DEMOCRACY IS always touted as the political system where the people decide who rules them, but we are in an era where our hearts and minds are pummelled by spin, deceit and hidden agendas from those who seek the power which public office grants them.
Now that local election silly season is upon us, new candidates are out selling themselves and current councillors are revisiting the neighbourhoods that voted for them several years ago to try to convince them to, once again, lend them their support. Apathy is also a major candidate, with many people switching off from politics altogether due to a perception that their elected councillors just do what they want, help themselves to chunks of taxpayers’ money and that it really doesn’t matter which political flavour of councillor you have.
In Touch
In Highfield and Waterloo, the electorate have been fed the generic Labour leaflets, which mostly play upon national issues and attempt to take credit for many of the projects which are ongoing at the moment. There have also been the smaller snippets with information about the candidates.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, have circulated their “In Touch” leaflets which were put together largely by a Tory party apparatchik based in Manchester and printed out on toilet paper. Whilst some councillors have customised the leaflets to include local issues, most have not. That said, each In Touch leaflet has a short biographical segment about each candidate.
One of the points I noted on these leaflets was that Susan Fowler plays upon her family history and that her parents and grandparents were hoteliers. No mention that she is a director of a scaffolding firm called Boxer scaffolding. Similarly on Ian’s leaflet it claims he is a chiropodist (which he is, but I understand he no longer practices) but no mention that he is a director of a scaffolding firm either.
Ian’s leaflet also says of him that ‘he feels that actually living in the ward is invaluable as it keeps him in touch with everyone’. Susan Fowler doesn’t live in her ward.
Each candidate is also quoted as having a motto. Susan Fowler’s is “My word is my bond, and I will always stand up for what I consider to be right and proper”. Tony Lee’s, on the other hand, is “My word is my bond, and I will always stand up for what I consider to be right and proper”. Hmm.
One true voice
Aside from the poor quality leaflets that have gone out for these Conservatives, an additional leaflet is exploding into circulation around Waterloo and Highfield, just days before postal voting forms are delivered.
This leaflet, produced by some angry Blackpool residents, highlights issues which may well have been reported in the Gasjet, but are long forgotten, as well as some that are currently in the news. It appears to deliver many of the stories I have covered here, too, but rather than existing happily in cyberspace, they are delivered in hard copy directly into the homes of the electorate. I’m told over 4,000 homes have been leafletted so far, with another 6,000 to go, totalling around 15% of Blackpool’s households.
Aptly titled “Profit before politics”, the leaflet is headlined with the Crystal Road story, telling it from start to finish and in doing so labelling the property a “condemned dive” and highlighting the £180,000 which the Fowlers received from Blackpool Council.
It moves on to note Ian Fowler’s 50 first class rail trips between 2008 and 2009 (as reported by the Gazette in a first class rail exposé) and also notes his denials about the safety of the Crossing of Death on Lytham Road, which is something Ian Fowler spent his ward budget on. Great way to win votes, that.
The reverse side of the leaflet contains a wide picture of Bond Street and details the flawed one-way scheme which Ian Fowler had a lot of involvement in. Fowler had claimed that people were getting what they asked for, but most businesses disagree with this and say that the voting was flawed. Finally there is a short story about Boxer scaffolding, the firm which Ian and Susan Fowler don’t seem to want to tell their electorate about, and the possibility that some of the £5m loan to the Pleasure Beach could be paying the Fowlers’ scaffolding bill.
In summary, the leaflet contains a passage saying that the it is not intended to tell people how to vote but that the authors wanted to show what some of their councillors have been up to. They say they have voted Conservative before and have since “seen the light”.
I am told that the response on the doorstep has been excellent, with many people questioning why Peter Callow is not included on the leaflet.
Tony Lee and Lily Henderson are said to be distraught at the damage this leaflet could do to their own chances of getting re-elected. It seems unreal that they could not have known about all of the issues raised though.
Personally, I applaud this leaflet to the full. It is about time councillors were held accountable and about time people received an independent source of election media which gives the full story and not just half of it.
Latest unconfirmed reports have suggested that Simon Blackburn has personally visited Ian Fowler to say that he had nothing to do with the leaflet.
Many thanks to the hotelier that sent me these!
It will be interesting to see whether the Blackpool Conservative campaign team are able to institute a rapid response to this leaflet by Dave Palmer.
The key to the response is the Conservatives explaining in full the circumstances as to how the Fowlers inherited the house via a family death; how the house was valued by an independent valuer; and how the only alternative to the Fowlers selling the house to the council would have been selling it for more to a private buyer who would have been at liberty to turn it into a HMO. The response should also highlight the fact that the Fowlers were amongst a number of other individual property owners whose properties were purchased by the council.
This is excellent Phil, hey Chris, FUCK YOUR BELOVED POXY SHITE EATING TORY COUNCILLORS, they are SCUM,their days are numbered.
Harold, cool it with the obscenities and cancer wishes etc.
ok sorry!
Chris,
If that kind of response came out by Fowler, I am sure Mr Palmer would be inclined to launch a response in kind.
The property had been on the market for a while prior to the council coming up with this project, with little interest. From executive decision PH/183/2010 it says: “All the properties were being marketed for sale through local agents”.
If Ian Fowler could have sold this for more to a private buyer, he would have. He didn’t sell it the council out of the good of his heart. They were the only interested party.
In addition, it seems negligent on the part of the valuer that they simply took Ian Fowler’s word for it that the subsidence problems had been sorted, given that less than a year later the building is condemned with, I am told, so much damage to the foundations that even the latest underpinning techniques are not even possible.
As you will know, the value of a building in such a state is the land it sits on only. More like £30,000, not £180,000.
Why, if Keppie Massey were appointed to liaise with the vendor to maintain impartiality, have I got emails from Helen France to Ian Fowler discussing the purchase before the date at which the project was even given the rubber stamp by Maxine Callow? Why did she have to call in the district auditor to look at the valuation to ensure it was “squeaky clean”? Why would it not be? Is something being covered up?
Why would Ian Fowler sell a building he fully owned if it was netting him a nice income of £20,020 per year? He already has a few other properties let out so he obviously likes a steady rental income, and if the property is worth £180,000 then surely if he had kept it for another ten years it would be worth more – as the council have plans to regenerate that area – and he would have had another £200,000 in rental income.
