Time To Change The Tune

There now follows (an extremely funny) party political p!sstake broadcast from the Green Party!

The day of the VLOG

What has happened to Blogger? Photos dissapear, content becomes unstable and audiences fluctuate. Twitter and facebook it seems have taken over!

So to move with the times we must visualise............................................................................

I will still post "the written word" on this site, but for a period I will be experimenting with the VLOG (Video Blog)

Please press play to here more

SO WATCH THIS SPACE AND MY TWITTER ACCOUNT @tonyclarkeuk FOR UPDATES!

SUMMER SIZZLERS

The act of doing, stops you doing all the other things you want to be doing instead of the things you need to be doing, so I end up carrying around all these blog ideas in my head and have no time to put them to paper. So excuse me if I unload them all here in shorthand:


INDIAN PICKLE

So Local Borough Council Leader Cllr David Mackintosh has been freeloading it in India courtesy of the Council Tax payer accompanying Local Gov Minister Eric Pickles on a Trade delegation where apparently he also carried the torch for SEMLEP or NEP?

He's behind you! stand up straight David and try not to look swivel eyed

Well I will resist the temptation of rubbishing all such trips as if well planned and focused then they can reap rewards. I remember visiting China with the SESAME network whilst in Parliament to secure a £1m+ telecommunications trade deal for Northamptonshire in the late 1990's albeit I still paid my own air fares and expenses.

But the timing of the trip during what are ever more challenging economic circumstances does warrant some questioning after all who was it who made the following insightful pronouncement back in 2003

"At a time when pensioners are scrimping and saving to pay their council tax it is outrageous that councillors are going on foreign freebies. They should show some solidarity with taxpayers and pay towards these trips."


So did the Mack pay his way? or was it an Indian Pickle take away? answers on a poppadom please....



BLOOD ON HIS HANDS

Foreign Secretary William Hague was quick to deflect any blame for the recent murderous atrocity which took place on the streets of Woolwich away from Britain's Foreign Policy and of course there will always be some truth to the suggestion that evil men are evil men whatever their self acclaimed cause.

But Britain's continued military involvement in Iraq, and in Aghanistan and our complete denial of Israeli crimes in Palestine do support the Al Quida recruiters and make it far easier for those who want to preach hate to do so.

Hague in my mind has always been a fool, ever since his schoolboy address to Tory Party Conference during Thatcher's early years, but even I was shocked by this mans recent ridiculous decision with David Camerons blessing to support the arming of Jihadists and Al Quida elements within the Syrian rebel forces.

The photograph of  Michael Adebelajo standing in a London Street holding a machete with blood stained hands was sickening to look at, equally though photographs published on the internet of a jihadi rebel in Syria chopping up and indeed eating a Syrian army soldier it seemed were not gruesome enough to dissuade Hague from pushing ahead with his policy to send arms to such warped individuals 

And why we are so intent in shepherding in to Syria a regime ruled by Islamic extremists and Al Quida factions it is beyond me? and it seems has also bought condemnation from even from many of his own Tory MP's! 

The UK government has attempted in recent days to differentiate between “extremist” rebels in Syria linked to the Al-Qaeda group Jabhat al Nusra and the so-called “moderate” Free Syrian Army militants. The kind of “moderate” freedom fighters who as pointed out above like to cut out the hearts of their slain enemy and devour them live on camera whilst proclaiming verbally to do so in Allahs name!  

Hagues baffoon like actions and Britain's continued meddling in the affairs of the Middle East with little thought to the fallout will continue to make things substantially worse both at home and abroad

THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER

Regular readers of my blog will have laughed along with me at the ever more Labour Friendly optimistic comments from a regular reader who hides under the pseudonym "Castle Ward Mafia"

One of my favourite comments from him/her from recent posts was the quote:

"From the people I know in the party locally things are going well"

This of course was just before Cllr Ifty Choudary crossed the floor to the Tory's and Cllr Beverley Mennell left to join UKIP

Even I am surprised at how long Labours woes have continued to pile up since I left the Party 6 years ago and so I thought I would make it clear for all, that the latest troubles have nothing to do with me!

