Topic: Swindon Labour Launches 2010 Local Manifesto

[Geoff Reid]

Lamplighters brings Talkswindon Members a sneak preview of.....

The Labour candidates for Swindon's Local election are about to launch their 2010 manifesto. The theme of the manifesto is "Building Swindon's Future" and is designed to be a long term, sustainable and credible alternative to the Conservative's current approach.


Policies that the Swindon Labour Group are promising to deliver include:

    *    A new mass transit system

    *    An easily accessible and integrated cycle network

    *    Green-sector jobs

    *    Building homes that are of the highest environmental standards


The Labour Group are also promising not to raise Council tax above the level of inflation unless central government cuts funding to local authorities.

                         

                       

Leader of the Labour Group, Councillor Derique Montaut, says:

"This manifesto sets out a bold and radical vision of how Swindon can develop and grow as a town. The Conservatives have got their priorities all wrong over the last few years and have shown themselves to be out of touch with mainstream Swindon, the Labour Group offers a future that will improve the lives of ALL Swindoners"

Rochelle Russell, the Labour candidate for Abbey Meads, is similarly enthusiastic:

"This manifesto is a truly inspiring vision of a future Swindon. It certainly has motivated me to get out on the doorstep in Abbey Meads and convince my voters that the Swindon Labour Party is a group that you can trust to deliver for them"

5 Ways in 5 Days... 


 


The Swindon Labour Party are also setting up a new website dedicated to the forthcoming elections.  Labour Councillors they it will allow voters a chance to have a real look at who they want to represent them......but I haven't been able to get into it yet for a sneaky preview. (even I can't get at everything when I want to  )


More as it comes in.


Remember:  You heard it here first.

[Geoff Reid]

 
And, somewhere in Abbey Meads, someone has just farted nervously.....   

[Ringer]

Oh dear Justin's john Bull printing press will be having apoplexy as in the non medical term. This is even more visionary than Rod Bluh and yet has not of the smirk. Seems like Rochelle knows who her voters are.

This is more than tanks on lawns, it has no mention of wi-fi or dead ducks. The website is going live are you sure that there is not an election called? B52s come to mind know what I mean

Great to see a real war on now let me think is SBC equalising pay? Are the unions fed up with this? Is this the way of fighting back? GMB sponsoring Victor and Unite writing to every member living in Swindon, and other union members offering assistance with leafletting? Looks like an old giant has woken from its slumbers. I am sure the cabinet have sorted equal pay issues by now

[Geoff Reid]

 

it has no mention of wi-fi or dead ducks.

Yes it does:

The lack of consultation over key decisions from the Conservatives, like Wi-Fi, has been simply unacceptable and must change. The residents of Swindon need to be included in the work of their Council and Labour is committed to making it easier for people to have their voices heard.

I completely agree with this statement.

[Ringer]

Flippin heck you are right

[PAV]

[Simon]

Great to see a real war on now let me think is SBC equalising pay? Are the unions fed up with this? Is this the way of fighting back? GMB sponsoring Victor and Unite writing to every member living in Swindon, and other union members offering assistance with leafletting? Looks like an old giant has woken from its slumbers. I am sure the cabinet have sorted equal pay issues by now

Are the unions fed up with this? I'd like to have thought so, given the number of trade union banners I've seen on the demos I've attended in recent years, but sadly it seems that the trade unions are still funding the Labour party, despite its betrayal of everything that they (ought to) stand for.

[Ringer]

Is it true that old socialists never die they just fade away?

[Simon]

Is it true that old socialists never die they just fade away?

I'm too angry to post a coherent response.

Suffice to say that the old socialists have lost touch with their political roots, and have thrown their lot in with NuLabour.

I'll be voting elsewhere. Probably Green.

[Richard Symonds]

Wow, this is impressive stuff and that says something coming from a lifelong former Conservative. 

What you might call real vision and conviction and we seem to have lost that recently. 

