From Christine Bampton-Smith
Friday, 25 May 2007

They say ‘A week is a long time in politics!’ Gordon Brown is the uncontested next Prime Minister and has a new spring in his step and it seems to me that Tony Blair already looks five years younger.

But for the rest of us there will be no change – still New Labour, still a wasteful and chaotic NHS, still Lottery money draining from local areas to London for the Olympics, and still the terrible carnage of IRAQ.

It’s time for a real change – but I do not see any chance of this happening with the next Prime Minister – It will still be the same old New Labour.

Christine Bampton-Smith
Liberal Democrat Councillor
Luddendenfoot Ward

From Joseph
Friday, 25 May 2007

There are three ways to respond to Mrs Brampton Smith's post.

a. This is a local site for (mostly) local issues. If you are prepared to make some meaningful and ongoing contribution to the threads on affordable housing, anti-social behaviour, parking et al then I'd be happy to let the odd party line/rant go by. Seeing as (by looking aback at the posts on the site) you don't seem to contribute much to these more contentious and relevant issues, you don't get the right to flypost your party's views (least not without being slagged off that is.)

b. If your party had got its act together last time round and taken the best chance of a good showing in the polls and consequent hung parliament for years, we would'nt be in this mess, and we would have the opportunity of a change of direction. How the **** you did not take the opportunity as the only party that stood up against Iraq I will never know you bunch of incompetents.

c. Lastly, yes Iraq is a disaster, and a load of stuff (ID Cards, Nuclear Power proposals etc) is pretty unpalatable, there has still been a lot more good than bad in the government of the last 10 years. Huge funding increases into Education, the NHS, the targetting of the most vulnerable in our society may not have been completed 100% sucessfully but its still an improvement. And to have fundamentally changed the political landscape so that the provision of good and improved public services are a core part of any electoral platform is pretty good too.

Posted by Tom Standfield
Friday, 25 May 2007

Well put, Joseph. You make some strong points.

But I am not sure about:

"This is a local site for (mostly) local issues."

What's local and what is not? Iraq? Nuclear power? Climate change? Racism? Anti-social behaviour? I could go on but many 'national' issues have relevance locally. Checking this forum's guidelines I see they say:

"The Discussion Forum is for discussion of local issues or national issues which have an importance to us in the Calder Valley"

From Joseph
Friday, 25 May 2007

Fair point Tom.

From Coun Susan Press
Thursday, 31 May 2007

Like many in the Labour Party I am bitterly disappointed that Labour didn't have a leadership contest. It was the wish of the local Party that there should be one and Hebden Royd Branch went so far as to nominate left-winger and anti-war MP John McDonnell.

Sadly, thanks to MPs who did not share our view, John didn't make the ballot. In my view, this will fundamentally harm the Labour Party in the short-term and the Government in the long-term. I have to agree that Gordon Brown will not be significantly different to Tony Blair but hope lines can be drawn under issues like Iraq and the troops brought home soon.

I will continue to campaign within the Party for the socialist policies which many of us want to see but don't pretend that will be easy.

However, the Liberal Democrats are weaker than they have been for years and offer no solutions either. Only Labour can defeat the Tories at the next General Election.