112 thoughts on “….And it’s Goodnight from Him”

1. But no-one can pull off the headphone look like you Tony!

   Sad to hear you’re leaving P&P but I really hope you find what makes you happy and gets your batteries buzzin’ again.

   Massive thanks for helping me get my foot in the door with local politicals, you’ve been a great help to myself (and many others across Stoke I’m sure) and a credit to the city and local journalism.

2. Wish you well matey.

   We may not have always agreed on issues but I beleive your contribution through this site has had an incredible impact on the shape of politics and the decisions that have been made.

   Without any shadow of doubt you have altered the course of local media coverage within Stoke-on-Trent for the better, setting a benchmark nationally for community and citizen journalism.

   Sadly, I think particularly with your loss, we have seen the peak of PitsnPots. You were the soul of the place.

   Tony, with all sincerity, thank you.

   RIP PitsnPots

3. i think as Sam has found out its hard to get away from politics in stoke.

   pnp deffo won’t be same without wols weekend blogs

   all the best

4. oh no terrible news i cant believe it but can we reli on the sentinal to report on wot wol wos doing before i hope so

5. How odd I find myself agreeing with Potteye’s comments. All the best Tony, I’m sure Mike will carry on doing a great job.

6. Wish you all the very best Tony. It takes a big man to recognise when his heart is on the wane “¦ and do something about it. I’m a big believer in “attitude” ..so it doesn’t really matter where you are or what you’re doing if you want the community to benefit from your actions “¦ then I’m sure that it will.

   I haven’t always agreed with you “¦. But always respected your commitment “¦.the very best of luck with your new venture (s)?

7. Good luck with whatever you do mate. Hope it brings you joy.

8. ……….this ends a Party Political broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party.

9. Thanks for all you past blogs Tony. They were always a good, if sometimes uncomfortable, read.

   Thanks to you and Mike, Pits’n'Pots has become a real asset to the city, even if it took some people a while to realise it.

   All the best anyhow, sure it won’t be too long before you’re at the keyboard again.

10. Tony, my hat off to you sir. I’ve read an admired Pits N Pot’s and all it has done over the years. I hope you’ll be back one day refreshed and ready for the fight again. But if not, you’ve started something here that will continue as you’ve set the standard and raised the bar.

    When this city was going through one of it’s darkest periods Pits N Pot’s sprung to life, going straight for the jugular of local politics.

    Maybe I’d missed the Sentinel’s scrutiny of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, maybe it wasn’t condensed enough to make it’s impact and I do them a disservice, but when Pits N Pots came along, a major gap in the market for local political news was filled.

    What really set Pits N Pots apart has been it’s coverage of the Dimensions saga, the Mayor, the election coverage and the insights into council life, and mess ups.

    Hopefully others will realise what they’ve got in Pits N Pots and take up the mantle.

    Stoke-on-Trent will be a very dark place without such scrutiny.

11. You pull off Elsby. Wol, I’ll give you a ring at some point.

12. Sorry to hear you’re hanging your blogging pen up… However, all the best with your projects and ventures, best wishes

    TherealTonyC aka Chefgarfy

13. Tony Walley is only human like the rest of us and from time to time he has got it wrong such as with his misplaced support for Mike Barnes Potteye a couple of years ago.

    But his committment to trying to clean up politics in Stoke-on-Trent and drive out the BNP and far right has been second to none and deserves to be recognised.

    Pits+Pots will be far diminished without him.

14. See you around buddy

15. A Stoke-on-Trent legend. See you around mate…

16. Sorry to hear that your involvement is at an end. This has been a tremendous asset fgor the area. I wish you all the best for the future.

17. Do I take it that Mike is running the show now?
    Can you confirm that stories written by contributors will still go up.

    I’ve noticed today that JVL is being hammered for not living in the City and many of us have an angle on that story.

18. It all depends on what you mean by running the show Gary?

19. I’m sorry to hear you’re leaving Wol but posters such as MattB need a bit of a reality check. All of the elections, campaigns and council “mess-ups” were first reported by other news sources – The Sentinal and Radio Stoke. Tony offered opinion and insight and I respect that, but the fact that Stoke-on-Trent is a darker place without the scrutiny of PnP’s is, in my opinion, a little far-fetched.

    All the best Wol.

20. I’d like to say a personal thank-you to Tony for all he has brought to the site over the past 2 1/2 years since we first started to publish stuff.

    We have come along way since the early days.

    I’m immensely proud of everything we have achieved with the site and the focus it has brought to Stoke-on-Trent political scene.

