New Blog

Now I have retired from my voluntary work the title of this blog is inappropriate.  I have started a new blog entitled Kent Old Grumpy to which I have transferred the content of this blog.

http://kentoldgrumpy.blogspot.co.uk/

Plebgate

I do not subscribe to mega conspiracy theories: New World Order, Common Purpose, Who Shot Kennedy?,  the USA Did Not land a Man on the Moon, etc.

Of course there are conspiracies and cover ups and good investigative journalism may unveil them.  A good example of a cover up is the action of the police after the appalling disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's football ground.  Good journalism brought to public attention Jimmy Savile's sex exploits and most recently uncovered dirty work at the crossroads (or Downing Street's gates) in what is known as 'Plebgate'.

One aspect of Plebgate which intrigues me is that, as far as I am aware, Boris Johnson has not been mentioned, yet he is the political boss of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and played a key role in the departure of the previous holder of the post.  Given the damage Plebgate has done to the relationship between police and politicians and the uneasy accord that exists between Cameron and Johnson, the silence of Johnson is deafening.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9764200/Plebgate-Met-Commissioner-promises-ruthless-investigation.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9764957/Plebgate-Andrew-Mitchell-does-not-come-out-smelling-of-roses.html

Happy Christmas

IPSOS sent me a Facebook App which enables me to make my own Christmas cards.  My effort is below.  Happy Christmas to my readers.

Of toffs and plebs

There is no reason why a toff should not describe a pleb as such, yet the left wing politicos/politically correct brigades are up in arms.  Indeed members of the religion of political correctness look on approvingly, indeed participate in baiting people for being toffs, as witness the Crewe by-election. Hurling insults is a British tradition which should be encouraged and we do need to retain or develop a sense of humour and not go all po-faced when insults are being hurled.

Roger Millman

Roger Millman died earlier this year.  He was a key figure in the early development of the Bridge Trust.  The Trust had many problems in the early days and it is a mark of his success in overcoming them in concert with Bob Wykes,  David Gilpin and Niall Willis that the Trust has grown to be a major provider of accommodation and care for homeless single people in West Kent. Roger's wife, Jean, worked for the Trust after Roger stood down.

Roger kept abreast of and supported the Trust's activities after he stood down. I recall spending some very cold evenings on 'guard duty' with Roger during the annual Trust sleep-outs in car park in Tonbridge.  

A sad year

This year has witnessed the death of three individuals each of whom made a significant contribution to the welfare of people.

Kevin Lynes was a member of Kent County Council's Cabinet and worked hard for the people in his division, particularly the residents of Sherwood.  He was also a leading figure in the creation of Kent Savers Credit Union.

Val Griffiths was employed by Kent County Council as a detached youth worker.  She became a friend of numerous disadvantaged or troubled young people and helped them recover (or indeed discover) their self respect.

Cathy Gaunt was employed latterly by a charity based in West Kent. For much of her working life  she supported seriously disadvantaged groups.

I knew all three for many years and, in their own way, each was a 'one-off'.  Isn't it sad that we only recognise the true worth of an individual when it is too late to tell them.

Kent County Council's version of localism

The Conservative Party has proclaimed the virtues of community engagement, community involvement and community action wrapping it up in the concept of 'localism' which in turn is part of the Big Society agenda.  One of the leading proponents of localism is Greg Clark the MP for Tunbridge Wells.

The theory looks good, however turning theory into reality is somewhat more difficult. Step forward Kent County Council, under the kosh for its poor showing in the primary school performance league tables. The Council is responsible for youth services and as part of its budget reduction measures has decided to reduce funding for the youth service and moved away from a grants process to a commissioning process.

Kent County Council's commissioners rightly are looking for value for money but in so doing are able to influence the way in which the voluntary sector works, by encouraging mergers to reduce administrative costs and by reducing the number of organisations it has to engage with.  Money talks, so the voluntary sector is controlled by the policies and decisions taken in County Hall.