But why was he not asked to provide any evidence of this income? If the business value of the property was not being taken into account, how could they come up with £180k for a shit property on Shit Street?
If nothing else, the fact that a structural report was not commissioned despite all parties knowing that an insurance claim for subsidence had occurred and that it was known that the property had not been underpinned seems utterly absurd. Why did Keppie Massey not do this? We will never know, but this also raises issues with all of their other valuations because if they do not perform due diligence when surveying a property with known subsidence issues then what other corners have they cut? Did Keppie Massey provide a fair value? No. Did the council obtain value for money in their Crystal Rd purchases? No.
Note that even if Ian Fowler knew that the building was, to put it bluntly, fucked, it’s not his problem to tell the valuer. I don’t think anyone is alleging that Mr Fowler has done anything wrong.
Did the Fowlers profit from something that, it could be argued, was worth only 20% of the amount they got? Absolutely. Do I blame them? No. But people wont be happy about it.
unless someone payed/offered paymentt ie a% of the sale to the valuer to inflate the price, by overlooking crucial issues?
Phil I with you when you say you don’t blame the Fowlers individually for making a large profit. However Fowler as a councillor knew not only his property but the others in this area where being over valued. He didn’t do anything about this which for a councillor is wrong and the council was at best incompetent to allow this to happen. I can’t see how people can defend this as a individual then its fine but as a councillor then clearly he failed in his duty or am I missing something?
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/business/local-businesses/men_behind_makeover_1_3303336
Proof, not that any were needed, that this so called newspaper is pro council,utter drivel!
Propaganda toilet roll (used).
No doubt this so called independent valuer charged a hefty fee for his services, which of course will have been met from public funds.
If the property is subject to subsidence and it was not mentioned in the original valuation then negligence has occurred. Why is the LA not protecting the public interest in this matter by laying a claim against the valuers public liability/indemnity insurance?
If the valuation was of the type where in depth structural checks are not made of a matter of course then it needs establishing why, particularly given the local knowledge about other problems on this street.
Yet again the public’s trust in elected officials has been abused in the extreme, this stinks to high heaven and it needs to be sorted.
Only litigation against the surveyor or the job of the local authority employee that ordered the survey will even begin to satisfy the public anger behind this.
Take note Tories in Waterloo you are on your way out, you need to move fast to restore public confidence.
The subsidence was covered on the valuation report. It said;
They didn’t actually check or commission a structural report, which any private buyer would have done to prevent any nasty shocks later on.
Helen France disclosed in a Freedom of Information request that;
So it looks like she is claiming that the rental income which Fowler said he was getting was, in her opinion, the driver beind the valuation arriving at £180k.
She also said;
Phil,
Unfortunately I don’t have many details regarding this issue and have had to rely on information that I have garnered from this site and the Gazette.
Did Norwich Union pay out for a claim for subsidence on the house? If so the insurer should have sorted the problem out.
Regarding the demolition of the house. Is the house being demolished because of subsidence issues or is simply because it is more effective to demolish the house rather than redesign it as a residential property? Given the fact that the house was designed to serve as a boarding house/ hotel, it was always going to be difficult converting it for residential use.
Builders (R P Tyson) have been on site since the start of the year converting it into a pair of terraced houses.
Norwich Union paid out, but the repairs done were only superficial. The foundations of the building were not sorted out.
There are of course 10 other properties down Crystal Rd which are being converted, some of them being boarding houses, and I understand there is one other which has been condemned.
I agree with your last point, but that was the project which the council embarked upon. For instance, they converted an 8 bedroom guesthouse into a show home. The guesthouse cost £117,000 to purchase, and £130,000 has been spent converting it, bringing the total to just under a quarter of a million for a terraced house in a run-down area. We’re getting towards London prices here.
You can buy a 4/5 bedroom new build detached in a nice area complete with gardens, garage, etc for this amount.
Valuation report is here:
http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/democracy/members/admin/files/8e1690b4-1597-4250-86ce-2e85ec6e14fc.pdf
You will note that they don’t seem to ask for proof of much, and bizarrely label Crystal Road as a “strategic location”. Keppie Massey claim in there that they think there’s a reasonable demand from cash buyers for property like 25/27 Crystal Rd. If there was, why did the council have to come in and buy all of the properties that were up for sale?
Phil,
I would imagine that the demand by cash buyers would be to convert the properties into HMOs. Given the income that a HMO can provide a landlord there would be significant interest in the properties on Crystal Road and other areas of South Shore.
I disagree, because all of the properties purchased by the council were up for sale on the market. If there was such a demand, why were they all sat stagnant on the market?
Regardless, Ian Fowler claimed that he was getting £20,020 per year from this property, which makes a much better return than having £180,000 in the bank. So why would he make the decision to sell? He doesn’t need the money and has several other properties let out. He could always have sold in a few years time when the council had regenerated the area and his property would be worth more. Or would it?
There are always buyers if the price is right. The trick is finding the right level that entices a potential purchaser.
The yield of rental income which was the return at the time (no doubt made up of housing benefit, but that is another issue) is very reasonable, lots of other properties on this street stand empty and make no return at all.
Whilst of course that is unimportant in this sale it is still to be explained why the LA settled on purchasing this property then there were so many others that would have been subject to below market offers. Some of the local sellers would snatch arms off for 70 or 80% of a market valuation in the knowledge that that offer was the only game in town.
Question. Why did the local authority just pay up for what the surveyor decreed as the market value instead of negotiating? If this owner was unprepared to haggle there are hundreds if not thousands around Blackpool that will?
Why has the public interest not been protected in this case?
To put some meat on the bones of what I have said here. A friend of mine has just gone through the purchase of a hotel in a street not a million miles from here. He has to get a small mortgage on his purchase. The banks and mortgage advisor’s stated that they are simply not lending money on these sort of undertakings unless there is at least 40% equity in the property and the accounts of the business are showing a very (his words) healthy profit after overheads.
This suggests to me that market value is meaningless, these sort of places do not have one, the only way they may be attractive for sale is to a cash buyer who have the latitude to make a few quid on a conversion with a very low offer.
