District Council who seems to think that he needs to up his profile.  Maybe he’s worried that, yet again, the local District Council is being hailed as one of the best in the country?  You’d think, being a member of it, he’d be proud… but it seems not!  Maybe he doesn’t like the fact that it keeps winning awards?  It’s almost entirely Conservative, you see.  The people in his area (Manea) may notice the fact that their Conservative District Council is actually rather excellent and choose to “complete the set” at the next election. 

Here’s the thing.  You don’t get to be rated one of the best councils in the country by employing people for tuppence.  You have to pay a fair market rate when you are going to ask a senior official to juggle millions of pounds and be responsible for an army of staff.  It’s not like you can just employ somebody from Burger King to do it (no offense to Burger King, I love ‘em) I’m all for making savings.  Hell, we need to do it now more than ever!  But it is patently false economy to make savings by trying to pick a fight with your best people, who have a track record of performing admirably year after year.  I guess that’s the job of an independent.  Make some trouble, bask in the dubious ‘limelight’ of the local press.

Rob Bridge, the council’s new Corporate Director, has replied to Mr, Archer, quoting the Data Protection Act as a reason for not answering questions about Mr Taylor.   In an email Mr. Bridge states: “In relation to the contractual and financial information about Mat Taylor, unfortunately because of the council’s Data Protection Act responsibilities I cannot give you the information you have requested. I believe that to do so would breach the second principle of the Data Protection Act.”  Don’t take my word for it.  This comes straight from the report in our fine local newspaper, the Fenland Citizen.

So that response is pretty clear, isn’t it?  Never mind that the law prevents the information being revealed and that this has been explained to Mark Archer, patiently and clearly.  Let’s not let that get in the way of a newspaper crusade which might get him a little exposure.  Call me a cynic, but I can only see this as blatant self-promotion.  Which would be okay if it was helpful.  It’s not.

Posted in Fenland District Council, Election, Conservatives | 1 Comment »