This rather petulant piece, made it into the letters pages of this weeks Advertiser.
I read with some interest the article in then July 24 edition of the Advertiser about the £800 per day Sir Derek Myers’ views on the recruitment of new borough councillors.
Sir Derek appears to be getting perilously close to interfering with the democratic process in our town.
I believe that Sir Derek, being a Conservative Party appointed, non-elected, civil servant should not get involved, in any way, in trying to effect who should and who should not stand for elected office in Rotherham.
Most established political parties have their own internal candidate selection procedures and although there is room for improvements they are much more rigorous than the Noddy guide suggested by Sir Derek
If he thinks the majority of new councillors are going to be independents, it just goes to show how politically naive he is.
We may not all have been to Oxbridge or Eton in Rotherham but we do not need someone from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, who has never even been a councillor, telling us who we should choose as our democratically elected representatives.
That should be taken care of at the ballot box.
Peter Thirlwall
See also: https://rotherhampolitics.wordpress.com/2015/08/01/calling-potential-new-councillors/
Rotherham Politics 
Sadly however the parties will select dunderhead, wimps and just a few with some brains. There will be little change so long as the electorate have tribal loyalties. There will be few if any independents and few from minor parties.
LikeLike
Myers should be praised for his honesty. he says the Commissioners will be running RMBC for a long time if the same old self serving , nay sayers are re elected by the mindless electorate of this town (my take on hids words). The full Council Election in 2016 is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get rid of the old “Rawmarsh” and “Maltby Mafia” who have robbed Rotherham of it’s reputation worldwide !
LikeLike
I think its an excellent idea that a appeal is going out for a better standard of person to run for office. Sadly it will have little impact as long as Independent Candidates have to fork out of their own pockets to pay for Election Leaflets ( it probably averages around £300 -£400). I am quite convinced that more than half of those sat in the RMBC Chamber would not be there if they had to pay for their own leaflets.
But what really is annoying, of the £12,000 plus that we pay the Labour Cllrs through our Council Tax, they have to donate 7% to the Party, which in turn pays for their leaflets. As Independent candidates, we pay for ALL the leaflets. So much for a fair system.
LikeLike
Spot on plus as an Independent unless standing on an issue which others are involved in it isn’t easy to get people to help with the legwork to canvass and deliver leaflets and I hope the commissioner is stressing what is really involved.
LikeLike
Wonder what Peter thought he was doing with this nasty and spiteful missive, doubtless he didn’t intend to be quite as revelatory, as to his own mindset?
Stupidity, a contempt for education and total loyalty has been prized over ability, by Labour Group since Jack Layden’s day.
I am surprised and disappointed, to discover that Peter is imbued with those same traits, which he puts on show in his letter for us all to see.
Peter may live to regret his ill-considered choice to make his thoughts public.
LikeLike
I have never read such an ill informed, politically uneducated, set of comments. Have the writers of such tosh, that suggest that imposed commissioners, as opposed to elected Councillors, are somehow a better resolution for Rotherham’s woes ever considered what they are advocating.
And the scandals that “our betters” have been caught up in recently would leave even a balloon thinking that there was something radically wrong with their concept.
LikeLike
My hope is, the commissioners remain in Rotherham until they rid us of the filthy lying, cheating, self serving dishonest scumbags of the past and the Labiour con merchants who presently sit in the council chamber. I’d rather MY money go into the commissioners pockets than the Labour filth who have infected the political scene of Rotherham for far too long.
LikeLike
“Ill informed, politically uneducated, set of comments”. I don`t think so. I have followed this bunch of clowns at Rotherham for quite some years. Why do you think we have the Commissioners Here ? . Why do you think all those now “ex Cllrs” were sacked and had to leave?. Why do you think all those top employees ( including the recently departed Head of Legal Services) had to leave ? While the position of the Commissioners may not be democratic, it had to happen to stop the rot. If they did nothing wrong why did they go quietly and in some cases took the money and ran. Anything is better than the culture that presided before. Take off the red rose tinted glasses.
LikeLike