POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

That's always been my dilemma P. It hasn't been as easy this time because whilst I still believe David is a good asset to the town I admire Sally Lambert and in the end I decided that she had my vote. In a funny way the news about David threatening us has helped because it has confirmed my decision.As for May, I believe that her Cunning Plan is to put her dreadful deal back up for a vote, get a narrow decision and with one bound she will be free. It looks as though she has ditched the DPU and is relying on the abhorrence of the Brexiteers when it comes to the EU vote. We shall see..... As for who I will vote for in that if it happens, dead easy, in the absence of any hard information about the candidates I shall go for the Labour Candidate.
There is one certainty in all this, the Tory Party will get no support from me at any point. (Are we allowed to call them Imperialist Running Dogs?)
Is Farage going to split the Tory Vote?
Later.... Reports in the Right wing media are also exercised by Farage and are predicting a melt-down in the Tory vote.

[plaques]

This is a bit of an oldie. The M 65 could be extended through Colne into Yorkshire. M 65 I doubt very much this will happen but there are encouraging noises fro some of the political classes.
Ref: Former Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: “It is not right that the M65 currently ends in car park in Colne. Extending it across the Pennines would benefit the whole of East Lancashire. It need to be done along with extending the railway line from Colne to Skipton.”

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said: "I welcome any study looking at tackling the major congestion at the end of the M65 in Colne. I doubt that extending the motorway is feasible but we should look at all options."

The original plan has disappeared from the internet but if I remember correctly it could leave one of our prominent local councilors homeless. The liberals have always been against this plan. I wonder why?

[Tizer]

It just goes to show how little our politicians understood what they had got us into, and once in it and when they began to see the light they were too scared to admit it was wrong and to pull us back from the brink. Bruff warned us that they didn't understand.

[PanBiker]

As for who I will vote for in that if it happens, dead easy, in the absence of any hard information about the candidates I shall go for the Labour Candidate.

Have you not had Azhar's leaflet Stanley? He is our PPC. If you havn't had the leaflet I'll make sure you get one so you know what's what.

On the Biscuitgate affair looming this Saturday. It now involves the Police as a direct complaint has been made and the matter will have to be investigated. As if they don't have anything better to do!

Our socialist principles of upholding the democratic process though will not hold us back from presenting our candidates to the electorate. Visitors can still have brew but because of the complaint they will have to pay for it. All monies raised will go to West Craven Food Bank.

Not the way I interpret the electoral rule "Treating requires a corrupt intent - it does not apply to ordinary hospitality. Incidental hospitality at a meeting or event is acceptable – tea, coffee, biscuits etc."

If the matter is pressed I can see someone ending up in bother.

[Stanley]

Yes I had the leaflet Ian, he has my vote. I also read yesterday's pamphlet and now understand that if David is on the slate it will be for County and so no competition for Sally. Have I got that right?
I note that the EU doesn't fully agree with our politicians responding to their exhortations to waste no time by popping off for ten days of holidays....
I have never forgotten the insights I got from Richard Crossman's Backbench Diaries and reading about Aneurin Bevan. Things won't have changed and I am certain that a lot of scheming and plotting is going on as the Tories face their dilemma. They will return to Brexminster like Giants Refreshed.
Later.... See THIS article by Joseph Stiglitz in which he examines the Trump Effect. This man talks sense and is worthy of our attention. On Today this morning on R4 he also said that he could see present trends leading to violent backlash on the streets, the same warning that Thomas Piketty gave us in 'Capital in the 21st century'
When men like this go public on this scale it is time to draw breath and take notice. Problem is that I doubt if Trump will....

[PanBiker]

Yes I had the leaflet Ian, he has my vote. I also read yesterday's pamphlet and now understand that if David is on the slate it will be for County and so no competition for Sally. Have I got that right?

Not exactly Stanley. No County Council elections this time just Borough and Town Councils. All of the Town Council is up for re-election (14 seats). Liberals have a full slate, we have fielded seven across both wards. I think this is why David is trying to frustrate with the unfounded invoking of the treating rule for which he has the wrong end of the stick but is still trying to press the point. We have two candidates (like the Liberals) for Borough for Coates and Craven and our seven for the Town Council which includes Sally.

