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But what a contrast in 'attitudes' at the Media Centre last Wednesday evening from The Ezekiel Party, compared to their blatant disregard of The Returning Officer's restrictions on numbers at the count on the previous Thursday!
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It would seem that Clive Hart (Lab Leader) has been encouraging his Labour Cllrs to attend these 'training sessions' and prior to last Wednesday booked himself in with his wife Sandy (newly elected member for Dane Valley) with TDC's Democratic Services Officers to attend on Wed 9 Dec. Mrs Hart's name was on the list of attendees and she duly signed in on arrival for her first 'training session'. She did not stay long and nor did most Labour members. Let me explain why.
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Unlike Richard Samuel, who failed to ask the Ezekiel Party ' hangers on' to leave The Media Centre on the evening of the 'count' ( it is reported that 'Wannabe Worrow' was amongst them), 'Woger' Latchford rushed forward quickly and approached Mr Hart and told him that his new Cllr for Dane Valley was considered by The Ezekiel Party present, to be not entitled to be there as she had yet to be 'sworn-in' on 17 Dec at Council. So Mr Hart, Mrs Hart and the Labour members present, promptly left.
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I regard this as extraordinarily petty and nasty behaviour by 'Woger' and his Ezekiel Party members and is just another reason why I am glad I left NTCA. So a newly elected Cllr is to be discouraged from attending a 'training' evening on the grounds that she has yet to be sworn in? Isn't it fascinating that The Ezekiel Party members and 'Woger' seem to insist on ' correct protocol' when it suits them and took the opportunity of making some petty political point about 'protocol' when a week earlier they were happy to ignore a Returning Officer's rules at an Election Count; a far more serious matter that was ignored by The Returning Officer.
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Just another example to TDC's electorate of 'one rule for us' as The Ezekiel Party and 'another rule' for the rest of you. One has to ask the question how 'Woger' and The Ezekiel Party would have greeted a certain Ingrid Spencer, if she had walked in for 'training' instead of Sandra Hart, as the new member for Dane Valley Ward?
15 comments:
Poor Sandra - how humiliating but at least you now know what you have let yourself in for. Just remember Sandra when confronted with a roomful of idiots that you are a mature adult with concern for your community who stood as a candidate because you feel you can make a difference. Hold your head up high and just remember not to stoop to their level and you will be fine
Bertie
You should get all of the facts before making a statement as contentious as yours.
Cllr Mrs Hart was not officially "sworn in" as a cllr, therefore she was not eligable to have seen the contents of the meeting that were on pink (confidential), Cllr Latchford was correct in pointing this fact out, perhaps in not the most quiet of ways. Cllr Mr Hart would have been aware of this fact and could be considered to have been inflamatory in allowing the then Mrs, now Cllr Mrs Hart to have attended in the first place.
It does seem a little churlish of the whole group to have thrown their respective teddies out of the prams and left. It wouldn't surprise me if Cllr Mr Hart cited Cllr Mrs Harts bruised and battered feelings in yet another standards complaint. For gods sake get a grip!
Bertie, it really does not do you any favours to make such statements, you are being percieved as a one item vendetta, and you were so much better than that.
Do try and make a new year resolution to going back to the more informed, balanced blogger you once were, and don't resort to the low swipes that other Thanet bloggers have dropped to.
Happy Christmas to you and your family
Ezekiel and his cronies are in for a shock come the election.
Got to say Bertie, for someone who wasn't there, that was an incredibly accurate reporting of events (though I couldn't possibly condone the nick-names).
I just wonder if Panama Steve ever attended any councillor training?
All petty Bertie but what else do you expect?
i want to alert you to something else - a glossy questionnaire asking me as a member of the public to prioritise how TDC put the axe on services to save £1.8 million! - isnt that why we have elected representatives? to decide that for us? are the ruling party not in tune enough with the electorate to be able to decide?or dont they want to be accountable for their actions?
The questionnaire asks me with weighted questions - do i support TDC reviewing staff terms and conditions - do i rate benefits advice highly? have i read the annual accounts?
how much has it cost mailing every resident with this(we've had 2 sent to the same household!) This is a tory councillor spending money like this they are meant to be the ones saving?
How times have changed, when Frank Batt won a council seat for the Conservatives from Labour in a by election a few years back. Frank was welcomed to the council by the then Labour administration and there was none of this pettiness. In fact I can recall him sitting on meetings before ratification by full Council.
I apologise for delay in putting comments up; have been busy on family matters.
Annie, thank you for your comments and Christmas greetings; they are reciprocated.