A stark example of this is what has happened in Tunbridge Wells.  Two organisations have fallen foul of the new commissioning regime and their future work, indeed the very future of the organisations now is in some doubt.  At this point I declare an interest: I have been the chairman of both of the organisations, although my  involvement ceased a few years ago.

One organisation, Number One Community Trust,  put in a bid for funding, was unsuccessful and has been left high and dry.  The other, Rusthall Community and Youth project, was put off applying by the 107 pages long notes for guidance.

Both organisations feel aggrieved  that funding has been awarded to an organisation based in Ashford which will provide a mobile bus to service youth provision in the areas covered by the two organisations.  The real worry is that the cuts in funding could lead to the demise eventually of both organisations, each rooted in and supported by the communities they serve.  It makes a mockery of localism and reinforces my belief that when it comes to budgets statutory authorities  (with a few exceptions) know the price of everything and the value of nothing,.

Rotherham

My memories of Rotherham consist mostly of gazing out of the train window on the approaches to Rotherham Masborough station when travelling between Leeds and Sheffield in the 1960s.  The whole route was taken up with vistas of railway sidings and junctions, collieries, steel works, iron foundries, heavy engineering, dirty rivers and canals.

Rotherham was not a destination of choice, much better attractions were to be found in Sheffield, but in those days that was not saying much.

Rotherham FC sold Keith Kettleborough to Sheffield United in 1960 and after a rocky start he became a fixture in the Blades team. I recall vividly the game between United and Wednesday at Bramall Lane during which Kettleborough and Tony Kay had a running battle. (United won with a goal in the last minute scored by Derek 'Doc' Pace.)  I braved the journey to Rotherham a few times in the 1967-68 season when the football club brought in Tommy Docherty as manager to save the club from relegation - he failed.

Rotherham, like many towns, is not often in the news and doubtless it would have remained so had it not been for the controversies surrounding the parliamentary by-election.

Spotlight on SS

The current furore over the decision of  the Social Services Department of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to take three children away from foster parents on the grounds that the parents were members of UKIP has focused again the spotlight on the activities of social services departments.

Usually press interest has been in the failure of departments to take children out of risk who have died as  a consequence.

On the face of it the decision taken in Rotherham had nothing to do with the physical safety of the children, but it would be unwise to consider what has happened as being an isolated case of  ill-judged opinion, stupidity, political correctness or political ignorance.

Christopher Booker has been commentating for years in the Sunday Telegraph on the activities of social services departments: snatching children from parents with active police connivance.  The work of family courts also has come under Booker's scrutiny: the lengths the courts will go to to prevent publicity and the too ready acceptance of the opinions of social workers.

The hope must be that the events in Rotherham will lead to a wider investigation of the power of, and its abuse, by social services departments as well as open to scrutiny decisions of family courts.

Who will win Kent Police Commissoner election?

Recently I received a document setting out the voting procedure for the Kent Police Commissioner election. I may place a cross  in one column against the name of my first choice and then, if I wish, a cross in the second column against the name of my second choice.

How are the votes counted?  The Electoral Commission states as follows:

The first preferences are counted, and if a candidate has received more than 50% of the votes cast they are elected.

If no candidate has more than 50% of the vote, all candidates apart from those in the first and second place are eliminated.

The ballot papers showing a first preference for the eliminated candidates are checked for their second preference. Any second preference votes for the two remaining candidates are then added to the candidates’ first preference votes and the candidate with the most votes wins.

Unless a candidate receives more than 50% and wins, it is imperative that a candidate comes either first or second in the first round to have any chance of winning.

Whilst I believe the Conservative candidate will top the first preference count he may not secure more than 50% of the vote. But who will come second?  A local newspaper has suggested UKIP may spring a surprise. Either UKIP or the Independent (Ann Barnes) could come second, with Labour fourth followed by the English Democrat and the other Independent.  What will be the effect of second preference votes?  In the absence of a Liberal Democrat candidate how will that party's supporters cast their first and second preference votes?  Indeed, how many people will bother to cast a second preference vote?

