This is my personal view, of the announcement by Thanet Labour that Will Scobie, is to stand for South Thanet at the next General Election.
Firstly you need to ask, why a clearly intelligent, articulate young man with some talent has been sidelined from Thanet politics. Now some of you will think Will 's role as Margate mayor involved him in Thanet politics, well not really, it sidelined him to cups of tea and ceremony usually reserve for old duffers, you know politicians in their twilight years, but helped any way, it him get elected to the Kent county council.
My view is that, perhaps ThanetLabour leadership have a fear of ability, Will Scobie if he is going to represent Thanet South he could benefit from being a part of TDC Labour cabinet, why hasn't Clive Hart made him party of the team.
Just what Will has to offer the people of Thanet South is not clear, on the plus side, he is one of the few local councillors in favour of open reporting of council meetings, on the negative side he has limited experience, and could be that most useless of MP's, the professional politician.
Still perhaps the biggest millstone around Will 's neck is not Thanet's challenged dinosaur colleagues but his failure to take a credible stand on the astonishing handling by Clive Hart, of the multi million pound debt accrued by the council which of course will never be recovered.
Who will vote for Will Scobie, while he fails to criticise the Transeuropa crisis, what many see as negligence of Thanet council officer's and his fellow councillors lamely endorse.
As you will know such is Labour commitment to free speech, they don't allow comments on their website but if you would like to comment on this post or indeed theirs, knock yourself out, you can publish your views by using the comment feature,but please keep it clean.
Finally Clive Hart spares little in his praise of new candidate for Thanet South, so why doesn't he use such talent, perhaps he could have advised Clive and his challenged colleagues on the wisdom of allow a massive debt to develop?
There is a certain cynicism in this appointment, it is true, but why Thanet South? Young Will has been raised in Margate, groomed into local politics in Margate, has been Margate mayor and represents the Margate division at county hall. Why has he not been adopted for Thanet North
ReplyDeleteMany of us South Thanet folk recall the cries from Labour about Laura Sandys being parachuted into the constituency when she was adopted to take on Steve Ladyman. What is the difference putting up a Labour candidate who, not only does not live in the constituency, but has done all his door knocking and hand shaking on the north side. That side, many Ramsgate folk see as getting preferential treatment by the Margate mafia (TDC).
Perhaps they are hoping that the rumour that Nigel Farage will stand in South Thanet is true, and that he will split the right wing vote. Mind you, if the county council elections are anything to go by, Nigel Farage could actually take the seat.
I am old enough to remember the outcries when Roger Gale was brought in.
DeleteWill comes from Cliftonville and Cliftonville is part of South Thanet. The county council seat is Margate and Cliftonville division and part of the seat is in South Thanet.
DeleteAllan less than 24 hrs after his selection and you are sounding desperate already.
Oh, please, Tony, spare us the nonsense. As someone who thinks Laura Sandys has been a pretty good constituency MP, I would be a lot more worried if Nigel Farage were to stand in Thanet South.
DeleteI was merely pointing out the hypocrisy of Labour after all the fuss they have made in the past about people being parachuted into constituencies. To be honest, I really do not mind where candidates come from as long as they are capable. After all, Steve Ladyman was hardly your born and bred East Kent lad.
I think if Nigel Farage stands in Thanet it will be in Thanet North. If things pan out as I anticipate then I think Farage would take the Thanet North seat. If UKIP stand a personable candidate, like they did in Eastleigh, I think they will take Thanet South too.
ReplyDeleteshame young Scobie cannot afford a suit that fits, what with all his allowances!
ReplyDeleteIt is a hand me down. Seems to be something of a speciality with him.
DeleteTony, maybe he was the only person that put himself forward for selection and no other TDC councillors were interested. The life style required for an MP is very different from attending about 10 meetings a year at the local council.
ReplyDeleteNot true..Cllr Michelle Fenner stood for election.
DeleteBut you cannot tell if she is standing!
DeleteAnon 17.14, is that the best you can do? Maybe you should take a look at the KCC webcast of the council meeting of the 18th of July where he spoke to save Margate Post office. Nothing wrong with his appearance and speech compared to many of the other councillors. He would be well able to stand up and deliver in the houses of parliament.