This leaflet by Dave Palmer is rather good isnt it. (is dave a taxi driver… next thing his licence will be revoked……mark my words). Reading are resident tory ass lickers coments above, i think he has missed the point. If Ian and Sue Fowler had been honest about all there involvement with crystal road and boxer then no one would be so bothered. The inherited the house through a death in the family, ok that happens to many people, but to sell it to the council, not having it suveyed correctly and it all hushed up THEN for the Town Hall Clowns to sell it for a couple of quid £££ is total madness.
The point is that they werent totally honest, they selected what to tell there voters, so Daves little leaflet has done the job, its told the truth as dave see’s it. On the other hand, cant see Simon Blackburn speaking to Ian to reassure him its not a labour leaflet, more like to wind him up a tadge……..
can I ask that mr palmer writes a couple more leaflets………………. interesting.
VOR you are right here, it is very simple the leaflet states the truth I don’t see how trying to explain the truth (as Chirs suggest) alters it.
I also don’t understand how explaining how the property came into the hands of the Fowlers justifies how they acted when they owned it. Why didn’t the council use a local firm to value the house because it’s clear the houses were not worth what was paid for them by the council. Are we to believe the owners of the house didn’t have any idea what it was worth?
Had the Fowlers hushed up the property purchase, why has it been in the public domain for months if not years?
Regarding the property prices on Crystal Road, online valuation websites are still giving six figure valuations for properties on the street. This is despite a property downturn that will have reduced the values of these properties over the last few years. So how can you state that the properties on Crystal Road are overvalued?
Because the owners were unable to sell them privately. They are only worth what someone is prepared to pay, and until the council came along with an unlimited bucket of taxpayers’ money nobody had been prepared to pay anything.
Given that the property is now set to be demolished due to its structural problems – which were obvious from observation but were still not checked – you have to say the valuers failed to perform due diligence and should be struck off this government panel of surveyors if this is the kind of thing they do.
The Fowlers have not hushed up the property purchase, but for some reason the editor at the Gazette will not write about it.
I’ve just looked at an online valuation site and it quotes £109,000 for 25/27 Crystal Rd. A far cry from what he got for it.
Chris
You are quite right this used to be Susan Fowlers mothers property at one time,but according to the land register it was in Ians and Susans name when they sold it. I can also tell you that a bit of money was spent on it, to do what I would consider to be camouflage work, maybe to try and hide the problem, realign skirting and floorboard for best fit, render over the cracks in the front elevation of the property, new windows,roof work ect but I have not seen sight of anything to suggest that the building was underpinned which quite clearly it needed,
My opinion for what it is worth is that the Fowlers new just how bad this building really was and was only to glad to receive a tax payers bail out as no one in there right mind would have bought this building otherwise for anything like the price they received especially knowing that the property has been subject to an Insurance claim for subsidence. The fact that there is a history of subsidence as well may make it difficult to lend money against the building, what about insurance would there be a clause in the policy that any subsidence would not be covered due to the properties history. If they were unaware then I am sure that the builders working on it would have told them.
Cracks are still visible for all to see, broken lintels this would trigger any private investor of securing a structural engineers report, if you speak to any local surveyors they will tell you about the history of Crystal road and the structural problems associated with this road, not to sure if a out of town valuer would have the same awareness. I would think that having this report at your disposal would make you walk a mile from this property as it would only be worth the land value less the cost of demolition. Now let me ask you this, if the property was earning you over £20,000 per annum (12% yield ) has claimed by the Fowlers, and you believed that the property was in good condition and structurally sound, and also new that the council and Great Places are spending a fortune on the street to try and enhance the area, which could result in your property becoming more sought after would you not stay hang on a minute, I’m not interesting in selling as I will only get 4% interest on my £180,000 ,
No You would not. It has also been noted that the Fowlers have interest in other property’s which I assume they rent out so it seems this maybe part of there business portfolio. Lets also remember according to an email I received from Helen France saying that they had to be willing sellers as the council was not going to use CPO powers. Anyhow I have just sent a copy of our second leaflet with all the support documents to my Counsel to make sure all the i are dotted first, I hope to get out at the end of this month, thanks for the volunteers who have helped with delivering the first leaflet, I would be most grateful if you can assist with the second one.
Just posted to try out a possible new moniker
Your entitled to your opinion tangerine tit head, but We dont have to agree, get over it, Labour will be the next Council in the Town Hall………….end of….
So we have to endure another period of financial incompetence, greed, envy and loathing of all who have served Q and C?
Now back to subject, well done the authors of this leaflet. Just remember whichever party gets most stooges, London Offices will still dictate policy and privilege irrespective of what we do or say. It is a pity that there seems to be no independent persons willing to give of their time and experiences for the public good.
Phew! I don’t know what came over me! I had a weird dream in which I was confronted by Simon Blackburn’s arse and I had an overwhelming urge to stick my tongue in it – luckily I awoke from that nightmare and returned to reality and my usual nom de plume
Anyway back on topic. Well done Mr. Palmer! About time somebody had the balls and the gumption to put the record straight about some of our councillors (regardless of party).
I salute you.
This is a commentary on parliaments but it would probably equally be true for local councils as well:
“To lay bare the character of parliaments, one has to examine their origin. They are either
elected from constituencies, a party, or a coalition of parties, or are appointed. But all of
these procedures are undemocratic, for dividing the population into constituencies means
that one member of parliament represents thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions
of people, depending on the size of the population. It also means that a member keeps few
popular organizational links with the electors since he, like other members, is considered
a representative of the whole people. This is what the prevailing traditional democracy
requires. The masses are completely isolated from the representative and he, in turn, is
totally removed from them. Immediately after winning the electors’ votes the representative
takes over the people’s sovereignty and acts on their behalf. The prevailing traditional
democracy endows the member of parliament with a sacredness and immunity which are
denied to the rest of the people. Parliaments, therefore, have become a means
of plundering and usurping the authority of the people.
Moreover, since the system of elected parliaments is based on propaganda to win votes,
it is a demagogic system in the real sense of the word. Votes can be bought and falsified.
Poor people are unable to compete in the election campaigns, and the result is that only
the rich get elected.”
