It seems, in a Labour group lead by Clive Hart and his mates, the last thing they need is an open and full enquiry into any suggestions of gerrymandering, Labour has with last night's decision lost any credibility or moral authority in my opinion and to me the idea that Cllr Mark Nottingham, has in revealing the machinations, bought the Labour Party in to disrepute is bonkers!
As I understand it Mark Nottingham is to be commended for "whistleblowing", and it's clear to me, that Clive Hart could have done more and didn't.
I imagine Clive will be like a dog with two appendages for a day or so, until he realises that failure to examine in a open manner the Northwood selection process will not enhance his or Thanet Labours standing in the broader community.
Still whilst Cllr Mark Nottingham is to be commended, the lack of coverage by local newspapers is a disgrace, I don't think either the Gazette, Times, Yourthanet or Thanet Extra did any sort of job on this, local papers are part of local democracy, editors please report it.
What a scandal, Mark was not allowed to put his case last night, what sort of idiot would trust anything Poole and Hart do or say from now on.
ReplyDeleteShame on those who backed Clive for the good of themselves rather than the public.
What a joke
ReplyDeleteGutless local press - got to be on someone's payroll.
ReplyDeleteWhy am I not surprised at this outcome. If this had been happening in the Conservative or Liberal Democrat parties I suggest Cllrs. Johnson, Poole, Hart & co would have been falling over themselves to get letters on the subject published in the local press.
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing is a total disgrace with the voting public totally denied the evidence for and against this decision.
welcome to Harts socialist republic, gutless group members who all know that this is a travesty, The Gazette andits staff firmly in the labour camp dont want to make it an issue, would be different if it was a tory scandal Mark now is the time to go into the attack you are a better man than Hart will ever be and Poole is just covering his backside, and knows when Hart goes he goes, still all of you who voted against Mark can go and show your reverance by bowing before Harts Photo on his office door!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI give up on the whole lot of them. Hart has still to resign as that is the only option left to get him out of this pile of dooo dooo he is in. Bet he wontgo after all he is a socialist with a pay check and they wont give up money. As for the papers write em a letter Tony and contact your beloved BBC. I would BUT I CANT BE BOVERED
ReplyDeleteMakes you wonder what sort of hold Ms Dark has over all these men
ReplyDeletePeter displays a typically naivety over local Labour politics if he expects members to disclose their names publicly on a blog site.
ReplyDeleteBefore you could blink they would be facing suspension from the party for bringing it into disrepute. In Thanet Labour you cannot have opinions and state them unless they match those of the exalted leader. Pauses to grovel before the life size mug shot of you know who.
Whatever, your choice Peter, but use your vote on the voting change referendum. Important that gets a good turnout.
ReplyDeleteAs to the gloating Tories, well why not, for I do not doubt there would be plenty from the other side were the boot on the other foot. Was not long ago some were making hay over a councillor,s incarceration for drink driving.
Nothing on Clives Twitter site yet - he didn't have time for his swim yesterday so he's probably having double helpings today - he must look like a prune afrter all that time in the water.
ReplyDelete04.24 I doubt if any tories can be bothered with Hart and his cronies, the test of a true leader is to leader and support his team, Hart is gutless, he and his sidekick Poole are a waste of space, yet, even the decent members of our Group are threatened by the duo and dont wish to follow Mark into the political wilderness. No the Tories are not the nasty Party it is us the labour Group if we do this to a hardworking member what hope is there for the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteI am saddened that decent people I can name did not speak out in support of Mark, I can understand most of the Hart Club realise that in Mark they have an intelligent Socialist who would be a threat to them, so he had to go.
Mark come out fighting, go to the press, put Hart and Poole where they should be , on the back benches and get some fight back in our Group, otherwise we can look to four more years in the wilderness, its enough to make me become an independent
Bit of a puzzle here in my view. Mark works for an extremely active Labour MEP and is deeply immersed within the Labour party machine. He has probably seen his fair share of party machinations and, with his CV, must have some friends in reasonably high places. Yet we have heard nothing from the national Labour Party machine. So does this mean that:
ReplyDeleteMark has yet to bring on his big guns, or
Mark has burnt his boats with the Party.
It is in the national Party's interest to keep the lid on this until after the elections. They want the local elections to be a ringing endorsement of their belief that the Coalition are going down the wrong road and they don't need Conservative Thanet to remain so. Ed Minibrand will undoubtedly wind up Ed Ballsup and his Harpy to sort out Thanet Labour Party afterwards, especially if Clive does not become the Big Cheese on May 6th.
Anon 04.24 has the right idea, vote INDEPENDENT and help stop the pathetic squabbling.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Vote Independent and show all of them. Blue and Red, they're as bad as each other.
