Sunday, 12th October, 2014
It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to
Last Saturday I published a post on my blog called ‘The party’s over’ concerning Cllr. Bob Kilmister’s shock announcement that he, as leader of the county council’s Pembrokeshire Alliance party, had, in his own words: “entered into negotiations with Jamie Adams the Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council about a possible coalition agreement with the IPG.”
Bob said on Facebook last Sunday that my article was “not accurate.” I asked him to explain why. He was unwilling to do so, but said he would respond by posting a comment on my blog on Friday (10th) after he had met with his Alliance members at a crisis meeting arranged for Thursday night (9th.)
Plenty of thinking time to come up with at least some semi-believable attempt at face-saving, you might have thought, but it’s nothing of the sort. It’s less empathetic, more pathetic. For those expecting some grovelling contrition, you’re in for a disappointment. Rueful penitence gives way to Liberal lashings (note the capital L) of straw men and high spin.
He even suggests my own skills would be better served writing fiction. It seems clear to me that Bob’s forte is rewriting history.
In short, he makes no apology for considering a coalition with the council’s ruling group whose leader’s head he called for days earlier. Instead, Bob heralds the Alliance’s openness and democratic values and expresses delight that his paid-up members, on Thursday night, voted unanimously to refuse the offer.
Demonstrating how out of touch he is, Bob couldn’t resist saying: “I am sure you and the many people who have posted will now attempt to take credit for the Alliance’s refusal to negotiate with Jamie Adams. The answer there is a very firm NO. My members took the decision and I am proud of them.”
Of course there was a clear ‘NO’ – Bob was one of the only people on the planet who thought an Alliance/IPPG coalition was an idea worthy of consideration, so I hardly think anybody needs to take credit for his party members’ decision, least of all me. If Bob had laughed in Jamie’s face and said, in his own words: “a very firm NO” when the carrot was dangled, he wouldn’t find himself in such a position. Instead, his reaction to the flattering offer was to start measuring the windows for curtains in his new County Hall cabinet office.
In another scarcely believable post he made on Friday on the Pembrokeshire Alliance’s website, I noticed Bob’s explanation there, somewhat different, is:
“Last Friday I made a mistake. I posted a poorly worded statement on Facebook. This went down like the proverbial lead balloon. I’m not the first person to learn that you can post in haste on social media and repent at leisure. I was rushing – but that is a poor excuse.”
He’s right about one thing – that is a very poor excuse. His mistake wasn’t to post something on social media or the way he worded it, his mistake was to enter negotiations over coalescing with the IPPG, full stop.
Bob posted his personal response to me on Friday afternoon as a comment on the article. It is the eighty-second comment out of over a hundred so far and counting. Being buried in the comments section, it hasn’t received the exposure I feel it deserves, so I reproduce it at the bottom of this article, in full.
Within it, Bob sets out his main beefs with me and my article in an orderly format, which I’m happy to respond to:
1.) Bob continues to say that the the offer my article states he was made by Jamie is “not correct.” He also claims that I have altered the offer twice on my blog and asks if I would “like another go?”
It is true that I made an alteration once, not twice as he claims, because for a few minutes – until I was emailed by Bob himself last Saturday evening – the article stated he had been offered the council’s economy committee chairmanship, whereas it was the economy cabinet post. But Bob says this is still “not correct.”
I think we all know that is what he was offered, and it’s the reason he got so carried away. As this is common knowledge, I do find the continued denial quite interesting.
2.) Bob makes out that he went to Jamie’s office on the Tuesday morning, at Jamie’s request, with no idea of what the meeting was about. I’m prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt – and I’ve never written anything to contradict this.
What Bob now claims is “I have not had any formal negotiations with [Jamie Adams] and I will not be doing so.”
Whoever said the negotiations were formal or informal? And what difference does it make? Bob went to see Jamie in person on the Tuesday where the coalition was proposed. During that meeting the offer of the deputy leadership position in exchange was also made. On the Thursday and Friday Bob and his fellow councillors met to discuss the deal. They then responded to Jamie on the Friday, before going public, to say that they would consult their members. Considering the offer and its finer points and then deciding to consider it further, would, in my view constitute “negotiations” – and that is exactly how Bob worded it on Facebook.
You simply don’t post assertive statements like “Bob Kilmister Leader of the Pembrokeshire Alliance has today entered into negotiations with Jamie Adams the Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council about a possible coalition agreement with the IPG” if you don’t mean them. Also, the negotiations were “entered into” not on the Friday when he made the announcement as claimed, but had been running since the Tuesday morning, three days earlier.
Blaming it on a poor choice of words is a total cop-out and makes no difference to the issue at hand, which is that the offer was given serious consideration at all. In a private email to Alliance members Bob also says: “Under the [Alliance’s] approved Constitution the Council group could have taken that decision [to enter a coalition] without consultation.” If, as Bob claims, nothing like negotiations had taken place, it’s hard to see how there would have been enough details to be able to make the decision. I would suggest that there were enough details available to Bob and his fellow Alliance councillors, because of the negotiations that had taken place until that point, however ‘formal’ or ‘informal.’
3.) Bob denies-but-doesn’t-deny that money for senior positions within the council were behind the coalition negotiations. He calls this part of my post “errors” and accuses me of not checking my facts, saying: “a career in fiction beckons I fear.”
