Vote #DarrenWise4Gooshays - "It's time for change"

In the last of my articles reviewing all the candidates for tomorrow’s by-election in Gooshays, you’re going read why I believe Darren Wise is the best person to represent Harold Hill, and why you should get people to vote for him and the Harold Wood, Hill and Park Residents’ Association.

Unlike all the other candidates, Darren - who isn’t a councillor - helps local residents all year round when they need help.

One of Darren’s bigger achievements happened in August 2011 when the council wanted to install a telephone mast on a green area outside peoples’ homes. When residents objected, Darren took their case to Havering Town Hall and won. None of the other parties were even involved.

Unlike all the other candidates, Darren has powerful allies in the council chamber in the form of the Residents’ Association (RA) group. This group is the main opposition to the Conservatives, the latter of which has ignored Harold Hill since they came to office. The Labour group is small and ineffective. And if other parties like the BNP or UKIP got in, they would be isolated even further.

That is why strategically it makes sense to vote for Darren (click images to enlarge):

 

And unlike all the other candidates, Darren has never been afraid to speak his mind and reflect the will of the residents. This is because the other candidates have what is called a party whip.

This basically means your councillor may not be able to help you because they are bound by what their party tells them to do. This is what a vote for Labour, the BNP or the Conservatives would bring.

In Darren’s case, this will never happen because the RA group does not have a party whip, and is therefore exclusively accountable to residents only – no-one else.

I am proud to be part of Darren’s campaign team. I chose to join the RA simply because they put principle before party.

George Osborne struggling
through the Budget

Today we heard George Osborne announce in the Budget that the economy is still in dire straits and it’s not getting any better. We also heard Ed Miliband criticise Osborne as if his party is completely blameless for the mess we’re in.

Both Labour and Conservative parties have let the country down because they don’t have the national interest at heart.

At Havering council, the RA group proposed an alternative budget which would have given more money to support voluntary groups, local businesses and also introduced free parking for residents at council-owned car parks.

Ed Miliband's unconvincing
alternative

Instead, the Conservatives introduced parking charges at Hilldene shopping centre. All Conservative councillors voted against the RA proposals because – like David Cameron and his cabinet of millionaires – the Tories in Havering are detached from ordinary people’s lives.

They also voted against the RA’s proposal to cut their allowances, which would have saved council tax payers £200,000.

Darren has been working tirelessly for the people of Harold Hill all year round, not just at election time.

People are sick of the promises that party politicians make. Scandal after scandal involving greedy MPs, corrupt police and ruthless media barons in each other’s pockets has ensured a generation of people disgusted by the political system.

Darren Wise and the Harold Wood, Hill and Park Residents’ Association bring a new kind of politics – one of cooperation, independent thinking and serving the needs of local people.

Please use your vote wisely (get it?) and vote Darren Wise as your new Havering ward councillor.

It’s time to give Harold Hill a new hope - It’s time for change!

This concludes my review of all the candidates standing in the 2013 Gooshays by-election.

I will be at Havering Town Hall from 9.30pm on Thursday 21st to tweet you the results. I will also be counting so don’t expect many (if any) tweets initially. Follow me on Twitter @HaveringMeh.

If you live in Harold Hill (Gooshays ward) and your name is on the electoral register, you should have received a polling card telling you where your local polling station is.

If not, call the council on 01708 432444.

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm, so please get out there and cast your ballot!

After the winner is announced, I will be writing a full analysis of the result, explaining what it means politically.

#Gooshays2013 – Lawrence James Webb, UKIP Local Residents

Lawrence James Webb,
Gooshays candidate

Will the UK Independence Party (UKIP) see its first councillor walk through the doors of Havering Town Hall tomorrow?

You never know. Still, I’m predicting the ward will be a tremor in the wider UKIP aftershock, the impact of which has rocked the national political landscape in recent times.

In the Eastleigh by-election last month, the party came second, beating the Conservatives and Labour. In 2011, it took control of its first council in Ramsey Town, Cambridgeshire winning 9 out of 17 seats. 5 UKIP Lords have passed through the second chamber, and for 7 months in 2008, the party had one MP (who defected from the Conservatives and subsequently defected again to become an independent).

Lawrence James Webb is the candidate for Gooshays. Last year he drew criticism from mental health charities for using the word “retard” on Twitter.

