Tory Pledge of Incompetence

Looks like the Tories have turned to Microsoft Publisher to gloss over the truth of failure that has tortured this administration for years.

Musings from Medway will be examining this document of half-truths over the weekend and will be challenging them head on.

What should be very concerning for the public is that despite all the quotes on efficiency and effective management, the document itself has no imprint; the note which states that it is printed and promoted by X on behalf of Y and should always be found at the bottom of all publications produced in an election, and indeed out of it.

The document itself has a very small number of photos including a picture of a combine harvester and a clear pitch at the elderly voter in Medway but is aside from that very corporate, but pretty vacuous.

If this document so happened to be the short-campaign election leaflet, then someone somewhere could just have spent a small fortune on a document which should not be distributed at all. Ouch.

Either way, some Tories have now withdrawn the document, but in the confusion others are still linking it.

This is symbolic of the utter mess of the Tories. Maybe flash and glossy but actually scratch the surface and there is no substance.

No wonder they are reeling in the polls.

This pledge launch has been a disaster, in part because of the vacuous content but also because the document itself is on the face of it, in breach of rules.

If that is not symbolic of the Tories over the last four years; we now know what to expect over the next four.

Courting the Press?

The rumours in the Tory ranks in the Rochester & Strood constituency party are apparently at fever pitch as many political pundits can't help but have noticed the distinct low profile of Councillor Rodney Chambers and the way the Council, and some sections of the press, are fawning over every press statement by the rising star from Rainham; Cllr Mike O'Brien.

Part of the new generation of twitterers he has amassed a sizeable following of 1,888 (NB: I am envious). Followers of the rising star include those from the left leaning CheRecords, to the should be read by colleagues across benches, slimminganswer, to h4auto, located on Honolulu. It seems his tweets reach far and wide, including the beltway.

This blog predicted a few weeks ago that we could see an emerging player for leader of the Tories, in what is widely predicted to be Rodney's last hurrah.

And so it would seem - It has been difficult to keep track of the copious press statements from the Council and Tory group from the Portfolio holder. Ranging from the new Android iPhone App, to pontificating over the Rainham road works, to garden pursuits. The internet is buzzing.

So is this the green light for higher office or is this just good electioneering?

No one knows, but if it were, this is what you would expect them to do.

Well it can not come to soon...

Either way, the ''dynamic'' duo of Chambers and Jarrett have had their time. Cllr Jarrett, the former Unionist can beat the drum but has a somewhat unique ability to manage the press. Chambers has had a strong innings but has been the captain for some time.

So is it time for a change? After May 5th we will soon find out.

A Medway Labour Administration would surely lead to a change in Tory leadership

Medway MP's to cash in?

(Press cutting from 2009: Not related to Medway MPs)

This blog has been waiting a few days to see if any of our newly minted Medway Tory MPs would respond to the quietly released IPSA announcement last week, which will allow our MPs to claim additional allowances on children travelling by train, office ‘related’ expenses and on second-home rental.

A small part expected them to make some press statement or other, complaining about the unfortunate situation of extra cash, which was necessary to subsidise their ever-so-hard four day a week sitting in the House, coupled with subsidized alco-pops on the Commons veranda and food in the exclusive fast food joints that can be found within the hallowed halls of Westminster.

It’s a tough old gig this MP lark.

Alas, expectations have been dashed. Not one tweet, letter, word or indeed smoke signal from the merry band of Medway MPs.

It is almost as if, ssshh, whisper it, they had not noticed that they were due to benefit.

For those of you who don’t know, and that is probably a number, IPSA was established to curtail greed by MPs who took advantage of the pre-existing system for financial gain.

It has since been attacked from pillar-to-post by mostly Tory MPs for daring to squeeze elected MPs, of all persuasions, by introducing a very tight control of the public purse, or in business terms, some basic financial control and audit. It was a welcome development for the public who incidentally earn way below the average MPs salary of £66,000, who perceived all MPs, unfairly, of being on the take.

As a response to this scandal, our own MPs (then mere PPCs) signed a Clean Campaign pledge which committed to full transparency on expenses.

We will therefore expect them to provide full costings of any second home rental and other costs incurred from their offices.

Not one Medway MP needs rental on a second-home because they live within a reasonable commuting distance from London

This blogger works in the private sector; and this type of subsidy smells bad when employers and employees are struggling to balance the books.

The public do not like it. Be rest assured.

It is time our MPs not only published their constituency figures but walk the walk on expenses. They need to push back and refuse the extra cash, because actually, their constituents demand it.

We have seen nothing from any of our MPs on pushing back for less cash from IPSA.

A bad week for democracy hidden behind the budget. Pay perks it seems can be curtailed from everyone else but the MPs.

Yes, that is me and you.

Strood North mired in allegations

(Click on image to expand)

Strood North stands on the precipice of Tory scandal this weekend as all the Medway papers have chosen to lead on the allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Strood North veteren Cllr Chitty.

Over the years the ward has been neglected by Conservatives as we can see from the total inactivity on the Strood Conservative website.