It could well be that the leader after the first preference round will fail to hold on to the position  after second preference votes have been added.

Should a voter place crosses against the names of the candidates who come first and second in the first round his/her second vote is ignored.  Only the second preference votes of eliminated candidates are considered.  Therefore some second preference votes carry more weight than others, which is inequitable.  All second preference votes should be counted for all of the candidates.  Who thought up this voting system?

Changed circumstances

One has to adapt to changed circumstances.  For me, this means less time on Facebook and posting on this blog.  I'll be back!

Cathy Gaunt

The untimely death of Cathy Gaunt has deprived us of a person who cared passionately about the lot of deprived communities and people.  She came into contact with many people who owe her a debt of gratitude.  A person with strong convictions she had many discussions with me on poverty issues: the role of credit unions and food banks in particular.  I am proud to  have known her as a colleague when I worked at Voluntary Action within Kent, even though she did run her car over my foot when I was assisting her to park the vehicle.

I met Cathy for the first time at a meeting held at Tonbridge Connexions when she was working for Tonbridge YWCA.  She moved to a  post in Brighton where she worked in a neighbourhood regeneration programme as part of the 50+ Community Programme Team developing support and services for older people in one of the city's most deprived areas.

Her next post was in Tunbridge Wells with VAWK where she  worked on a project supporting people with HIV and AIDS.  Later, she took on the role of co-ordinator of 121 Befriending.

Not a glory seeker (unlike too many in the voluntary sector) Cathy just got on with the job.  Many whose lives she touched will be saddened by her death.  

http://ourcathy.info/index.html

Kent Police and Crime Commissioner election

Trawling through the web I have hit upon the following sites which provide information on five of the candidates for the position of Kent PCC.  Unfortunately, I cannot find a site for the Independent, Dai Liyanage.

Conservative:  http://www.craigmackinlay.com/

Labour:  http://www.harrietyeo.com/

Independent:  http://www.annbarnes.co.uk/

UKIP (Facebook page): https://www.facebook.com/ukiptwells?sk=app_290919714259665

English Democrats:  http://steveunclesenglishdemocrats.org/

Legal Action

A recent post on another blog has lead me to consult a solicitor.  The initial opinion is that the post is a serious libel and I have issued instructions for an action in defamation to proceed.  However, we need to establish whom should be sued as the blog is owned by a limited company and we have to identify the person who posted the item.

We have to identify the assets of  the person it is intended to sue as there is no point in proceeding against a 'man of straw'.  Should we do so costs may never be recovered, let alone damages, which I am advised could be substantial.

Hopefully it will not come to a court case.

Psst, want another laugh?

A gormless twerp has decided to name me as a 'mooted' candidate on a website dedicated to the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner elections.  Needless to say it is a spoof. Enquiries are in hand as to the source of the post, with a view to legal action following.

UPDATE: The page has been deleted.

The transfer of funds.

Put simply, taxation is the means by which people are forced to give money to an organisation, or suffer a legal penalty.  Every pound taken from me is done so on the basis of legal authority, whether it be income tax, VAT, council tax, road traffic tax or any others you may care to think of. Some taxes are described as charges: parking charges is one example.  I take the view that whenever a charge by a public body is more than the cost of providing a service it is in effect a tax.

No taxation without representation is one of the basic principles of a democratic society.  Governments do well to remember that their financial resources come from people forced to part with money.  Yes, governments can 'print' money by quantitative easing, but this simply devalues the coinage and is in effect a tax.  Yes, governments can  and do borrow money, but it has to be repaid.

