Looks like The Callow has come up with yet another ludicrous attempt to affirm his position as council leader.
In the wake of Kensingtongate, he has told Blackpool Conservative councillors to sign a piece of paper saying that they didn’t know about the Kensington donations to Blackpool South Conservatives. We have Jim Houldsworth, Nicola Best, Tim Cox, Jean Kenrick and Ron and Gary Bell not on the list and avoiding questions on the issue.
And? Are you going to expunge them, Peter? If not, what was the point in this exercise?
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Tim Cox was probably one of the very few Tory Councillors who didn’t know about the money. Signing that letter was a very very big mistake for some people, and they all know who they are! Ron Bells camp are increasingly looking tired and isolated and their silence is being translated as guilt. Callow appears to have the support of the majority of his party but we all know that to be untrue, however, the dissidents are walking around aimlessly, looking for a leader……………. C’mon Ron either stand up and be counted or fuck off and make room for someone who does want to make a difference
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Of course I don’t understand Blackpool politics very well yet – but as an outsider I find Callow’s actions a bit reassuring. At least he realises how bad it looks that a donation was accepted and doesn’t want anything to do with it. At Fylde if it was against all the council rules, they’d change the rules so that it was. The worst Callow’s regime seems to be guilty of is slow change though he’s certainly not showing any signs of not realising what’s wrong at this stage.
And the point of it, I guess, would be so that the electorate and the party could hold these people to account.
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Come on Ron make your position clear or let Blackpool face the horror of 4 more years of Marsden the toff.
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Callow is a joke, he is another Roy Fisher.Hes simply playing a sleight of hand trick to avoid the REAL issues; ie Blackpool’s future.
He has to go and if I were a true blue conservative, someone whose values I do respect, then I would be ashamed to have him as leader. He is NOT a conservative, hes a non entity period.
Regeneration in Blackpool is a joke and what ‘ideas’ they have are insane, like truncating the south line; that is madness.
The Talbot Gateway does nothing for Blackpools pulling power, it does give new council offices for both Labour and Tory groups.
The completion dates of these projects beggar belief,compared to the standard 5 year completion, one must ask why?
He and that fat hideous gorgon of a sister, sorry wife of his, have to go.
They are inept beyond measure and are ruining this town’s chances of getting into the 21st century and reliving the glory days.
They are a social and national embarassment and disgrace.
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I agree to a large extent, I don’t hate Mr Callow in the same way I despise Roy ‘champagne socialist’ Fisher but I do wish we had somebody a bit younger and more proactive. Tim Cox is the youngest councillor in Blackpool but he seems to keep a low profile really. Paul Maynard would be a great Council Leader if he wasn’t standing for Blackpool North/Cleveleys. I also wish we could ditch Steve Weaver and get a better Chief Exec; somone like Sir Howard Bernstein but unfortunately he’s spoken for in Manchester, just an expensive advisor to us. I agree totally about the completion dates, they are ridiculous. I mean 15 years for a project that just keeps getting scaled down and down now the bus station has survived the axe, Wilkinsons will be next to survive it’ll get a new coat of paint instead. Blackpool needs more radical and ambitious regeneration projects with quicker timescales.
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TB, just look on other forums at other towns plans etc and their efforts and you will see that Blackpool is a joke for rgeneration, Callow is a clueless clot, he must go, but who steps into his shoes?
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see here: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=57
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I agree completely I have been saying for ages our ‘plans’ are way behind everywhere else but all cardy and frustrated of blackpool and the other Labour sympathisers can say is ‘Blackpool has had continual investment’ (maybe on their planet but not in the Blackpool we live in). Most of the Labour council’s projects have either been cancelled or scaled down. I look at what other towns/cities have in the pipeline and they all beat us hands down. We get piecemeal projects like Houndshill (I love the new Houndshill but its not enough on its own) while Preston gets a whole new town centre worth 20 times as much, it is taking the piss. Other towns get arenas, shopping centres, entertainment complexes, universities and business districts. We get a small extenstion to a small shopping centre (Fisher cancelled Phases 2 and 3), Central station is still a car park with a forseeable future, the Winter Gardens has been left to rot by its Pretend City loving owner, our attempt at a university has stalled after Labour lost the funding and our business district is new council offices with a refurbished eyesore bus station.