Well done Monty, you have earnt a lot of respect here!

[Mart]

Yeah, but if the unthinkable happened in 5 years you would hate him.

It's all promises up front and a slightly grubby and used feeling a few months later.

I'd like someone to promise very little in a downbeat and matter of fact way, get in by some miracle of modern technology.

Then surprise and delight me in the months and years that followed.

May as well promise us all hoverboots.

[kohima]

SOME PEOPLE CAN BE FOOLED ALL OF THE TIME AND SOME ARE FOOLED EVERY TIME, ASK HIM ABOUT THE ED DEPT AND WHY IT WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM HIS COUNCIL, ASK HIM WHY HE LIVES ON AN EX SPORTS FIELD THAT HIS COUNCIL SOLD OFF, ALONG WITH NEARLY EVERY OTHER ONE IN THE TOWN, ASK HIM WHY THEY SPENT THE MONEY FROM COUNCIL HOUSE RECEIPTS ON REFUBISHING THE BRUNEL CENTRE AND NOT ONE HOUSE BUILT AND WHAT HAPPEND TO THE MONEY FROM THE SALE OF THE CENTRE, ASK HIM IF HE CAN RUN THE COUNCIL ON TAXES AND CURRENT RATES, WHY DID HE PUT RATES UP BY NEARLY 50% IN JUST THREE YEARS, ASK HIM HOW MANY ALLOTTMENT SITES HIS LOT SOLD OFF  WHILE IN POWER, I THINK THE ANSWER IS 4 OR 5, WHERES ALL THE LDV VANS RUN ON LPG, THAT THEY BOUGHT ?. MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS.......

[Tea Boy]

SOME PEOPLE CAN BE FOOLED ALL OF THE TIME AND SOME ARE FOOLED EVERY TIME, ASK HIM ABOUT THE ED DEPT AND WHY IT WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM HIS COUNCIL, ASK HIM WHY HE LIVES ON AN EX SPORTS FIELD THAT HIS COUNCIL SOLD OFF, ALONG WITH NEARLY EVERY OTHER ONE IN THE TOWN, ASK HIM WHY THEY SPENT THE MONEY FROM COUNCIL HOUSE RECEIPTS ON REFUBISHING THE BRUNEL CENTRE AND NOT ONE HOUSE BUILT AND WHAT HAPPEND TO THE MONEY FROM THE SALE OF THE CENTRE, ASK HIM IF HE CAN RUN THE COUNCIL ON TAXES AND CURRENT RATES, WHY DID HE PUT RATES UP BY NEARLY 50% IN JUST THREE YEARS, ASK HIM HOW MANY ALLOTTMENT SITES HIS LOT SOLD OFF  WHILE IN POWER, I THINK THE ANSWER IS 4 OR 5, WHERES ALL THE LDV VANS RUN ON LPG, THAT THEY BOUGHT ?. MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS.......

hmmm pot calling the kettle black perhaps, while a former labour lead administration were doing this, what were the opposition up to? You can't blame Monty for putting into words what a lot of swindonians are thinking. As for LDV vans i can remember driving one when they first came out, environmentally friendly yes (did  their purchase involve a substantial grant to go green as well?), but as economic as burning solid gold, they had to go at the end of thier time they were crippling Swindon Services (any way industrial vans have limited lifespans). A failed experiment perhaps, but at least there were very real benefits for all (council work got done)and the vans were LDV (supporting British industry), not just a wifi freebee loan to a councillor's dodgy handshake mate / conservative supporter and a few thousand quid spent on imported wifi routers from Tiawan!