I in fact now get fed up of people saying "since you left" or  proclaim "you should come back"

The reason I left 6 years ago was that the party was corrupt right to it's regional Core, a local party full of fixers and an unhealthy majority of wannabees who will do and say anything to get either themselves elected into office and power or bitch and complain to the regional Office about other Party members who they see as their rivals.

Meanwhile Ed Milliband statement yesterday on Benefit caps and any Labour Government sticking to current Government spending rules effectively pronounced a new three party coalition at Westminster, why wait for an election? why not now all merge into one big capitalist friendly party of national government in the interests of the uber rich?

Political Compass: based on 2010 manifesto's

I said recently how happy I am now in the Green Party, its still true, I have comrades again, I go to meetings where we discuss how we can all work collectively to achieve the ambitions we jointly hold. We laugh, we debate issues in a respectful and educational manner, and we are a party where even those at the very top have not forgotten the importance of those in local party groups.

I don't know where the Local Labour Party is going next, (probably not very far until Sally Keeble leaves the scene) but I just want to make it clear that frankly my dears I don't give a damn.

Last week the Green Party's Leader Natalie Bennett phoned me at home and we had a helpful discussion over local party matters, the elections, what support the national party can give us in here in Northampton and we discussed other matters of a personal nature more of which I will announce to you as soon as I am able. But for now for me and my new found green friends:

"Things can only get better"

DEMOCRACY RECYCLED

Northampton Borough Council's fall from grace, its place in Local Governance as a friend to Northampton has been on the wain for some time, and democracy within the organisation has been eroded year on year since the turn of the century.

But even I was surprised this week to see how low its value in local democracy has fallen.

I attended Spring Boroughs Residents Association last Tuesday to say goodbye, I am no longer their elected County Cllr and wanted to leave the stage clear for my successor, no moans, no regrets, the electorate (or at least 19% of them) had spoken. At Borough and County level the area now has Labour Cllrs to speak up for them. Or at least they would do if the Cllrs continued to have a role to play!

Joe Joyce the excellent Residents Association Chair updated us on the story of the two  "Vanishing
Recycling Nodes" on the estate which seemed to disappear overnight leaving local residents with nowhere to drop off their recycled materials.

Over 80% of local residents do not have cars and the recycling nodes were very popular, so popular that when I was the Borough Cllr I had to lobby the Council to secure a twice weekly collection as the nodes were constantly overflowing.

PEOPLE WERE RECYCLING THEIR WASTE!

THE NUMBER OF REFUSE SACKS COLLECTED PLUMMETED.

THE COST OF LANDFILL TAX TO COUNCIL WAS REDUCED.

So who took them away? and why? Well Joe got no answers from his three Labour Borough Cllrs on the estate, they knew even less, Cllr Winston Strachan it seemed at least asked the question but got no answer! only a vague promise that someone from Enterprise rather than the Council would phone him and they didn't

NBC recycling your vote for you

But Joe persevered, and come up trumps, by mistake it was leaked to him in an email that the decision to remove and not replace them had been taken by the "Spring Boroughs Multi Agency Group"

Now excuse me for being a tad Anglo Saxon with my language, but who the f*ck are the 'Spring Borough's Multi Agency Group" when they are at home?

It seems that this group of self selected unelected officers from a number of Authorities including the Borough Council, the County Council and the Police are now taking all decisions on local services themselves, without troubling the elected, nor consulting with the electorate.

So why bother with elections at all now? Democracy is dead, OFFICIAL rubber stamped by the Local Multi Agency Group, no doubt coming to a street near you too soon if not already in situ.

You may wish to write to your local Councillor, but then again why bother? they have no power? they take no decisions? They are not even told what is going on on their patch, and when they ask questions they are ignored!

Likewise in Ethel Street we have a children's play area which has now been locked for over 6 months, where the Councillors it seems have no say or input as to why it was closed and when it will reopen?
Perhaps I should contact my local Multi Agency Group for some answers? If only I knew who they were

Meanwhile all Cllrs Borough and County can now officially stand down from duty 80% of your electorate couldn't be bothered to vote, less than 10% voted for you and the Council you were elected to doesn't need you any more, other than as window dressing and as a scapegoat and defensive wall between the public and those who are really making the decisions!