Would a simple request for Mrs Hart to retire whilst discussing 'pink' issues at the meeting not have been complied with by her? The whole business does seem awfully petty and most unwelcoming to a new Cllr and Tony's comment seems to indicate that things were better dealt with in the past.
As you hint at, 'Woger' was not perhaps as discrete in this matter as one would have expected and perhaps that is where offence may have been taken?
You must forgive me for being critical of TDC and its ruling Ezekiel Party. I am concerned as a conservative (now with a small C as I have left the party temporarily) that until TDC Conservatives wake up to the need to change their leadership and key posts, we will see a Labour Council back in charge in 2011. The clock is ticking away and surely what was heard on doorsteps in Dane Valley has perhaps given an insight into how the Conservative Party in its guise as The Ezekiel Party, has lost the support of many of those who once would automatically vote Conservative in a Council Election. For the good of the Conservative Party locally, a change is needed and needed quickly.
hear hear with your comments Bertie, you are not on a "one-man vendetta" you are trying to state the facts as they are Dane Valley should be a wake up call!
1.Choose a Conservative candidate for the council of the highest standing. (man from Panama was clearly not!)
2. No-one of good public service potential is going to want to stand for the current (Ezekiel party/Thanet conservative party)as they are not perceived to act in the best interests of their community!
3. Those canvassing were all of the Ezekiel party - and even the candidate was a "has been" poor ward councillor who was replaced for her lack of presence in Westgate by the Chairman of the residents assoc - Tom King
Bertie please comment on the consultation paper asking how the £1.8 cost cuts axe should be swung thought you might have an angle to it!
Bertie as someone that was present, I actually saw Cllr Latchford take Clive Hart aside and advise him very quietly and politely having first congratulated him on Mrs Hart's success, that his wife could not be at the meeting as the whole issue was on Pink, he also advised Cllr Hart that the final decision was his as Leader of the opposition.Bertie I enjoy your Blogs but it would be nice if what is written is sometimes checked, as it is clear from other anonymous contributors and your Labour sources, that all is not as reported furthermore the political infighting does absolutely nothing for the residents of Thanet.Bertie I wish you a happy Christmas and ask that your blog is more balanced in the New Year
Bertie, I suggest that you get your facts right before you start pointing the finger; I have a letter that confirms that I was one of Ingrids agents.
As for being a "wannabe", I currently represent my community as a councillor at parish level(a non-party political body) and I am quite happy in that role thank you.
In my other role, as an officer for NTCA, I worked very hard for our candidate, and I deeply resent being called a "hanger-on".
On the day of the election, I enjoyed the company of Iris,Ingrid, Wendy and Bill; we all got on very well.
I think it is very unfair of you to judge people that you don't really know.
17.23, thanks for your comment and Christmas greetings; they are reciprocated and I will try and do better regarding balance!
John, please accept my apologies for describing you as a 'hanger-on' when you were clearly entitled to be one of the 4 including Ingrid Spencer who had presumably given prior notification to the Returning Officer and were complying with his instructions; it is a pity that other supporters did not do so and thus created an embarrassment that should never have ocurred.
I think it is highly commendable of you to serve your community as a Parish Cllr and should you have aspirations to represent your 'parish' further as a District Councillor then good luck to you. I had not realised that you were an officer of NTCA and trust you will be involved in deeper analysis than a glib 'wet weather' as to why Dane Valley was lost to Labour with the NTCA Candidate pushed into 3rd place.
I hope that MI5 are aware of the TDC 'Pink Memos'. That Councillors about to be sworn in are not privy to such top secret 'pink' agendas until they have sworn on oath of death that they will be party to TDC death pacts!
What a load of bollocks!
So Councillor Worrow was 'one of Ingrid's agents'. How many did she need and if only four were allowed in for the count officially, who were these people?
The candidate, her partner/spouse if she has one, her agent and A.N. Other. I thought only one agent was allowed for this election but perhaps someone can correct me on that. Doesn't alter the basic facts that more than the allowed four were admitted, does it?
"Wannabe"
So tell me what you want, what you really really want,
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really
really really wanna Cabinet post.
If you wanna be a tory, anyone will do,
If you want my future forget my past,
Now don't go wasting my precious time,
Get your act together we could be just fine.
Go for it Sandy, make a stand and show the Tories just how good the Labour Councillors are. Broadhurst was an absolute disgrace, Latchford and Ezekiel seem to enjoy ridiculing and swearing at people in public places also a disgrace to the tory Party. It is time we had a complete change get rid of the lot of them and start again. make us proud and show then how to do it.
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