At the poll this time you will have one vote for the Borough election and seven on a separate ballot for the Town Council. Don't forget your Photo ID or you will not be allowed to vote.

We wait to see if the police pay a visit to our meet the candidates event at the Civic Hall tomorrow.

[Tizer]

Not the way I interpret the electoral rule "Treating requires a corrupt intent - it does not apply to ordinary hospitality. Incidental hospitality at a meeting or event is acceptable – tea, coffee, biscuits etc."

Perhaps it's down to interpretation of the word `incidental'. If you invited people to come and meet the candidates and when they got there they found tea and biscuits, then that's incidental. But if you were thought to be implying come along and we'll give you tea and biscuits, then that might break the rules. Yes, I know it sounds petty but stranger things are found in legal interpretations. Thank goodness you haven't suggested sugar in the tea - that might have been a hanging offence!

[PanBiker]

I should have made it plain that David is not up for re-election to the County or Borough this May just the Town Council.

Depending on which recommendations go through, we could be in for radical changes to the existing ward structure across West Craven. Boundary commission is looking to reduce the overall number of wards and councillors in the constituency.

[PanBiker]

Yes, I know it sounds petty but stranger things are found in legal interpretations. Thank goodness you haven't suggested sugar in the tea - that might have been a hanging offence!

All the legal advice that we have been given, from the Borough and our party legal advisors are in agreement that we have interpreted the rule correctly. The daft thing is that we have always held meet the candidate events (with a brew and biscuits) every time we have fielded candidates previously and have never had a complaint before. The Borough solicitor has never had a complaint either until now in all his time in post.

We'll see what happens tomorrow, folk will get to meet the candidates and have a brew, biscuits will be available, the local food bank will be better off and probably more will turn up now thanks to all the publicity.

Regarding the sugar in tea, worse than that, I have a sneaking suspicion that "Jammy Dodgers" are Communists sleepers.

[Tripps]

It's very complicated isn't it?

Stanley is politically aware (woke?), and hasn't fully 'got it'. What chance the rest?

[Stanley]

Very true David. Thanks to Ian I have it all clearer in my mind now. I shall simply vote for the Labour candidate on all the slates!
David's shenanigans are a sign of how fractious politics is getting in this present climate.
While we are on the subject of local politics I have a question Ian. I see that a Paul White is resigning the Tory leadership at Pendle. Is this the same Paul White who I seem to remember being elected for Coates and being the youngest councillor in the country? If so, why is he leaving? I realise I may be suffering from imperfect memory.
For Boundary revision read gerrymandering! (Shades of Lady Porter.......)

[Big Kev]

While we are on the subject of local politics I have a question Ian. I see that a Paul White is resigning the Tory leadership at Pendle. Is this the same Paul White who I seem to remember being elected for Coates and being the youngest councillor in the country? If so, why is he leaving? I realise I may be suffering from imperfect memory.

I believe he's retiring on health grounds, the LT reported this last year
https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/n ... t-failure/

I've not 'Googled' his political history...

[Tripps]

It's actually all quite straightforward - if you're a qualified lawyer.

I've skimmed through it - I'd say someone with an axe to grind could make a credible case. I I have little contact with local politics, but have been told by several people that the Libdems are quite ruthless in their electoral tactics. Looks like they were right.

Browse through this - Represention of the People

I then use CTRL F and enter 'treating' to get to the important bit.
Aplogies if you all know that.

[plaques]

A storm in a teacup. Perhaps its sole purpose is to divert energies away from from the normal canvasing. Diluting the manpower available and creating a new pressure point is a political ploy as old as the hills. Its always a good move if you can get people talking about anything other than the real issues, remember the dead cat thrown on the table? Nothing new under the sun as they say.

[PanBiker]

A couple of points here Tripps. First, the reference is taken from the 1983 act which bears this caveat:

Changes to legislation:

There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to Representation of the People Act 1983. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.

Our legal advice was supplied by the Labour Party Legal team from its own documentation on how the current legislation stands. This position was also supported by the Borough Council solicitor and which differs somewhat from what is shown in the original unamended 1983 act namely:

Treating.

A person is guilty of treating if before, during or after an election they directly or indirectly give or provide any food, drink, entertainment or provision to corruptly influence any voter to vote or refrain from voting. Treating requires a corrupt intent - it does not apply to ordinary hospitality. Incidental hospitality at a meeting or event is acceptable – tea, coffee, biscuits etc. More substantial hospitality – buffets, meals etc., should not be offered.

