Monday 21 May 2012

The Perversion of Democracy in Thanet


At last week’s Annual General Meeting, the minority Labour administration at Thanet District Council sealed a sordid alliance with the Thanet Independent Group members to retain their hold on power.

The pact ordered by socialist Council Leader Cllr.Clive Hart was a cynical and desperate manoeuvre to keep his party in control, and was further discredited by his nomination of all three TIG members (Cllrs. Cohen, Driver and Worrow) to the chairmanships of the most powerful committees at the Council, giving these largely unrepresentive councillors, two of whom have changed parties since they were elected only last year, large allowances to guarantee their continuing support.

TIG members have already secured concessions from the Labour administration costing many thousands of pounds to secure their votes and there can be no doubt that further concessions will be solicited in the future to keep the TIGs onside.

Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Bob Bayford said: “Every true and principled member of the Labour Group at Thanet District Council must be feeling ashamed today after their leader’s capitulation to the demands of the Thanet Independent Group.  I call on all those with any decency to reassert their party’s honour by instructing their leader to meet with me to discuss an arrangement which has the proper interests of Thanet residents at heart, or to stand down.”

13 comments:

  1. I'm not sure I understand...

    ...Isn't this what happens when one party fails to secure an overall majority?

    ...Don't they work together with other parties in the best interest of the electorate?

    ...Doesn't this include giving members of other parties positions of power?

    ...I'm sure this has happened somewhere else recently... but where is it?! Any ideas?

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  2. Frustrated at the double standards from Bayford!Monday 21 May 2012 at 11:10:00 BST

    Perversion of democracy?

    Give us a break!

    This is exactly what happened last year with Bayford giving the most powerful committees to the three independent Councillors. However the reason he is so opposed to it this time is because he is not involved. Perhaps get rid of the most divisive figures in your cabinet, i.e. Wise, Moores and Gregory, and then Labour might be interested in talking with your party. Until then take your sour grapes somewhere else.

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  3. Actually I was told Labour offered the committees to the independents last year - and at least they were elected! This is just shabby ....

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  4. Well if you are happy to have Clive U-Turn on his 2010 statements (in opposition) when he was all for cutting back on allowances AND committee positions then fine!

    Personally the thought of tens of thousands of pounds OVER what was already a fairly expensive Council being splashed about to prop up a Labour minority (I voted for them) and being given to TIG (who have hardly proven themsleves worthy of much more than ship jumping) I find offensive, this cash is being removed from front line services!

    I'd sack the lot of them Conservative/Labour and Independant and let the Council civil servants run the bloody thing, our Councillors are just a shambles and a large percentage just out to stuff their pockets with cash while they are in office.

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  5. I must say I am really enjoying this,especially the way the blue corner reacts at the very mention of John Worrow's name. John Worrow is running rings around them and their responses just gives them no credibility whatsoever, they are not even fit for purpose. Look at the way Thanetlife blog has descended into the gutter damaging it's own reputation with the personal attacks. Overall the blue corner are reacting as they normaly do and shows them up to be the people they are, poisonous. But this time it is a very public spectacle.

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  6. "The perversion of Democracy in Thanet" does that include a blogging councillor (Thanet Life) telling another Blogger what he can and cannot write on his blog (Thanet Waves).

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    1. Always had you marked down as a reasonable man, Tony B, and I do have some sympathy with your amusement at the reactions around the blogging world. Nonetheless, anyone who can have any time for John Worrow after the way he has behaved loses my respect. Apart from turning his back on those who elected him just months into his term, Worrow's blog has been a succession of one sided propoganda, not accepting honest debate or opposing opinion, and culminating in an undisguised attack on a member of the very community he is supposed to represent.

      Other bloggers, Michael Child, Mike Harrison, Simon Moore, Will Scobie, Tony Flaig and James Maskell to name a few, all publish criticism, but not the shallow Cllr Worrow. As for him running rings around anyone, you have to be joking. Whilst I would agree his party, the TIG group, are holding the council to ransom, that is more down to the political skills of Ian Driver than anything Worrow is capable of.

      Tony, I reiterate that I think you are a decent bloke and are serving the people of Ramsgate for the right reasons. Hence, do yourself a favour and don't get too close to the ego trip Worrow.

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    2. Tony B.. I hardly think that Worrow is running rings around me or anyone else, in fact he's looking more like a car with three burst tyres every day that passes. As for 'descending into the gutter' that's hardly me and I'm simply reporting what is going on, as is Tony Flaig and indeed Michael Child. People really deserve to know the truth and if you look at the TIG recovered website it's there for all to see!

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  7. Tom,

    Shortly after the 2007 local elections an independent elected on the Ramsgate First ticket defected to the Conservatives.
    He was welcomed into the blue ranks with open arms and there was nowhere near this level of political poison we are seeing at present. So why is it that people can defect to the Conservatives and are accepted with open arms and yet defectors are considered the worst form of life and are ridiculed.

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  8. Tom,

    I should also add that I knew long before it became public that John Worrow was going to defect. Plus I have been communicating with him on facebook since the day he was elected.

    As for other Blogs and Blogging, do you honestly think that most people pay any attention to blog politics. Personaly, I think political blogging is so over rated and is such a bore. Some people really need to get a life.

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    1. Tony, if, as you suggest, political blogging is such a bore, why do you get involved in it. After all, in this thread, both Simon Moores and I are responding to a comment made by you, not the other way round. As to how long you have been a pen friend of John Worrow, now that seriously is boring. Are you also privvy to his voice mail messages as well by any chance? That sounds a bit more exciting if, of course with fantasy boy, there is any truth in that story either.

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  9. Tom, you are starting to sound very twisted and bitter.

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    Replies
    1. Debate gets tricky so out with the name calling. Sounds a little like TDC meetings.

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