In recent years he has stood to try and get elected in Gooshays and the London Assembly. Here is UKIP's literature for tomorrow's by-election (click to enlarge):

Lawrence won 3% of the vote in the 2008 by-election, with Bryan George Woolerton increasing that to 6% in 2010. Will the percentage increase again this time round?

Lawrence won 3% of the vote in 2008 (click to enlarge image)

In 2010 UKIP's result increased (click to enlarge image)

In the 2012 London Assembly elections for Havering and Redbridge constituency, Lawrence came 3rd with 7% of the vote beating the Liberal Democrats to 5th place.



Lawrence came 3rd in the 2012 London Assembly elections
(click to enlarge image)

Nigel Farage, the party’s leader, is – by any definition of the word – charismatic. He has been characterised numerous times as someone you would enjoy having a pint down the pub with.

UKIP’s policies and frankness about mass immigration and the EU speak to a section of the population who feel disconnected from the so-called metropolitan London-centric media chattering classes.

Outside media-land and the Westminster bubble, many people feel the world is changing too fast and they’re being left behind.

Our wages are either frozen, reduced or non existent. We watch the news in horror as the Eurozone continues to implode on itself (see what almost happened in Cyprus this week!). And on top of that, we face the prospect of wages being undercut and services being stretched as an unknown number of Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants become eligible to work in the UK.

People perceive UKIP’s fiery rhetoric and simple solutions as the answer to all these problems.

Earlier this month, I went to a Fabian society meeting in Romford to listen to ex-BBC journalist and political activist Polly Billington speak about her experience as a politician. Among them she said people who vote for UKIP “just want to world to stop so they can get off”. In other words, the rise of UKIP is inextricably linked to the ever-growing public disillusionment with politics and politicians generally.

There is a lot at stake for Lawrence tomorrow evening. In theory, he should win a higher percentage than in 2010 due to all these issues currently being at the forefront of people’s minds.

Having said that, I don’t believe voting for UKIP would solve any of these problems at a local level.

While Nigel Farage’s party may come across as radical and anti-establishment, a UKIP Havering councillor would not be part of the council’s main opposition Residents Association (the candidate being Darren Wise) who – as a group – can reign in the Conservatives.

UKIP would also continue the tired old tradition of putting party central diktats over the wishes of ordinary residents.

Our final candidate on the list is Darren Wise standing for Harold Wood, Hill and Park Residents’ Association…

#Gooshays2013 - Christine McGeary, Labour Party

Christine McGeary, Labour
candidate for Gooshays

It’s been all hands on deck for Labour these past couple of weeks as they’ve been fighting to regain Gooshays ward after losing all three councillors in 2006, and regaining just one in 2010.

Christine Anne McGeary – the only woman to be standing in this by-election – is hoping to repaint the town red and increase the number of her party's councillors from 5 to 6.

Her campaign is based on opposing the parking charges at Hilldene shopping centre, the closure of the police front desk on Straight Road, and also highlighting the closure of King George Hospital's maternity ward and the fact Queen’s Hospital in Romford will be overstretched:

I was at the last council meeting where the ruling Conservative party refused to let Labour, the principle minority opposition, raise the issue of opposing parking charges at Hilldene, despite a petition with thousands of signatures.

This is why - ironically - council democracy contains within it an undemocratic streak when the majority can ignore and dismiss the minority, even though all councillors are as democratically elected by the people as each other.

On the other hand, Labour have been opposing cuts since the ConDem Coalition government came to power 3 years ago, and 3 years later their arguments are still as unconvincing. People have not forgotten how Labour mishandled our finances, including how Gordon Brown sold our country's gold reserves at a knock-down price.

Labour leader Ed Miliband speaks at anti-cuts rally last year,
despite not ruling out austerity himself

It’s all very well opposing the Boris’s cuts to the police, but I do wonder what Labour would do differently when it comes to cuts. “Too far, too fast” is their all-too-familiar slogan describing George Osborne’s policy, but it’s cynical and dishonest when Ed Miliband marches alongside anti-cuts demonstrators knowing full-well he would have to make cuts himself if he was Prime Minister.

Let’s also not forget Labour’s dismal mishandling of our borders. As it stands, the Home Office doesn’t know how many people are coming in and going out, and we’ve learnt this week that a quarter of a million extra school places will be needed by 2014 to meet the rising demand. And Havering council had grossly underestimated the population figures when 4 years ago it closed and merged local primary schools – including Manor school.

When you vote on Thursday, just remember our legacy of 13 years of Labour government.

