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We asked the three Plaid
and two independent councillors who supported the labour administration
to explain why they did so. We quickly received replies from Independent
Councillors Alastair Cunnington (see below)
and Peter Cathcart.
Here is the reply from Councillor Cathcart.
(our letter to him is here)
Dear Chris,
In response to all the histrionic and derogatory letters and
comments aimed at me. I feel I should put the record straight.
I am as is my colleague Cllr. Cunnington STILL INDEPENDENT.
I did not cast my vote without deliberating with several of my
electors. They all seemed to think, I was doing the right thing.
I did not take 30 pieces of silver, as I didn’t know when
I stood the in the election there was a salary involved. I knew
I would not be out of pocket per say but I did not genuinely know
pay was involved. Neither did I know I was going to be given a
chair, until the night before the vote.
I was prior to this, threatened, and then offer a position by
those now called,” The Peoples Coalition.” If I stood
be them!
I was even called gutless by someone who could not sign the letter.
I actually thought we needed some experienced councillors, to
be responsible for £260m budget, this was not apparent at
any of the TPC meetings I attended.
Since I was elected I have been to all, but two meetings and
I missed those because, I was doing something prior arranged on
those days.
In all the training sessions I have attended I have been shocked
to say the least at how few on my new colleagues have been in
attendance, yet many experienced councillors were in attendance.
There now appears to be in Torfaen, three main groups.
1. The peoples Coalition. Which combine the other Independents,
the Tory’s, Lib Dems, and Voice of the people.
2. The Labour party
3. Plaid Cymru
And two independents. Whilst all are shouting the odds we are
the only true Independents.
To those who ask, I have stood by my pledge and now have a voice
for you.
To quote from a recent document;” Those councillors who
voted at the AGM in favour of the new Mayor, deputy Mayor, Leader
and Deputy Leader, Cabinet and Scrutiny Chairs, i.e.. The Labour
Group, The Plaid Cymru Group and Cllr. Cathcart and Cunnington
have not formed a coalition or political partnership and do not
want to be referred to as such.”
How will the members of the Peoples Coalition stand in the next
election perhaps it will be as Tories.
As a footnote I have resigned from my job so that I can commit
to that for which I was elected, “A Voice in Pontnewydd”.
Cllr. Peter Cathcart
Pontnewydd Ward
Here is the answer from Councillor
Alastair Cunnington. (At his request it is printed in
full, so while we are happy to do this we do not necessarily agree
with everything he has said)
 "He
that hath ears to hear, let him hear"....
Let me elay any fears that I am a Labour supporter or in fact
any other
political supporter... far be it from me, baring in mind that
I still
have the scars from when they stabbed me in the back!
On the face of it and the mis-reporting by the Argus (which they
agreed
was as a result of incorrect information given to them initially),
I
quite appreciate that the electorate will feel betrayed, I would
feel
the same, however my decision when explained will I hope, prove
to get
the best deal for democracy, which is what I promised to do -
and to
achieve this I had to seize an opportunity to gain what is probably
the
most important casting voting position in the County, which I
intend to
use as a lever to get a fair deal for firstly my ward of Two Locks
and
Henllys and ultimately for the rest of the County.
Following the election result, a meeting was called of all the
political
parties and the Independants. At that first meeting I asked the
question
who was going to run the council, when no answer came I then asked
who
was qualified to run the council and who had any relevant experience.
No
one came forward and it was evident from this that if no one was
prepared to present a suitable arguement then it was reasonable
to
assume that there was no credible contender. I was asked by Councillor
Liz Haynes if I would like to lead the council and I immediately
responded saying "No, since I didn't have sufficient experience
or
inclination."
At this point I left the meeting, feeling that the meeting was
going
nowhere.
The remainder of the political parties and the Independants subsequently
agreed to form a group, which must ultimately be led by the largest
political party i.e. the Conservatives. I was then lobbied by
Councillor
Fred Wildgust but I declined to join since I was keen to keep
my
independance and not be tied by a group whip, but would work with
anyone
in the best interests of democracy.
After various threats and some unsupported comments made in the
press I
am wholly satisfied that I have made the right decision.
I then discussed the situation at length with Labour re-enforcing
their
fragile position and the value of my one-off vote which would
be
crucial, I considered that not changing the existing cabinet members
to
be the least disruptive option - and setting personalities aside,
it
cannot be denied that they had more experience in there relative
posts
for the moment - laying out very strict conditions and making
them aware
of my requests in respect of my own ward, an agreement was reached.
If you are prepared to think about what I am trying to achieve,
you’ll
see it’s not to help Labour, but to establish a foothold
where, they
need me more than I need them (and that applies to the opposition
group
as well). Change doesn't happen overnight and applying the principal
of
"fools rush in" I consider that this is a much better
way of making a
council more accountable to the people, by the very fact that
the
relationship is fragile, hence nothing can be taken for granted.
I knew that it would not be easy and that I would come under
heavy
critisism until the plan ( which isn't rocket science...)could
be
explained in full and this is in itself testimony as to how determined
I
am to work for change. ..But you need a workable plan. I will
work with
the rest of the non-labour group providing that they are prepared
to do it
The Labour group are aware of their fragile position and have
been
forced into listening since they can’t move left or right
without my
input, and they are aware in no uncertain terms that if they try
to
railroad items through that I do not agree with, then I will block
them.