I don’t even think J. K. Rowling’s imagination is wild enough to dream up a plot as outlandish as the Pembrokeshire Alliance going into a coalition with the IPPG, and if money and senior positions weren’t involved, what else could Jamie have dangled for Bob to risk all his credibility on? Bob also concludes his third bullet point on a thought-provoking cliffhanger: “Do you think this is the first offer I have ever had?”
4.) The Pembrokeshire Alliance has a “seven page statement” outlining its policies, and this, according to Bob, is supposed to blow my suggestion out of the water that: “there isn’t much that separates the Pembrokeshire Alliance from the shady ruling cabal, and there would be less still if the coalition goes through.”
Presumably nobody thought to include a statement within the seven pages about how to react to a coalition invitation being received from the IPPG – as I’ve previously commented, the Alliance’s response ought to have been obvious – indeed it was to everybody else associated with the Alliance, apart from Bob and his fellow councillors.
Bob then claims his Alliance party is offering something unique, asking which other party in Pembrokeshire has a manifesto. The Labour party does, for one. The question has been posed previously, and ex-councillor David Edwards has said that he has played a part in drafting every single one of them since the 1995 election.
5.) Bob saves the best until last. You’ll recall that, in my article, I quoted posts from social media which formed the vocal backlash to the coalition negotiations announcement. Bob says I have “confused” the reactions from members of the public with members of the Alliance party. I did no such thing.
This is a typical straw man argument. I made no claim that any of the people I quoted from social media were members of the Alliance party, apart from its membership secretary, Dave Lamb, and its president, Hayley Wood, whose comments made abundantly clear their resignations from the party. In any case, the number of different people expressing disgust on Facebook and other websites outnumbers the Alliance’s minuscule membership many times over.
In Hayley’s comment, she announced her resignation from her position on the Alliance’s executive and from the Alliance party itself. Bob now tells us from his high horse: “Hayley has NOT resigned from the Alliance and I am sure she will continue to contribute to our development. Not quite the same as you published is it Jacob?”
Well, Bob, in answer to your illogical question, what I published is exactly what Hayley Wood said. If she changed her mind and is a member of the Alliance but not the president, then I’m really delighted for you, but that doesn’t give you license to rewrite history or claim that what I published is wrong. Hayley clearly announced her resignation from both the executive and the party, and it was her words that I published.
Incidentally, Bob discusses his reason for blocking me and others from the Alliance’s Facebook group, except on closer scrutiny his explanation doesn’t stand up. Bob is being a bit economical with the extent of the story he tells. Bob also changed the group’s status to ‘private.’
Before last weekend, and since it was created, the group was ‘public,’ meaning it was possible for any Facebook user to read all content and comments posted without having to be an approved member. Following the huge amount of dirty linen that was being aired on its pages in the wake of his ‘coalition negotiations’ announcement, transparent and democratic Bob – the admin of the Facebook group – lifted up the drawbridge and changed the settings to make it a ‘closed’ group, meaning only members who met Bob’s satisfaction – and approval – could access it.
The Alliance does also have a Facebook page which is publicly accessible and I have not been blocked from that, but it was the Facebook group (not the page) which attracted the overwhelming number of critical comments from which I quoted in last week’s post, and which gatekeeper Bob clearly wants to conceal from the public’s prying eyes.
Bob also questions my motives and achievements, almost as if to suggest anybody who disagrees that the Alliance is the best thing since sliced bread like he does, must automatically be out of tune with the Alliance’s claimed virtues.
It is clear to me that not all councillors define achievements in the same way. For instance, some councillors would count it a major achievement if they became the council’s deputy leader with responsibility for the cabinet’s economy portfolio. I don’t hanker over such heady heights, it doesn’t interest me.
Unlike Bob, I don’t feel the need to compare achievements. Whilst I am unable to think of a single thing the Alliance’s members have achieved since forming their group last November, I have never compared or criticised their achievements, or lack thereof. It’s another straw argument I’m afraid, Bob. My criticisms, in this instance, are reserved for rank hypocrisy.
As Jon Coles commented: “There can, however, be little argument that if your first premise is that the IPPG is “a bad thing”, you cannot but expect there to be some cynicism if you determine that you can disinfect it by joining in.”
Bob doesn’t like cynicism where his Alliance is concerned, and there’s plenty of that at the moment.
It matters not what I think about the Alliance. It matters not what he thinks of the Alliance. It matters not what the Alliance’s paid-up members think. It doesn’t even matter what its supporters think – who I have never denied are well-intentioned with a desire to see some improvements at County Hall.
What matters is what the general public think and feel about the Alliance. The party still intends to contest multiple council wards county-wide at the next local government elections in Pembrokeshire. In order to stand any chance, you would have thought, the Alliance as a party and its candidates need to have some credibility, so the voters can make a judgement on where to place their trust.
At the moment the Alliance finds itself in a credibility vacuum, and I can’t see the distracting and highly spun press release heralding the Alliance members’ refusal to enter the IPPG coalition, doing anything to counter the haemorrhaging of support among the public at large.
Bob made a huge error of judgement. When Jamie came calling with the offer, it excited him, he got carried away. If he stood back a bit and looked at this hypocritical episode from afar, Bob would realise that the critics of him and the Alliance are exactly the people he should be hoping to win over at the ballot box.