See also:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/9596938/Pension-annuities-in-freefall-due-to-money-printing.html

For contra opinion see:  http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jeremywarner/100020649/a-load-of-stuff-and-nonsense-is-being-said-about-qe-and-pensions/

One of the functions of government is the redistribution of money.  At a basic level the payment of benefits is redistribution of funds.  At another level, income tax bands result in more being taken from some individuals than others.  You may argue that corporation tax is not a tax on individuals, but it is, it reduces the amount available to pay dividends on shares and many shares are held by pension funds which in turn pay out pensions and annuities to individuals.

A few examples of redistribution.

• Each year parish councils raise a precept and I am obliged legally to pay it.  In my parish the council is considering purchasing a building and turning it into a community centre, concentrating on youth activities.  I have no problem with this, if I had I would vote at the next election to oust the councillors in favour of the purchase.  The council has also awarded a grant to the local citizens' advice bureau.  Has this sum been ring-fenced so that it is used for CAB clients who live in my parish?  Probably not, however it is for the wider good that CABs have the funds to operate, so again I have no objection.

• District and county councils redistribute funding by pouring resources into areas of deprivation, by provision for social services etc.  I might not live in such an area nor have need of social services, but I do not object to my money being used for these purposes, again for the public good.  However, I do object to a £400,00 pay-off for the ex Managing Director of Kent County Council which has seen some of my money put into the pocket of another person.  Come election time this latter action may influence my vote.

• In the UK the government redistributes money through the annual local government settlement which is intended to target money to deprived areas.  A regular complaint is that Labour governments penalise shire counties whilst Tory governments do the opposite.  

• The UK government redistributes funds using the Barnett Formula, a source of much contention. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnett_formula

•  The European Union transfers funds through the the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_Funds

All the above is undertaken from taxation, from the use of your and my money taken away from us. So, when MEPs, MPs and councillors wax lyrical in election addresses about what they have achieved for us, remember it is what they have achieved (or failed  to achieve)  with our money.

Seealso:  http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/iainmartin1/100183908/the-shocking-news-that-there-isnt-any-money-may-finally-be-filtering-through-to-the-scottish-parliament/

          

ANNUAL TWERP OF THE YEAR AWARD 2012

A vintage year.

The accolade this year goes to:

Andrew Mitchell MP: for services to public displays of hubris.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/9564006/In-full-Police-log-detailing-Andrew-Mitchells-pleb-rant.html


Commendation:

Bob Atwood: for comments following defeat at the local elections.  They will come back to haunt him and future Conservative candidates in Rusthall.

See: http://kentcommunityactivist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/atwood-under-attack-in-local-press.html


Commendation:

Steve Uncles:  for abject political commentary on the English Passport site.

http://englishpassport.org/



There were other worthy candidates, a saunter through my blog provides clues..  Maybe next year........

Val Griffiths RIP

It is with great sadness that I report the death of Val Griffiths. For many years she was a Kent County Council detached youth and community worker.

Val and her colleague Yvonne Powell came to Rusthall often in the 1990s, particularly when the Rusthall Community and Youth Project was having difficulties before its re-launch in 1997.

Val and Yvonne had the skill to get alongside young people wandering the streets in  Rusthall.  At that time some people felt intimidated by the young people.  The presence of Val and Yvonne calmed matters down and many of the young people welcomed the opportunity to talk to adults who would actually listen to them, rather than hector or lecture.

Always unassuming, never slow to speak her mind and willing always to give people the benefit of her wealth of experience, Val did a massive amount of good for young people and the wider community.

Coming soon....Twerp Award 2012

The winner of this blog's Twerp of the Year Award 2012 will be revealed in October. A cornucopia of potential winners makes my task difficult this year, although a couple of pints of Guinness should assist the decision making process.

The winner must be a person or organisation mentioned in posts on this blog. Previous winners are ineligible, but may receive a commendation for persistent twerpitude (sic).

Campaigning Platform

Interesting to note an example of this from the USA.

http://www.fixus.us/

Anything we can learn from this?