Gillian Radcliffe makes her position clear and offers a way forward. What does Shaun Wright think?

Gillian Radcliffe, Independent PCC Candidate says:

Protecting the most vulnerable people in society is the most valuable thing that a person in public office can do. This is a central plank of my manifesto as Independent candidate for the Police & Crime Commissioner role (see http://www.gillianradcliffe4PCC.com).
I make no comment on what has happened to date. Let’s be clear: the primary blame lies with the perpetrators of these terrible abuses, along with those who protect and condone those offenders, and not with the safeguarding authorities.
I want to focus on what is happening right now and urge Rotherham Council to take positive action. It is never too late to do something positive to protect tomorrow’s victims.
The police will doubtless be doing so from an operational perspective and investigations are probably ongoing as I write. The council can, if it wants to, also make a difference right now and this requires being proactive and vociferous in campaigning not around politics but around prevention.
For example, educating people about this creeping menace; using your community contacts to mobilise people to great vigilance to avoid more children being victims of such monstrous perpetrators; demonstrating that this is not about one racial community against another but about all decent people making a stand against the depraved; getting the message across to young people in schools and through social media. Take action. Silence is not an option and leaves you open to accusations that you are doing nothing.
I have ambitions to be PCC because I’ve spent 23 years in criminal justice training for such an opportunity. I have the skills and experience and I can make a difference. I want to beat Shaun Wright – and allcomers – in the election. But I will support the council, and Councillor Wright, in any action to end the awful exploitation of children. It is an unspeakable form of hate crime and we must work together to crush it. Let me know if I can help.

Gillian Radcliffe also makes this rather sensible proposal for the way forward:

Election campaigns aside, I know we are all concerned about preventing more abuses of this kind and we should be uniting. How about Rotherham Council host a (non-political) conference involving all the agencies and community groups? We could hear from some experts in the field and have break-out groups drawing up practical plans on preventing future tragedies. Count me in to help in any way I can.

Gillian Radcliffe

Aneurin Bevan’s Examination Question?

Exam question for Rotherham Labour Party Members.

Subject Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Setting, a provisional Labour run Council, Rotten Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC).

Scenario.

Locally based company supplies RMBC with goods and services worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Chairman of said company gives gifts and provides hospitality to a senior member of RMBC.

Chairman of said company appointed to the RMBC Independent Remuneration Committee.

Remuneration Committee recommend increases in allowances for RMBC Councillors.

Discuss.

History question to follow.

Aneurin Bevan

Cabinet Member Paul Lakin – Answers

This is the text of Paul Lakin’s first, but not in fact his last, comment today:

Dear Rothpol

Calling people Clowns, Muppets, Grunters, Labour Scum and even worse, Low Life’s  when used in a way to goad, humiliate or spark some form of negative reaction is a perfect example of bullying and when used through this form of media cyber bullying.

Then you Wonder why councillors don’t respond!

Experience tells us that the best way to deal with the bullies is to ignore their jibes. It hurts them more than they hurt you.

The alternative approach- if you know who who these people are  -is to front them up face to face and let them explain why they are acting in the way they are.

So here we go.

Cerberus – You make many accusations about the silence on Child sexual exploitation and grooming, you appear to speak with some knowledge of children’s services although this is very selective, yet appear to have very little or no knowledge of what we are doing and propose to-do in Rotherham.
So I make the offer to you and any of your colleagues to meet with me and the service face to face so we can listen to your concerns and tell you what we are doing to help tackle what can only be described as evil criminals.

I know of no councillor in the country let alone RMBC who agrees with the exploitation or harming of children in any way and who would not support the need to rid our borough of such criminal activity and the criminals that commit such heinous and vile acts.

Be assured that there is no silence, no media blackout and nobody is ducking the problem, but there will be no posting on this site, no matter how much name calling there is or how vexatious the comments become.

The time When  people start attacking personalities rather than policies is the time their argument is lost.

