Canal27ways

Author: Mike Cordingley

  • Grateful Thanks for Your Support

    Grateful Thanks for Your Support

    Firstly, thank you for voting me as your councillor for a second term. I’m chuffed to bits to have got so much support; it’s a huge privilege.

    Overall it was an ‘ok’ night in Trafford for Labour without making a massive breakthrough in seats. We just gained the extra seat in Urmston.

    Labour’s Broadheath campaign in Altrincham is the one that made everyone sit up and take notice. There we campaigned in a much more community based fashion. It was certainly the most enjoyable campaign and we closed the gap right down to 120 votes.

    On the whole though Trafford’s results were very much in line with the national english picture, with the Lib Dem vote collapsing. I’m struggling to see a future for the Lib Dems. Their ability to be all things at once and point in opposing directions at the same time has become a fatal liability.

    So, it’s easy to see why the Conservatives are pleased both nationally and locally with these results. The saving grace for Labour is that were we to make the same advance in votes next year, the seats would fall like apples in a gale. But we have to make that advance. Is that through more leaflets, more doorstep conversations or is it a question of waiting for the cuts to bite? I don’t want us to be complacent. We need to be the party for economic growth, and I’m not sure that the Islington set of Guardian writers really get it yet.

    On a last note, once again the organisation of the count was frankly embarassing for Trafford, just as it was last year. It’s not fair on the staff, candidates or press that 4 hours after Sunderland is declared, we are just about to begin.

    Gorse Hill

    Thursday, 5 May 2011

    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    LabourMichael Cordingley*1,78767.8−9.8
    ConservativeSamuel Martin51519.5−3.6
    GreenPhilip Leape1987.5−4.2
    Liberal DemocratsRenee Matthews1375.2−2.0
    Majority1,27248.3
    Turnout2,63732.9+4.1
  • Kate Green pursues answers on Trafford General – Tory minister calls for chauffeur

    Kate Green pursues answers on Trafford General – Tory minister calls for chauffeur

    Kate Green is working hard in Parliament to get assurances from health ministers over health provision in Manchester. Unfortunately, the Conservative minister they’ve allocated the task to is Simon Burns. This is a minister who in 9 months has already cost the taxpayer £41,000 in chauffeur (so tory!!) driven trips to and from his home. The NHS is not safe in Conservative hands. They no longer pretend it’s safe in Conservative hands. If they’re in a good mood after lunch, you might get a consultation before your hospital’s taken away. But they’re alright, they’ve got a chauffeur that we’re paying for. He’s probably got a Lib Dem to rest his feet on.

    Can’t pretend I like the man. But why should I if he’s wrecking the NHS?

  • AV passnotes no2

    AV passnotes no2

    My colours were nailed to the mast months ago. I remain in favour of the Alternative Vote for UK elections. This is not a compromise position. It simply ensures that the winning candidate is the person most of us want, nothing more, nothing less.

    So I watched the Yes to AV election broadcast from last night. This was the one with the woman on the loudspeaker.


    The main arguments presented were that AV would make MPs:

    • more responsive to their constituents
    • less inclined to fiddle their expenses
    • less secure in safe seats

    I’m not sure AV delivers any of these. The advantage is that voters won’t have to hold their nose whilst voting. MPs won’t be able to wield ‘Vote for me or you’ll be letting that lot in’ stick at voters. Voters can vote for the candidate that most aligns to their views.

    If when the votes are counted, that doesn’t take any candidate over the line, then we’ll look at 2nd choices.

    Of the other assumptions, it would certainly make some constituencies less safe, but it might make others safer (If that’s what the voters wanted). And I really don’t see it making any difference to expense fiddling.

    The Yes campaign are making the worst of what should be a winning argument.

    So what about the no to AV broadcast?

    They’re straight in there with it’ll lead to coalitions. The problem is that we’ve been heading towards coalitions for the last 60 years. The Fib / Con coalition was delivered by First Past the Post.

    Given the current popularity of the parties I’m inclined to believe that AV will not make a huge difference to the chances of more coalitions; in fact it’s been shown that in both 1979 and 1997 we’d have had bigger majority governments such was the unpopularity of the losing party. Under AV you’ll only get a coalition if that’s what the voters want.

