Curly’s Corner Shop, the blog!

South Tyneside Independent Alliance duck responsibility

I have news for the members and supporters of the South Tyneside Independent Alliance, unlike many media campaigns there is such a thing as bad publicity in politics (just ask Mr. Hain or Mr. Conway.)

The recent behaviour of Independent Alliance councillors, candidates, and supporters in South Tyneside has generated a lot of publicity locally, and a little nationally, and some of it does not reflect well on the borough or yourselves.

Having called two Extraordinary Meetings of South Tyneside Council to take place in an eight day period you now announce to a stunned public that your councillors will ‘boycott’ the meeting that you called to debate a motion of no confidence in Labour’s Leader of the Council. Your reasons are that questions attempted to be asked by “members of the public” would not be allowed.

This is little more than expensive posturing at our expense, – gesture politics of the worst kind in the absence of any serious policy initiatives. Once again your Alliance shows scant regard for the Constitution and Standing Orders of South Tyneside Borough Council, you failed to inform or brief your supporters of the requirements for legally tabling questions. As a responsible opposition group you ought to have an understanding of how our council works, and an understanding of the expense involved in calling additional meetings, the added workload pushed onto public servants, the added printing costs of order papers, the additional courier charges for getting those papers delivered to 54 councillors, and the costs of the increased room usage of the Town Hall. If you don’t have sufficient understanding, perhaps you ought not to be councillors. More kindly, may I suggest that you seek advice from more senior councillors or officers before you decide to table questionable motions and questions.

Realistically you knew that the motion of no confidence had no chance to succeed, but it seems that this was not your only motivation in calling this meeting, after much publicity surrounding the result of the poll in the Beacon and Bents ward last year your candidate Mr. Khan exercised his right to lodge an election petition through the courts, and despite whatever else we may like or dislike about the behaviour of South Tyneside council in respect of the eighteen missing ballot boxes, Mr. Khan’s procedure was not successful. It was decided by a Judge and a court that he should pay the costs incurred by the legal team instructed by the council, as well as his own.

Now Mr. Khan is a genuinely nice man, who I have a lot of time for, but unfortunately the council cannot be seen to attempt to alter the judgement of the court in this matter, if he wishes to continue pursuing the matter then he has every right – but at his cost, not the cost of the council tax payers. It is sad that it has to come to this, but I am surprised that the Independent Alliance group even considered asking South Tyneside Council to waive it’s costs and set a very dangerous precedent for anyone bringing a legal challenge in the future.

Many of us dislike a lot of things that our Labour council do and don’t do, but the majority of us would rather campaign, write letters, write on blogs, raise petitions, email councillors, talk to them and use persuasion and influence, where possible, to change things for the better. We abhor the notion of shouting down our opponents and preventing the lawful exercise of their duties and responsibilities, we dislike the negativity of the attacks and look for more responsible positive proaction in the exercise of political opposition.

We have learned over recent months that the Independent Alliance is against many things;

• Against the sale of Gypsies Green
• Against the sale of Sandhaven Caravan Park
• Against new traffic measures in Bents Park Road
• Against any new developments in the parks area of South Shields sea front
• Against dog dirt in the Westoe ward
• Against Paul Waggott and Iain Malcolm
• Against secrecy
• Against certain council officers
• Against the rules and the constitution

It is all so easy to be against everything, but a responsible opposition also tells the electorate all of the things it is for. What measures they would take to control council spending, what new area would they introduce new services in, where would they build cheap affordable housing, how many new schools they would build, what level of council tax they would set, how they would achieve high audit ratings for social housing. These are the matters and policies that determine whether or not a responsible opposition can make the transformation into an alternative administration worth electing.

On current evidence, we have the council that we deserve, and this Independent Alliance opposition hasn’t a cat in hells chance of gaining sufficient seats to supplant Labour. They are gungho, without regard for rules and regulations, they have poor tactical leadership, and cannot even see the big issues that really matter.

I can remember a time just over 25 years ago when this town elected a number of Conservative councillors to the old Tyne Wear County Council with decent sized majorities, even in wards like Rekendyke and Victoria! Perhaps the day might come again when the party can organise itself in South Shields to offer something better than what we have now.