ReplyDeleteTalks cheap, what has he actually achieved, as I said in the posting he has been sidelined and not by the sharpest tools in the box, either.
DeleteGood talk is worth it's weight in gold. No we don't have any outstanding orators in Thanet. The newly elected candidate for the Labour Party has to be elected as an MP first and perhaps NOT being linked to the cabinet will keep him distanced from all the poop that's hitting the fan from both political parties culpability in mishandling of recent financial events. Who knows though a member of the current cabinet is on the edge of gardening leave and allegedly inadvertently using his tools to make his point emphatically clear.
DeleteAs remote as it seems Farage could stand in thanet south splitting the tory vote, which might well let in Scobie who has yet to carve any meaningful identity.
ReplyDeleteIf UKip did field Farage, if Labour had a better candidate than the boy wonder, they might hAVE an even chance.
Still its a long time off, certainly the more we see of er .. Ed Milli wotsit the less serious he seems.
Depends Tony between now and then their could be reduction of both Tory and Labour vote share with UKIP picking up votes from both.
DeleteAllan. The Margate division, includes both Thanet North and South. Will is a Thanet lad, that's good enough, so don't be such a petty little wanker!
ReplyDeleteSuch a charming turn of phrase, 19:52, so very obviously a Labour supporter. You still have not answered why not Thanet North and I was simply pointing out the hypocrisy. Personally, I could not care less where candidates come from as long as they have the qualities to serve their constituencies well.
DeleteAllan if you care not where candidates are from, then why are you making an issue of it ?
DeleteYou have not "Simply pointed out the hypocrisy" because you did not make a case.
The lad sits on bodies which have duties and responsibilities in Ramsgate as elsewhere in their jurisdictions.
There is law such as the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 that does provide for processes, conducted at District level, to consult at Parish or Town Council level. It follows that both from the overall jurisdictions and from the statute requirements for local consultation, Will would have acquired knowledge of Thanet South matters.
The fact is, not for the first time, you base your "Question" on a fallacy resting on a fallacy. Then, in your mind only, "Remind" people that they have not yet answered your question.
You really are a troll and, in future, I will ignore you.
Labour made a fuss about Laura Sandys being parachuted into Thanet South. Similarly they have raised the issue that Roger Gale lives outside Thanet North. Let's just be even handed after all, as I mentioned previously, Steve Ladyman was hardly a Kentish man.
DeleteIf you cannot see that this is hypocritical then so be it. Hardly matters though if you are going to ignore me, however, it is a weak case that can only be made by insulting your opponents. Hardly surprising though with the likes of Balls as a role model.
Well as we know he is seeking access to the mighty trough that is the EU Parliament so that he can snort up vast quantities of cash based on absolutely no requirement to do anything constructive... so from district Councillor to mayor then country Councillor to MP via VERY LITTLE ELSE seems that he is on the right trajectory to be a career politician similar to those that I despise...
ReplyDeleteI look forward to his fall from grace via some outrageous scandal in about 20 years.
Agree with Rob: Will has no experience at all. This is the worst kind of party manouevring in the absence of any real candidates. Sometimes I wonder if we should ban the political parties form standing - they simply don't represent anyone except themselves now. 1% party membership?
DeleteWhoah, there really are some sad old bitter characters posting here, congratulations to Will Scobie on being selected as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Thanet South in 2015, Laura Sandys has done a pretty good job since becoming an MP so Master Scobie needs to work very hard over the next couple of years to show the local folk he could really make a difference representing us in Westminster. Anyone with a brain will know that Nigel Farage if he stood here is a self serving showman who would rarely be seen in Thanet if elected.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy in the knowledge we have at least two genuine candidates standing in 2015 who both have Thanet's best interests at heart rather than their own.
Really? What life skills, apart from school and university does Mr Scobie actually bring? He's a borderline rich Labour poster boy whose whole life was mapped out by his old man and the cronies.
DeletePolitical lifer, no thanks I'd rather spoil my ballot.
Let us not forget that Will still does what he is told by Iris and Co and supports the planning applications she wants supported. The postage stamp size flats on the site next to the tudor house is just but one example. Just think of the extra power Iris will wield with an MP like Will under her thumb.