And here’s another one on political parties:
“The party is a contemporary form of dictatorship. It is the modern instrument of dictatorial
government. The party is the rule of a part over the whole. As a party is not an individual, it
creates a superficial democracy by establishing assemblies, committees, and propaganda
through its members. The party is not a democratic instrument because it is composed
only of those people who have common interests, a common perception or a shared
culture; or those who belong to the same region or share the same belief. They form a
party to achieve their ends, impose their will, or extend the dominion of their beliefs,
values, and interests to the society as a whole. A party’s aim is to achieve power under the
pretext of carrying out its program. Democratically, none of these parties should govern a
whole people who constitute a diversity of interests, ideas, temperaments, regions and
beliefs. The party is a dictatorial instrument of government that enables those with
common outlooks or interests to rule the people as a whole. Within the community, the
party represents a minority. The purpose of forming a party is to create an instrument
to rule the people, i.e., to rule over non-members of the party.
Originally, the party is formed ostensibly to represent the people. Subsequently, the party
leadership becomes representative of the membership, and the leader represents the party
elite. It becomes clear that this partisan game is a deceitful farce based on a false form of
democracy. It has a selfish authoritarian character based on maneuvres, intrigues and
political games. This confirms the fact that the party system is a modern instrument of
dictatorship. The party system is an outright, unconvincing dictatorship, one which the
world has not yet surpassed. It is, in fact, the dictatorship of the modern age.”
I must admit to agreeing with quite a lot of the above.
Name the author.
I cheated. Colonel Gaddhafi writing for Dictatorships Monthly. Also features “My Nuke and I” by Kim Jong Il, “Ethnic cleansing for fun and profit” by Omar al-Bashir and “The fifty million billion trillion zillion Zimbabwean dollar question” by Robert Mugabe.
Naughty, naughty! Alright so Muammar Gaddafi is not my idea of a desirable head of state, but the two pieces above (originally from his “Green Book”) make more sense to me than most of the manifestos churned out by our political parties and more so in the fact that they never keep to their promises. Oh well coalition politics means never having to say sorry when you lie your tits off to the electorate
Not sure if it is connected to this but the Bond Street traders have called public meeting tomorrow at Holy Trinity church hall 18.00Hrs.
Wonder if any councillors or indeed the MP will be in attendance coming as close as it is to the locals? The meeting has been well advertised by word of mouth and a leaflet drop so I would expect this meeting to be well attended.
The leaflet is silent on the theme simply carrying a header that the meeting is ‘to assess the situation in South Shore’.
It’s not, as I understand it, connected, though I believe traders in this area were canvassed about their issues prior to the leaflet compilation. I see the Gasjet has covered it as well and published the meeting details.
Will there be earnest looking women in raincoats and berets hissing: “Listen very carefooly, I shall say zis only once…”. And if not, why not?
Check out this URL and then you might ask yourself what is the difference? None. They’re both unelected.
http://www.infowars.com/nigel-farage-van-rompuy-cozied-with-gaddafi-in-december/
Chris
I spoke to two builders working on 25/27 Crystal road asking them when it would be finished, I also had a witness in my car at the time who heard the full conversation, the builder said that the building has been condemned and is going to have to be demolished, he said his boss has gone mad as they had already done a lot of internal work, we also had a email from a senior council employee in the know confirming this, we have also had information in the form of an email from another Conservative.
In fact you will be amazed at the information we have received on various issue from various whistle blowers, one has to ask whether they are giving us the bullets to fire in the hope they can rid themselves of Fowler which in turn would maybe lead to the Conservatives over throwing Callow as well, it seems that there is division within the party but no one has the bottle to stand up and be counted.
All the leaflet has done is inform the electorate of what there ward councillors have been up to, and as Philtheone has already pointed out, that most of the info has already been published by the gazette, no finger of blame as been apportioned, it is up to the electorate to form there own opinion just like I have done. As I have said already we would not have published this if we did not have the proof to back it up. But everyone has the right to reply so why don’t the Fowlers respond and put there point across.
Dave you are the man! Mr Blackpool 2011, you deserve a public service award,lets hope the Fowler and the Callow pustulating worms are pushed back under their stones!
David,
I haven’t criticised your right to publicise matters regarding the council’s purchase of properties on Crystal Road. As I stated in my earlier comment, I and the voters in Waterloo and Highfield wards would be interested to see the response by the Conservative Campaign team to the matters you have raised in your leaflet. Personally I feel that there needs to be a response in the form of a counter-leaflet in order to allow Conservative voters and supporters to be able to defend the actions of Conservative councillors.
No amount of spin can defend the indefencible – corruption and abuse of position are just that and they’ve been so arrogant and shameless about it that come election day any rightminded voter in Blackpool aware of the facts will vote them out. Fullstop.
here here TT!
having a quick read through this topic, i am supprised that Christian Cox (or true blackpudlian) or his side kick stephen pierre have not commented on this issue…….perhaps the tory party have jumped up and down on them…………….one has to wonder, as cox is pretty vocal normally.
I got my postal vote, dropped on the mat yesterday.
Even if the entire Parliamentary Conservative party was convicted of kiddie fiddling I still could not bring myself to vote Labour after the way Gordon Brown trashed this Countries economy, mainly by his own arrogance as Chancellor in thinking he had ended boom and bust and by not reigning in the excesses of the banks. The bulk of the rest of the Parliamentary Labour party and root and branch membership sleepwalked into allowing it to happen. Where was the debate on a new leader when Blair stepped down?
All the job losses you are seeing today and the cuts in public services are as a direct consequence of this foolishness.
All this from an ex Trade Union active official who was a convener on a large Retail Distribution site in the South of England and still counts a couple of Labour MP’s as personal friends. (one of them is ultra left wing).
Austerity Britain has only just started it will be with us for years, maybe a generation because of Brown’s mis management of the economy.
Looking at the ballot paper I got yesterday I can only reach one conclusion……and will be writing this along the bottom.
‘None of the Above’!!
What choice do we get? No bloody choice Either the Tories out to line their own pockets, Labour who haven’t got a clue or the Lib Dems who want to open the borders to one and all?
