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Old-fashioned and backward-looking

April 11, 2012 8:39 am

Author:

Mark Ferguson

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Gisela Stuart

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Gisela Stuart on Labour’s MP/Mayoral mess:

“The point was to devolve power, but Labour’s response is old-fashioned and backward-looking”

JC

If you can’t be bothered to paraphrase and article behind a paywall, don’t bother to put a link to it. Why are you frightened of the article, and what does it say? Is it something to do with more control freakery and candidates being imposed on the local party? If so, I can smell your fear.
- MarionHaste
  
  Candidates being forced on local parties is at the very heart of Labour’s difficulties. No wonder voters cannot identify with politics when people standing before them have never had a real job in their lives. Look to your grass roots Labour. Duck out of the selection process and let’s have some real people in politics.
Daniel Speight

Linking to something that involves paying money to Murdoch is a bit doubtful Mark.
Robert_Crosby

Why are we interested in city mayors? Tories in Nottingham are all in favour because they have no hope of unseating Labour at the local elections. Look at Mansfield and Leicester… egotist mayors (one ‘Independent’, one Labour) and a now virtually redundant raft of councillors who the taxpayer still supports. Total nonsense and all because some people want to “celebritise” politics. God help us!
- ThePurpleBooker
  
  It is about devolving power to local government because central government cannot do anything. People should be able to hire and fire the people who run their cities and towns, rather than being dictacted by the flipping Department for Communities and Local Government. In other countries like France and America, they have directly-elected mayors for thier cities. We should give them more powers over policing by allowing them to set the police budget in their area, sack the Police Commander if he or she fails and directly represent the interest of people regarding policing. We should give them further powers on transport, by giving them complete power over the bus network and other forms of transport in their area. We have a federalist tradition in our party. Many of the founding fathers of the Labour movement were federalists, who wanted home rule for Scotland and Wales. Let us practice that federalist tradition in our English cities. YES TO MAYORS.
  - Robert_Crosby
    
    I’ve rarely read such ill-conceived, sweeping rubbish as this. None of it is grounded in reality. I feared the worst when I saw you describe yourself as ‘ThePurpleBooker’ and you haven’t disappointed. I assume you breathe the same air as the likes of Adonis and (Jacqui) Smith. Thankfully, I don’t.
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Homfray/510980099 Mike Homfray
      
      Its all about boss politics and celebrity – nothing more. A major mistake which will hopefully be conveniently forgotten in future years
      - Robert_Crosby
        
        I hope so. I go with John Mann’s argument that it’s a daft time to ask people to vote for more politicians.
    - ThePurpleBooker
      
      Ill-concieved rubbish. I think you don’t seem to understand any intellectual point and the fact is that it is grounded in fact. As polling and research shows people actually wants Mayors. The fact is, is that YOU are not grounded in reality, instead you believe that Whitehall can micromanage anything. I believe in the “co-operative and mutual tradition”, so let us empower our cities and give them Mayors like in New York and in Paris.
      - Robert_Crosby
        
        You haven’t got a clue what I think. How you link opposition to mayors to a desire for central control in London is beyond me! I believe in local democracy – which isn’t helped by the concentration of power in one person’s hands. I’ll go with John Mann on this… more money wasted on more politicians when there are more pressing areas of need.
      - ThePurpleBooker
        
        If you believe in local democracy then why don’t you believe in Mayors. People should have the right to hire and fire the leaders of their town and city. That is democratic, that is giving power to people rather than having a leader who is voted by a group of councillors in one party but is unknown by many of the people who he leads.
      - Robert_Crosby
        
        Because I vote on issues and policies. I don’t need to home in on who the “leader” is… if the councillors (or MPs) elect a leader and get it wrong, they’ll pay the price.
      - ThePurpleBooker
        
        No actuallty the city pays the price, because of failed leadership. That is why cities should hire and fire their leaders. Why are you so opposed to people empowerment?
      - Robert_Crosby
        
        Have you any idea how pompous that sounds? You make my point for me… many of the advocates of this nonsense are either on the make or resort to use of “buzz phrases”.
  - treborc1
    
    yes vote in MPs or ex MPs to have more power to the people, boy oh boy.

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