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When is Howard Bernstein gonna make his views known? Its all very quiet.
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Paul Maynard is a progressive libertarian, I’m sure if he was Blackpool Norths MP he would be a great asset for Blackpool. The reason for Tim Cox’s low profile is because he since being elected, he is like a rabbit caught in the headlights! He is only just coming to terms with being a member of a group of people whose main agenda is self promotion and gratification, a group of people who spend most of their time briefing against each other and who are just downright nasty!
Does anyone REALLY believe that Cllr. Ian Fowler (Ron Bells election agent) didn’t know about the Kensington money?
The same Cllr. Fowler who proposed the Blackpool South Conservative Associations accounts be approved? The very same accounts which included the £5,000 earmarked for Ron Bells campaign? The campaign that Cllr. Fowler is legally responsible for?
The same Cllr. Fowler who regularly is seen drinking with Ron Bell and Denley Barrow (Kensington Boss) at Stanley Con Club and with Owen Oyston, Ron and Denley at Blackpool Football Club?
Hands up those who really really believe he never knew about the donation!!!!!!
Denley Barrow knows where the bodies are buried and I don’t think he is going to perjure himself to save the skins of a handful of worthless councillors who should not even be allowed to be members of the Conservative Party.
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There is a lot of shit floating around Cllr Ian Fowler, maybe sometime some of it will stick to him and we’ll see him fuck off.
You never know, Fowler might have had backhanders wrapped up in the form of promised scaffolding contracts from Kensington.
Is it any real surprise that all the people involved have some connection with property development. You have Cllr Ian Fowler with Boxer Scaffolding, Cllr Ron Bell who is involved in property development, Owen Oyston who is a landowner, Barrow who also is a landowner and housing developer.
It’s a complete and utter disgrace that these people can be allowed to slap us all in the face with their public collusions at the expense of the town, all for big fat profits in their bank.
There is absolutely no way I will be voting for Ron Bell now, even as a tactical means to get rid of Marsden. It is clear that a vote for Ron Bell means Blackpool will become Kensington-on-Sea, and to make matters worse he’ll be claiming MP’s expenses as well.
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Fowler, another useless wanker, along with that cunt Henry Mitchell, turdsucker that he is.
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Looking at all the hot air coming out of Brighton from the Labour Party conference just makes me laugh. Brown is just running off more lies and spin and blaming all the countries problems on the Tories. Negative campaigning and smearing is the only thing Labour is actually good at. Speaking of which, I sincerely hope Marsden isn’t claiming expenses for a posh hotel in his hometown at the conference, just a thought.
Labour is on the way out, even The Sun has ditched its ‘support’ for Labour which is exactly what they did in reverse in 1997 when Blair swept to power. LABOUR OUT 2010 MARSDEN OUT 2010
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Labour is the party of political correctness,paedophilia, destruction of traditional values,destruction of the family,mass immigration,human rights for scum,pro islam and multi culti shite, big brother state and its capacity for a continued massive waste of tax payers money, shows no abating
In fact it has betrayed the working class on a scale that has never been seen before by any political movement, against its supporters
Labour out 2010, NEVER TO RETURN!
More UKIP/BNP/ED in 2010!
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Well said John, like I always say I would love to back a fringe party especially the English Democrats but I will vote tactically at the next election. So whoever has the best chance of deposing Marsden can count on my vote. Anything as long as Labour are gone and never return
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Marsden is a blight on Blackpool, how he ever got in is beyond me.
No Mp is better than Marsden, so the zero option has some appeal.
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opps should have posted this here ….
Town Centre 30/09/2009 12:31:39
Tories at odds over cash from builder..
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Council leader Councillor Peter Callow, who said he did not know about the donations and demanded they were repaid, claiming it was “morally wrong,” to accept them. ???
Why didn’t he know what was happening ??? After all he is the Tory council leader …
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The money was returned and an investigation by the North West’s senior Tory, John Walsh, was launched.