    Before people get too excited, Pits n Pots will continue, Tony and I were working on different ideas and options for the site as we wanted to take it forward and I’ll continue with those plans. There is an updated version of the site in development which I hope will move the site in to a new space.

    I will continue to publish articles submitted by the sites users and am in discussions with people about producing content on a more regular basis.

    Tony, it has been a pleasure working with you and an interesting journey.

21. The King is dead…er…long live the King!

    The rumours of our death are most exaggerated and the champagne party in the Town Hall drinking to the demise of P&Ps (after hours) is a waste of tax-payers money.

    Good advice is to stock up on bog paper instead.

22. Elsby, you are truly an idiot.

23. Politics in Stoke-on-Trent was reported before this site, but Pits n Pots made it three dimensional. Through your audio interviews Tony, we all heard the frustrations and annoyance, the pride and ambition, and the sadness and joy. The depth to the stories and political personalities that the Sentinel can’t provide are all here, and Pits n Pots has given a platform for new (and old) faces entering the political fray to set out their stall, something which I personally am very grateful for, and which I’m sure will continue.

    Your opinion blogs will be sadly missed by many I’m certain. Politics is all about opinions and I love hearing other people’s, even if I don’t agree with them always, and yours were guaranteed to be straight down the line, pulling no punches.

    I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Wol and his microphone, but for now, it’s taking a well earned rest. Enjoy your other projects, Tony, and see you soon.

24. Thanks Tony for setting up pits’n'pots, which has been a great site and still can be. And thanks Mike for carrying it on.

    We’ve looked at Stoke-on-Trent issues in much more depth than the Sentinel. But now we have escalated into much more of a downward spiral in the city and its politics; labour domination, savage cuts, poor democracy – no elections, more cuts, still no elections, no elections until 2015, labour domination again with general and local elections together, more labour domination for a further four years. So there are not many options for us. We didn’t choose the lack of democracy, labour forced that on us, but ‘we’ (not me of course) did choose labour domination at the ballot box.

    I suppose what I’m saying is we can carry on examining the politics but it will tend to be more of the same, labour, cuts, cuts, labour.

    I hope that more readers will feel inclined to contribute and send Mike some articles to publish. We can all do a bit. I can understand Tony’s wish to be involved in other things. I get that as well. In fact it may be about a week since I’ve looked at the site but I’ve been well involved in other things.

    And Tony, I don’t actually believe you have finished with pits’n'pots, in fact in your article you more or less say as much. There are bound to be times when you feel compelled to comment and send in a blog about some issue or the other.

    So goodnight… for now, until the next blog.

25. I’m very sorry to see you go and I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the help and support that you have shown to us during our campaign to save our children’s centres. All the very best for the future.

    Kind regards and best wishes.

26. A Sad day for PitsnPots

    Although I have not posted for a long while on P&P, I have kept up to date with the site & have been an avid reader from day one when Tony created the blog. An idea created by one man, Tony. A simple idea & he turned it into a nationally recognised political blog highlighting the concerns of local people & giving them a voice where they were able to speak freely. I even remember his appearance on the BBC Breakfast show, upstaging a professional journalist with his confident & articulate manner.

    Now Tony will no longer be running the site will P&P still be the popular & trusted political voice for the City of Stoke on Trent’s people? I ask this because Tony has been the face of P&P, the one who has developed relationships & trust with many people, which has led them to being willing to give open & honest interviews, where he asked some very probing questions & received some interesting answers.

    The content of the site has also slowed down considerably, does this mean the site will not be the up to date, vibrant site it has been under Tony’s leadership, with his passion for breaking news to P&P’s loyal following?

    Is P&P going to be scaled back? A shame if it is as Tony has done a wonderful job & on many occasions news has been posted on site before being broadcast on local radio or going to print in the Sentinel. Will this ‘edge’ be lost?

    A sad loss, Tony you will be missed.

27. NO WAY!!!

28. Dip in now & then… what would I be without you?

    All the best matey!

29. Nice to see it was all about Tony and I didn’t add any value, break any stories or do any research.

    Maybe it is time to just say good bye then?

30. Mike, come on, don’t be daft, can I do anything for ya’, drop us a e-mail sometime.

31. There, there Mike. Pick your dummy up and put it back in, we love you too you know.

32. I don’t have a dummy but I do have a lot of other projects, which means this one could be far less important to me.

    Pits n Pots was always a partnership between Tony & I with other people providing content and posts as and when they could. Tony was always the presenter and I was always the technical one behind the scenes making things happen. I’m still here to make things happen but there is no longer a front man now Tony has retired which makes my position redundant.