The main point being what I have highlighted.

In any event, the presentation went off without any drama at all. Various members of the electorate turned up to meet our candidates. They paid 20p for a brew and we gave all the money to our local West Craven Food Bank which is a registered charity. I don't really need to add that Food Banks were unknown organisations in the country before the Tory choice of an austerity based fiscal policy but I will.

This will not be an issue again until next year when we will probably do the same thing again as we know the law on this matter is on our side regardless of what our local political mischief makers try to make of it.

[Tripps]

I don't for a minute think anything untoward happened, and I'm glad it was a success. I just wanted to point out that someone who wanted to make mischief could do so, and the LIbdems have some form in that direction.

[PanBiker]

It's a bit like any kind of spin you can bend the rules (especially out of date by 36 year ones) to fit your purpose, even if you know you are in the wrong it would seem. Anyway like I said, there will be no problem in the future as we have educated them up to the current status.

[Stanley]

So, it was a storm in a teacup.
There is a deathly hush in Brexminster.....
Does anyone know whether the EU election is happening now? I have lost track.....

[plaques]

There is a deathly hush in Brexminster.....

If what is happening in Westminster was a game of chess with the Tories playing the white pieces it looks like they are a position where they are about to lose their queen and the rest of the major pieces spread out across the board to be totally ineffective. There is only one true answer to this game and that is to resign and take their chances with the black pieces. In life its always a disadvantage being one move behind.

[Tizer]

Forgive the use of trendy words but I predict we are about to reach `peak binary' or `peak polarisation' in the Brexit affair. Forget Rees Mogg et al., Farage and a no-deal Brexit are now flavour of the month on the right and among Eurosceptics. The opposition is...well, the Opposition, in the form of Tom Watson and a second referendum. LINK

[Stanley]

I fear you are right Tiz. Farage has pressed the delete button at just the right time. That was the only political news over the weekend. Give the man his due, his timing and strategy are perfect. Compare with Parliament timing, the biggest crisis since 1939 and they have gone off for a holiday. You couldn't make it up.......
I repeat my query.... Does anyone know if the EU vote is going to take place?

[plaques]

I repeat my query.... Does anyone know if the EU vote is going to take place?

Of course it will. All indications are that the Tories are preparing to storm the elections by NOT making any preparations to take part. This tactics has worked wonders for the EU negotiations. To paraphrase Mrs May: No plan is better than a bad plan. The only doubt about this is that 'Dead Parrot Four' is rumoured to return to haunt the House of Commons and we all know what happened to the Canterville Ghost. It died of embarrassment when nobody would take any notice of it.

[Tizer]

As I understand it, if we don't take part in the MEP election on 23-26 May while we are still a member of the EU (even if only for a further day) then the outcome of the election will not be legitimate and subsequent actions of the EU will also not be legitimate. Every member country must take part for the election to be legitimate.

Ukraine has elected a comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as its president. If that's the way things are moving perhaps Boris is still in with a chance!

[PanBiker]

Regardless of what the Tories are doing, the Labour Party have all prospective candidates in place. No good not having any MEP's if they cancel Brexit now it is?

[Stanley]

Lovely Wilde allusion P. One of my favourite short stories. What was the name of the stain remover?
Tiz, I am watching Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who knows, he might be a good thing. They have tried everything else. (Jeremy Hardy for PM!)
Only one thing is certain, if we can detach ourselves from the sheer horror of the situation, we are now entering a very entertaining period in politics. Will Corbyn come off the fence? Will the Tories go over the edge and implode? What mad plan has T May dreamed up as her 'strategy' (I use the word loosely) during her ramblings across the moors....?
I suspect P is right and it's 'Dead Parrot 4' as the attempt to escape with one bound. Just imagine the warm glow that will suffuse May if she pulls that one off!
Actually, and this will be par for the course over the last almost 3 years, internal party matters will probably trump all other considerations. The Tories are staring down the barrel of the local elections and possibly a general election soon. We all know that what concerns the membership above all other matters is self-preservation and the news coming in from the Shires is toxic. Rage at May's handling of Brexit could rob the party of any sensible strategy.
N Farage must be laughing his socks off!