John Walsh a puppet from Manchester that backed Callow..
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Councillor Callow, who was cleared of having any knowledge of the donation by Mr Walsh’s inquiry, said he hoped the letter would restore confidence.
How can he be cleared ?? His side kick Fowler even pronounced that the minutes of the treasures report were a true record of business.. It included the first of the £5,ooo donation ????
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He added: “All the people who have signed this letter wish to clear their names and have the same opportunity I had to say they knew nothing about the donations.
All the councillors that have signed this are Callows own sheep ???
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“We believe that going public and stating these 21 councillors did not know the money came from Kensington is the only way to try to restore confidence in the party in Blackpool as a whole.”
Mr Callow You had no choice in going public with this , as it had already been leaked out ….
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Councillor Callow said: “I want an open administration and that’s why people are going on the record stating they had no knowledge the cash came from Kensington.
Then why is it Mr Callow that you have made all councillors sign a secret petition, that all your meetings be kept a secret, so much for being open and above board …
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Angelia Hinds, chairman of Save Our Moss, said: “It would now be nice and right and proper to have some sort of formal statement from the person who received the donations, stating when and why they took them.”
The group that accepted the donation used it as a promotional monies to help councillor Bell promote he’s quest for MP for Blackpool South ousting out Mr Marsden
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I think it’s highly possible that Callow didn’t know. Blackpool South Conservatives might have to tow his line as far as councillor actions go but the Association is an entirely separate one to his and I very much doubt they discuss anything directly with him.
And now he wants to distance himself with what he really believes is beyond the pale and looks highly crooked – hence the letter so if the public want to vote people out because of it, hopefully he won’t be one of them.
It’s very hard for an Association on limited funds to turn down the sort of sums Kensington was offering – as Kensington would well know. But what I don’t really understand is why Kensington would make the donation of an amount that had to go on the register (and hence be found out). These people are very savvy in the ways of politics – it really does make me think why do this? Why make any approval look dodgy when the money could have been otherwise salted to the Association in a non-declarable way?
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I agree with what Frustrated says it is hard for associations to turn down large donations of cash but they should have done. It almost cost the ward and don’t think the local Labour party will let this drop the GA. Ron Bell is wrong not to come out in the open about this it is only making the matter worse. As for Callow the more I see and read of him the more I am convinced he is just a political animal and has long since forgotten (if he ever had any) morals about why he entered local politics.
I would rather have a honest and competent person in local government then any there now. As for the next Blackpool south MP I think Marsden should go he is a Labour MP and not a Blackpool MP. I don’t think Ron Bell would be any good as a local MP I am sorry to say and Paul Maynard may be well thought at present but looking at his background I see the same problem as we have with Marsden a Conservative MP and not a Blackpool MP.
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A classic case of party politics before public interest, fuck all the mainstream parties, they are all equally shite.
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Personally, I think that Peter Callow should throw in their towels and call it a day. A better man would have done sooner!!! Most councillors keeping a low profile are probably trying to avod being tarnished by the crap that is being flung about left, right and centre; to be frank, who would blame them. There’s nothing wrong with the Conservatives in essence, the problem is the Callows and their pathetic little sheep who just follow blindly.
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Well said A bit fed up, Marsden is a Labour MP NOT by any means a Blackpool MP. Labour sympathisers on the Gazette claim he is always in Blackpool working for the people and solving peoples problems, how come I never see him anywhere over than in the Gazette and I live down the road from his office. A proper LOCAL MP would hold more than ONE surgery a month especially considering he has 82 days holidays, I get a fraction of that in the NHS and a 1/3 of his massive salary with no perks/expenses. I also found no reference to Marsden on the Blackpool electors register which is a bit suspicious, don’t you think? But what really makes me laugh is how Brown the Clown and Liebour are going around launching childish class attacks on the Tories calling them ‘toffs’ when look at Marsden (a true toff) and most Labour MPs, they’re not working class. Most of Brown’s Cabinet went to public schools and Oxbridge. I don’t give a damn where someone went to school but I do take issue when equally privileged Labour MPs are branding Tories ‘toffs’, it is downright hypocritical. Also William Hague, Margaret Thatcher, David Davies, Liam Fox and Eric Pickles all top Tories are all from modest upbringings and I am sure there is more. So FUCK YOU LABOUR with your class attacks LABOUR OUT 2010 MARSDEN OUT 2010
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Public school boys are a constent in the Labs and Cons.