I have to agree. Even the anti-EU vote in Blackpool in the form of UKIP has again become a real joke with Hamish McFagpacket standing. I won’t vote Bolshevik after 13 years of trashing this country (not only the economy), the local tories are some sort of masonic cabal that spend their time finding ways to line their own pockets whilst gridlocking the town for the rest of us.
Nationally I despise the LibDems because of their stance on Europe and what is left of Britain’s sovereignty, however, owing to the fact their councillors will not be whipped if voted in then I shall cast my vote in their favour. However, it leaves a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth that if I want to cast my vote, I must vote for a party that nationally is anathema to me.
We need more independents IMHO.
‘We need more independents’
Why didn’t you stand as one then you burke?
I have to work to keep myself and my family. I’m a firm believer that if you’re going to do something then do it well to the best of your abilities and put 100% commitment into what you’re doing. With my work and family commitments, unlike Jon my daughter is only 5, I don’t have the time to spare for serious political effort. As a single man I put my life totally into various causes as a married father of a youngster I don’t allow myself to get sucked into causes anymore (apart from supporting BFC and playing the odd blues session as hobby).
Labour are responsible for the legislation that has brought about the jailing of a soldier for 70 days for burning a copy of the Koran..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-13119241
And the fining of a Muslim extremist of £50 for burning poppies in front of an armistice parade last November.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12664346
Never ever ever again must they be allowed anywhere near the running of anything larger than a school tuck shop.
They have failed the British people miserably, I tell you I could just about put up with corrupt Tory politicians in office that upheld British interests but I will not tolerate in any way those intent on diluting our national interest. Fucking angry tonight………
Those were the best examples you could come up with? Talk about petty.
I could come up with about 20 better reasons not to vote Labour and I will definitely be voting for them in these elections. Why?
The Labour Party for all its faults are the only game in town for anyone who believes in fairness and social justice, instead of the self-interested profit mongering of Tory councillors like Fowler.
Those were the best examples you could come up with? Talk about petty.
And therein lies the rub. Labour and its assorted acolytes were/ are only too keen to ride roughshod over the values of others that they couldn’t care less about.
There are still people in this country who believe in and are fiercely concerned for the right to live freely and without the overbearing state dictating what you can and cannot think or express.
Frankly, the notion of imprisoning someone for burning what is essentially a 1400-year old Harry Potter book of fiction is absolutely appalling. We simply have no guaranteed right to freedom of expression in this country. Equally, the idea of fining someone for burning a symbol that they hold in contempt is just as abhorrent, although I realise that that view will be less popular amongst some.
By all means, toss aside the freedoms and rights that you care little for, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that others don’t cherish them.
Christ 70 days for burning a koran?
I hate labour but have the coalition made any attempt to repeal any labour laws????
YES! loads of them!
so how come this hero has got 70 days for burning a koran, or was he done for theft??
all other cases where korans have been burnt have been dropped, no case to answer.
Just seen paul maynard walking down fleetwood rd,helping candidates.
His sentence was for theft and criminal damage for burning the book and his past legal history. As you pointed out HEG other people have brunt the Koran and not gone to prison.
I do wish PM would call at my door I have so many questions I would like to ask him.
as far as I can gather is not a crime to burn a koran/bible,neither should it be,but I suspect by giving this guy 70 days they have subtly made it os, even though the charge was for theft etc.
I think we can all agree that the law should be fair and even for all no matter of colour, race, religion or class. If we look at these cases and let see if the sentencing is fair and consistent.
Andrew Ryan ex army soldier stole a book from the Library and brunt it in public looking at it that way 70 days does seem a bit cruel. However Mr. Ryan has a long criminal record (or so I have read) and some of it violent. So when the judge past sentence it was yet another act of law breaking by Andrew Ryan and the Judge sentence (in fairness) should reflect his past record.
Emdadur Choudhury first time in court and had no criminal record (or so I have read). Douglas Tullin who urinated on a war memorial was fine £50 for that crime so would say these two crimes (in the eyes of the law without emotion) where the same. So consistent sentencing here by the judges which is fair are the sentencing lenient, debatable point depending on your views but Emdadur Choudhury is what (according to legal sentencing )you would expect him to get.
In other words the headline seems awful but if you look deeper you see a habitual criminal breaking the law again and having his sentence reflecting this and a first time law breaker getting a sentence what others who has done similar things have got.
A bit of racial chanting at a football match and some other public order offences such as resisting arrest? The yobs do much worse on a Saturday night in Blackpool when was the last time any of them were sent down for 70 days? Christ you can be flogging drugs round here and not get a custodial sentence.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1378172/Andrew-Ryan-jailed-70-days-setting-Koran-What-burning-poppies.html
The offences of taking a leak on a memorial and burning a poppy are not in any way comparable. The act of urinating or indeed local to Blackpool committing oral sex upon, although disgraceful was not an act in itself designed to cause offence. Choudary by setting out to burn poppies deliberately set out to cause offence. There is no comparison.
Reports that there was an additional 30 days for nicking the library book.
When was the last time that ever happened?
The State has proved to be vindictive……. It has demonstrated that Common Sense will not prevail and that badly framed legislation rules supreme.
rules based upon POLITICAL CORRECTNESS,a fascist ideology brought about by ZANULABOUR, whom I will never vote for again.
Lets all get together and burn labour party manifestos…………
You need to find them first!
they are freely aavailable at any public toilet,in the form of white sheets from a dispenser in a cubicle,lol
Something rather strange going on here, had a detective snooping about Crystal road, spoke to hoteliers who informed that Fowlers property did not have a For Sale sign up, but I thought the criteria was that the property had to be for Sale to be considered. The builders on site again confirmed that the building has been condemned and that it will be eventually demolished,as well as another, but they are leaving it dormant for now, we enquired whether anything could be done to save the property but they said it would cost far to much money, they have even tracked down one of the Fowlers ex tenants who lived at this property, apparently he was given a months notice to quit, we also were alerted to this property being condemned from a email as well as another source. But today I received a reply from Helen France who stated that the house has not been condemned and it will not be demolished, are they going to try and make it work now at all costs, I have also been informed that Callow is spouting that I am going to be sued by the valuers, does anyone else think that this is some sort of cover up, it may even be the case that if we do go to mitigation with this that I will apply for my own surveyor and structural engineer to do a report on this property, one thing for sure is I am will defend our actions regarding the leaflet vigorously. So Fowler and Callow put up or shut up. I still maintain that according to a local surveyor we spoke to who was well aware of subsidence on Crystal road, that if the building is to be demolished then the land would only be worth between 20-30% of the new build value less the cost of demolition, this is a formula that they use, and he said with the current economical climate it would be nearer to 20%.
