70 Responses to “Stockport”

1. Barnaby JL Marder

   LAB HOLD

   May 5th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
2. Harry Porter

   Was Stockport town centre in Stockton N or S from 1950 to 1983?

   May 31st, 2010 at 12:05 pm
3. Pete Whitehead

   I think it was split but mostly in South

   May 31st, 2010 at 12:13 pm
4. Harry Porter

   ‘mostly in South’

   Lord Tom McNally, now Deputy Leader of the Lords, was elected as Labour MP for that seat in 1979 but crossed the floor to the SDP in 1981. On the boundary changes in 1983 he contested the new seat of Stockport but finished third behind Tony Favell

   May 31st, 2010 at 12:19 pm
5. Lancs Observer

   Is there a local reason why the Tory share barely rose here?

   June 13th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
6. richard

   Because its middle suburban sprawl?

   June 13th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
7. Joe James B

   I’d have thought the Tory vote should be a bit higher here.
   I just noticed on Wikipedia that Tom McNally had only been a Labour MP from 1979.
   He was not an MP when working at Number 10 until that election.

   He defected to the SDP in 1981, so although he fragmented Labour’s vote, he found himself in third place, on the scrap heap at the following election.

   June 13th, 2011 at 10:53 pm
8. Lancs Observer

   A LibDem Cllr here has resigned to sit as an Ind.

   I make that the 120th Cllr to go Ind since the General Election, a year ago.

   June 21st, 2011 at 9:27 pm
9. Lancs Observer

   Labour’s Cllr McAuley has gone Independent, as he says he couldn’t afford to remain a member of the Labour Group, as they they tithe monies from allowances to thn Party.

   January 25th, 2012 at 4:53 pm
10. Lancs Observer

    Lib Dem Cllr John Smith has defected to the Conservatives here.

    January 25th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
11. Shaun Bennett

    I don’t think they’ll get much sympathy. Can’t afford it indeed! They more than likely have a full time job as well as drawing their councillors allowances!

    As defections go, it is pretty weak as an excuse. Its not about politics, its not about principle, its not even about personality. Its about a greedy councillor wanting to hang on to every penny they can get away with.

    January 25th, 2012 at 4:58 pm
12. A Cairns

    Something about his partner’s pregnancy
    and perhaps there’s more to it than meets the eye.

    ………..

    Offerton is in Hazel Grove of course but it’s a bit awkward for the LDs nonetheless as it’s the council leader’s ward and it’s kind of vulnerable to Labour this year.

    January 25th, 2012 at 5:04 pm
13. Barnaby Marder

    I totally agree with Shaun (it’s been a surprisingly common occurrence the last 24 hours). It’s a very lame reason indeed for a defection (from Lab to Ind). As with almost all defections it also shows contempt for the electorate unless he resigns & fights a by-election (but probably he can’t afford that, can he). And I would say the same about a defection TO Labour, too. If a defector can’t get selected by their new party, tough, I say.

    January 25th, 2012 at 10:13 pm
14. A Cairns

    I’m not sure this counts as a defection. He may be back within the Labour party within a year or so.

    January 26th, 2012 at 5:14 pm
15. Patrick McAuley

    I’m affraid as excuses go I’m quite proud that I was honest enough to tell the electorate why I was no longer a Labour member, being a councillor is a job like any other and residents contracted me to do the job until 2015; And no I don’t have a job, you may be aware those are quite hard to come by these days and I’m tring to get qualifications to help improve my chances, but suffering with dyslexia and having to leave school at 15 with no qualifications means I’ve had to struggle. I’m shocked that some people on hear are quite happy to see my son raised in poverty just so the Labour Party or the wee mans Dad can save face . Shame on you for passing judgement without the facts. true arrogence

    March 26th, 2012 at 3:05 pm
16. Shaun Bennett

    Well first of all, you don’t have to defend yourself to us. You’re not my councillor thank goodness.

    But you really do need some violins to accompany your next sob story, it would have more impact.

    You’re just a greedy councillor who wants to hang on to every penny they can get. If you had any principle, you’d ask your electorate what they think of your excuse that you can’t manage a few quid a year to be a member of the party you claimed at the election to support when-thanks to that party and thanks to those voters-you now enjoy many thousands of pounds a year in councillors allowances and based upon your statement above, are probably also drawing benefits as well!

    Perhaps if you go out onto the streets of your ward with a cap (and the violins I previously mentioned) you might get some of your voters to stump up the few quid you would need to be able to stick to the platform your were elected on!