Over the last four years Strood has suffered

• Closure of the Civic Centre and £850,000 Aveling & Porter cost for a Car Park
• Digging up of Station Road (twice) after administration blunder
• Poor air quality
• Huge traffic jams caused by poorly co-ordinated works
• Allegation after allegation of poor behaviour by Rochester & Strood Councillors
• The destruction of the independent high street as planning permission given for rapant expansion of super stores

People are fed up with the constant stories and allegations and are demanding real action from capable and competent Councillors who will spend in time Strood, rather then jetting to China.

It is time for a fresh start in Strood North with a competent team lead by Stephen Hubbard, Liam Curran and Linda Robson who are committed to:

• Freeze Council Tax for two years
• Re-introduce the Labour Policy for free swimming for pensioners and children
• £100,000 reduction in fat cat Tory pay perks
• Medway Freedom Pass for young people
  
• Heritage-led regeneration and learning from Aveling & Porter disgrace
• Support for green spaces and parks including Broomhill
• Opposition to Tory Police cuts and elected Police commissioner.
• Weekly bin collection retained and not threatend as in 2007 by Tory cabinet
• Sure Starts safeguarded despite Tory cuts to budgets

If you want your tax frozen, Sure Starts protected, more police on your street then Vote Labour.

If you want allegations and cuts, Vote Conservative.

Printed & Promoted by Derek Munton, on behalf of Rochester & Strood Labour all at 73 Maidstone Road, Rochester Kent. ME1 1RL

Scandal could rock Strood North Tories

(MedwayMessenger)

Looks like Strood North is back in the public spotlight today as the marginal ward is mired in what could be a major and explosive scandal just at the time of a local election in May.

This blog has commented before on the antics of selection in the Strood North ward which saw a game of musical chairs occur less then two months ago. Rumours sprung that the retiring Councillor was offered a seat in Gillingham & Rainham by the Conservative leadership, in an attempt to retain Strood North against a clear Labour resurgence in the ward. We will soon find out.

Jane Chitty returned after a previous allegation was dropped that she had made some errors on her address in the 2007 election (see above). So it was with a furrowed brow that this blog noted that another case had been brought against Councillor Jane Chitty.

The accusation, and it is only an accusation, is that Jane Chitty acted inappropriately on a Council sponsered event to China where a 16 year old was present.

Despite the spin from known quarters about why details have not been revealed. Parties will know that the press, this blog, no one will be able to discuss any case that is brought before the Standard's Committee, especually at this stage where it is only an accusation. As such this blog is not in a position to comment on the antics of the Councillor but sufficed to say there is sufficient merit to justify a thorough investigation.

Former Conservative Councillors and right wing commentators today have taken it upon themselves to talk about 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' and have target the individual who has brought the complaint.

It is outrageous to read some of the comments from the right tonight that without any result of the Standard's Board they are stating that

"this is just a politically-motivated smear campaign against a high-profile Conservative councillor (and prospective candidate to re-stand) who happened to be with the complainant recently, offering scope for mischief."

So lets for the sake of it look at the individual who has led the complaint, one Lloyd Davis - a local businessman who employs local people and who is stalwart of the community, and type of figure Medway Council and the Tory administration should be supporting and encouraging locally.

Lloyd Davis is indeed a small businessman, and one that has had to manage a very successful business despite his opposition to the £2.5m Chatham two-way system which has, as this individual predicted, seen a decline in trade in the town. For the sake of accuracy, he was totally right, the town has suffered because of this road-system fiasco.

But anyway, readers may be interested to know in 2008 that Lloyd won the Kent Special Constable of the Year trophy for his work both in his own community and his assistance to those in need abroad.

He was recognised for his continued work within the Chinese community and particularly for the work he undertook following the earthquake in China in 2008. Lloyd was able to obtain 50,000 mosquito nets and after many days of hard work and endless phone calls, he was able to ship the nets to China.

Lloyd was also awarded for his assistance with a fatal incident. Whilst off duty, he was talking with fellow officers outside his home when a call came in about a serious accident nearby. He offered to assist his colleagues and went to the scene of the incident where a young child had been badly injured and was in a critical condition.

The volunteer officer remained with the boy and his mother until they were conveyed to hospital. Unfortunately the child did not recover from his injuries. Lloyd’s calmness, reassurance and professional manner whilst at the scene was a credit not only to the Special Constabulary but to Kent Police as a whole.

Area Commander Steve Corbishley said:

"Medway are very proud of the achievements of Lloyd and all his special constable colleagues over the past year. Specials are a vital part of the Medway police team and their role in reducing crime and tackling anti social behaviour cannot be underestimated.

"People often forget that Specials give up their time for free and this fact makes their achievements all the more fantastic.

Steve has since departed from the Special Constabulary but with all due respect to Medway Conservatives, former Medway Conservaratives or those who support them.

I know which member of the community I trust with their judgement.

It is time for a change. Medway Conservatives are out of ideas, out of touch and out of time.

Vote Labour in Strood and get rid of the constant stories.

Reckless Gamble isn't paying off.

Just yesterday this blog speculated on what the need for a budget of growth for Medway – specifically for those areas deepest in urban Medway that have been identified as being the hardest hit from public spending cuts.