    We then had the horse race!. This is the most ridiculous analogy going. We’re choosing an MP not racing horses. If you have to use horse racing as analogy then you’d have to say that none of the horses crossed the line in the race that was shown. They ran out of steam (votes) before the finish and he race is over only when it’s over.

    Finally, the broadcast resorts to this idea that some people get more than one vote. No they don’t. At the end of the count their will be two piles, those For the winning candidate and those Against.

    There’s no duplication of votes just two piles.

    I think there’s a valid argument for wanting Government to be a contest between two conflicting points of view – Labour v Conservative. That everything else is an irrelevance. I happen to think the complexities of modern life no longer allow for that and we damage our own parties if we do not try to respond to the changing nuances those complexities bring.

    Given I’m supporting AV, I should be open about how I would tend vote in an election held under that system.

    1. Labour
    2. Green Party
    3. Lib Dems (although their movement to the right is possibly pushing them down my preferences further)
    4. Conservative Party
    5. Ukip

    Our present system is still a democratic system and on the whole, representatives of all the parties do work hard under it. It’s really a ridiculous time to be having this referendum when there’s so much more important stuff to address. But, if we have to have it now, we should take a considered objective view. So let’s not insult voters by making claims or attacks that can not be met.

     

  • Weekly update 11th April 2011

    Weekly update 11th April 2011

    Lib Dems try to reinvent themselves yet again

    Just 12 months ago the Liberal Democrats were coming out of the first TV debate on a high with Nick Clegg proudly proclaiming that he was heralding a new cleaner more honest politics.

    The Lib Dems have portrayed themselves firstly on the left and then so far to the right economically that the very idea that John Maynard Keynes was in fact a Liberal seems a cruel joke.

    But, now in election mode again, the Lib Dems in time honoured tradition make the switch. In the most shamelessly cynical political choreography they send out Nick Clegg’s advisor Norman Lamb to wash their hands of NHS reforms that Chris Huhne was saying only a few months ago ticked all their Lib Dem boxes.

    A vote for the Lib Dems is a vote for the catastrophic NHS reforms. We’re already seeing waiting times rise, services cut back and in Trafford the status of our healthcare trust is becoming more and more uncertain. Lib Dems will not whisper a sound for fear of offending their new best neocon friends. I can understand why Tory poster boy Daniel Hannan has been quiet on the NHS since Lansley released his plans.

    Monday

    Attended the inaugural Transport for Greater Manchester Committe – the big item on the agenda was the justification from First Bus that their weekly fares were increasing as a consequence of changes to concessionary fares. The changes should not be affecting standard commercial fares as their was no subsidy involved either before or after the changes so it seemed to bare no relation to reality to connect the two changes. The one thing that could be said was that there was unanimity that the members of TfGMC were unimpressed with the rationale.

    Elections permitting I’m to be member of the Metrolink and Rail networks sub committee and substitute member of the Capital Projects and Policy sub committee. There will be three permanent sub committees with the remaining committee being Bus and TfGMC services sub committee. A working group on Mobility Scooters on Metrolink will also continue until it finalises its work with the existing members of GMITA. Clearly this is of vital interest to users of Mobility Scooters as the ability to get into town affects employability and social activity. I’ve already been contacted by Mobility Scooter users keen to be allowed back on the trams and I’m keen to support them.

    Disappointed that there isn’t more on encouraging active travel across Greater Manchester within our remits. It is a key objective of Transport for London, but not Manchester which in my opinion is remiss. With the increasing cost of fuel and public transport there’s clear benefits to taking a much more focused strategic role in supporting cycling and walking. There’s a statement of intent contained in the Local Travel Plan 3 but it hasn’t crossed into the work of the TfGMC.

    Tuesday

    Chaired the special AGM of the Lostock Residents Association. We’re looking to rotate the chair as we seek a permanent appointment. Ideally it shouldn’t be a councillor as really we want to be answerable to the residents. It would be good to make progress with this.