It’s not all bad though...

When it comes to publicity and public relations, Labour wins hands down, and all the other parties (including the Residents’ Association) could learn something from the following postcard:

This is how election literature should be! Her name is in big letters, she has a nice smile (if you're another candidate reading this, take note!), and her pledges are short, snappy and effective, especially for an audience which is probably turned off by politics.

All other campaign leaflets I’ve seen from the other candidates (including Labour’s other piece of literature above) read like a party manifesto for War and Peace. Unless you’re a die-hard political anorak (like me), I very much doubt you have either the time or the will in your busy life to read through that amount of detail!

Labour has an effective social media strategy

Social media has also played a big part in Labour’s campaign, where the other candidates have fallen behind.

Cllr Keith Darvill, leader of the Labour group on the council, has used Twitter along with the official Romford Labour Party and other local activists to promote Christine’s campaign.

In contrast, I know of at least 3 Conservative councillors who use Twitter, yet none have even mentioned their candidate Marcus Llewellyn-Rothschild or this by-election on their accounts. Maybe they’ve just given up?

The only Residents' Association councillor I know who tweets is the leader of the RA group, Cllr Clarence Barrett (@clarence39533), and our Gooshays candidate Darren Wise (@darrenwiseRA) has also set one up (please follow both!).

Like in so many other by-elections since the ConDems came to power, Labour have missed numerous opportunities to make political capital out of being in opposition.

Christine’s reputation and hopes for Gooshays will be set back by her party's national record on the economy and immigration. In people's minds, she will be associated with this terrible record, and if voted in will join the relatively weak minority opposition on the council.

A vote for Darren Wise, however, will strengthen the council's main opposition leading to a more effective scrutiny and challenge to the Conservatives.

And whereas Christine will have to answer to a Labour party whip, the only people Darren Wise will have to answer to are the residents who elected him.

Next on the list is Lawrence James Webb standing for UKIP Local Residents…

#Gooshays2013 - Marcus Llewellyn-Rothschild, Conservative Party

Marcus Llewellyn-Rothschild,
Conservative candidate for
Gooshays

Almost six weeks ago today, Conservative Councillor Dennis Bull of Gooshays ward died at the age of 75 after suffering a stroke, and as a result today’s by-election was called.

Today Marcus Christian Sebastian Llewellyn-Rothschild is hoping to maintain the Tory legacy keeping the blue flame alight against fierce competition from the Residents’ Association (the main opposition group on the council) and Labour (who came second losing only by 52 votes in 2010).

Marcus’s campaign is based on attacking Labour’s “Horizons” project in Harold Hill and bigging up what the Conservatives have brought to the area through their project “Ambitions”:

In 2006, the Conservatives gained their first majority victory on Havering council for 20 years, winning 34 councillors against 19 from all the other parties. In practice, this means motions being pushed through with little consideration for the views of other groups.

When Tony Blair did this in our national Parliament, some people termed this sort of system as “electoral dictatorship”. Of course, democracy is the best flawed system out there, but despite being democratically elected by the people of our borough, Residents’, Labour and Independent Residents’ councillors have very little influence.

Harold Hill has unfairly had a bad reputation in the media. It was built at the end of World War 2 to move large sections of the population from the poor conditions in the East End to the more pleasant surroundings of outer London. With that migration also followed some of London’s criminal underworld, and the area has since been dismissed and ignored by successive council administrations.

The Queen visiting Drapers' Academy in October last year

In recent times though, schemes have been introduced such as “Horizons” and “Ambitions” to improve the area, and as a result it is officially the fastest improving ward in the borough. So much so that last year Her Majesty paid a visit to Drapers’ Academy, and a new youth centre MyPlace has given young people greater opportunities.

However it is worth noting that both MyPlace and the Swimming Pool in Central Park were paid for – not by the administration – but by a Lottery grant.

Also as someone who regularly visits friends on the Hill, the reality is the state of the roads and parks is visibly much worse than other areas in our borough, so unfortunately the legacy of neglect continues to this day, despite the odd token improvement here and there.

Let’s not forget those parking charges at Hilldene shopping centre which were voted in by the local Conservatives and which have had fierce resistance from local traders:

The Conservatives have introduced unpopular
parking charges at Hilldene shopping centre

“Nobody will pay 20p to park while they buy a 40p newspaper” - Ronak Patel who runs Roseland News in Hilldene Avenue.