ReplyDeleteRemember that the Blue lot had their own little contretemps not so long ago when the Carpet Salesman and OBE decided that they didn't want to be in charge any more. Now there has to be more to that than meets the eye. Maybe that's the real reason why they're being fairly muted on this affair; don't want it to drag their own dirty laundry out of the cupboard as well.
Nottingham is too straight. You need to play dirty to win in this game.
ReplyDeleteWe have lost a good one and Northwood and the Council chambers will be poorer for it.
It's a disgrace.
Peter
ReplyDeleteI think that Readit has made it fairly clear that he's an Independent and of course Tony is a LibDem. No Labour candidate or councillor "discusses" policies; one or two have blogs but only post infrequently. Same really applies to the Tories. Simon Moores is the most prolific but he stops discussing if there's any chance that he may be swayed by an argument.
To be fair to the Independents the election isn't called until after the weekend and nominations don't close until April 4th. I strongly suspect that you may hear a great deal more from this group after that; perhaps you'd like to support them and rid this Island of the inward-looking, finger-pointing, argumentative politics of the last quarter of a century. No; you've already said that you'll probably join the 70% of the population who can't be bothered.
Checksfield with your depth, talent and knowledge why not develop your own website instead of those shallow grainy pics of yours
ReplyDeleteIndependents will never pickup enough votes to make any real difference as Thanet is split between Red and Blue teams. What you should be asking is who is smart enough to take us through the next four years and look at the main players who really make the decisions here and not those who make up the numbers.
ReplyDeleteWhich team has the smartest players for the job ahead?
Disposed of colleague, Cllrs breakfast meeting & larger meeting at Labour office. Ducking diving and dodging residents Cliftonville. Saw Mummy went swimming
ReplyDeleteI have it on very good authority that a certain local paper was 'warned off' by the 'Deputy boss' of a certain group who did not want any negative coverage.
ReplyDelete(Apologies if that sounds a bit cryptic but do not want this post deleted by Tony for naming the person).
Very witty, Peter! Are not integration and multiculturalism diametrically opposed?
ReplyDeleteTo briefly summarise, Labour are the party of uncontrolled immigration and the rest are unlikely to do anything about it except posturing.
Multiculturalism is having Scotts Porridge Oats for breakfast, Welsh Rarebit for lunch and Lancashire Hot Pot for dinner followed by an Irish coffee.
Hope that helps with your decision making.
Still nothing on any of the Labour blogs on this issue and it did not even make the BBC South East or Meridian TV news. How's that for important!
ReplyDeleteSee Mark is maintaining a diplomatic silence on One End of Kent. I suppose he has been warned on his future conduct having now got what amounts to a suspended sentence and a party political criminal record within the Labour records.
Much has been thrown at Clive Hart's leadership, or lack of it, but where is Ed M in all this mayhem. Surely this fiasco called for some firm intervention from above to stop little men, and their personal egos, destroying the image at this time.
Get this in perspective. There are 22,700 councillors in this country so the number of Labour candidate will be approching this number. So I dont think that the Labour party in general is concerned about this little spat in Margate. Its not a scandal of national importance, no crime has been committed.
ReplyDeleteWill it influence Thanet voters? Very few of them will care, they vote on national lines and at the moment it looks like at least 8 seats will cross to Labour.
(todays sundays times poll - 37%C, 43%L and 9%LD)
Anon, whether insignificant on the national scale or not does not make it right. This issue is not so much about the actual election result as the quality of councillors we finish up with.
ReplyDeleteThe present incumbents of office have come in for much criticism and, if this spat, as you describe it, is anything to go by, the alternatives do not look too promising. Indeed, a hard working councillor is to be replaced by a known non-performer and don't even go there on the prospective leader.
Peter, as Andrew pointed out I am a declared INDEPENDENT and will be advertising my position and the INDEPENDENT's aims and candidates on my blog http://in2thanet.blogspot.com when the election has been officially called.
ReplyDeleteIf the difference between the two parties only amounts to 8 seats there will certainly be enough INDEPENDENT candidates to split the vote. I is up to the electors to support our group if they really want change.
All the major parties are corrupted. All sing from the same song sheet, which is why more and more people will not vote for any of them. And only those who still believe we have a democracy will bother to vote at all, because of course we have never had a so-called democracy , it is all a big Con.
ReplyDeleteAnon 11.23. Your summary of the current situaion is quite accurate, but by not voting you play right into the hands of the corrupt.
ReplyDeleteThey do not want you to vote and rock their cosy little world, their constant supporters will get them back in if no-one else votes. Thats why the toys are out of the pram on the left.
Get involved vote differently and rock their pram.
still no comment from Cllr's Green Johnstone Harrison or Nicholson, all keeping their head down hoping it will all go away, Hart and Poole will be relieved they can remain in "power" for a little longer.