    Wednesday

    Canvassing and leafletting

    Thursday

    Accounts and Audit Committee – essentially a review of the year and looking forward to the new workplans. I requested that we receive a report on the Carrington Depot Fraud which was tried in court during the year. I’ve been a member of the Accounts and Audit Committee for four years now and that particular episode has never been mentioned. I’d not raised it myself as I suspected it was sub judice, but now the case has been tried, I believe we should be concerned with ensuring that the council has acted to avoid a repeat

    Friday – Sunday

    Despite the glorious weather I’m wearing a coat indoors because I can’t stop shivering. Poorly man-cold

    “Nick Clegg arrives in Downing Street” by Number 10, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 with Slight Crop of image height

  • Weekly Update 4th April 2011 Campaign begins

    Weekly Update 4th April 2011 Campaign begins

    Nomination in – Campaigning begins

    As we enter the election period, council meetings will become less frequent. So it’ll be a time to compare the records of the various parties in Trafford and give a verdict on this Conservative Government. I enjoy elections. Too many issues affecting our day to day lives are taken by the non elected bureaucrats. Elections are an opportunity to challenge and empower. They allow residents to make a statement on key issues affecting Trafford:

    • Should we be giving away £21m to the cricket club? This is from the sale of land owned in the common good. At the same time we’re allowing a Tesco to be built which by general and judicial agreement, is vastly oversized for the location?
    • Should the council have allowed itself to be so under the thumb of the cricket club, that any possibility of improvements  to community facilities were never in the frame?
    • Shouldn’t the residents of Gorse Hill be right to expect improvements to the increasingly forlorn Stretford Sports Centre to come out of this “sports-led project” at the very least.Isn’t it an insult to suggest that the community will benefit, when all they’re getting as a direct improvement is school-access to the cricket outfield when convenient to the club.Has the cricket club been allowed too much lead in determining all aspects of the project? Did they have a track record of investing wisely and project control when they were one of most affluent clubs, for the council to play such a subservient role?

    Trafford Council has an increasingly poor record in its major projects. Consider Urmston Town Centre (major delays and still not complete 5 years behind schedule), Altrincham Town Centre (one U-turn after another), Partington (shops closed  ready for development but no sign of further progress). If they can’t look after the underpinning structure of our towns, no amount of tickbox service measurements will ensure future generations a place to be proud of.

    Monday (and Friday)

    Attendance at days 2 and 3 of a five day training course in Manchester on councillors in the community. The course has come at useful time, giving a perfect opportunity to look at things I’ve done well in my first term of office and others that could be done better. It’s a non-political course and there’s members from the two main parties from Trafford and other boroughs in the region. Monday looked at leadership and empowerment, Friday covered negotiation, small scale projects and organisation.

    Tuesday

    Nomination papers submitted. And in the evening it was the West area Community Panel of Trafford Housing Trust. Not a great attendance for this meeting at Flixton House but it wasn’t a bad evening. We learned that estate walkabouts are now ‘on demand’ rather than a regular event as they have been up to now. In some ways this is better as we can focus on particular pertinent issues and ensure the right officers are there. We will also need to produce a needs assessment for the various neighbourhoods within West area (which includes most of Lostock, but stretches out to Partington).

    Wednesday

    The turn of the Stretford Community Panel which includes Gorse Hill and the Stretford parts of the ward. Very similar to previous night’s meeting, although better attended and we received a presentation from Trafford’s Trading Standards.

    iCAN (Consumer Alert Network) is a facility to alert members of the community to various scams that are taking place. It’s particularly useful in relation to non genuine doorstep callers. Anyone can sign up to it and it’s entirely free. You can choose how you want to be alerted. Text, email or telephone message.

    The service is provided by Trafford.

    Friday, Saturday and Sunday

    Campaigning in earnest. Knocking on doors and talking to residents. And I went to see City v Sunderland. We’re waiting for delivery of semi final tickets but it’s looking increasingly likely we’re two of the unlucky ones to have them pinched from the post van. Ah well

    . ..and for the record I don’t think Rooney should be suspended for swearing into the camera.

  • Labour in Trafford just showing that we can make a difference

    Labour in Trafford just showing that we can make a difference

    This is a video from colleagues in Altrincham. It just shows we can make a difference. I’ve been out with them and I’ve just been so impressed. I’ve learned a tremendous amount from them; they are showing us all the way. Well done to Andrew, Sam and all the team.