“What the council proposes is too restrictive. All it’s going to do is push local customers to Tesco, which has its own car park” - Michael O’Meara who runs The Diner on Farnham Road.

“It’s not a positive thing to be doing with the economic climate” - Duncan de Wyche who manages Iceland on Hilldene Avenue. “I think taxing people to come and do their shopping isn’t a good idea”

When it comes to saving money for council tax payers, we’ve learnt this week that in the last 3 years our administration has splashed out £40,000 on refreshments for councillors. We pay the third highest council tax in London. And just last month all 29 Conservative councillors who were present voted down a proposal to cut their allowances which would have saved us £134k in council tax.

When the late councillor Bull was elected in 2006, the people of Gooshays were fed up of almost a decade of Labour government.

Today, the Conservatives have run our country for almost 3 years, and there are only so many times David Cameron can blame Labour for the economic crisis our country is in.

If we want economic growth, if we want better value for money and to pay lower council tax, and if we want a councillor who answers to residents and not to a party whip or central office, I would not recommend sending another Conservative councillor into our Town Hall.

Next on the list is Christine Anne McGeary standing for the Labour Party...

#Gooshays2013 - Malvin Paul Brown, Residents' Association of London

I haven’t seen or heard anything from the Residents’ Association of London for this by-election, so if anyone has anything do send it over as I’m keen to give every candidate the opportunity to have their literature published.


Malvin Brown

Failing that, follow the link to Malvin Brown’s online manifesto when he stood for the 2012 Greater London Authority (GLA) elections.

Malvin used to be part of the main Residents Association (RA) group which currently includes the majority of RAs in Havering, including Hornchurch RA, Upminster and Cranham RA, and Harold Wood, Hill and Park RA.

The RA group is currently the main opposition on the council with 12 members. The other groups include the Conservatives with 32, Labour with 5 and the Independent Residents Group with 4 councillors.

I like some of Malvin’s 2012 policies.

He believes that “the constant attempts by developers to nibble away at the Green Belt must be firmly resisted”. Too right! We have over 112 hectares of brownfield – why don’t the local Tories build much needed new homes in our borough on those sites instead of destroying our green and pleasant land?

Cranham Marsh Nature Reserve
(part of Havering's Green Belt)

It was the final nail in the coffin for the maternity ward just this week, but back in 2012 Malvin was also “strongly opposed to the closure of King George's hospital” in Goodmayes.

And he stated “High street regeneration must be a priority”. In this country where we have no growth, and where as a result we’ve recently lost our triple A credit rating, it might not be such a bad idea to have an independent local alternative to a Conservative national government.

In the 2012 GLA election for Havering and Redbridge constituency, Malvin came 4th beating the Lib-Dems and Green Party. This was a real achievement for localism and the idea that residents can determine their own lives free from the diktats of a political party!

Malvin stood for Havering and Redbridge constituency in the
2012 Greater London Authority elections (click to enlarge)

The main Havering RA group supported Malvin all the way in their publication ‘The Bulletin’. However in today’s by-election, Malvin has decided to run against Darren Wise, the main RA’s candidate.

I’m sure everyone will be aware that splitting the vote like this is counter-productive to both candidates and will quite likely – and unfortunately – let one of the other parties in.

At the count on Thursday 21st where I will be tweeting the result live from Havering Council (follow me: @HaveringMeh), I will be paying close attention to the number of votes picked up by both candidates – Wise and Brown – standing under separate ‘residents’ banners, and questioning whether or not two residents are better than one (?).

In the meantime, I wish Malvin all the best for Gooshays, and would hope in the future we can resolve whatever differences we have so that ordinary Havering residents can benefit from a strong and influential residents' voice representing them at Town Hall.

Next on the list is Marcus Christian Sebastian Llewellyn-Rothschild standing for the Conservative Party...

#Gooshays2013 - Mick Braun, British National Party

The British National Party (BNP) is a white-supremacist group masquerading as a mainstream political party. It’s leader Nick Griffin has called the Holocaust a “Holohoax”, has described homosexuality as “creepy”, and has stated his belief that black, Asian and mixed-race Britons “do not exist”.

At Harold Wood train station (near Gooshays) last Sunday, a gang of local skin-heads ambushed a group of anti-racist campaigners who came to leaflet the area. Below is one of the videos which have gone viral and have been viewed by over 42,000 people:

The BNP candidate for Gooshays is one Mick Braun. His views on ethnic minorities and gay people surpass even your typical skin head.