Gone are the days where decisions are taken for granted and to
be fair
they have agreed to listen.
As a safe guard I have made it plain in no uncertain terms that
if they
do not listen, I will simply remove the power of my vote, which
is
considerable….and then end of Labour in Torfaen.
I have not signed any agreement with Labour ( a matter of Public
Record).
I am not there to make political friends with Labour or anyone
else in
fact, simply to get the best for the community and yes by any
means,
which I have done and I have to say that I have achieved something
good
for the ward, by siezing an opportunity that the others missed
- which
has caused a few sour grapes comments, but in the game of politics
its
about strong character and its either lead or get out of the way
which
is what I have done - which is a matter of fact.
When things settle and the “festival atmosphere”
dies down - and some of
these newly elected councillors present some sensible ideas and
proposals - and I do believe that there are some clever, talented
and
good people amongst them, then I can look at making some changes.
But ultimately I am not prepared to be part of any group which
could
potentially jepodise communities, services, peoples livelyhoods
and a
budget of £240+ million by simply voting in a new crew of
mainly
inexperienced new councillors and “experimenting”
with the running of a
council.
As for the over zealous reporting of my committee membership,
well there
is not much point in being a councillor if you have no useful
voting
power or input… and if anyone thinks that I am a new wet
behind the ears
kid that has been “granted” a bit of power by the
Leader, who then runs
around shouting Yippee…then think again.
In reference to the jibes in the press that I have “sold
out” for a few
thousand pounds over the basic salary that everyone gets, then
those who
know me will tell you that I am not so badly off that I need to
do
that…Furthermore, to support my motives bare in mind that
I sat as a
councillor for five years without the allowances all councillors
enjoy now.
In fairness to the Leader, Councillor Wellington has promised
me that
the Labour Group will listen - I have re-enforced that they will
have
to, since without my steadying and cautious casting vote they
will cease
to be, which they well understand.
As for the comments of Councillor Wildgust, he is wrong, he is
no longer
an Independant, since it is on record that he is a member of a
group and
I would urge any one who doesn't believe that to go and find out
for
themselves. Additionally I...and a growing number of sensible
people
think that he has thrown his toys out of the cot because he didn't
get
what he wanted, evident by the fact that he is now trying to raise
a
futile effort of proportional representation.
I can take all the personal drivvel that he is more interested
in
handing out but my advice to Councillor Wildgust is by all means
carry
on campaigning and writing reams of text which all takes time,
I on the
other hand am concentrating on the day to day job of trying to
be an
effective councillor, the public will only put up with waffle
for so
long....and so will the rest of "the group", some of
whom are secretly
trying to distance themselves already. He needs to establish,
does he
want to be a councillor or a political activist but if he continues
then
he may wish to consider that if he chooses the latter then he
should
couple his name with a warm air central heating system to come
up with,
as his name implys - hot air....which is what people will forget
him for.
I will not let my voters down. Sometimes you need a veiled or
obscure
plan to achieve the obvious.
I’ll always listen and if you have any sensible ideas I’m
always
prepared to discuss them and remember - nothing is cast in stone
This is the last communique on the matter.
Regards
Alastair (Cunnington 13th June 2008)
3
Comments!
 Press
Release from Councillor Fred Wildgust 12
June 2008 21:36
As an independent councillor, I am free of any party whip and
cannot be controlled by the restrictions of party policy. When
I stood for the council my mandate was that I would work to secure
better financial accountability, improved environmental management
and where dubious or immoral decisions had been made I would root
it out.
Well I tell the residents of Torfaen I stand by this pledge,
over the past few weeks since the betrayal of the electorate by
the 3 Plaid Cymru and 2 Independent Councillors, I have been working
hard to establish the legal position and identify any realistic
actions to take that would secure democracy for the residents
of Torfaen.
I am not a career Councillor, it does not matter to me if I upset
the status quo or people don’t like me…..What I have
learnt over the past few weeks is that rhetoric is cheap, there
is so much hot air spoken by Councillors it’s a wasted natural
resource….. This is not my way, I consider, think, talk
through then act….. What does matter to me is that the people
who voted for me as a fighter and campaigner, see that their vote
was not wasted.
To this end, at the end of June and in the first week of July
I will be launching a Torfaen wide petition. It will commence
with a rally from County Hall to the Civic Centre. I am currently
working with supporters of my campaign to establish a network
of petitioners, and campaign helpers. If you or group would like
to support my actions to force Councillors to make a public decision
on democracy, I ask you to contact me.(contact details here)
All support is welcome, assistance is coming from the most unexpected
of quarters. I personally thank all members of the coalition that
support my action and Ian Williams of the Peoples Voice for his
advice and counsel.
My message to the labour leadership is democracy is coming and
you will have to work hard to hold it back….. And, when
I have restored people faith in the electoral system, I will be
moving on exposing any dubious practices that have occurred in
the past.
