As I am sure you are all aware the local Labour Group on Skegness Town Council block-voted through a rise of 22.52% in the council tax . I still cannot work out why they did this. There is to be no increase in services provided by the council. I have just found the following on the Skegness Labour Party website. This is a Press Release sent out by them:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Lindsey Budget 2008

28th February 2008

Unfortunately for the residents of East Lindsey, the Conservative administration decided against an alternative to their budget, which would have saved residents 1% on the rise in their Council Tax Bill, along with a reduction in the proposed increases in car parking charges throughout the District.

Labour Councillors understand that residents have had enough of being over-charged for perceived ever-decreasing services. Concern is often expressed about deprivation in the District, yet seems to be a different matter when it comes to charging residents more. Acceptance of the amount of deprivation throughout our District must mean an acknowledgement of the ability to pay, and this was the reason for an alternative budget proposed by Labour Councillors who recognise the very real problems residents have when paying their Council Tax.

This comes at a time when East Lindsey is also restructuring itself to cope with the demands of modern day governance, resulting in the loss of a number of posts through redundancy. This will surely add more to the list of those with worries about making ends meet.

This is yet another example of how out of touch with the resident they claim to represent, the current administration really is. We suspect that those who chose to penalise our residents in such a manner will have no such difficulties in paying their own Council Tax bill.

This was a wonderful opportunity to show the residents of East Lindsey that their concerns are taken seriously and it was abandoned in favour of politics.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So less than 2 years ago, before we were in the economic plight that we are now, they were complaining that ELDC would not consider a reduction in their proposed budget of just 1%.

Unless the Labour Group on Skegness Town Council can tell us why they wouldn't consider an alternative budget put forward by Conservative Councillors that would have reduced the proposed increase by over 20%, repeated 20%, I would suggest we have a real case of hypocrisy here. Anybody doubt that?

 

I always knew that Tony Blair and his ilk could not be trusted to tell the truth, that they were shallow and incompetent. The state of our nation at this time shows that up all too well. What I didn't know was how completely immoral and devoid of humanity Tony Blair actually is. He took us into a war in which a reported 100,000 died and when asked if he had any regrets he said "NO". He will now go back to one of his houses and bunker down and ignore the outside world, whilst living in luxury. Words fail me.

We hear from the Labour Party in Skegness that they do not bring politics into local politics. They accuse the local Conservatives of playing politics on Skegness Council but insist that they do not do the same. The shennanigans at the last Council meeting to set the budget and therefore the council tax do not support what they say. It was very obvious that the Labour Councillors were block voting but they denied this at the meeting when challenged by Independent Councillor Brian O'Connor.

The funny thing is that I have found this on the Skegness Labour Pary website. It is obviously the national policy:

"Every Labour councillor and each Labour group (of Labour councillors on a local authority) has a crucially important role to play in helping to implement Labour policies at local level and in delivering the success strategy for the next general election".

So they are expected to be political by their party. They say they are not. Perhaps local Labour voters should be contacting the party to let them know that there are a group of councillors in Skegness who call themselves Labour but they are not representing their voters or their party as they should be.

If they are not going to be Labour why not be Independent, why stand for election under the Labour banner? Be Independent. At least then they would not be conning Labour voters into voting for them!!!!!!

Remember the class-war type of uttering "Dreaming up policies on the playing fields of Eton" that was central to the Labour Parties attempt to rally their troops?

Well, after months and months of telling us that the Conservative Party are only there to represent the rich and successful, telling us that it is the wrong thing to do to consider these people when formulating policy, it would appear that Gordon Brown has now changed his mind. 

The chameleon-like Gordon and the ever-changing Labour Party have decided to set themselves up as the champions of the middle-classes. Apparently after months of telling us that these are the only people that Conservatives consider in their policies, and that it is unfair and completely wrong to do so, he is now telling us that the Conservatives don't understand them and that they are planning "a raid on their quality of life". He and the Labour Party are going to help them out.