Graldhunter – Although I have seen you several times in and around the council chamber, I cannot recall ever having met or spoken to you but I assure you that I do not quake or quiver and I do not back away from the bully – school for me was made a place of hell for me by the constant bullying the memories of which never leave you and I’m sure that as a qualified teacher this is something with which you can concur – but I respect your views (not your observations) as I do those of Cerberus and will refrain from making judgement about either of your characters. On a lighter note my bowels and bladder are in fine fettle and good working order, but if you have a cure for a 19 week persistent cough i’d love to hear it – other than suggesting I cut my throat.

There will be no further reply to this blog.
If you want to take me up on the offer to meet then just call or email but please do not use the issue of child abuse and exploitation as a means of dirty politics to attack me or other councillors in RMBC.

Paul Lakin

Paul Lakin raises some very thought provoking issues for Rotherham Politics, an appropriate and considered response will be made soonest, but suffice it to say, everyone is welcome to comment or to make a contribution on Rotherham Politics save for the far right that is! Rothpol.

Failure means success for Cllr Wright

It appears that the route to success in the Rotherham Labour Party is by failure, it might seem a little odd but if you look at the PCC Candidate Cllr Shaun Wright you can spot the link.

While taking home over £25k a year for his Cabinet post Cllr Wright took the children’s department to the point of absolute failure and with it failed vulnerable individuals within the Borough.

On his watch girls as young as 12 were systematically used and abused by a gang of men from Rotherham.

This is a link to one of the more balanced articles and provides more of the detail on the Rotherham case.

http://standpointmag.co.uk/features-december-10-gangs-girls-and-grooming-the-truth-julie-bindel-asian-gangs-pimps-rotherham

The victims were all known to Social Services who failed to protect them, following the conviction of the men you would have thought that Cllr Wright and RMBC would have provided the public with information on how to reduce the risk of children being abused, but no,  a wall of silence.

Cllr Paul Lakin has maintained that public silence supported by Cllr Emma Hoddinott and the rest of the lambs.

Come November Cllr Wright will be elected to the high office of PCC and if  Rotherham Labour Party, Cllr Wright , Hoddinott and Lakin get their way the public will remain in the dark on the issue of grooming and exploitation.

Cerberus.

News of PCC Hustings!

Dear Rotherham Politics readers,

No doubt, like me, you have been bristling for the first opportunity to quiz, challenge, scrutinise and ask questions of those souls who desperately want our vote for the overpaid job of South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

Well wait no longer, cos here’s your opportunity – http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/quiz-candidates-for-police-role-1-4872218

The Coliseum is open, the lions are hungry and roaring, and all we need is for those daft, deluded, or demented enough to think they can keep us safe and sound as our PCC, to step into the sandpit for some original audience participation blood sport.

I’m applying for my tickets. Why don’t you? Maybe we could get a coach full of Rotherham Politics readers to have front row seats and take our knitting and enjoy the blood spatter.

All Hail to Caesar and Da Dodger and Da Sheep

Grald-Hunter

Fireman Sam’s New Car

A simple question, in times of severe  pressure on Fire Service budgets do you try to maintain the number of operational fire appliances or do you buy £36,000 Audi A6 executive cars for the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue senior command team?

A no brainer you would think, not if you are Cllr Alan Atkin and Cllr Alan Buckley both members of the SYFRS Authority.

Both of our RMBC Councillors will give the go ahead to purchase the executive cars ensuring the egos of the Chief Fire Officer, his Deputy and other senior officers are maintained while at the same time approving the closure of fire stations and making front line fire fighters redundant.

Let’s hope the cars come with a full BA team and fitted with a Simon Snorkel!

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/cut-in-bill-fails-to-calm-row-over-executive-cars-for-fire-chiefs-exclusive-1-4870196

Aneurin Bevan

The infantile loser?

Dear Rotherham Politics readers,

Well, ere’s a funny thing, don’t ya think?

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/police-post-candidate-pledges-to-take-prompt-action-on-antisocial-behaviour-1-4849290

Shaun Da Sheep, Rovrum’s Laybah PCC candidate, is proudly and vainly bleating about how he will ensure that the public get a response from Police within 24 hours if-and-when he gets the highly-paid PCC post he covets so much.

Hmm, all those weasel words would maybe convince me were it not for the infantile behaviour I witnessed from the public gallery in the RMBC Council Chamber when he held up a piece of paper with “Loser” writ large on it in front of Cllr Peter Thirlwall, who was giving his usual wonderful drubbing to the Laybah Corn Fed Grunters, Muppets and Clowns.