Be Careful…. Dr David Kelly rocked the boat and got very close to exposing a huge Government cover up and look what happened to him.
Whilst I don’t for a moment suggest that the Blackpool Tories have the resources to hand to undertake black ops that certain figures high in Blairs Government did, it would be wise for you to refrain from early morning walks along he beaches that sort of stuff. Stay away from secluded places.
Interesting comment from a supposedly educated man at the top of a local authority. Sued? what would they be suing you for exactly?
There are other ways and means within the ‘Black Ops’ world that can be used against David. For instance as has been pointed out elsewhere David and his mates might find problems with licensing and other town hall bureaucracy. He might also find that his credit rating gets changed for the worse or he may be stitched up and arrested on some criminal matter which would be made very public in the press, only for it to be dropped quietly later when the damage to his reputation had been done. He also might find doing business in the town and Fylde area becomes more difficult – after all we know that some of these people happen to be masons.
Keep an eye out David and don’t let the bastards grind you down!
Having followed this thread on line with the gazette I thought I would check out this link to philtheone. Dave I have a question WHY is Helen France involved I thought this property belonged to Great Places and was not a council property anymore. I really dont understand why this has anything to do with them, now they have off loaded it.
I went this morning to see what was going on for myself, I suggest as many of you as possible do the same and find out for yourselves. I asked the main man if this property was coming down and he told me I must have been the 8th person to ask and he catagorically stated YES it is, and it would cost hundreds of thousands as you said to try to ATTEMPT to fix it. Sorry if I sound as if I doubted you Dave but females and curiousity etc. I have to say I dont hold out much hope for the other people on the road trade seems to have dried uop for them while all this is going on. Funny how someone else always has to pay the price.
Tangerine terrorist, Don’t worry about me I was always taught by my father to take bully’s head on at all costs, they soon learn that you will stand up for yourself and move on to the next weak candidate. The problem is that people are not prepared to stand up and be counted these days, they would just rather lead a simple life and keep there heads down, I was looking at the register of interests that the councillors had to sign just the other day, did not notice that any of them were a member of the masons as they would have to register this, if anyone knows any different then please pass the information to me with proof as I would out them.
The masonic connection is a total red herring. There are some Councillors who are masons but please believe me, this has no relevance on what has been happening on the Council. There may (in the past) have been some concerns regarding certain Council Officers who were alleged masons but that situation does not appear to exist any more.
The majority of the information passed onto philtheone has been from people with a masonic connection so you really are barking up the wrong tree!
I’m not quite sure why members would need to register the fact that they are masons – being a mason involves giving and raising money for charities not receiving any!
I agree with you Dave about people not standing up to be counted. I really despair when I look at the list of candidates in this election. We really do need some fresh people to come forward. This latest scheme for Talbot Square is just beyond the pale – I can promise if elected I will do everything in my power to sort out the highways department. There seems to be absolutely no accountability there whatsoever.
Jon
You have to register any interest in charity organisation, the free masons is a charity organisation so if you are a member it should be registered, we have contacts so I will find out, I know that some council workers are members of the lodge, but I thought I would look to see if any councillors had registered a interest, I went right through the files,we have some who are members of the rotary. I would just like to see transparency in local politics, they should not be meetings held in secret with no minutes available ,the electorate should know what the councillor is voting for, that way we know they are voting for what they beleive in and not the party line.
Freemasonry is not a charity.
They raise money for charities and other worthwhile groups and organisations.
Their meetings are private but not secret.
They do produce minutes of those meetings.
Jon good answer, but sorry mate a party of 2 councillors will have little influnence with either of the big two……………. Dave Palmer has the right idea with his leaflet campaign…….. nice one………….
a party of one councillor will have more influence than a keyboard warrior who can only criticise others but not put their own neck on the block.
Touche mon ami! (quickly adjusts beret and string-of-onion necklace)
doubtful jon, stick to pulling pints pal. Your good at that……….. have a good weekend in both your venues………….. Lots happening
I made the comment as I believe there is a picture on this site of a Blackpool tory in his lodge.
I distrust secret organisations of this type (although I was once approached a long time ago).
Many of my family in Scotland were on the square and I don’t have any real axe to grind with the freemasons. That is apart from that their organisation and it’s secrecy provides a scenario wherein persons with a poor moral compass can use membership of such a group to forward their own career path and/or their own political agenda without the scrutiny of the ordinary person on the street.
TT For once I am in total agreement with you. 10/10
Er…. That’s a little bit worrying.
why worried TT sometimes you get it right, only sometimes mind
My father’s side of the family were from Fort William, he was asked years ago to join the freemasons in his younger years, they are a sound group if used for the right purpose, you will always get wheels within wheels. I have a friend who is a Knights Templar, he can spot a fraud when they enter for their own gain a mile away, they dont usually last long if thats their aim. There is an element in this group who select certain contacts for their own political gain as well as legal contacts, they are the ones I cant stand.
** HISTORY MODE ON **
Your mate must be a good age – the Knights Templar were purged by the French King and the Catholic Church at the beginning of the 14th Century. However, as rumour would have it, many Knights Templar escaped to parts of Scotland (and America if the theories are true) and were allegedly the basis on which the Ancient Rite of Scottish Freemasonry was formed. At the time Robert Bruce was excommunicated from the church and so the Knights were out of reach of the papal authorities.
** HISTORY MODE OFF ***
That is what he calls himself, what else do you call them? definately a Templar, or is it a Knight…youve got me wondering what he is now..but he is very high in the order either way. He is a nice guy an hotelier buddy
It appears that the Fowlers may have invested the money they received from the Crystal road project into guess what, yes two houses on Ash St, probably to rent out, 93,000 for one and 90,000 for the other, great business move, how much rent can you draw for a 3 bedroomed terrace property in Blackpool, guestimate of £6,500 per annum x two = £13,000, slight shortfall from the £20,000 they were receiving from Crystal road, states the obvious doesn’t it, I rest my case you honour. It would be interesting to know if the tenants are in receipt of housing benefit. lol
They will be and rest assured the Ian Rackmann fowler filth will be exposed for this, I have said this all along, how many other councillors are doing this?
