Man dressed as penguin gets more votes than Liberal Democrats

As one of the commenters added… I’d welcome him to The Hague!

Baroness Ashton has arrived in Burma to tell the country’s leaders that the EU wants to ensure the continuation of the moves towards democracy in Burma.

That is…Baroness Ashton of Upholland, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Vice-President of the European Commision. And boy, has she got a story to tell about democracy.

From good working class stock, when she was plain old Cathy Ashton she held a variety of positions. Chair of the Hertfordshire Health Authority and her children’s school governing body, and a Vice President of the National Council for One Parent Families.

In 1999 Cathy was elevated to the Peerage by Tony Blair, and in next to no time she found herself a member of the British Government. Where she held a number of positions in Education, Constitutional Affairs and the Ministry of Justice. Gordon Brown took it one step further and appointed her appointed her to the Cabinet as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. It was from here that she passed that beacon of democratic reform, the Lisbon Treaty through the Lords.

This opened up new avenues for the good Baroness. She was appointed as a European Commissioner where she was appointed as a Trade Commissioner. Subsequently, she was appointed to one of those positions created by the Lisbon Treaty that she had done so much to promote when she was appointed the EU’s first High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Her appointment was agreed by a summit of 27 European Union leaders in Brussels.

As far as I can tell this latter process is about as close as Cathy Ashton has ever come to being elected by anyone.

In fact, she appears to have risen to these lofty heights with about as much democratic credibility of the leaders of the Burmese Government. The President of Burma may have secured an unlikely ninety per cent plus vote in his election, but I’m not sure Cathy Ashton is the best person to go there lecturing him about democracy.

Perhaps they could discuss Tony Benn’s five tests for democracy…

What power have you got?

Where did you get it from?

In whose interests do you exercise it?

To whom are you accountable?

and most importantly of all….

How can we get rid of you?

…you wake up with fleas!

Steve Bell, just brilliant!

It must be pretty miserable having to live in London. It must been even more miserable to live and London and facing the problems of homelessness… but surely this is rubbing salt in to the wound!

I’ll just state from the outset… I am opposed to the creation of Police and Crime Commissioners. As with the case of City Mayors, they are an attempt to resolve some real issues with a solution which is no solution at all, and unlike City Mayors the PCCs are being foisted upon us without people even being offered a choice (more bloody ‘localism’?).

Here in the West Midlands we are fortunate to have a Labour candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner who doesn’t want to be a US-style Robocop, thinks the position itself is unnecessary, and has committeed himself to trying to do the best he can under the circumstances where we are forced to elect them. Bob Jones is a Black Country Councillor (yes, believe it or not, there are people in this region who do not think everything is really just Greater Birmingham) and he has a longstanding commitment to policing across the whole of our region.

Here, from the excellent Top of the Cops I reproduce Bob Jones’ candidate statement which includes a promise if elected to establish community-led Local Policing boards which will establish local policing priorities and be engaged in local police commander appointments.

Bob Jones

Experience

 Member West Midlands Police Authority 1986-present; Chair 1995-2000;
Currently Chair of Finance Committee
• National Chair Association of Police Authorities 2005-2009, serving the maximum term of 4 years (elected with cross party and independent support)
• Founder member The National Policing Board and Police Counter Terrorism Board, chairing the National Policing Board Committee with responsibility for Neighbourhood Policing.
• Member Stephen Lawrence Steering Group
• Member National Criminal Justice Board
• Previously Chair Wolverhampton Community Safety Partnership and Cabinet Member for Community Safety

Integrity

I opposed the Tory led Government’s legislation to Americanise British policing as in the wrong hands the traditions of British policing could be seriously undermined. The British police service has a proud tradition of being part of the Community and applying the rule of law impartially to all parts of our society.

A single individual risks both the appearance and possible reality that our Police services are accountable to particular vested interests rather than the wider community.

I am committed to protecting British policing’s proud traditions and seeking to build on them rather than undermine them.

Ability

Labour has a strong record of investing in our police service and partner agencies resulting in record reductions in crime.

Two areas I was particularly proud to play a key role in was the roll out of Neighbourhood Policing and the implementation of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which brought together all partners in the fight to reduce crime. A neighbourhood free from crime and fear of crime is an essential basis for any regeneration of that community both economically and socially.

Commitment

To continuing to build on Labour’s achievements I will

• introduce community-led Local Policing boards which will establish local policing priorities and be engaged in local police commander appointments
• retain the PCSOs that have proved invaluable eyes and ears for professional officers
• seek to bring police contact points into council and other community buildings
• use the platform of Commissioner to highlight the appalling financial settlement the Tory-led Government has given the West Midlands Police, where our cuts are 3 times as high per capita as leafy low crime areas such as Surrey
• live and work in the West Midlands. Apart from a short period at University I have always lived in the West Midlands conurbation. I believe I am fully in touch with the needs of our community and believe I am well placed to serve them.

It was delightful to see, with no hint of irony, Lord Adonis on Newsnight a couple of nights ago arguing that City Mayors increase local democracy and put power in the hands of local people. That is the same Lord Adonis who was a Secretary of State in the last Labour Government having been elected by absolutely no-one.

This article in the Birmingham Free Press shows just exactly how ‘bottom-up’ the whole City Mayor referendum really is Mayors: Birmingham does not decide:

• The referendum was imposed by Westminster.
• The referendum question was determined by Westminster.
• The timing of both the referendum and any subsequent mayoral election was dictated by Westminster.
• The powers to be granted to elected mayors (given in the form of ‘City Deals’) will only be announced AFTER both the referendum and mayoral election have taken place.
• A Yes vote means that, in future, changing how Birmingham is governed will require an Act of Parliament.
• The selection of the shortlist for the main party’s candidates will be heavily influenced by their national organisations.

The facts is, Central Government will control the whole shooting match. Local Government Minister Greg Clark reluctantly admitted to Newsnight that despite all the fancy claims being made about a Mayor for Birmingham having more clout, they would in fact have exactly the same powers as the existing Leader of the City Council. Of course, Clark said he favoured passing more powers to Mayors, but “We will have to see how things work out.” For how things work out… read how compliant the Mayor is to central Government’s wishes.

David Cameron, like his role model Tony Blair, and Thatcher before him, loathed local government. Thatcher abolished whole tiers of local government in the Metropolitan County Councils – which actually made more sense strategically than the current Mayor proposals – because she detested Ken Livingstone’s challenge to her authority. Blair bleated about ‘having the scars on his back’ over his attempts to neuter local government and introduce.., City Mayors! Cameron loved the idea even as Leader of the Opposition, despite the hostility from Conservative council leaders.

This splendid article in the Coventry Evening Telegraph by Les Reed demolishes the myth of City Mayors empowering local people.

And, ahead of government-imposed referendums on May 3, there’s more smoke and mirrors than a dodgy Playboy mansion party.

They want you to believe it’s about restoring power and economic growth to English cities – after a century of Westminster removing power from councils.

Yet Parliament’s Localism Act perversely hands 100 more powers to government ministers to further bypass local democracy – including dictating which cities will get relatively minor new financial “powers”.

Birmingham, England, November 16th 2012, 01.15am

It had been a long hard slog. He had started in the dark at 6.30 this morning, preparing the last minute delivery leaflets, then, out into the cold lashing rain to stuff them through letterboxes on his estate. Then to the local Party HQ to get some ‘Don’t forget to vote’ cards for the afternoon deliveries and the early evening knock-up. Still raining, and tramping around in the cold and dark from around 5pm, but really, getting anyone out to vote between tea-time and the close of poll at 10pm was a pretty futile business. Anyone who thought having an election in the middle of November was about ‘increasing voter engagement’ was clearly clinically insane or just taking the piss.

Still, as he told them, we had strolled the council elections in May. This was going to be another stunning victory.

Then, off to the pub for a swift couple with his mates, takeaway on the way home, switch on the telly, watch the results roll in…

Oh noooooooo… surely not, it can’t be happening …..can it!

Labour supporters going along with the prevailing myth of Elected City Mayors may want to take a read of this in The Birmingham Free Press.