    March 26th, 2012 at 5:58 pm
17. Patrick McAuley

    I will have to ask you to retract your last statements on benefits and being greedy unless you can substantiate your claims the remarks are defamatory and you could be in some trouble. I assume you mean JSA or employment support allowance when you refer to benefits these are unemployment benefits a local councillor is employed as a local councillor you could perhaps articulate yourself a bit better and you wouldn’t ‘come across’ as so obtuse. Are you that arrogant or ignorant (?) that you believe its benefits or bust you clearly have no original thoughts of your own to make a statement like that.

    It’s interesting you should mention the cap in hand I’m beginning to question whether you live in the real world although it is pretty much like a comrade in the Stockport Labour Party who suggested I find a sugar daddy to sponge off to pay for my family while paying my £110 in subs a month to the Labour Party. Well my friend in my opinion this is exactly why the Labour Party are crumbling in Glasgow and Stockport. The Party is full of glorified TU TORIES who have no idea what real poverty looks like or how to deal with it.

    Perhaps you should search online for Stockport Labour Tories and All Paid Positions and you can educate yourself on the depths of Labour deception of the electorate.

    I don’t know why it still shocks me that people like you think the Labour Party is more important than families in poverty. Also clearly you believe it is only the rich who are capable of holding office there is a word for that…. Tory. And by the way I work damn hard for my wage/allowance whatever label you find appropriate for it. If being a councillor is so easy run for office in fact do it for the Labour Party you’ll fit right in with your views. You obviously have no idea how much it costs to run an election for local authorities and if it was free and residents had come out in force to tell me that I no longer stood up for them then perhaps you would have a point. But when the people you serve say they respect your decision and support you for taking that decision you have a duty to do the job you said you would. Or is high drama of a by-election all that matters to the Labour Party?

    Lastly the platform I was elected on was to stand up for and work hard for the residents of Manor Labour after I resigned Labour asked me to take to a sabaticle and come back quietly I’ll forward you the e-mail this is not honest.

    March 26th, 2012 at 11:45 pm
18. Patrick McAuley

    Clearly you don’t follow local politics in Stockport, I’d advise you look at the Stockport lib dems web page. As they published both public statements I released. I can state categorically that I will not be standing for the Labour Party again because of their subverse behaviour after my initial resignation. I was open and honest with them with regard my circumstances and they put politics josoling for positions first over trying to support a young guy trying to make his way in the world this is not inkeeping with the values I was elected on Labour are supposed to protect the vulnerable not use them to suppliement their own professional pension.

    I stood for Labour and people voted for me because we thought Labour stood for the right things clearly this is not the case. Last council meeting was a classic example of why I will not be rejoining Labour.

    They and the Tories spent the whole meeting talking about leaflets it is an absolute disgrace. That is not why they were put there. I asked 2 questions of the Lib Dems about employment in the area and Labour and the Tories spoke about leaflets. If I manage to help in some way to keep Stockport competitive and imrpove the employment opportunities for people I can be proud of that. With regard my status I studied politics at college and university and unfortunately it teaches you nothing about the practice of politics or that collective bargining is more about what happens in your own party than with opposition parties.

    I fully intend to go on the campaign trial next year when my son is born and my wife can return to work and I can afford leaflets. I still knock on doors asking people what their issues are and seeing how best we can resolve them, I still attend community meetings, council meetings, community events, help with petitions, have surgeries and research and scrutinise council business and help residents that need my help. If you say you stand for something you stand for it Party or no Party. I stood last year to help people and am proud of my record so far. I think the fact you are defending the Labour Party is illustrative of how endemic conservatism is within the top two Parties.

    March 27th, 2012 at 11:58 am
19. Patrick McAuley

    And by the way you went independent because you were de-selected! If that isn’t hoki-koki politics I don’t know what is! lol hehe

    Ps And you talk to me about being honest I think that is rather subversive in itself Tut Tut

    March 27th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
20. Pete Whitehead

    Is it common practice amongst all parties to take this tithe from theor local councillors? I don’t wish to comment about this individual case which would seem to be a matter bewtween the councillor, the Labour aprty and his electorate. But it occurs to me that councillors are paid allowances at the expense of local council tax payers to help them perform their duties as councillors and it doesn’t seem quite right that these funds should be routinely diverted into the coffers of local political parties to be spent on eg. election campaigns. Obviously local councillors would be free to donate their own money to their local party if they choose to, but to make this compulsory and to link the amount they pay to the councillors allowance strikes me as wrong

    March 27th, 2012 at 12:29 pm