I was under the impression they had about 5 properties, but then I might be wrong. Will have to check. Yes they are benefit payments from my source.
Many councillors and indeed Members of Parliament have Buy to Let property portfolios, a quick glance at the register of interests will confirm the fact.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is a party thing as a lot of them from all colours of the political spectrum were at it, but there was always a suspicion that persons who have a vested interest in a property bubble and the levels of housing benefit paid to landlords were perhaps not the best persons to be voting through policy on them.
It was and continues to be a right little racket and those that lord it over us at right at the centre of it…..
You will never see the BBC or the papers report the fact though as they are by and large at it as well.
They have a registered interest in 6 properties including the property they live at in St Lukes Road, nothing wrong with building up a property portfolio as they seem to be doing, but one could not turn around and use the excuse for selling Crystal road as they needed the capital to invest in another business venture because the banks are not lending, these properties were purchased in June 2010 which sort of ties in.
I think supports my claim that the Fowlers were well aware just how bad the Crystal road property was and was only to glad to sell it on to any idiots willing to buy it. Leaflet no 2 has now got the all clear, interested to here from some volunteers again, want to get it out a couple of days before polling day so that it sticks in peoples minds, we also have one for the Norbreck Ward which will include a supplement from the two we have done for Highfield and Waterloo ward, we all ready have enough volunteers for the Norbreck ward. Again please contact by email at davepalme@msn.com if you can help.
OMG having just been sent a copy of the latest leaflets all I can say is wow Brilliant it will blow the other out of the water, Callow dosent come off so well in it either. I had a few of the girls who were distributing with me the first time round who want to deliver this second leaflet. They told me they will be happy to get this info out there as they heard from a source of theirs that apparently Tony Lee is telling people he took a load of leaflets off me while I was distributing in St Lukes Road, this is a load of garbage. I did however hand a few to Susan Fowler while I was in her home, saying I wouldnt deliver anymore in her street, and that if I said the girls wouldnt either if I asked them not too. I felt at that time she was genuine, but having looked into her chart this is not a good year for her personally, the jury is out on what kind of year he will have as I dont have the time he was born to be accurate, even though Rabbits are supposed to have a good year not so in what I can see so far. That was a silly move trying to discredit me, the ladies in my corner are very protective of the goose that laid the golden egg. They have made a fortune out of my advice and what I have done for their business’s. Feng Shui can make or break you in business make no mistake about that. They have now taken umbridge at what has been said when I was trying to be impartial and get a view from both sides. What they do now is their choice, nothing to do with me. They want to know where when and how many Dave. It really is not wise to trying to smart when you are not in a good position to start with.
Thats fair comment David but think of it in these terms.
The UK has just seen the greatest ever property bubble in its history, ok that bubble has now burst and there is still a long way down to go yet (meaning now is not really the best time to be investing, take note Mr Fowler).
It was the BTL market that contributed to that bubble artificially inflating prices beyond the mean and what the average Joe in the street could pay. Subsequently many have over reached themselves to be able to do it and will perish when interest rates rise as they certainly will have to and very soon now.
Now nothing wrong in a politician building a property portfolio but a very close eye has to be taken to ensure they do not take advantage to game the market in their political world.
Brown/Blair and the Government never reigned in the banks when they lent to all and sundry, this also fuelled the bubble. Easy to understand why when you can see what goes on under the surface.
geezer466
I am led to believe that a property boom has been taking place in Hong Kong with property prices rising by 30% over last couple of years, predictions are that the bumble will burst there soon, so now is the time to sell, mind you money is extremely cheap to borrow over there compared with what the banks are now wanting over here. Bricks and mortar have always been a good investment providing you buy at the right times, always seen above average yield compared to leaving your money in the bank. The main thing is to not over stretch yourself if you are borrowing heavily and just ride out the storm,all will come good again eventually. Mind you I wish I had invested in Gold the way that has risen,can’t win them all though I suppose.
I remember back in the late 80s classic sports cars,vintage and veteran stuff was going through the roof all artificially inflated by dealers, the pension company’s jumped on the back of this, buying them all up, with the intentions of storing them away for 5 years and then putting them back on the market, but shit hit the fan in 1991/1992 when they took a huge tumble. My father used buy cars as his hobby, but could not compete with the millions of pounds available to these buyers, I used to go to the top auction houses with him and could not believe the prices that stuff was bringing, less than half price 3 years later.
We are 12 Feng Shui Masters from a world wide group who took time out to write about certain capital cities for a book on Feng Shui of Cities, they wouldnt publish it as there were too many authors to deal with the royalties, and the rest of the europeans couldnt agree who was to hold the purse strings. Nothing new there then. I was given Dublin to audit in 2002 and assisted on the London project with my colleague Ting Foon Chik. I was on RTE radio explaining about what they termed the Celtic Tiger. I adviced them to be more prudent with their spending as this high would all come to an end, and they would have to tighten their belts, that date predicted was 2004. You can imagine the comments I got, these boys thought they were riding the crest of a wave. If they think its bad now, they wont know whats hit them soon, there’s worse to come for the Irish financially. I was not happy when the government bailed them out as they will not be able to repay the loan. I have had a look at the Feng Shui of Blackpool and there is money to be made, there are a few hiccups to deal with but there is no reason why we shouldnt be prospreous again with the right guidance. This town is not doing itself any favours by having yes men at the helm. The motto now should be whats in it for Blackpool. Be more aware of where your money is being spent, dont moan about it when its too late and the deals have been done behind your backs. Go to the council and demand to know whats going on in the town, ask about any new developments go to planning let them earn their money.You want to know where all the tenders are going and if there is a pattern to who is getting what, make it your business to know who they associate with, no more deals done round a table at the football club. Transparency is the order of the day.