ReplyDeleteThe Press wont move in on this one as they are supporters, so it is truly upto the general public who read the blogs to "try" and get their letters published in the Thanet (Socialist) Gazette
i think this just shows the type of poeple within the labour party none have the balls to say what they think in public hart is the down fall of thanet labour with poole running a close second ,they should both go then perhaps the peeople of thanet might try and understand labour what a sad party they are and they won,t to take power o f thanet god help thanet if ever they do
ReplyDeleteAnon 10.23.
ReplyDelete'No crime has been committed'
Hmm,
How about obtaining money by deception? Pretending to be something you are not?
Might not be classified as a crime, I don't know but so shameful, deceitful and downright dishonest what has been going on in the party.
Where does Peter Campbell stand in this issue, he is a good straightforward honest local Politician, come on Peter how long can you continue to serve under the dictator "leader" you have, regrettably the word Leader , you are having a laugh, as for the organ grinders monkey Poole, oh dear what a sad bunch, comeon Peter and Mark show the duo who the real socialists are
ReplyDeleteIn 1995 42 Independents stood throughout Thanet one got in in Birchington if my memory serves me correctly
ReplyDeleteSingle issue politics - like the airport do no good for Thanet -the independents should go further afield with their promises and find out what the real world is like with issues of education highways, crime, housing etc - they often do a diservice with their rants on one issue -whatever that is.
the hart problem will roll on don.t you think with his thick skin he loves all this and as for his side kike poole you don,t have to ask why labour is in this mess i think the torys love it all labour will again be in the back groun for yet four more year is it not time for hart to fall on his sword and then the people of thanet labour party might be better off but i think he is to thick to do that even time to go hart and do it soon
ReplyDelete4.28 campbell supports hart & poole his integrity disappeared
ReplyDeleteIntegrity is sadly lacking in the Labour party at present. Those of us that have it do not have the power. Clive reckons he has us sorted now but he is only fooling himself as he will find out when the leadership is next contested. We are not happy with what the damage he has done and Mark was not the one who should have gone.
ReplyDeleteIntegrity is sadly lacking in all parties and not just confined to the Con/Dems in-house fighting in parliament(translated means to tell lies)
ReplyDeleteTories blasted for handbook on paralyzing Parliament
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Politics/20070518/tories_parliament_070518/
“Both Davies and Goodale agreed that the recent dysfunction may be part of a long term Tory strategy to persuade voters that minority Parliaments don't work, that they need to elect a majority next time.”
Hart should remember his Skeletons in the cupboard. Some people in Thanet have long memories.
ReplyDeleteLight will replace the Dark
Staying with Skeletons has anyone seen http://onearseinkent.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeletethis morning?
I note that the thinly-disguised pro-Clive Hart blog featuring the Grim Reaper has turned its attention to Tony now. These people are truly delusional.
ReplyDeleteDisgraceful. T0 think the Reaper is one of our local councillors. Hiding behind his mask as he hasn't got the balls to reveal his identity. Sick is all I can say.
ReplyDeleteCome on Andrew (and others) lighten up a bit. The Grim Reaper is no more a councillor than Tony is (at the moment). It is just a bit of fun, loosely based on ECR type wit and provocation, with the current offering taking the story of an old British movie starring Alec Guinness.
ReplyDeleteClive Hart and cronies are totally incapable of dreaming up anything remotely like From One Arse in Kent for it requires a certain intellect and literacy. Both sadly lacking in the local Labour leadership.
The Gent,
ReplyDeleteOh dear, another Clive Hart activist despite your previous protestations (If not the man himself). Interestingly you were also the one who deflected the spotlight from Kay Dark on the Eastcliff Matters website recently, claiming that people should not question her performance.
You seem to pop up when things are getting a bit too embarrassing for Clive and co.
To me it seems mighty convenient for Cllr Hart that the Grim Reaper website should pop up and attack first Cllr Nottingham and now Tony who has also criticised Hart.
ReplyDeleteAm I reading too much into this or have I hit the nail or the head?
10:48 You seem a bit light in the grey matter regions. I said Clive Hart and cronies have neither the wit or the litarary skills to be the Grim Reaper. Hardly a ringing endorsement.
ReplyDeleteAs to my comment about not referring to a lady's performance, (re Ms Dark on Eastcliff Matters) it was a joke. Play on words, if you are capable of understanding that, for performance can relate to more than just attending meetings etc.
Believe me, although I am not bothered if you don't, the last thing I would be is a Hart supporter. I actually probably find Gadaffi more acceptable - and in case you did not get it, that was said tongue in cheek.
10:48 Actually, thinking about it, I might just sue over the accusation that I am Clive Hart. I think in fact I would even rather be Robert Mugabe than the dreaded leader of local Labour. Mind you, I suppose there are similarities in the way they cling to power and bully their opponents.