The headline is that the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) downgraded its growth forecasts from 2.1% to 1.7% this year and coupled with inflationary pressures, people across Medway are suffering.

Government policy today is clearly hedged on private sector employment picking up the unemployment figures from public sector job cuts.

In areas such as Medway – with the three largest employers being the NHS, the university sector and the council – this is crucial to families right across the towns, and indeed carries similar implications for the whole region. Whilst we wait to see if this Governments bet is correct we should be fighting for these areas to get the most efficient resource and support for private sector growth – such as campaigning for Medway to become one of the today announced Enterprise Zones – sadly, we will not get a look in!

Tackling unemployment is particularly important to young people in Medway, with the area facing youth unemployment rates (for 16-24 year olds) that are at their highest for decades. Medway must counteract the so called 'Brain Drain' and retain young graduates, as well as supporting non-graduates, to ease transition into employment. Whilst the budget today announced increased apprenticeships and work experience places, Nick Pearce in the FT rightly commented that neither of these programmes is as generously funded as Labour's Future Jobs Fund, which was scrapped by the current Government.

However, there were some positive announcements for people in the Medway today, the reduction in Fuel Duty is good news for many – both in urban and rural areas, such as the Peninsula, with limited public transport and long travel distances – but the 1p decrease should be viewed in the context of the 3p VAT rise (which isn't being altered) and the possibility of significant fluctuations in global oil prices, which the 1p decrease won't prevent.

But what does this mean to people living their daily lives in Rochester, or Strood or Chatham?

One has to remember that people are being bombarded from every angle, with the IFS accusing the treasury of giving a little with one hand and taking a lot with the other.

Personal taxation will play a crucial element, with reports concluding average households suffering a £600 decrease in available income each year.

George Osborne's budget priorities are also somewhat concerning. It seems that the focus is on private sector growth – which isn't a bad thing in itself – but at the behest of ordinary people and the public sector.

It will take a number of days to unpick the detail of today’s budget, and the months and years ahead to verify its impact. Budgets are an example of political theatre but they do matter.

The take-home message today is the continuation of the Government’s dangerous gamble that the private sector can pick up the pieces of billions in public sector cuts, imposed too deep and too fast, by this Conservative-led Government.

Budget blues spell danger for Tories

Do you really trust this man?

Tomorrow will see George Osborne unveil his second budget since coming to office almost a year ago and its clear that the wheels are falling off this reckless strategy of cutting too far and too fast.

On deficit reduction the chancellor has shown leadership of sorts, but on growth, he has been absent from the debate.

The biggest test of the budget is whether it is good for growth, and the biggest risk to recovery is complacency about the ability of free markets alone to deliver recovery.

We have seen too much complacency from Tories on growth. The recent budget meeting on Medway Council saw Tories salivating at the prospect of slashing local services for people. Now they appear in abject denial about a cumulative £30m cut to local services which is somehow a positive development.

A bit of honesty though is too much to expect from Tories worried about an electoral slap in the face.

Anyway, if Gideon is listening, the data should have been his wake-up call. GDP figures for the last quarter of 2010 were alarming, showing the economy contracted by 0.6%. The government blamed snow, but it snowed in Germany and the US too, and they still grew.

The second wake up call should have been last week’s unemployment numbers, the highest in 17 years. Combined with falling house prices, and today’s figures showing inflation rising to 4.4 per cent, it is hardly surprising the government’s independent Office of Budget Responsibility have consistently downgraded their 2011 growth forecast at every chance, from an initial estimate of 2.6%, to 2.1% now, likely to be downgraded to 1.8% tomorrow.

Plan A is not going according to plan. These facts should be the wake up call the government needs to rethink.

Mr Osborne’s fall-back – his implicit Plan B – was looser monetary policy. But with the MPC currently split over whether to increase rates, and a consensus emerging on a rate rise in the late spring or early summer, Plan B is looking as forlorn as Plan A.

Jonathan Portes, writing in the Financial Times recently, said this

“…relies on an odd view of market psychology, one that says markets have more confidence in governments that never adjust policy, even when it is sensible…History suggests the opposite: that the real hit to credibility comes from sticking to unsustainable policies.”

Now is the time for a credible and substantial growth strategy.

First and foremost, we need to begin building the Britain of the future. In particular, what we do need is action to help hard-pressed families with the rising cost of living and removing barriers to growth.

This should include Ed Miliband and Ed Balls’s proposals for a £2 billion bank bonus tax to create 110,000 new jobs:

• The provision of a £1.2bn to fund the construction of more than 25,000 homes;

• A £600 million fund for youth jobs; and

• A £200m boost for the oversubscribed Regional Growth Fund.

But we also need to see the government publish the still outstanding green paper on growth and we need it quickly.

The public recognise the need for austerity, but they also want to know the government have learnt the lessons from the crisis, and that they are determined to build a fairer and more sustainable economic future for Britain.

Britain could be a world leader in the jobs and technologies of the future, but only if the government supports growth There is no better place or time to start on that path than tomorrow’s Budget;. let’s hope the chancellor seizes that opportunity.

I doubt he will