They are also the sort of people who read my blog, Old Grumpy’s blog, buy newspapers and interact using social media. They care about the things he cares about, except they instinctively knew what a bad decision it would be to enter coalition negotiations, and that is why they are so vocal and angry, the hypocrisy hasn’t escaped a single one of them.
I like to think I’ve done my bit to clean up the council, and I have no doubt that Bob supports my endeavours when the Alliance isn’t under the spotlight, but he can’t have it both ways.
At the first whiff of some influence within the council supporting a party his Alliance members oppose, Bob forgot the script. As one person put it, he considered jumping into the bed that was ridden with fleas, and he has nobody to blame but himself.
The damage may be lasting, and Bob’s reaction hasn’t helped him, but I think his nose has been rubbed in it enough over the past week. If he hasn’t got the message yet, he never will.
Bob’s comment:
Last night, Thursday 09/10/14 the Pembrokeshire Alliance Executive and members met to discuss the offer made by Council Leader Jamie Adams to Bob Kilmister on 30/09/14. They passed the following Notice of Motion unanimously:
The Pembrokeshire Alliance confirms its over-riding principle in that we put Pembrokeshire and its people first and want to see the County Council well run, scrutinised and accountable to its residents. We are united by a desire to see the best for Pembrokeshire.
The Pembrokeshire Alliance notes:-
1. Pembrokeshire County Council is in crisis.
2. The approach to consider the possibility of entering talks to create a formal coalition with the IPPG.
3. The speech on Monday 29th September by Pembrokeshire Alliance Leader, Cllr Bob Kilmister in which he said that he did not have any trust in Council Leader, Cllr Jamie Adams.
4. Unless proper leadership is established, the Pembrokeshire Alliance fears the Council could be put into special measures by the Welsh Labour Government at Cardiff Bay, as Anglesey was, in July 2009.The Pembrokeshire Alliance resolves:-
1. That in desiring to see what is best for Pembrokeshire and the Council, we DECLINE any offer of coalition whilst Cllr Jamie Adams remains as Leader. The IPPG and Cllr Adams are largely seen as toxic, by many people in the County and change is urgently needed at the top.
2. In listening to the will of members of the Pembrokeshire Alliance and the people of the County, we call for a much needed change of leadership to restore the good name of the Council at a time of great uncertainty. Instead of trying to save the IPPG and his own position, we need a new Leader able to deal with the period of austerity that we have entered and the very real threat to the actual existence of this Council. Merger with Ceredigion (as proposed by Williams) or a Dyfed Mark II are both unacceptable.
3. Calls upon Cllr Jamie Adams to resign as Leader.
4. The Pembrokeshire Alliance calls upon Councillors to step up to the mark and to try and form a Grand Coalition from within all groups (including the Pembrokeshire Alliance) and individuals, for the good of the County, and to deal with those issues that really matter.
5. The Pembrokeshire Alliance Leader to communicate the decision of this meeting to the local media, within the next 24 hours of our decision to decline the offer.
6. Call upon Cllr Kilmister to advise Cllr Adams that the Pembrokeshire Alliance councillors are unable to enter into any coalition discussions with him and his group whilst he remains as Council Leader.PROPOSER: Andrew Lye
Jacob ran his piece last Saturday and called it “The party’s over”. The facts are that so far we have lost a total of 2 members and gained one. Jacob would obviously like to see the end of the Pembrokeshire Alliance and along with many other politically committed people who posted. They have tried their very best to try and make that headline a reality but you have failed miserably.
The Pembrokeshire Alliance are determined to be a constructive group who put the interests of Pembrokeshire first rather than simply standing on the sidelines character assassinating anybody who dares to disagree with their view. This County is in crisis and we are prepared to explore all options. Jacob loves to criticise but when is he actually going to contribute in a positive manner? Being destructive is easy and makes you popular but actually trying to do something is why we have politicians. We are voted in to do a specific job but Jacob sees his role as more sensationalist journalist than constructive politician. I think it is time he decided what he wants to be when he grows up.
I was asked by Jacob last week what was inaccurate in his post. I promised to respond today and so here are my answers:
1). The actual offer. You have altered this twice in your blog I believe and it is still not correct. Would you like another go? I am sure you will get it right eventually.
2). I quote from your piece, “though it appears he did take the decision by himself to enter into negotiations with Cllr. Adams.” I did not, I was asked to see Jamie in his office and believed the meeting would be about what was said at Corporate Governance the day before. I have not had any formal negotiations with him and I will not be doing so.
3). I quote again, “We may never know the logic behind the coalition discussions, but you can guarantee that juicy wads of cash for high positions will play their part.” Why if that is the case did I not accept the offer immediately, as you are quite right I would have gained financially? A career in fiction beckons I fear. Old Grumpy would not make these errors he would check his facts first. Do you think this is the first offer I have ever had?
4). I quote again, “Whilst its supporters out on the streets of towns and villages across Pembrokeshire are no doubt well-meaning, well-intentioned and amenable to its talk of openness and democratic accountability which is in stark contrast to that of the IPPG, when it comes to County Hall there isn’t much that separates the Pembrokeshire Alliance from the shady ruling cabal, and there would be less still if the coalition goes through.”
Complete and utter tosh. We have a seven page statement outlining our policies and are committed to producing a clear manifesto before the next elections. Who else has that currently? What is your agenda Jacob, to be the Chief Prosecutor, Judge and Jury combined? Sorry, you already have that role. I admire your abilities, imagine what you could achieve if you attempted to be constructive?