ReplyDeleteDespite the exchange between 'the Gent' and 'Anonymous', I reckon Andrew and Anon 9.45 are right. The Grim Reaper is likely to be a local Labour councillor. All too much coincidence and I have to agree with the Gent that Harts gang are none too clever if they thought that people would not pick up on that.
ReplyDeleteThe Gent - or The Apologist as I think he would be better named - tries to wriggle out from under by assuming that 'Labour' and 'literate' are mutually incompatible. Since even the most hardened Tory would find that a hard claim to justify, this leads one inexorably to the conclusion that he is exactly as described amongst these comments
ReplyDeleteMethinks The Gent doth protest too loudly...
ReplyDeleteAndrew, if you really knew who I was, and under other guises you have many times accused me of being a Tory, you would appreciate how ridiculous is your accusation.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if it pleases you to label me Clive Hart, a Clive Hart apologist or a Hart camp follower so be it. At least my covert cover seems to have worked this time.
So that begs a question.
ReplyDeleteIs the Apologist really a Tory. I'm supposed to have suggested that he is one "many times" so I guess we're looking at good old Bluenote. But he doesn't hide his light under a bushel so Don maybe (references to tablets)or ...
is it a double bluff?
Or do we really care?
On balance, I go for option 3. The prose is pretty awful and I'm a little mystified why a Tory would leap to Kay Dark's defence. Although I suppose she's more likely to lose her seat in Northwood than Mark Nottingham was.
Andrew, fair summary if I really defended the Dark lady. If you check out the comment on Eastcliff Matters, I think someone of your intellect will spot it for the touch of humour it was intended to be.
ReplyDeleteOnly Labour supporters could read it as a defence but then that is only to be expected.
Sorry you do not dig my prose, but never realised this was a writer's circle.
Sorry Don, the humour was a bit laboured!
ReplyDeleteIts total madness. I cannot get my head around how Hart could choose Kay Dark over Mark Nottingham. Ok so I understand she is no threat to his ambitions etc but why do the rest of them stick with Kay as well? Surely for the good of the party they would want the hard working councillor?
ReplyDeleteThe protection of Kay Dark seems to be more than a misplaced sense of congeniality amongst the group. Clearly something more is going on.
Is Clive hiding something? Has Kay got something on him?
Has anyone ever met Mark Nottingam?
ReplyDeleteHa, A lot more people have met councillor Mark Nottingham than have met the elusive Councillor Kay Dark
ReplyDeleteWell he's history now and from the sound of it many of his councilor friends won't miss him.!
ReplyDeleteAndrew, see I have gone from being the devious ego trip twitter man to Don, one of the most genuine blokes to grace these blogs, in the space of 24 hours. Incredible and wrong on both counts.
ReplyDeleteHardly matters, though, for who are any of us and, as you so rightly said before, who cares?
On the Gazette bias, Rebecca Smith the Editor, has Tory folks and, in consequence, she tries so hard to be impartial that she finishes up firmly in the Labour camp. Just count the letters published over the years from the illustrious quarter, Hart, Poole, Johnson and Green. Not even as if the are gems of literature.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely has shown clear favouritism to the Hart camp by not reporting the deselection of Mark Nottingham. Imagine if a Tory had been caught having a free cup of tea or a Lib/Dem with his pants down. Real front page stuff.
12.36
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense then. She didn't publish my letter and then I see accusations from Harts loyalists saying how come if he's such a hardworking councillor that he can only get his relative to write a letter. Grr!
There again maybe she's saving the story for an election slaughter...
I'd guess the Gazette is more afraid of being sued by Hart but actually if Rebecca Smith takes the time to wade through the abundance of evidence, she'd see its an open and shut case and Harts group are banged to rights.
ReplyDeleteNewspapers are supposed to report news aren't they? And this adversely affects the residents of Northwood who have a right to know that the Labour party has chosen a non performing councillor to represent them rather than one with a proven track record.
Interesting really for general elections are a better test of public opinion than local, because of the higher percentage turn out. On that basis Thanet, across the two North and South constituencies, has a clear Conservative majority. Ineed, even when Ladyman held Thanet South in 2005. over the two constituencies combined, the Conservatives still had a large majority.
ReplyDeleteI state this simply to question the wisdom of the editor of a sold newspaper, not a freebie falling through the letter box, pandering to the left. However, over a decade of reading the Gazette has left me in know doubt that it is decidely more Mirror than Mail.
Hart might feel good surrounded by 'yes' men and women who tell him how great he is and massage his ego but every Leader needs someone who will give him/her an honest appraisal. By removing Nottingham, who dared to speak the truth and whose ability threatened Hart's personal aspirations, Hart has lost his compass on reality.
ReplyDeleteWell, as long as it is only his ego they massage. Don't want on Bill Clinton antics in the Dark room at TDC.
ReplyDelete