I don't particularly care what went on years ago, whats happening now is more important than history, it's been and gone and you need to do some catching up with issues being discussed about the here and now...... thankfully at least, a few of our local government representatives are drawing a line in the sand and saying its not good enough!

and....hey .......  the big button 4 rows down from the top on the left of the keyboard, press it once will you...... good we are now back in lower case for your reply

[Richard Symonds]

SOME PEOPLE CAN BE FOOLED ALL OF THE TIME AND SOME ARE FOOLED EVERY TIME, ASK HIM ABOUT THE ED DEPT AND WHY IT WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM HIS COUNCIL, ASK HIM WHY HE LIVES ON AN EX SPORTS FIELD THAT HIS COUNCIL SOLD OFF, ALONG WITH NEARLY EVERY OTHER ONE IN THE TOWN, ASK HIM WHY THEY SPENT THE MONEY FROM COUNCIL HOUSE RECEIPTS ON REFUBISHING THE BRUNEL CENTRE AND NOT ONE HOUSE BUILT AND WHAT HAPPEND TO THE MONEY FROM THE SALE OF THE CENTRE, ASK HIM IF HE CAN RUN THE COUNCIL ON TAXES AND CURRENT RATES, WHY DID HE PUT RATES UP BY NEARLY 50% IN JUST THREE YEARS, ASK HIM HOW MANY ALLOTTMENT SITES HIS LOT SOLD OFF  WHILE IN POWER, I THINK THE ANSWER IS 4 OR 5, WHERES ALL THE LDV VANS RUN ON LPG, THAT THEY BOUGHT ?. MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS.......

Is this the ramblings of someone who used to be one of their number?

[Simon]

and....hey .......  the big button 4 rows down from the top on the left of the keyboard, press it once will you...... good were now back in lower case for your reply

[komadori]

The manifesto is now online on the red's new website.
http://swindon-labour.co.uk/featured

[kohima]

maybe ramblins and upper or lower its still the same, and it may have been years ago, but those who would now ask for your votes are the same as those then who proved how rubbish they were, this is the man who went round rover telling workers not to sell their council house, when they found out he had sold his, he replied, its not me the wife sold it!!,
enjoy your sports day, ask him and helllet you play in his back garden........

[Muggins]

Allotments - as we went though a period where they couldn't let out allotments, it didn't seem too much of an issue when some of them were sold off.   Governments said build on brownfield sites in towns before than countryside.  Classing allotments as brownfields dodgy so when it started to get a bit much government stepped in and said "Hang on - don't build there".

Same with Playing Fields,  Monty doesn't live on a whole playing field, just a bit that was sold off.  NOW that playing field has been developed, for the sake of education they say. some of the playing fields sold off did not belong to the council. Wills for instance.

Council houses, it was a Tory government that stopped the building of council houses, nothing to do with our council.  The housing receipts is ring fenced - can only be spent on housing so it has not or should not have funded the Brunel.   I can tell you how £100,000 of the sale of that was spent - on new changing rooms at Penhill Playing Fields to enable the playing fields to function as that and so not end up being sold off.

Some of the places mentioned have been 'given' or leased at peppercorn rent to housing assocations to build social housing.

It was originally a Labour government that sold off council houses to those that lived in them, for a short period until someone pointed out  how against their ethos this was and they stopped it.  It was the Tories that brought it back in again.

I was invited to see around the first council house sold off in Swindon, this was half way down Pinehurst Road and circa 1974

[Steve Wakefield]

Muggins
 

You are right Labour did sell them at market value, not at the discount levels later introduced  by Conservatives. The Swindon Labour council did not want to follow the Conservative Right To Buy discounts give away. I think you may recall that folklore says that John Hickman Chief Housing Officer and Cllr Des Moffatt were summonsed up to London to  see the Secretary of State Nicholas Ridley MP Conservative Cirencester, for a good  talking too?

Proceeds from the sales of the houses at heavily discounted rates were ring fenced as you said. Council's were I think allowed to spend 25% of the interest only.

[Muggins]

I had forgotten that the actual income from the sale of the houses was also ring fenced - I was talking about the Council Housing as a whole.

Is it still right that the income cannot be taken and used elsewhere, but must be re-invested into the council housing stock? 

Was that the same old Nick that "was minded to grant planning permission" for Northern development?