5). I quote again, “The resignations I mentioned in my blogpost (and I’m aware of more since) had been tendered before I published. Similarly, the scores of online comments expressing outrage had been flooding in for over 24 hours before I posted.” Jacob the facts are that 2 members have resigned. One of which you have quoted in your piece. The other resigned via email. Hardly a flood. You have confused people who were NOT members with those that are.
I would also like to point out that several of the quotes you lifted from the Facebook page were made by people who are not members of the Pembrokeshire Alliance, Rob Summons, Viv Stoddart, Pearl Llewellyn and yourself are examples. I removed you from the site because you published people’s names. I hope you got their permission to do so but as administrator I was not prepared to see you act in that manner.
You should also be aware that Hayley Wood the former President of the PA who you quoted, wrote an email at 10.26 that day to me and the other members of the Executive. This email was very supportive but wished I had published the blog piece first. At 16.15 the same day she wrote the piece on Facebook. Hayley has NOT resigned from the Alliance and I am sure she will continue to contribute to our development. Not quite the same as you published is it Jacob?
I am sorry this response is so long but so was your rant. I am sure you and the many people who have posted will now attempt to take credit for the Alliance’s refusal to negotiate with Jamie Adams. The answer there is a very firm NO. My members took the decision and I am proud of them.
Correction required.
In my reply to Jacob I wrote: “I would also like to point out that several of the quotes you lifted from the Facebook page were made by people who are not members of the Pembrokeshire Alliance, Rob Summons, Viv Stoddart, Pearl Llewellyn and yourself are examples.”
It has been pointed out to me quite correctly that this is wrong. There should have been a full stop after Pembrokeshire Alliance not a comma. Rob Summons, Pearl Llewellyn and Viv Stoddart have never actually posted on the Alliance Facebook page. I apologise for the error.
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Fair comment – As I have said numerous times, this is now backpedaling and rescinding the original comments that were “made in a rush” – but how can you make a mistake like that?
Either you are in negotiations or you are not. Fair play Mr Williams for calling them out.
How many people have unwittingly been made members of the Pembrokeshire Alliance by attending public meetings? Kizzy J posted a comment on the Herald website about her own experience. Is this how low the PA will stoop, to sign people up without their consent or knowledge?
Calling all Pembrokeshire Alliance councillors, gents, I’ve just had a eureka moment and I think I’ve come up with a way to put the PA back on top – for good.
Forget about getting people to stand in elections for the PA (sounds like a lot of hard work to me, plus I don’t think anyone will actually vote for you). No, what you do is you wait until AFTER the elections and then you start going round the elected members who stood as independent, Labour, Tory it doesn’t really matter, and you promise them fame, power and cold hard cash if they’ll join the PA.
Quick as a flash you’ll have a majority, and best of all you won’t have needed anyone to vote for you! So then Bob you can be the leader and Jon and Peter can be your deputies, and all you need to do is stick together through it all, sooner or later everyone in the county will come to love you and be really happy that you’re in charge, and then…
Hang on, I’m getting a feeling of deja vu here, let me just check something out…
…Forget it boys, I don’t think it’s going to work, I’ve just been on Google and apparently there were these three chaps called Jamie, Rob and Huw…
I wonder if it ever occurred to Cllrs Kilmister and Nutting – the usually voluble Cllr Peter Stock has been strangely silent throughout – to just say: “Sorry, we fouled up. We will try to ensure nothing like this ever happens again”?
However, while these two have taken most of the flak, it is worth reflecting on the actions of Cllr Jamie Adams.
I think it goes to show how desperate he is to hang on to power that, in order to bolster his majority, he should approach someone who only the day before had condemned him in the strongest possible terms and called for his resignation.
Rosieone has put it in a nutshell.
And I hear, having had his advances rebuffed by the PA rank and file, Cllr Adams is again dangling his hook – baited with a £15,000 cabinet SRA – in Labour’s pond. If he gets a bite, it will mean that one third of the nine Labour members elected in 2012 will have ratted on their supporters.
I wonder what Jon Boy Jovi makes of that.
I ended up being blocked by the Pembrokeshire Alliance for questioning the ‘padded cell’ in Fenton School where Peter Stock is chair of governors. I guess no one is allowed to be critical of those who stand for the people of Pembrokeshire. My autistic son is a Pembrokeshire person, did he not deserve fair treatment?
I am getting a little despondent as to why it is taking so long to dawn on those seeking answers, to realise the common denominator present among the dreadful situations that have arisen over the years with manoeuvrings and ‘back scratching”, is the membership of the ‘society with secrets’.
Until we have the TRUTH about every Councillor’s, every Council employee’s and every public servant’s commitment to EVERY organisation, democracy will continue to die and the voters will continue to be unable to make a fully informed choice. The truth will set us free to make this choice, always provided of course that the elections are an honest contest.
I do believe the only way out of this is for Pembrokeshire Alliance county councillors to resign their seats immediately and stand as Pembrokeshire Alliance candidates.
We can all criticise Bob for the accuracy of his statement on this issue but at least he does speak at council meetings on many issues. How many councillors, both IPG and so called unaffiliated, do not articulate their views in the council chamber.
What will implode first, the IPPG or the opposition?
A bribe is a bribe is a bribe by any other name, in this case an SRA. Could the useless Pembrokeshire police have a look at what is plain as day to the rest of us please?