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Precisely, I don’t have a major problem with it, I am all for inclusiveness but I am more interested in how they perform as MPs and what they offer. What does get on my bloody nerves is people like George Galloway and Labour MPs calling Conservatives ‘toffs’ when they are no different. Most of Brown’s frontbench went to private schools and virtually every one of them went to Oxbridge, so they are just hypocrites.
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William Hague went to Oxford at the same time as me.
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Interesting, did you ever meet him? Also Mr Hague is one of plenty of top Tories who did NOT attend a private school.
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No never met him I think he went to Magdalene I was at Kible College we knew of him because of the speech he gave at the Conservative conference when he was 16. I also think (but I could be wrong) he was the chairperson of the oxford conservatives.
As for your statement most of Labour front bench went to private schools that not entirely correct I do think that the conservative front bench has them out weighed there.
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Shit spelt keble wrong should stop drinking and go to bed early
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Fair point but plenty of Labour MPs front and backbenchers did go to private schools and some of the very top Tories; Hague, Major, Thatcher, Davies, Fox and Heath all went to state schools. Here on a local level it is the Labour MP who is the toff. But that’s not why I plan to vote against him its because he is useless and doesn’t give a monkey’s toss about Blackpool. I am just sick of Labour MPs calling Tories toffs when many top Labour MPs are not working class by any means. There is one idiot on a BBC forum who keeps claiming the entire Shadow Cabinet went to Eton, what a stupid ill informed idiot he really is. I am just sick of classist stereotypes like that being hurled around.
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Public schools breed politicans. It’s descended from the days where our MPs were all from the higher echelons of society because people felt that if they were loaded they would be incorruptible, and obviously you have to have a few quid to go to a public school.
Doesn’t seem to work like that now does it Jack Straw and Lord Taylor of Blackburn?
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Sadly pathetic name calling seems to be a political argument nowadays with fewer and fewer people willing or able to debate their own political views. Something which seems to be encouraged by senior members of all political parties. I listened to David Cameron on Sunday and the only person better at him then not answering questions was Tony Blair. The only thing he seemed comfortable of saying is that he wouldn’t answers question on his party policies that day (so way go on the show) and that the Labour party was rubbish and seemed to spend most of his time telling us what the Labour party was not doing. What politicians should be doing is telling us their plans for the future and how this would affect the country as a whole. Not (which seems to be the only thing they do say) what the opposition is not doing, whoever that opposition may be.
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I agree completely A bit fed up. Over the Labour party conference all I saw was exactly what I expected; a load of speeches from Brown the clown and his cronies launching childish schoolground attacks on the Tories and their previous Governments. Labour supporters do the same smearing and negative campaigning. They seem to have selective amnesia forgetting Labour has been in for 12 years blaming all the country’s problems on the previous Tory administration. I want to see David Cameron and the Conservatives deliver a positive conference. Yes they should attack Labour and their record over the last 12 years because they have been in Government for 12 years. But I would like to hear how the Conservatives will repair the damage done by Labour not simply schoolground name calling like Labour stoops to.
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here here TB!
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A Bit Fed Up –
If you’ve been educated and have a degree from Oxford it was an absoute waste of time and money. Whatever you studied there it certainly wasn’t English. You haven’t learned how to speak it yet let alone write it.
How can someone with a degree go on like you do?
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That always the trouble with posting on board’s people judge you by your grammar rather then what you post. It was and still is a great failing of mine to speak and type in short burst presuming people will be able to keep up with the post without the need to elaborate. Some people don’t and some people highlight this because they think it causes some point scoring. My degree was in pure and applied so my need for English was limited thankfully. As for it being a waste of money I don’t think my bank account agrees that is what degrees from the old universities give their graduates a increase starting salary.
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