Of course, not one of Da Laybah Bruvvaz-n-Sistaz said they’d seen owt. No surprises there then!

Maybe they were in need of some professional clinical help from the flash chav Porsche optician mucker who lavished champers on them at the Mayor’s Junket?

But still, this oafish Rawmarsh and Parkgate clown and dullard will NOT get my vote.

It will go to anyone but him, however much Dodger’s new Ms Pravda Commissar tries to bullshite the public into thinking that Shaun Da Sheep will keep us all safer abed iffen he gets the PCC job.

You couldn’t make it up, but you sure can here in Rovrum

Grald-Hunter

Increased footfall? Now we know why!

Dear Rotherham Politics readers,

Ah ha, now I know the reasons behind the “increased footfall” that’s apparently occurring in dear old Rovrum, and which the Corn Fed Grunters, Muppets and Clowns and their kling-ons have been trumpeting as a sign that Rovrum’s Phoenix is arising from the shopping ashes that they created …

“while in Rotherham shoplifting soared by 51 per cent with 468 incidents recorded” according to this report in “The Star”  – http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/wanted-police-hunt-for-south-yorkshire-shoplifters-after-massive-rise-1-4856667

Yes, once again, dear old Rovrum is top of the hit parade, but yet again, for all the wrong reasons.

Still, I’m sure this won’t stop Dodger and his muckers from going junketing across Eastern Europe inviting everyone with no skills, no capital, no property, no jobs, no prospects, no morals, no family values, to descend on our hospitable lickle town to take advantage of us …
Yours in desperation,
Grald-Hunter

The Snoopers?

Dear Rotherham Politics,

I couldn’t help but smile tae missen when I read this in today’s “Star” –

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/south-yorkshire-councils-defend-spying-tactics-1-4856677

Seems like our more highly paid than Sheffield City Councillors have now entered the realms of intelligence, surveillance, deep cover, dead letter boxes and all the other items associated with the control of Rovrum’s citizens.

Looks like they aren’t too busy to snoop into peoples’ lives, cos RMBC alone conducted 160 operations under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 – the ninth highest use of the measures in the UK.

So there we have it, THT is now an active hub of “intelligence gathering” akin to the KGB. “Intelligence gathering” and RMBC Elected Members and Officers are just such opposite terms in reality.

I wonder whether they’ll use their extensive James Bond powers to investigate the Blue Badge Abuse Councillor? Maybe the Ms Stasi Commissar Head of Laybah Corporate Control will issue a party edict proudly proclaiming the successes that RMBC-Pravda have provided to the town’s citizens through covert surveillance and espionage?

Answers please on a piece of white cardboard left under the front wipers of the black Beemer that’s always parked obstructing the paved pedestrian area outside THT but never gets a penalty ticket.

Yours Sincerely,
Grald-Hunter

If any of the 160 victims of this unacceptable behaviour should be reading this, please get in touch, we would very much appreciate it, email Rothpol.

Yorkshire Post Exclusive – Taxpayer facing huge bills as digital network remains unused

The spiralling cost to four Yorkshire councils of bailing out a disastrous publicly-owned internet project could soar beyond 50m?

By Jack Blanchard, Political Editor
Published on Tuesday 21 August 2012 08:52

The spiralling cost to four Yorkshire councils of bailing out a disastrous publicly-owned internet project could soar beyond £50m after its managers posted enormous losses for the second year running.

Newly-published documents reveal Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley Councils paid out tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money last year to prop up the ailing Digital Region project, at the very time they were forced to slash spending on front-line services. Read on…….

Many thanks go to the observant contributor who brought this interesting story to our attention. Remember, readers and contributors are our ‘eyes and ears’, spot something interesting? Email it in to Rothpol please.

Previously on Rotherham Politics:

Superfast Broadband Chaos?

Posted on February 9, 2012 by rothpol

This interesting story of much woe in the roll out of the super fast broadband network that has promised much but delivered little, can be brought to Rotherham Politics readers due to the observant “A regular reader” to whom we … Continue reading →