Someone tries to influence and/or change IPG actions and they gets castigated – so what do we do instead?
We’ll just have to wait 2 or possibly 3 years then when the voters get to change things, because we know how engaged the voters of Pembrokeshire are – pity so many councillors including Jamie are in a “rotten borough” where they were the only “choice”.
Sorry we fouled up, we will try to make sure nothing like this happens again.
Shame Bob couldn’t say he fouled up instead of blaming it on a poorly worded statement. Sorry seems to be the hardest word!
News has just come through that the Labour party’s Alison Lee, as predicted by Mike Stoddart in his earlier comment, has joined the council’s cabinet this morning. Obviously some of the old duffer’s moles are still active!
And he’s off again…Cllr Nutting once more showcasing his by now legendary lack of good judgment and savvy. Do you really imagine that posting a sarky response to Mike Stoddart will some how endear you to everyone? No, I’m afraid not, you still come off looking like a petulant child.
Mike first mentioned Alison Lee’s defection to me three weeks ago. It was after his dinner so I thought the merlot was influencing his thinking! Sadly not.
The damage that Cllrs. Hancock, Rowlands, Perkins and Lee are doing to the Labour Party in the run up to next year’s election will be noted with glee by the Tories.
When it comes to the next council elections in 2017 I can already hear the comments “what is the point of voting Labour when you all take the money after using my vote to get elected?”
After all that has gone before, there are still some prepared to join the alliance of the unholy. Quite unbelievable. How will we ever be rid of Jamie and his crew of the damned?
Alison’s getting in to bed with the IPPG establishment won’t go down well in the Labour stronghold of Pembroke Dock.
I’m sure Jamie will have briefed Alison for the inevitable backlash. Did Hancock and the others have their Labour Party membership stripped? She’s got bigger balls than any of the IPPG to do what she has in the current climate. Make the most of the money Alison, it’ll only be for 3 years max.
Lee, Perkins, Rowlands, Hancock, why not form your OWN group? Suggestions on a postcard for the group name please…
To be a little light hearted, if Alison was just getting into bed with Jamie she could be forgiven, but with IPPG she won’t.
Rosieone I give in! I copied Mike’s request word for word without any addition. How do you make that out to be sarky or from a petulant child?
Not surprised about Alison Lee joining the cabinet, this has been floating about for a while. Cllr Lee is a big pal of Cllr Perkins.
As a Labour party member it makes me sick. The people I feel sorry for are the likes of Dave Edwards, amongst others, who campaign tirelessly for these turncoats, for no reward apart from the satisfaction of a Labour win.
How low can these defectors sink? But then, surely Cllr Lee is fully qualified to hold the housing cabinet post i.e she lives in a house.
David Edwards complains about his Labour Party colleagues Cllrs Hancock, Rowlands, Perkins and now Lee defecting. It would be interesting to know how long they had been Labour party members before being selected as candidates.
The one I really feel sorry for is poor old Tony Wilcox, overlooked again, but then perhaps he turned down promotion.
As you say Cllr Nutting, you copied it word for word, kind of like the naughty child who’s forced to apologise, the words are there but lacking any sort of conviction or humility. You really are running out of chances to show the good people of your ward that you’re still worth supporting.
If you think an apology is in order then how about one in your own words.
The time has come to stop defending Bob, his post on this website on Friday has shown just how lost and out of touch the man is.
Malcolm, apart from Cllr Lee, they were all long-standing Labour party members.
The only thing I can think of that may have swayed Councillor Lee to go into partnership with the devil, is to prevent further Pembroke Dock properties becoming damp and rat infested.
As for Sue Perkins, all she has done is turn the Memorial Park into a mess, BMX track anyone?
Tony Wilcox, a man with principles, who I’ve enjoyed speaking with. A refreshing change to actually hear the truth about IPPG, or PPIG’s as it should be known!
Not wishing to be pedantic, but if you check you will find that Cllr Nutting didn’t copy what I wrote “word for word”.
My goodness, what has happened to the Labour group? This is precisely the reason why the electorate feel so rudderless at this time.
The chink of the golden pot has pulled yet another hapless member into its grasp. However this is encouraging news for Plaid Cymru for the next general election. During our canvassing we are made very aware of how let down the Labour voters have been by their local elected members defecting at the drop of a shilling.
The cabinet selection process is shrouded in mystery to say the least. How does one apply for such a prestigious post? We have some extremely capable members as Cllr. Tessa Hodgson pointed out to our leader at the very onset of the current elected council. The answer is, there is no selection process – we could have an ex-director of a national housing association among the council’s opposition ranks and Cllr. Lee would have still got the housing cabinet post.
It’s Jamie’s train set and he decides who can play. The leader has yet to ask or show an interest in any of the new members’ backgrounds. A leader who knows little or nothing about his resources is ill equipped and unable to lead effectively. Hence this latest strange appointment and the reason why we continue to amuse our neighbouring counties with the Pembrokeshire County Council Show.
I have now had some time to digest this and I would like to know how Cllr Kilmister, his fellow councillors and the Alliance’s members would have reacted if three unaffiliated councillors (like all three Alliance members used to be before forming their group) had announced they were considering joining the IPPG?
They would be outraged, and rightly so. It’s quite timely that Alison Lee has joined the cabinet. Under normal circumstances I would expect the Alliance to issue a strongly worded statement. Given recent events I think they’ll turn a blind eye to it, even a tempered response would add to the hypocrisy!