    I could try and be the front man but that isn’t my thing.

    Other people could do this kind of thing just as well if not better so maybe PnP has had its day and we should let other people pick up the torch and run with.

    I’m out of the city this week working on another personal project so will make a decision when I get back next week.

    If anyone wants to make me an offer for the site drop me a mail

33. so sorry to hear you are leaving Tony I was not into politics until the threatened closure of Willfield Gym at Bentilee and through your Pitts and Potts I got some answers and saw that you were a people person unlike the council,so I would like to wish you all the best in what ever you go on to do next.Thank you so much for all you have done for everybody.

    Best wishes From

    Carol Harrison x

34. Unlike some on here I have always believed it was a team effort.

35. Mike, you of all people should know that those that say it and put it into print mean it and those that don’t, don’t.
    Simple as that.
    Just assume that a few people aren’t exactly friendly and also assume that the rest just want to get on with holding this Council up to account.

36. I don’t think you’re giving yourself credit for what you’ve done with PNP Mike. You’re kidding yourself if you think your a behind the scenes man.

    You’re a fundamental part of the recent history of Stoke-on-Trent, not just as a “holding the mic man” at Pits N Pots but as a hyperlocal reporter working tirelessly to investigate and write some truly amazing stories, and supporting the locals.

    Come on people, these are turbulent times, stories don’t just come out of thin air, start tipping Pits N Pots off, try and write a local story, you’ll be amazed at how much there is out their, that needs a) fixing b) pointing out c) critising d) praising.

    Pots N Pans isn’t just a political blog it’s a way of flapping accountability in the face of majority council.

    Local news isn’t just about professional Journalists (not knocking you do a wonderful job too) at the sentinel writing stories, it’s about us locals taking them on board and doing stuff about things that matter.

    Over to you Stoke

37. Here, here!

    I’ve always seen you as central to PnP. Think long and hard before you walk away buddy. It’s like oatcakes… part of being a Stokie.

    If you pass the torch on, it could end up in the hands of some Nimrod like Terry Turbo or Pondlife (Earth to Pond… come in Pond… ).

38. For gods sake some pass me the sick bag.
    What really irks me is this site from the start (as far as I’m aware) involved 3 people, to put its success down to one man is wrong.
    Mike Rawlins and Tideswelman ( both of whom I have fell out with, but have respect for) worked very hard to make it a success, and personally for Tony Whalley to sit back and watch as people fawned over his addition without stating this fact is disgusting.
    So come on Mr Whalley, hows about you giving credit (post comments) to the other people?

39. To those who seem to be getting their knickers in a twist.

    Tony Walley and pits+pots have had a few successes over the last couple of years. But if it ended next week it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Believe it or not life would go on.

    In the bigger picture you are able to hold the council and government to account in a very powerful way – through the ballot box. If you disagree with the present council or government everybody has complete freedom to vote for another party. And if none of them reflect your views you can set up your own.

    Just thank god that we live in a democracy and not a dictatorship. There are still plenty of them around the world.

40. That is the Disney World version of how it happens.
    The truth of how it REALLY happens is to be found here in Stoke-on-Trent.

    One Party keeps winning.

    Those chosen to stand by that party have not been chosen by those who are members of that party.

    Selections are rigged to form an outcome not desired by the majority but loved by the minority.

    They win again.

    True, an individual can stand in opposition but this is largely futile.

    Why?

    Because the minority candidates chosen by no-one in their own party has much more money spent on them to swamp a public.

    They win yet again.

    This is the way it is and any talk of good old fashioned democracy is really quite meaningless.

    I still shake my head at ballot boxes enetering the count in Stoke Twon Hall 3 hours after the ballot closes.
    Truly breath-taking-truly Stoke.

41. Gary, you beat me to it.
    Well put.
    The fact that nobody had heard of some of those elected should have rung bells, but it did not.
    Labour swamped the area with loads of tax-payers money to stop the BNP, and the independents.
    Th smaller party’s and individuals have not the finance or the tax-payer funds to access, or counter lies and deceit.
    This is democracy and fairness Lab/Con/Lib style.

42. “Labour swamped the area with loads of tax-payers money to stop the BNP, and the independents.”

    Please provide the evidence of this or go and hang your head in shame along with your buddy Craig Pond who has disappeared off the face of the earth since the Anders Behring Breivik incident in Norway.