1 VOTE 1 DAY 1 CANDIDATE 1 PARTY

So heres the 3rd leaflet in this years County Council Election Campaign, or its the 6th Leaflet if you count the "Easy Read" "Muslim Voters" and "EU Voters" versions

But be it 3, 4, 5 or 6 its really all about the number 1

Hope you enjoy, and please feel free to print the poster and stick it in your window, and all you Green voters and friends who have Facebook or email friends in Castle Ward please share or forward it on

AND NOW FOR SOME EASY READING

I have often had comments made to me on the content of my leaflets! mostly good, some bad.

One continuous dividing opinion that arises is that some say that they are either far too long or far too short, have too many words, or do not enough words?

It is of course horses for courses, some voters like to be well informed, others just prefer a snapshot.
Some read the Mirror others prefer a broadsheet.

So what is the perfect compromise for a political leaflet? And how can we be certain that anyone reads them anyway, long or short, wordy or graphic?

Well if I was tell the other party's that 25% of the electorate couldn't read any of their leaflets  irrespective of the design or length then I wonder if they would start to sit up and take notice?

Some of you will know that before I entered into politics I worked closely with the learning disability community in Northampton and I worked hard at trying to make information clear and easy to understand.

That 25% figure mentioned above is made up of those with learning disabilities or educational difficulties or those who simply never had the benefit of a standard education.

So how do we engage them in the political process? How do we ensure that their vote is not taken for granted but earned and worked for? who will give them a voice if no one informs them of their choices.

It was with the above in mind that I decided to write an "Easy Read" leaflet for the forthcoming Local Elections, the topics included are broader than the County Council, but then again people rarely vote on single Council issues but vote instead on how a candidate or party thinks and acts in a broader sense.

Easy Read is a national standard, used by many organisations to ensure important information is accessible for all. 

It is by no means perfect, it never can be, what do words like candidate and election really mean to those who do not use such words every day? And if you explain each and every word than when does the information given stop being interesting and start sounding like Peter and Jane? So readers may need some help, may need to be understanding of those whose reading difficulty is greater than theirs? but isn't something always better than nothing? Isn't the longest journey always started with the shortest of steps?

So if you have a relative with an educational or learning difficulty living in Castle Ward, or if you work in a community home in the area whose residents would benefit from some plain english speaking material which enabled them to better engage in the political process then I would hope you will print out and share my leaflet for them.

Of course I am just one candidate from one party, and people should be given a choice, and perhaps my attempt at full engagement with the electorate might make the rest sit up and take notice and hopefully follow suit.

After all do they really want to continue to ignore 25% of their electorate?

I hope you enjoy reading it and that you do pass it on!

County Council Election 2013 Castle Ward Leaflet 2

The second leaflet is off the printing block and ready for delivery. This one is for all those who wanted less words!

All of our leaflets are printed in house (literally, in my back room) on a old recycled Risograph printer using vegetable ink,  our paper is sourced from FSE certified paper.

Delivery begins along with canvassing after the Green Party photo call at 6.30pm County Hall, St George's Row

WELCOME ABOARD FITZY

Local Market Trader, and long time political campaigner Eamonn "Fitzy" Fitzpatrick has become the latest Independent politician to join the ranks of the Green Party and will campaign for them in the forthcoming County Council Elections in the newly formed  Dallington - Spencer Ward.

Fitzy has fought in many local election campaigns as an Independent candidate and stood in a parliamentary by-election against Tory David Davies in 2008 when he correctly predicted the Green Party's second place showing.

Having worked Northampton's Market for over 50 years it is the Green Party's commitment to localism and their drive to "THINK GLOBAL  but "ACT LOCAL" that has attracted him to join up.

He said " We need to encourage more people to shop and trade locally, treat them better as customers and trade on trust rather than greed, of course that means shopping more on the local market and cutting down on the air miles our food travels but it also  includes things like supporting community banks, credit unions, and local exchange schemes.

"I have done my homework and they are about a lot more than simply protecting the Environment, they're top on that, but they also have great policies on fairness and protecting local public services, and offering a real alternative to the CUTS programme.

The Green Party supports local markets and wants the power of supermarkets restricted to help support a more sustainable local growing and selling policy, stopping farmers and producers being put out of business by greedy supermarket chains.

They also want to campaign to change the rules to ensure that Local Schools and local Hospitals can buy more Local Food

Fitzy's move comes just a month after former Northampton South MP Tony Clarke also joined forces with the Greens to defend his Castle Ward seat on the County Council.

Fitzy said, "Tony got it right, the Green Party is the only party that respects our Independence and also wants to speak up for the average man and women in the street, We don't need people in London telling us what to think and say, we have got enough to say for ourselves thank you very much.

Fitzy will be campaigning from his Market Stall throughout April, and proudly displaying his Green Credentials alongside his Green Produce.

Meanwhile the membership of the Local Green Party has seen an upwards spike in recent weeks making them well placed to make a mark at the forthcoming election

A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME A SECRET

The first of a small series of "Mini Broadcasts" to be published throughout the County Council Election campaign. I hope you enjoy them. Tony

I GUESS I AM ONE BIG GIANT WATERMELON, GREEN ON THE OUTSIDE AND RED TO THE CORE

Our parent’s always told us that what is really important in life can never be bought, that love and true happiness  are not products to be consumed, or simply commodities to be purchased.

And yet for the last 30 years we have all sat back and witnessed an orgy of world wide spending, in a consumer led world where buying a new car, a bigger TV, a larger house all seemed to define who we were, and made us slaves to a society hell bent on reaching the point where the world eventually consumed itself.

But then came the crash, and we now live in a world of consumers who could no longer consume, without the money and without the credit, and increasingly without the security everyone relied on to ensure that the mortgage and credit card bills were paid, and we started to  think again as to what is really important to us.

People have started to redefine, who they are, and what it is they really value, and in the current cold light of austerity they realise, as our parents warned us, that life cannot be bought, and they now look to reorder their lives, and set new priorities.

This cultural shift in life pattern is happening all around us, it is redefining not just who we are as a society it is also educating us, making us reevaluate ourselves and our lives, making us question things such as what we should and should not be eating, how we should be living, who we should be helping, how we should use our free time to enrich ourselves not make ourselves.

The current recession has also made us ask some critical questions about trust, the two big players in our lives the banks and the politicians all of a sudden seem far less wise, we don't trust them with our money anymore and we certainly don't trust them with our vote.

But in communities like the one I represent in Castle Ward, austerity and hard times are unfortunately no strangers, and we are  better prepared than most to deal with the consequences of recession.

We are people more likely to be sociable to our neighbours, more protective of the vulnerable, more likely to step in rather than stand aside when the time comes for us to act. Studies find that despite having the least, communities like ours are where you are most likely to find people more social, face to face, more likely to lend a few bob to an acquaintance outside of our family, more willing to befriend others rather than retreat into our own homes.

From my vantage point as a Cllr and MP representing the people of Castle Ward at all levels, I have learnt that true power, true control, can only ever come from within, and I am fed up of fighting against politico’s for votes rather than fighting alongside the community for real change.

I left the Labour Party, and then discovered that really it had left me, I have battled on as an Independent to try to make a difference for local people and have had some successes,  but now it is time to truly give the power back to the people.

For this reason, recently the local Green Party and myself have been holding discussions as to how we might join forces and together offer a real alternative to Castle Ward’s voters and non voters alike, 

I have now joined the Green Party as a statement of my commitment to them, they in return have acknowledged my long standing political independence and agreed that we should now both campaign together locally under an “INDEPENDENT GREEN’ banner, and I will stand at the election as a Green Party candidate

Interestingly enough, the Green Party is the only Party in the UK which you can be a member of and yet still stand at an election as an Independent (but not against an official Green candidate) But as I say above I have chosen to campaign and as an Independent Green and proudly display the Green Party Logo on the ballot paper.

I am now in a party once again whose policy objectives support high-quality public services run for people not private profit. A party willing to protect the NHS and Post Office from privatisation and return our energy, water and rail networks to public ownership, supporting our education system by providing free school meals, abolishing tuition fees and ensuring all schools are accountable to parents. Committed to separating  retail and investment banks and empowering communities with a network of not-for-profit lenders, supporting cooperative, diverse and resilient local economies, reversing the status-seeking wealth concentration that is deepening social divisions and destroying our natural world. 

A big move for me? Well funny enough when reading the Green Party Policy documents and manifesto, I actually found myself rejoining the Labour Party I first joined in the 1980's ! How times change!