Join the campaign, lets fight back and root the charlatans……
Councillor
Fred Wildgust 12
June 2008 21:36 Comments
Comments and replies, from members of the public, or other councillors
of whatever party are invited, either to the
email address below or via the blog.
The
Famous Five Get Invited
To A Party
(because everyone else refused to go?)
"Only time will tell if the two independent
and three Plaid councillors who supported the labour group
in their hour of need have done the right thing. On the face
of it it looks like a betrayal. However what does the average
non-labour voter want in Torfaen? Change, yes, but what we
need is a long term radical change in the way the council
is run, making it more accountable to the people.
To do that we need to ensure that in future no group or party
has a position so secure that they can ignore public opinion.
If the Famous Five have this at the back of their minds, and
they are determined to work for change with the rest of the
non-labour group (if that is now possible) and with the more
open-minded of the labour group, then maybe, just maybe, they
will eventually redeem themselves.
Time will tell."
Comments
Well that is what senior members of the labour party think,
by definition. No-one else has the experience to form a leading
group. So in spite of a poor show at the polls, for the labour
party and himself, leader Bob Wellington has justified his "arrangement"
of eventually finding 5 former sworn enemies to support his
next year in a very well paid office to bring "stability
to local governance in Torfaen". See Argus report here
dated Tuesday 27th May 2008
"But council leader Bob Wellington said the "arrangement"
would bring stability to local governance in Torfaen.
Senior Labour councillor John Cunningham, cabinet member
for operational services, called the independent coalition
members "hypocritical" for joining with the Conservatives
and Liberal Democrats.He said the five Cwmbran councillors
would not necessarily support Labour, who he said were the
most experienced party and the best placed to run Torfaen
council."
So no-one but the labour party is experienced enough to run
Torfaen, AND no-one but the labour party members will get any
position that would allow them to gain any experience (yet every
labour member, clever or dim, old, young or inexperienced gets
some position of responsibility.) Very clever, a bit of a catch
22 situation if ever there was one.
Add to that the opinion that Independents were hypocritical
to even think of a coalition with Conservatives and Liberals
(no mention here that that would have been under the leadership
of independents) yet it was in the public interest for the labour
party to tout round with a chequebook for literally anyone to
support their continuation in office and you can see what sort
of mugabe-istic thinking is behind stable governance, sorry
government, in Torfaen.
How badly would labour have had to done in the polls for them
to begin to think that they should at least share power?
Comments
Letters Page Argus
6th June 2008
A reply, not printed in Argus because it exceeded 200 words
Dear Sir
I read the letter from Councillor Cunningham (Wednesday’s
Argus) concerning the "Torfaen Council Story"
with interest.
I have the greatest respect for John Cunningham, he is a
good local councillor. I vote for him, not because he is
labour but in spite of him being labour. He, and our other
ward members get a strong personal vote, their percentage
of the vote did not plummet like the labour vote in the
rest of Torfaen.
Councillor Cunningham is well aware if my dislike of the
party system in local politics and recent events have highlighted
many of the problems with it. I am convinced that the majority
of people who voted wanted a change in the way Torfaen is
run. Only 43% of the votes went to labour with 57% going
to the other parties. It was not so much an anti labour
vote as a vote against the current system, therefore people
are angry because apparently nothing has changed.
Things have changed however, now all except one of the remaining
labour councillors has a cabinet position, the chairmanship
of a committee or some extra responsibility, with the associated
extra allowances. Can Councillor Cunningham swear, hand
on heart, that each and every one of those councillors has
the qualities required to fill that post? Does he not agree
that certain opposition councillors would have been a better
choice in some cases?
Councillor Cunningham has called the opposition a "Conservative
coalition", that is his definition but it is certainly
no such thing. The vast majority of them are independents.
The councillors in small party groups, including the conservatives,
will have no more influence than anyone else. It is an alliance
of councillors who can vote freely rather than along party
lines. It is true that the Mayor they proposed was a conservative,
but that is a non-political role with very little influence
on policies or the performance of the council. The leader
they proposed was an Independent, Stuart Evans, who has
been a councillor since 1999 and is accepted by labour colleagues
as being an excellent councillor.
I can understand that there was worry amongst some concerning
the inexperience of the proposed alliance, but this cannot
be an excuse for the 3 Plaid and the 2 independent councillors
supporting the labour regime for the full term. If they
do so then they have really let down the people of Torfaen
and made a mockery of democracy.
In order to get the best democratic deal for the people
of Torfaen the current minority regime should not last.
We must get the best people into the best jobs, whatever
party they represent. Does Councillor Cunningham agree?
To this end would he and the other more able of his labour
colleagues agree to take up office in some form of coalition?
I guess not. I think they care more about their beloved
party system than the people of Torfaen; if they cannot
rule absolutely they would hope to see an inexperienced
coalition fail rather than lift a finger to support them.
Please Councillor Cunningham, tell me I am wrong?
Yours etc
Chris Harris
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members
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coalition
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see links on the left sidebar, and our BLOG
Whatever your opinion
if you are interested in Local Issues and you believe in freedom
of speech and freedom of information
then Torfaen Democratic Forum
is for you.
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