This is from the government who have just brought in legislation for a 50% tax rate on high earners that will not only hammer their income but which will also hammer their pension benefits. This is the old Labour mantra that they earn too much money and it is unfair. I understand that, don't agree, but I understand where they are coming from.

No sorry I have got that wrong, I think. Lord Mandy Mandelson has now said that the 50% tax rate should now be removed as soon as possible. Why is this? Have they decided that it is unfair or what? It is only a few days since the Labour Party were telling us that the Conservatives wanted to do this and if they did it would contribute to a huge hole in their financial projections and therefore they couldn't really do it.

Gordon is now representing himself as the Champion of the Middle Classes. Given all of his utterances about the class war, does that now make him a Conservative?

Can anybody help me out here? Are there any Labour supporters out there that can explain to me what is going on? Just what are you supporting? Just what are the Labour policies going forward?

Reports this morning that the cabinet (probably Mandy) has convinced Gordon Brown that the Labour Party has to come up radical new plans. Why is this?

Have they not been in power for over a decade and as such should be moving forward along the path that they have identified and followed thereby giving us strong, stable government and leadership?

Have they not presided over the economic disaster that has befallen us all, whilst telling us that they have everything in hand, that borrowing £178 billion in a year is the right thing to do and that they are leading us out of recession?

Have they not been doing and telling us these things?

I would ask this question. If they have been doing these things and if they are the right things to be doing and if they are providing us with considered, solid, strong and stable government, then why the change?

The answer is exceptionally simple. As history has proved the Labour Party has always had no problem whatsoever with changing its policies just to win power. New Labour was the pinnacle of this type of behaviour a movement which ultimately failed.

What this government is actually doing is abandoning those things that it has been telling us about and doing because they said it is the right thing to do for the country, for new policies designed purely to keep them in power, keep them in government. This is a morally bereft move that will do nothing for this country and will cause long term damage.

They never learn, they will never change. Always high tax and high spend policies that eventually bring the country to it's knees.

It was said many times when Tony Bliar was Prime Minister that he was no more than a puppet for President George Bush. Sitting there with his tongue hanging loosley from the side of his mouth, panting and staring adoringly at his master he made a fine sight.

Now it seems that Bliar has his own poodle. That well known sycophant Alistair Campbell. After his performance today at the Iraq Inquiry he has managed to out poodle the poodle-meister Bliar.

Tony was a nice guy. Tony didn't do anything wrong. Tony didn't mislead parliament. Tony didn't tell untruths to both his fellow MPs and the population of this nation just so that he could go to war.

Yes, he did communicate to Mr Bush that he would back any military action as far back as 2002 but he only did it to disarm Iraq and Saddam Hussain.

Oh whoops. Alistair must have been fast asleep in his basket dreaming of a Bonio when his master Bliar was telling the world that he would have gone ahead with the war to achieve regime change, even if there were not any nasty old Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Nice one Labour.

In power you can't tell the truth and out of power you can't tell the truth.

For months now our glorious Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been telling the world that the choice is clear "Between Tory cuts and Labour investment". Now come on, how many times have you heard that?

Now we have Alistair Darling raising those magnificent eyebrows and telling us that if the Labour government is re-elected, please God no!, there will be the biggest cuts in government spending for decades.

Now come on chappies!! Which one is it? Either you are right Gordon and there is going to be Labour investment, or you are right Alistair and there is going to be big cuts.

You can't have it both ways gentlemen.

I have just been informed that local youngsters have formed a Skegness Conservative Future Group. The group is available for anybody under the age of 30 to join and is part of the national movement.

The local Conservative Party in Skegness is going from strength to strength and this group, aimed at the youth of the area, is a welcome addition to the fold. Together we can all work towards ensuring that we return Mark Simmonds as our local MP for a further term at the next General Election and then set about the local elections in 2011.

If you are lucky enough to qualify by age you can get further details about the group by contacting Robin Hunter-Clarke on 07849535108 or email at robinhunter-clarke@live.co.uk. You will receive a warm and friendly welcome.