Gooshays candidate Mick Braun (right), with BNP leader
Nick Griffin

On Facebook he advocated spraying Asians and gay people with hydrochloric acid, and here is his solution for a friend who had a Pakistani neighbour move in next door:

“A molotov cocktail through the letterbox comes to mind lol.” (see link)

He has also stated what he would do to his children if he found out they were gay:

"If I found out any of my 2 boys were playing daddy and daddy then I would dishome them , end of story,sorry hun ive been brought up with Adam and Eve, Not Adam and Steve lol x"

In the 2008 Gooshays by-election, the BNP won their first seat on Havering council with just under 23% voter turnout. The candidate Mark Logan later renounced his involvement with the party describing them as “a bunch of racists”. He has since been re-elected as an independent joining the Independent Residents Group on the council.

In the 2010 local elections, voter turnout in the ward significantly increased to almost 55% and as a result the BNP were wiped out of Gooshays, coming sixth. In today’s by-election, the party has produced two leaflets. Here is one of them (click to enlarge):

I will not be publishing the other one because a) I personally find it disgusting, and b) I've heard whisperings of legal advice being sought.

Basically, it links homosexuality to paedophilia, and tarnishes the whole Labour Party with being linked to child abuse. It uses highly emotive pictures of children and lists a minority of ex-Labour activists who have been convicted for child sex offences.

This slur against a whole political party seems to have been the motivation behind another attack in the area caught on camera and uploaded 5 days ago (5205 hits at the time of writing). It appears to show local thugs intimidating and threatening a man and a woman, and causing distress to ordinary members of the public standing at the bus stop:

Anyone with half a brain cell can tell you that paedophiles come from all walks of life, from all backgrounds, and all political parties have been no stranger to them. But that’s the BNP – they love to generalise, stereotype and play off people's fears.

So in order to bring some balance to their high-brow intellectual campaign, here is a list of criminal offences committed by their activists, including terrorism, assault, and – yes – even paedophilia:

http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/hate-groups/bnp/convictions

We all want a sensible immigration policy. We all have our own views about same-sex marriage. And we all want to protect children from predators.

However the BNP’s ‘final solution’ is not the answer, and the issues they raise have nothing to do with the roles and responsibilities of a borough councillor.



Hilldene shopping centre where Havering
council is introducing parking charges

If I were a Gooshays resident I would be more concerned about the state of the roads, the increased parking charges being introduced at Hilldene shopping centre, and the CCTV smart car which unfairly targets residents parked outside their own homes.

To solve these problems, we need someone who can stand up for everyone in the local area whatever their skin colour, religion or sexuality. We need someone who will put the wishes of local people before the those of a party central office. And we need someone who has allies and influence in the council chamber to challenge the decisions of the Conservative majority.

The BNP – whether or not you support their views – would not be able to do any of these things.

Next on the list of candidates is Malvin Paul Brown standing for the Residents Association of London...

Gooshays by-election 2013

As Harold Hill-ians go to the polls to vote for a new ward councillor, I will be covering the entire by-election from now until the result is announced.


Gooshays ward

I will be blogging and tweeting the latest developments on this site, including information and publications from ALL the candidates standing to give you a better understanding of who they are and what their parties stand for.

You will also get to read my own political take on each one.

On election night itself (Thursday 21st March), make sure you’re following @HaveringMeh on Twitter from 9.30pm where you will get live updates from the official count at Havering Town Hall.




Havering Town Hall, where I will tweet you the very latest

To get your electoral gonads geared up for a riveting couple of weeks, here is the full list of candidates standing in the 2013 Gooshays ward by-election in alphabetical order:
 

• Mick Braun - British National Party
• Malvin Paul Brown - Residents' Association of London
• Marcus Christian Sebastian Llewellyn-Rothschild - Conservative Party
• Christine Anne McGeary - Labour Party
• Lawrence James Webb - UKIP Local Residents
• Darren Christopher Wise - Harold Wood Hill Park Residents' Association

Ask me any questions or leave your comments either in the sections below or over Twitter.

BTW - I do have my own favourite candidate to win, and although I'm not going to tell you who that is (I wouldn't want you to think I'm biased or anything), please feel free to use the following Twitter hashtag:

#DarrenWise4Gooshays

So first on the list, Mick Braun who is standing for the British National Party...