This blog article pretty much says it all, but a couple of things: I wouldn’t question Jacob’s motives or achievements for one second.
Secondly, I note in his reply that Cllr Kilmister refers to the critical statements expressed on social media, suggesting very few of them were from members of the Pembrokeshire Alliance. The connotation is that the views expressed by the general public are effectively worthless and Bob is happy to discount them. Who knows why? Maybe because he thinks they are not honestly held opinions.
I’m not sure I could vote for a party who is happy to openly discount the views of their non-supporters like this. Clearly not everybody votes for the winning party in every election, but we must all respect the winning party’s right to govern/represent, even if we don’t respect their political views. Equally, the winning party must represent everybody’s views and interests, not just their supporters, and respect anybody’s rights to criticise their failings.
Between the Alliance’s members, Peter Stock, Bob Kilmister and Jonathan Nutting, I would say they’ve been councillors for about fifty years between them. If a constituent rang any one of them up for some assistance with an issue, would they first say to the person: “before I decide if I’m going to help you, I need to know if you voted for me or not?”
Stephen Crabb MP surely owes a debt of gratitude to Leader Adams. In one deft move he’s strengthened his death grip on the PCC and done tremendous, possibly irrevocable, damage to Labour’s standing with the electorate. But then, it takes two to tango, so, stand up and take a bow Cllr Lee. You may well be receiving a letter of personal thanks from the Welsh Office…
Agreeing with Quill is becoming a bit of a habit, but he/she is absolutely right about our duty to represent everyone regardless of their political views.
The way I would put it is that, during an election campaign, we have supporters and opponents, once elected we have only constituents.
I think it appropriate to put it to my elected colleagues that we seek to estimate the cost of a by-election in these circumstances. Those who have shifted their allegiance since being elected need to be put before the electorate under their new found political ideal.
I did not vote for this. I am sure many others did not vote for this either.
Isn’t it interesting to note that when the Leader is considering the suitability of the four Pembroke Dock councillors for Cabinet office, Cllr Brian Hall has now dropped to third place, at best. How are the mighty fallen?
Much as I love to see the young upstart getting a bit of stick, I think the following from Bob Kilmister is both unfair and in poor taste:
In fact, pointing out where someone has gone wrong and, therefore, affording them the opportunity to avoid the same mistake in future is one of the most constructive activities that one can undertake.
What we should all remember is that self-criticism is a surer route to improvement than self-congratulation.
And, as most of us find self-criticism difficult, we should be thankful when someone else is willing to take on the task on our behalf.
Paul Miller must be blowing a gasket at this present time. His election machine couldn’t have put his pedigree any higher after his final exposure of BPJ and watching the IPPG self implode alongside the car crash which is the KNS Alliance.
Mighty Miller had it all until along comes Ally ‘Pally’ Lee who takes the dough. She joins the moral heartbeat of Labour strongholds such as ‘was red now blue’ Sue Perkins and Simon Hancock, in taking the blame for the running of the Council. How Bob must wish he had had the balls to walk all over the KNS. I bleated about a curve ball but this beggars belief.
To the Merlot loving Old Grumpy I’ll say it again: change your political standing then face the electorate under your new banner.
Two final points. Those IPPG sheep who have collected their resignation papers must take the opportunity to scoot out of the gate. Secondly, is this deflecting media attention away from the BPJ investigation? Let’s not take our eyes off that and let him off the hook!
Jon Boy, apart from Perkins, Hancock etc., I don’t think there are many who could disagree with you that any councillor who switches his/her affiliation should resign and gain a new mandate from their electorate at a by-election, least of all Mike Stoddart.
When Mike said to you “I wonder what Jon Boy Jovi makes of that” I think the point he was making is that your much promoted political party candidates who are supposed to be the county’s saviour, are just as susceptible to carrot-dangling as non-party candidates.
And the fact there’s more ex-Labour party stock among the IPPG’s ranks than in the council’s current Labour party group, is quite telling, no?
Wasn’t it Cllr Lee who flirted with the idea of forming a new group with Cllr Stephen Joseph a couple of months ago when he left the IPPG? Next we’ll be hearing that big IPPG supporter Stan Hudson will be officially joining their ranks!
Jacob, credit me for understanding the glass the Merlot lover is supping from – if a councillor changes his/her political banner, they should face the electorate. How many of the IPPG would get back in tomorrow? As for the Labour leavers I think their days are numbered.
If Mighty Miller doesn’t get to Trumpton in 2015 I’ve got a feeling the Fat Controller from Sodor may be calling the turncoats Tommy Tankers.
To avoid the carrot dangling, are there any councillors out there who support the abolishing of SRAs and pay only the basic allowance plus expenses?
Hear hear! Me for one. And abolish travelling expenses for all journeys to and from County Hall, I say.
I’ve never claimed travelling expenses, neither have many other councillors – 35 out of 60 did last year though. The highest of these, as usual, was Cllr. Wynne Evans with a staggering £4,912 reimbursement – that’s just travelling expenses, on top of his £13k plus allowance for being a councillor (Source.)
For his position on the fire authority, Cllr. Evans also claimed an additional eye-popping £2,528.79, which dwarfed the only other travelling expense claims, of £394.20 and £288 from Cllrs. Tony Wilcox and Lyndon Frayling respectively. Wynne was also the only councillor to submit reimbursements for ‘subsistence’ – a cool £390.99, thank you very much. (Source.)