** MISCHIEVOUS MODE ON **
Feng Shui? What a load of bollocks! Didn’t do millions of dead chinese any good when Mao had his cultural revolution did it? Maybe they all had south-facing doors or whatever and what about their ancestors – Gengis Khan kicked their arses so maybe their wall wasn’t positioned just right either. Feng Shui – load of bollocks!
** MISCHIEVOUS MODE OFF **
Feng Shui. Chinese term. Roughly translated as:
“Let’s make some silly term up that will make money out of the white devils whilst we laugh at them frantically moving their furniture about.”
You can prempt the outcome of a court case in your favour if you know what you are doing with Feng Shui. I won a 5 year battle againt the Carousel Hotel, with all their lies deceipt and fixing the case one way or another. That was a big group to take on, along with the Rotary and Masons allegedly at the same time, plus the staff they arranged to lie for them and solicitors who lost documents pictures and not allow my witness’s to sign statements before the trial, looking back give myself a pat on the back, I am one female but I can roar like a lion, and take your head off with one bite if I am pushed.So I am glad I have that modality in my bag of tricks, it can make a big difference in business as a Mr Patel who owned the Miami Hotel can atest as he is now bankrupt owing £1,250,000. 00. He thought he was smart enough to piss me off, the judge saw through him, lots of tradesmen in Blackpool lost out as they never got paid. I aloud them to jump on my claim so they didnt need to go the expense of hiring a solicitor.
As for a South facing door, it has nothing to do with this as to why that particular woman and Mr Web who is the main shareholder in the business will suffer this year financially. I know the energy map of that building as it was one of the places I considered buying myself 7 years ago, but for certain reasons I passed up the opportunity for a better location, with good reason. So taking into consideration the original chart which is vital and this years current energy flowing from this direction it will not be good financially for them this year and illness is another factor. So if you have a south facing door dont panic. The comment was for her only.
Hi Tangerine Terrorist
Ha ha ha, it wasnt meant to do the people any good, thats was the whole idea, it was meant to keep the emperors in power, no one else, they annihilated anyone who got in their way.
As can I if they piss me off, thats why I was given the title Master by my Chinese Sifu. but I am a gentle sole, so over look peoples issues until they affect me. next round ;o)
Bugger me Feng Shui master! My computer chair has just gone into overdrive and I’m spinning around the room out of control – don’t mess with Kate, take the mick (me) or try to groom her online (VOR)
I have fallen off mine laughing, glad you have a sense of humour, terrorist.
Kate you’re always falling off your chair laughing when I post. Don’t put the Feng Shui Master’s (or should that be mistress?) hex on me for bruising your bottom. Oh and by the way beware Voices of Reason offering to give it a rub
Hi Tang
I did send an email to VOR as they requested, but YOU will laugh at this next bit…..I am very intuitive and all I kept picking up on, was that this is a man, though the contact came from a MARY JONES. I dont see this person as a woman, I see him as a man, so if had he approached me, and was being straight about it and said look Kate this is my view, I can accept that, but like I said before hidden agendas will out this year.
I look for the humour in all things.
Mary? Priceless! I can’t wait for VOR to be rude to me again (as is usual) before I use crass, sexist putdowns and inuendo to wind him/her up even more. This is potential comedy gold and I am deeply in your debt for sharing that with me lol
What does your intuition tell you about me? Am I a George or perhaps a Georgina? What colour knickers am I wearing? Am I truly a tangerine or are they a pastel shade of peach?
Only a true Feng Shui Mistress would know….. hahaha
Let me see, I would need to look into my crystal ball for that one…nut a nutt a nutter springs to mind ha ha ha. I was going to say Barm pot, but it wouldnt suit you…enough of this frivolity, what about the Callows and Fowlers are they out yet coz they should be, When do we get the results, 5pm?
Nutter? Barmpot? I’m devastated Mrs Burns! hahaha
We should the results in by midnight tonight on the telly but Phil’s got his people on it at the various counts and he’ll be posting throughout the evening on here I expect so you should be able to pick stuff up after the polls shut at 10pm.
Now back to that rubber room….nutter indeed! hahahaha
The count isn’t until tomorrow morning, starting 8.30am.
I have put a page up about it, linking to my Twitter feed which you can follow for updates.
Don’t stay up too late waiting for it
I am truly a barmpot then – Quad Erat Demonstrandum
Just plain M/S Burns for the last 12 years, I am happy to say. I will saty up to celebrate, I knew I kept that Crystel for a reason.
Oh you shop at Marks and Spencer or you have multiple sclerosis?- I don’t do politically correct titles – Mrs or Miss MS is for big women in comfortable shoes!!
You’re sitting up to celebrate – you’re as daft as I obviously am then
Big in all the right ways, but not the comfy shoe brigade yet thank god, black and blue is the colour for you with that comment cheeky bee ha ha ha
My old school colours! Used to hide the thrashings we got from the teaching staff hahahaha.
What does “big in all the right ways” mean? The mind boggles
Thanks Kate, the proof copy’s will be sent to the printers on Tuesday as they are closed over the bank Holiday and I do not have the time to print them, should be turned around within 5 days, we still have some of the first batch over as I had 10,000 of them so maybe 3,000 left, we will pop these in the leaflet for the Norbreck ward, I will order 3,500 of the new Norbreck news ward leaflet and 7,000 for the Waterloo and Highfield ward. Might have to ask the other political party’s for a donation as I am helping there campaigns along..lol
Glad you put lol as some people would take you seriously, but having said that most on this site seem to have a bit more nouse than those on the gazette site.
Cant wait to see the New Leaflet………..especially
[...] in defence of Ian Fowler and the accusations made on the “Profit before politics” leaflet. The text is printed on bog roll quality paper so I am sure it has not put Ian Fowler anywhere near [...]
I see the story has finally made it to the Gasjet who are playing it with the ‘Cabbie and his dirty Tricks’ campaign….
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/row_erupts_over_cabbie_s_crusade_1_3348168
I see Callow and Fowler have instructed that the comments box remains closed.
Its just a shame that Mr Fowler has not bothered to address any of the allegations regarding the property and has concentrated on fabricating some sort of dubious agenda to explain the actions of the complainant.
Do not worry, the people on the ground have had their say, anyone I have spoken to since the leaflet distribution, have all voted with their cross and the only cross they would put on Fowler is the one he would he hoisted on.