Stoke-on-Trent Labour Party had a massive boost to their local election campaign when David Miliband paid a visit to the city to take part in a Q&A session with students at Staffordshire University.
The former Labour Government Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010, paid a glowing tribute to Council leader and Leader of the Labour Group on Stoke-on-Trent City Council Mohammed Pervez.
Mr Miliband who is MP for South Shields was narrowly defeated for the Labour leadership by brother Ed in September 2010.
He told a lecture theatre full of students, members of the public and Labour Party activists that even though it had worked against him he was in support of the AV system which will also be voted on May 5th.
Mr Miliband also answered questions on the threat from the far right, the NHS, and University education and student fees.
He also answered questions on his time at the foreign office and explained his vision for setting up his Movement for Change organisation.
David Miliband took time out of his busy schedule to talk to Pits n Pots and give his views on the Labour Party’s current performance, the poll ratings, the national coalition and the cuts.
He also praised the work of the coalition parties here in Stoke-on-Trent in dealing with the unprecedented amount of cuts.
We also managed to catch up with Council Leader Mohammed Pervez who gave us his thoughts on his party’s campaign and their chances in the upcoming local elections.
Has the ban on Political Parties at Staffordshire University been lifted?
Aren’t all candidates to be invited to any Question answer session during elections?
David Milliband. Humility? What a glib, shallow individual. What the hell did he say that any professional Labour politician wouldn’t say at this time? And how come David Milliband didn’t pay a glowing tribute to Conservative Ross Irving when he was elected leader of the council, who also offered to bring all parties in Stoke together – but Labour refused? What boll**s. Tony. Please don’t get excited because David Milliband talks to you; now don’t go falling in love just yet …
Mmd Pervez – how f**cking bland can you get! OOOH, he has spoken to the shadow ministers. Well, that is going to make a real big difference to Stoke-on-Trent. Now I can sleep at night. ‘Every candidate will be out on the street until 10 o’clock 5th May’ – even Gary Elsby’s 26 Labour paper ones that Gary has eluded to – of that is the case, allegedly, of course.
Well, there you have it. David Milliband. Whoopee!!! A scoop for pitsnpots. A boost for Labour …
Call me cynical, but I think it wqill make not one f**cking scrap of difference on the street of S-O-T …
I’m off for another drink of this Tesco Value Wine … and quite nice it is too … at least it aneasthetises (sorry I’m dislexyc like Warren) me to this bloody grovelling bull manure …
People become dyslexic when they have had a drink, you know. Do you like a drink, Warren? Ooh, you are naughty … but I like you …
PS. Sorry, but this Tesco Value Wine is really getting to me now – but where were Labour’s Pervez and mayor Meredith’s influence when Labour were in power for 13 years with 3 f**ing Labour MPs since time immemorial in Stoke-on-Trent and successive Labour government? Come on, wake up. As long as we have Labour MPs and majority Labour councillors we are going nowhere … I’m going to bed now … busy day tomorrow, up early seeking out paper candidates, hope I don’t get any paper cuts …
Yes Ian, the ban on parties at Staffs has been lifted for some years. Just ask your son about it.
I haven’t heard the tapes yet but I’d like to comment on what we know they’ll say.
Labour good-Pervez good-vote Labour. You know it makes sense!
Rendition flights is the term used for transporting a British National to a place, outside of Britain, to undergo torturing by the security service.
Answers please David.
“He also answered questions about the threat from the far right”.
Now rememebr children.
If you don’t vote Labour, the BNP will get in!
“Unprecedented cuts”
There has been a contuinual printing press in operation around Berry Hill pumping out petition sheets to:
‘SAVE THE CITY FARM NOW!’
Sign up today-you know it makes sense!
This has been on-going since 2005 (I gather a gate at either end of Birches Head, is to be padlocked on May 6th).
Did they unveil a manifesto?
I want to see what it says about childrens centres and care homes.
Pure guff.
Does Gary lack a sense of self-awareness? How does he think his electorate are going to receive his bizarre and unhinged rantings?
If Gary’s friends in “original Labour” were really as honourable as Gary says, they’d encourage him not to make a fool of himself.