ReplyDeleteThat's a bit rich after Sandy Ezekiel and his long TDC leadership tenure bullying all his councillors into servile lap dogs. And not forgetting overseeing the original Transeuropa ferry contract which had no get out clause if berthing fees were not paid.
ReplyDeleteNo get out clause, 09:10? Do you make it up as you go along. If there was no such clause why did Clive Hart's administration renew the arrangement and double the debt to TDC in the process? Both sides are culpable in this matter.
DeleteAll of which has nothing to do with Will Scobie's suitability as a potential parliamentary candidate or why Labour chose him for South Thanet. The real question is why, if he is as good as Clive Hart claims and is ready for parliament, has he not been considered for any post of responsibility in Hart's TDC administration? It is hardly the case that Thanet Labour are flush with bright and capable people.
Yes the Wheeltappers and Shunters have just pushed a young puppet to the front. He'll do as he's told.
DeleteI think Will has enough responsibility as a District and a County councillor.
ReplyDeleteWell done to Will, Iris and Harry for the appointment. Will is a good lad but look at his CV. Does he really think he has the experience to deal with Westminster? He will certainly be knocking on lots of doors but is that enough? Its a rough world out there and without the Queen of Margate to back him up, will he really achieve anything for Thanet?
ReplyDeleteWill he get elected ? I don't think so. Aitken was a popular MP. The Labour MP who followed could not match Aitken's constituency casework. That may be because the same reckless streak that brought about his downfall also meant Aitken, for a constituent, would take on anyone ! Aitken would have won the argument whilst Ladyman was still studying his guidance notes.
DeleteI wonder if TDC would have blundered into the Pleasurama and TEF farces if Labour's Pat Sebastian had continued to stand for office. But apart from him who have they had of any gravitas this 30 years ?
That constant feeling of TDC playing catch up rugby would tell against any former TDC cllr when standing in the area for MP.
Ladyman was OK but like Sandys just didn't do much. I don't think Will has/would either.
DeleteAgree with Tony: Will has done nothing and remained silent on the TDC corruption etc. From schoolboy to councillor to Mayor to KCC councillor to MP in 3 years or so is ridiculous. Unless he's made a real mark in some way which the hasn't. Another party drone and feeble attempt for the yoof vote.
ReplyDeleteAgree on the parachute comment form Margate too. He knows nothing of Thanet South. And disagree that Laura has been a pretty good MP: she's invisible if not irrelevant and her recent claims of successes was laughable after 3 years. The Blue equivalent of a Party drone/parachute.
I wonder if the underlying problem at TDC is not corruption so much as institutionalized evasion of duty. A matter the cllrs fail to address with the officers.
DeleteThere are a number of laws that appear to me to impose duties on Councils. Terrorism Act and Proceeds of Crime Act and Crime and Disorder Act.
My understanding of the advice TDC solicitor gives is that the law does not impose a duty on the council to make crime complaints to police. IE The council, as long as it does not profit thereby, is like everyone else. The duty to report crime is a moral duty but not a duty imposed on a council by law.
So if someone else makes a crime complaint then TDC would co-operate with the police investigation.
The beauty of that position is if a resident asks the council to check records to determine if offences are revealed, the TDC solicitor refuses to look because if he finds crime he ain't obliged by law to report it.
But my experience is it takes one hell of a while to get him to admit he never actually checked the records.
Clive Hart has been asked to take independent legal advice.
But don't hold your breath.
It may be that TDC would improve its act if it got its structure together. How many times did Ian Driver ask for records and then have to fight to access them ?
See what the Political Editor of the KM has to say about Will - Kent candidates. Presumably he has some first hand experience of how he performs at council meetings.
ReplyDeleteSo what did the editor say, that he has political experience. Like two yeas as a district councillor not holding any office in the administration and a couple of months at county level. Is that a lot?
ReplyDeleteThen, from what he has seen at county hall, he seems pretty sharp. What does that mean, one wonders? It could be precocious upstart from this very short statement. Certainly it is far too brief and lacking in content to be offered as a ringing endorsement.
What have been his successes in the last 2 years as a councillor to justify the MP nomination?
ReplyDelete