43. 4 years is a very long time Carl. It’s not like you can simply show them the door is it. Of course you want people lifting the lid off the council. The only people who don’t have something to hide or are ashamed of having their messes for all to see.

44. Few successes. That fact that they introduced many to the inner workings of the council is a small success is it? Do you work for the Council Carl? Seems like it to me.

45. Just sour grapes from one person who fell out with their party and another whose party got trounced fair and square. Oh, and I’ve never voted Labour before the predictable stuff about being a Labour supporter comes flying back.

46. With any luck he’s now on a “watch list”. These sort of people are just as dangerous as any mad mullah. Worse, they actually think they are defending their country by killing it’s people or attacking the police (re:EDL).

    The world is going forward, things are changing, and all these people want is for things to stop still. Plus they believe in all that white people are superior nonsense. How does the skin’s level of production of melanin affect superiority? Skin colour is merely one adaptation to climate, so guess what? That’s right, in generations time black people settled in Europe will end up evolving into white people – simple science!!

    The aftermath of Breivik highlights a certain amount of hypocrisy on the part of the establishment. After 9/11 all muslims were pretty much tarred with the same brush, and were generally demonised leading to greater radicalisation.

    Where’s this attitude towards far-right nationalists in the wake of Breivik? It’s not like he was the first, there’s been plenty of other terror plots from that quarter that have been stopped before execution.

    Sorry, forgot, we can demonise a minority group but to demonise people who are racially / religiously “mainstream” doesn’t sell papers nor win votes no matter how big a threat they are!

47. Well Hello again, it’s been a while.

    I’d just like to say in Public that Tony Walley is a bloomin top bloke. Not only has he been a great guy to work for, he’s become a good friend, his influence on this site will be missed.

    I’d like to thank Both him and Mike, for giving me the chance to write for the site. Without them I never would have gotten to meet so many interesting local people.

    I never would have gotten to meet Ed Milliband, Baroness Warsi, Edwina Curry, George Galloway, Ken Loach, and Nick Griffin. I never would have gotten to interview Tommy Robison , leader of the EDL and many many others.

    ANYONE knocking PnP is entitled to their opinion. But this site has made a MASSIVE contribution to political reporting in the city and it’s given the common man a voice.

    Seriously, who else was interviewing Ed Milliband when he came to Stoke?

    Who else, gave you detailed EDL footage and interviews?

    Who else brought you in depth audio reports about the changes to the boundaries before the election and who else gave you LIVE coverage of the election results as well as photographs and video of the events?

    Seriously people PnP might have rubbed a few folk up the wrong way but you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. and for a blog to muscle in as a media outlet and to be invited to all the press conferences, Police operations etc its absolutely ground breaking.

    Some of you who know me will have noticed that i too have disappeared from the scene too, for pretty much the same Reasons as Tony. I have a young family and Politics was making me bitter, so I have stepped off. But I really want to say one thing….the site is REALLy in the hands of the users.

    If you let it die. You won’t know what you’ve lost till its gone.

48. Hi Phil,

    Good to see you on site again. You make some good points and one thing you say has some particular relevance I think.

    “Politics was making me bitter, so I have stepped off.”

    I know and understand what you mean but one of the problems with this is it’s a little too widespread. Too many people have done this and that way we let our democracy slip away. We pass our communities from those who actually care to those who are just using us for greed, for their own selfish ends, to climb their political ladders and have no qualms in trampling on us on their way up.

    I fully agree, family comes first. But if you feel compelled at some point to send in a blog it would be good to see it.

49. Love the new video of Ed Miliband introducing himself on the riot streets:

    “Hi I’m Ed Miliband”.

    “Ed who?”

50. Almost a tragi-comical as watching you on Midlands Today at the last GE, campaigning on the streets of your hometown:

    “Hi, I’m Gary Elsby”.

    “Gary who”?

51. “Rather than speak to the MP Tristram Hunt, we spoke to Gary Elsby”

    Andrew Neil BBC. Times Editor SKY guru.

52. Well, everyone loves a clown ;D

53. “Andrew Neil BBC. Times Editor. SKY guru”.

    And strike-breaker Gary, don’t forget his stirling work for Murdoch at Wapping. My word, that spoon of yours is long.

    Still… “UP THE MINERS!” (I think I understand what you mean by that now).

54. Is the twits and twerps love fest over now then?

    Tony the whalley falls out of love with the other pots and pans clown and starts to take pots hots at him

    Fight!

55. