There is now no doubt, labour’s more robust approach to candidate selection this year, has ruffled more than a few feathers.
This is most clearly visible in the Valley Ward election contest this year.
There are three labour, three Ukip candidates in addition to a Tory, Omar Mehban, there are two Independent candidates, Simon Currie and Dave Pickering.
Simon famously, flounced out of the labour party, in high dudgeon protesting at labour’s treatment of his, ‘not fit for purpose’ friend, Paul Lakin!
Dave Pickering was one of labour’s discards this year. He arrogantly believes he is entitled to a Council seat and the money that comes with it? He also thinks he is above the party!
Local labour members have outrageously boycotted the campaigns of Jayne Senior, Haroon Rashid and Kerry Albiston!
The support Simon Currie and Dave Pickering are picking up from local, disaffected, labour members and one or two strange bedfellows too.
Paul Lakin’s support is perhaps, understandable, Shaun Wright less so, along with Michael Sylvester, Barry Dodson and Jahangir Akhtar, quite inexplicable! There are many more we understand among Rotherham labour, if you have the names of more sympathisers of this tired and rejected group of has beens, please let us have them.
There is also a voting boycott, of at least certain, labour candidates in a number of Wards including Rotherham West, East, Boston Castle, Sitwell and Valley Wards. Said to be because, someone has ‘thrown their teddy out of their pram’, precisely because of the rejection of those who were adjudged, not fit to be labour candidates this year?
This is an issue we will be keeping an ‘eye out’ for developments in later posts.
Labour seemingly have a serious disciplinary situation here, they must not duck. Giving into bullies, is what caused Rotherham’s problems in the first place and appeasement never works. Labour please take note?
Rik
Rotherham Politics 
How many of these would be Councillors have stood for different parties? One candidate in Doncaster was elected under Labour and on the Cabinet board whilst also being Mayor of Thorne until he was ousted, then stood as an Independent but didn’t get elected, now he is standing for Conservative, and is again Mayor of Thorne, maybe he needs the money.
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Darren Defector the tory Boy
Alan keepmoat Atkins
Dave Pikaring
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David Pickering. Something odd going on there. If I remember rightly, he was a Labour Cllr for years. He then lost his seat, but was always turning up at RMBC Meetings (in a show of solidarity for the Comrades perhaps.) He then stood again for Labour and “got back in”. Very strange then that he has not been selected. As for Simon Currie, Labour through and through, sticking up for them all through the CSE issue. He then seems to have had a spat with is Labour friends and suddenly became an Independent. But from the RMBC meetings I have attended, I have never seen such “fawning” towards the Leader Chris Read. One would have thought he was trying his best to “get back in”. It obviously did not work.
I predict these two will probably split the Labour vote, and let UKIP in. ( Labours not very clever are they).
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Currie threw his toys out of the pram because he was in the wrong camp and reed dumped him off his I’m important position of chair
And promoted people like Sue Ellis and Beck over him
Remember it was Akhtar and Sims who joined him in the Labour Party and got him his seat just like his mate Ian Jones
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When Currie used to attend Area Assembly meetings as a TARA member it was so obvious he was after getting on the Council with all the fawning and over due deference to Labour Councillors, as was Rotherfed’s Andrew Roddison. He couldn’t put a sentenced together without mentioning Rotherfed and how important it was. It worked well for them both as they both became Labour Councillors, though Curie has now jumped ship.
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