Is this the same Pervez that has trouble reading and understanding English, and knows nothing of the DMO?
I’m sorry but David Milliband this pillor of the working class that as set up his own company to evade tax?
Given the poor grammatical quality of Terry’s rantings, he’s the last person who should lecture people on their English.
I was at the event and actually, as an 18-year-old now able to vote – he put me off Labour.
Yes, he was very good at the “Boo coalition – Yay Labour” introduction he gave but what would you expect when he’s doing it every day?
But when asked controversial questions or policy questions – he even said he wasn’t the right person to ask and that Labour hasn’t drawn up its policies yet!!
What is the point in going to Q&A’s drumming up support and then saying you have no policies?
Also, as a member of the last cabinet he was extremely critical of his government’s performance saying that Labour has lost its way blah blah and how terrible it all was.
It might be neccessary to get re-elected and shows they’ve ‘learnt their lessons’ but as a first-time voter he told me nothing good Labour had done or are planning to do.
I, personally, got the picture: Vote Labour because we did everything badly last time but we’ll have a better go this time. Not that I have any answers to your questions though because the party hasn’t told me what to say yet.
Also, yes, I know I’m 18 and wasn’t paying much attention to politics previously – but he was there at the Uni to address students like myself. It wasn’t supposed to Milliband discussing things with Labour MPs and Councillors who know the past well.
To be honest I was less than impressed (alright yes I’m a Lib-Dem so that’s not that surprising) but I asked the question about personal care for disabled people and he waffled. It wasn’t relevant and he clearly didn’t have a clue about what I was asking.
I really wouldn’t have held it against him if he’d just said ‘I’m sorry I’m afraid I don’t really know anything about that but I’d be happy it look into it and get back you later on the topic if you give Tristram or someone your details’ it isn’t and never was his remit and I was asking more to see if he knew if Labour had any policy on the issue rather than expecting a well researched clear-cut answer. I don’t expect anyone to have a perfect and encyclopaedic knowledge of every bit of their party’s policy (unless it’s relevant to their area I’ll settle for a sketchy idea).
Credit where credit’s due for allowing random people to just fire questions at him though rather than having them pre-vetted though.
Pevrez’s bit at the end actually made me embarrassed on his behalf. While he’s busy lambasting the Lib-Dems and Tories for local cuts he clearly forgot that it’s his party who’re one seat off having a majority on the council (and therefore could have very nearly defeated the budget on their own) and members of his party who tried to argue for an increase in councillor’s allowances at the same meeting where £36m of cuts was passed. Believe me it’s not the Lib Dem’s and (for once) the Tories who are wrecking Stoke on Trent.
Guest, I’v got the guts to say what I feel, give a name and steep up to the plate. Love my or hate me, you can’t say any other. If you must know, for health reasons, I’m tea total now.
Warren, you are a political candidate. So you should put your name up if you want to be elected to serve the public. I am not. I have no personal political ambitions. The rules of this site allow people to pots as ‘Guest’ so why are you paranoid about this? My name is Jeff, actually. Does it matter? Mike and Tony have my name and personal email address details and they have even got a wierd lime green looking alien picture of me (quite a good likeness actually) with freaky bits of hair, long arms and in a crouching position with ‘stuff’ either around my mouth or coming from my mouth. I think maybe it’s dribbles of Tesco Value White Wine or the whiskey Gary Elsby left on the mantelpiece when I woke up (nice thoughtful chap that Gary Elsby, although how he managed to sneak in to my padded cell while I was slumbering I’ll never know – but, hey you know Gary, he can perform miracles; he can turn real candidates into paper with a click of his mouse).
Anyway, Warren, you can call me Jeff if you want. feel better now? Good, glad that’s sorted. Gald you’re teetotal now (‘teatotal’? does that mean you drink tea all the time now?) but all those years of drink have obviously had an effect, haven’t they? But who am I to judge…
PS gary, dear friend, that bottle of whiskey is empty now; don’t mean to sound selfish but could you sneak in and pop another on the shelf please. Ta, very much …
Yes Jeff, nice to put a name to the photo, I’m a bit of a sucker for the fruit tea. I was never a big drinker when well. I did like the wine,the Bourbon, and the Whiskey though. I’ll say one think on this drinking thing, I would have never have kept Whiskey in the fridge, my god, who the hells been saying that junk…………Elsby, might has known, he can’t even do that right.
Warren, you are quite right about the whiskey. I would prefer Gary not to put it in the fridge in future, but I’d rather have it there than nowhere. I get withdrawal symptoms, you see, which are almost as bad as reading some of the stuff from some people on this site …
Am I bovered?
Charley, while I understand your point about personal care for disabled people I have to totally disagree with your last paragraph.
Labour haven’t messed this city up, the cuts were put forward by the Lib Dems and Tories so whether or not Labour Councillors were debating an allowance increase is neither here nor there to me (and you do fail to mention that the Labour Party voted for a freeze on Council allowances in the budget), the Tories and Lib Dems have just withdrawn £30 million funding from our City. That is what has messed our City up.
It is also worth noting that prior to last may Labour have not been in power on Stoke City council for nine years and as such can hardly be blamed for recent misadventures.
I do not often agree with Gary, Shaun or even Warren BUT I accept their comments and criticism because they do it in everyone’s full knowledge of who they are.
Only cowards criticise behind a cloak of anonymity.
Stand up and be counted !
Your comments about Gary may or may not be true but he has the guts to go public and for that I give him and all who post in their own name credit.
As a GUEST you have none with me.
I am sure you wont lose sleep over this BUT YOU SHOULD
lol Terry!
I’m glad to hear the new young voters aren’t taken in by any of the cr*p that the likes of Miliband come out with. Who was it started with the tuition fees idea then? Labour.
And Scarlett £30million is exaggerating. Government cut £25million. Now I know that’s bad but Pervez and his council cabinet added another £11million ‘pressures’ to the cuts. I can only interpret the ‘pressures’ as economic mismanagement. What about the £5million they finally got back from Icedland, where’s that going.
And what about all this double dealing over children’s centres. Labour threaten these themselves then make a big song and dance about ‘saving’ them. Saving them from themselves! Then they plan from May 16th, conveniently after the election, to have a ‘consultation’ on cutting millions off the children’s centres, not closing them, after all they are ‘saved’, but cutting them anyway.
Someone answer me this. Candidates have a limit in their local campaign spend. Expenditure incurred by those who work closely with them needs to be declared in their spend. So Miliband’s going round knocking doors in local campaigns and sings Pervez’s praises, so are his costs for visiting and the Staffs event going to be declared in Pervez’s and others campaign spend? Just curious.
Roger Ibbs, you petualnt spoilt brat, I have have given you my name and other details about myself for you and everyone else to see (at 8 April, 15.25 on Stoke-on-Trent Local Candidates Released)? Yet still you do not reply to my point of your despicable lack of principles … PS take a look – my name is Jeff
Nicky in reponse to a FOI request
The unavoidable contractual commitments of £11 million is made up as follows:
The City Council’s largest area of expenditure is staffing, the overall pressure in this area totals circa £5 million. This figure includes the anticipated nationally negotiated pay awards for those employees earning less than £21,000; contractual increments and increases to employer superannuation contributions; and also employer national insurance changes. Other specific cost pressures include long term contractual commitments such as obligations for our Private Finance Initiatives,
Landfill Tax and other waste disposal arrangements, together with a range of inflationary pressures relating to energy, vehicles, supplies etc. The value of all these commitments is estimated to be in the region of £3 million. The authority also has corporate financing demands such as the costs of borrowing for our capital investment programme of £2 million.
The changes announced in the recent CSR announcement that relate to the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme are also likely to have an impact of circa £1 million as the government have changed the mechanism for recycling the money which will go back to the Treasury. All these areas are under continuous scrutiny to try to minimise their impact on the scarce resources that will be available.
Another Officer replies on if Councillors had been notified of above changes and include a chart of loss of income from Markets, Licensing, Bulky Waste Collections, Business Centres, General Estates, Bereavement Care and Planning & Building Regulations. but that only shows around £1million loss not £3million (difficult to tell as in bar chart) interestingly £2.1million of wages is made up of “deletion of vacant posts” not sure how deletion costs money?
No….is the short answer. Visits of this nature are not declarable expenses.
Just for interest, how much have they got still “invested in the DMO in London?
It takes 20 days to find out.
(Fot the inhabitants of the City Council this is an organisation that was created in 1986 (Labours time)).
Although the leader of the Labour party in this city “no nothing about it”?
Will be waiting with baited breath.
Crying “its the Tory’s fault” after years of Labour rule won’t wash.
Why is the truth so hard to find in this city?
Well there couple million free in what I wrote above and all councillors have been informed about it via e-mail yet still they close our services blaming cuts by the tories.
Will the people buy labour lies this time?
By my reckoning this pack of lies is about to come falling down around their heads.
Mr Pervez, just when you thought you had got away with it along comes Ian to shoot you down.
Tony what happened to the FOI documents I sent to you?
I’m surprised Terry hasn’t blamed Labour for the earthquakes in Japan seeing as everything else seems to be their fault.
I would imagine the £2m for deletion of posts is monies set aside for redundancy. The bill for the current round of job losses is far larger than the amount of cash granted by the government to plug the redundancy gap.
Oh dear Nicky!
I don’t come on here much, but you aren’t sounding so impartial lately are you?
Would backing AV be a clue?
Nice to see you’re not a Tory Traitor or a Labour Liar… but you forgot Lib Dem Whore. Could it be that shitting on a pledge on tuition fees, scrapping Trident, protecting the NHS and making the rich pay through a Mansion Tax and other fluff have passed you by?
Truly independent of thought?
I don’t think so.
Oh dear Nicky!
I don’t come on here much, but you aren’t sounding so impartial lately are you?
Would backing AV be a clue?
Nice to see you’re not a Tory Traitor or a Labour Liar… but you forgot Lib Dem Whore. Could it be that shitting on a pledge on tuition fees, scrapping Trident, protecting the NHS and making the rich pay through a Mansion Tax and other fluff have passed you by?
Truly independent of thought?
I don’t think so.
That’s how little I come on here – I’ve forgotten how to use it!
Never vote for the politics that dare not speak it’s name. All those years… just waiting for an ultra right wing government.
Wotta waste!
I’m sure Brown did that in revenge for the buying the gold at such a low price that he sold.
No there borrowing £25million out of the Allocated Reserves to pay for redunancies
and the £2.1million is for deletion of VACANT posts so no redunancies, any more suggestions on why it costs so much?
Typhoid Mary in charge of a kissing booth.
Watching Frasier this morning there was a great line about some unsympathetic person in charge of his talk show was like ” putting Typhoid Mary in charge of a kissing booth”. Unfortunately there are some candidates standing for the City Council- old stagers I would add- putting them in charge of the regeneration of Stoke again would be exactly like putting Typhod Mary in charge of a kissing booth.
They only want to serve Bill.
Never, in the field of human endeavour, was so much promised by so many to so few.
“Old Labour”, “True Labour” – but still a dig about Baddeley Green being a des res. Abbey Hulton has only got pylons because those shits kicked up a stink!
Best give kids cancer than cattle.
When I hear these self-serving bastards attack the Tories and their Lib Dem bitches, I might shift my vote.
I’m not impartial, I have my own opinions.
I back AV because I think it’s preferable than FPTP, not for any party political reason.
I explained the libdem thing before, I don’t mention them because they’re history, plus they’re weak wimps and insignificant on SOT council, none of those things passed me by, just my previous comments on them passed you by.
Everywhere’s had funding removed by central government. It sucks beyond the telling of it and I’m distinctly unhappy about it but too many Labour run councils are cutting (or threatening to cut) frontline services for a cheap bit of political point-scoring at the expense of their constituents needs and that sickens me.
hmm I’d say they can be blamed for any misadventures in the last 12 months with limited blame for the previous time for those who were elected and failed to do anything to try and secure a sustainable future for Stoke instead of spending money like water never thinking of the future and that one day the money might not be there anymore. But that goes for any councillor not just Labour (and the country in general).