I believe only costs incurred for journeys made outside of the county on official council business should be allowed to be reclaimed. This would help to bring things into line with most of the public who would not be paid for travelling to work, so why should councillors be any different?
Local government has got out of hand with ridiculous amounts of money being spent on the councillors and staff. Any comments about paying for the best are ludicrous in the extreme as we have seen only too clearly here in this county.
There should be a huge nationwide overhaul on the money paid to these clowns and rules governing who can decide who gets what. Leaving it in the leader’s hands is as corrupt as it can get and bribing people with SRAs to toe the line should be a jailable offence.
As it is, the majority of people trying to get elected appear to be only in it for the money and bugger the electorate. We have seen evidence of this on these pages only too often. As Jamie is so fond of saying “lessons have been learnt” and the public have had quite enough of being done over by these mongrels.
What are the odds of BPJ leaving with a huge remuneration package brokered by Jamie and then being brought back as a “consultant”? It’s only too real a scenario unfortunately.
Jacob,
Stick to your guns. If there is anyone out there that believes Brummie Bob’s spin on recent events then I know of a Nigerian prince that needs some help getting a million dollars out of the country.
They’re STILL at it, trying to CON the people of Pembrokeshire with their lies!!
And I’m sure Bob Almighty will be wanting to head up the Grand Alliance!
I do believe Jacob this is the first time when I would totally disagree with you on the issue of travelling expenses, perhaps because I am much older and can remember the time when only the rich could afford to stand for council.
The amount spent on county councillors’ salaries is very small in relation to the budget of Pembrokeshire County Council and the salary given is not exceptionally high. There is also the fact that councillors from the outback would be placed at a disadvantage to their colleagues living close to County Hall.
The problem as I see it is the amount of time spent by councillors discussing the details relating to expenditure at County Hall and the obstacles put in their way by council employees under the excuse “need to know”. I remember the statement of ex councillor Lilwall, another IPG member, which went something like “we should as councillors not question council employees as they are professional officers”.
The one expenditure, in these times of austerity, I would cut would be for subsidised meals for councillors, surely if they are eating at County Hall they are not eating at home.
Perhaps someone can explain to me how a councillor is able do a full time job and also carry out scrutiny at County Hall.
Cllr Wynne Evans was apparently the recruiting sergeant tasked with wooing Alison Lee into the IPPG fold. Apart from her undying love (and the money) shall we await his elevation?
I’ve just read that Gloucester police have decided there is no evidence of criminal offences committed by BPJ regarding the pension issue and no further action will be taken. This was always going to be the outcome as far as I’m concerned.
Quick question for Malcolm Calver, define small salary for councillors please.
Dave, I happened to speak to Wynne today who said he was shocked when he found out that Alison had been promoted to the cabinet.
Shocked Wynne might have been but what about the wooing?
I note that Brummie Bob (thank you Spartacus) again seeks to peddle the “Grand Alliance” idea. Who would this alliance consist of, and who I wonder would its leader be?
Can you imagine a cabinet including the local swivel-eyed loons that presently make up the Pembrokeshire Alliance? But then again there are lots of loons of the swivel-eyed variety presently in the cabinet, they would probably compliment each other quite nicely.
Maybe Bob recognised these similarities before he started negotiating his deputy leadership role. For heaven’s sake Bob, stop digging, the hole is getting ever deeper.
The BPJ issue goes on and on. The police may say no action on the pension issue but there is still the outstanding allegation over his angry outburst with bad language against Mark Edwards and Peter Morgan and the rude comments made against Old Grumpy, where there is action pending I hope.
There full council meets on Thursday to discuss a possible pay off for BPJ. Councillors, please listen, pay him nothing.
I don’t think so, Dave. No offence to our council’s current vice-chairman but I think a £29k cabinet salary is capable of twisting more arms than than Wynne Evans!
Western Telegraph’s online article about no police action isn’t allowing comments…maybe they are fearful that the website could go into meltdown.
Cllr Alison Lee, the latest Labour councillor to be recruited to Jamie Adams’ Cabinet, tells the Western Telegraph that the good news of her elevation has been “dampened” by the decision of leader Paul Miller to throw her out of the council’s Labour group.
Cllr Lee professes to be shocked by Cllr Miller’s action. “I thought the Labour group would be pleased for me” she told the Telegraph.
Pleased about what? Any group that has a member in the Cabinet is classed as an “executive group” and is treated by the law as if it had entered into a coalition.
Why would Labour be “pleased” that the unilateral action of one of its members should place it in that position?
Cllr Miller had two options: to allow Cllr Lee to remain as a member, dragging his group into a forced coalition with the IPPG, or to kick her out.
Bit of a no-brainer, really.
The cabinet in crisis group now has 3 staunch Labour councillors who stood under their political colours. Mike Stoddart has a point but I reiterate that if councillors stood with a true political banner as their flagship or entered the fray and stayed truly independent then Pembrokeshire would be better off.
Paul Miller has wielded his sword quickly in the hope of a damage limitation exercise towards his Westminster Wagon but this whole episode has had the desired effect of deflecting attention away from BPJ. Thursday could see him walk off laden with a comprehensive pay off and no case to answer. Pembrokeshire politics which would turn many a grumpy man to drink.
I would suggest to Flashbang that a salary of £13,000 is not excessive when you consider the budget of Pembrokeshire County Council is approximately £350 million. I do believe that the number of county councillors could be reduced from 60 to 30 with a corresponding percentage reduction in the number of community councils/councillors.
I am afraid that after reading the statement “I thought the Labour group would be pleased for me” by Cllr Lee that we have to question the ability of some councillors. Has this lady been locked in a cupboard for the last few months? Surely Cllr Adams, if he considered that the cabinet needed to be broader based, should have asked the leader of the Labour group to nominate one of his members for the position.
It has been reported today that Merthyr Council is looking for a reduction in staff salaries or it will consider sacking employees, then taking them back on at a reduced salary.
I would suggest Pembrokeshire County Council urgently despatches Cllr Adams up the M4 to see how this would work and then implement it for the highly paid officers at County Hall.
Well done to Paul Miller, he has done the correct thing. I am sure that Adams and Lee would have thought all of this through and now she will use the excuse ‘well no one wants me so I had better join the IPPG’. Not sure throwing her out was the correct action with tomorrow’s meeting pending. Another win for the IPPG I think.
As a member of Sue Perkins’ branch, she was well aware of what lay in front of her as she had been at meetings that advocated Sue’s expulsion. Similarly she was at group meetings where the displeasure at party changing was set out. So, political ingenue or money chaser, I leave your readers to decide.
If Alison Lee really is that naive, unaware, insensitive to public opinion, and of course buyable, then she’ll fit well into Adams’ cabinet.
I really do wonder about the sincerity of any councillor these days.
Surely Cllr Lee would have joined the party with a view to implementing at least a modicum of socialist based policies and been prepared to fight for these principles.
You can’t be a member of the Labour party and then move to the ruling group of another party that you have spent years opposing, It’s common sense mun! She has allowed herself to be politically abused by Cllr Adams and has made a right fool of herself.
She has cursed the party she joined and deserves to be thrown out at the next election. Paul Miller is a man of principle but he must despair – it’s like herding cats but some of them with absolutely no shame or principle.
Each time the boys Williams and Stoddart with their catapults think they’ve pinged an IPPG member off the fence, up pops a replacement, right as nine pence. Hilarious and sad in almost equal part.
What’s the scores on the doors in advance of tomorrow’s meeting, IPPG v The Rest now I wonder?
Can we add item 53 to the agenda and abolish all allowances for Councillors? They were introduced to encourage a better standard of representation and have clearly failed. I’m sure that wouldn’t cause contributors on here any difficulty would it?
I don’t know what you’re on about Nev, or what’s got you so excited. The IPPG majority was 33-27 before the summer.
When Stephen Joseph left in August that became 32-28.
And then David Simpson resigned in September leaving the IPPG clinging on with a 31-29 majority, which remains.
Since being booted out of the council’s Labour group following her cabinet elevation, Alison Lee has said she intends to remain outside of the IPPG.
Announcing his new cabinet appointment, the leader said: “I hope that Council Members and the public will recognise the appointment as a sign of my determination to ensure that a cross-section of voices and opinions are heard in Cabinet.”
What better test of the leader’s ‘determination’ can there be than allowing her to continue as a non-IPPG member?!
Nev might reflect that prior to the 2012 election the IPPG had a 39-21 majority. It now stands at 31-29, or 32-28 depending on which way Cllr Lee chooses to jump. And without its two (or three) recruits from Labour it wouldn’t have a majority at all.
I fancy this trickery with SRAs is nearing the end of its useful life. Even now I hear ultra-loyal, long-time members of the IPPG have been to see the Leader to ask why they were overlooked when this latest Cabinet appointment was decided. And some disgruntled fans are even contemplating the formation of a breakaway group.
So it looks like the ruling group is very close to a tipping point. Not bad for two boys armed with nothing more than catapults. And, as the next election draws closer, I expect our pinging to become even more effective.
As Dr Johnson said: Nothing better concentrates a man’s mind than the sight of the gallows.
Don’t know about a sight of the gallows Mike but it must have been easier to get than a sight of the webcast today. Why are the people who pay for this circus excluded from watching how their money is spent?
Jacob, where is the list of people that voted for the golden handshake, cannot wait to see the yes and noes!
Just thought I would send you a quote from the New President of the Alliance blog!!!!
And if you upset those who you need to call on for support, what can you expect but a “sorry, no way”, when you have to call upon them for help. I hope that there’s still hope and that Cllr Williams will see the light and start to be positive. I hope he’s not turning into Pembrokeshire’s own Victor Meldrew – in his mid-20’s.
See the light and start being positive. That is what I do in life. Life is too short to be miserable. But on the positive side, Cllr Williams is to be commended for his well laid out website. The colours used. The font used. The photographs of Pembrokeshire. His style of writing is also a pleasure to read. It’s a shame that on this one occasion, Jacob got it spectacularly wrong. But we all get something wrong, now and again. We pick ourselves up, brush ourselves down and move on.
Jacob (or Victor?) said that the party’s over for the Pembrokeshire Alliance. Bob always ends his blogs with a quote. What came to my mind was the Carpenters song “We’ve Only Just Begun”.
Abolish the lot…the only way out of this mess. But there’d be no more comic strip blogs or cartoons from the ‘Kremlin’…what would the boys do then?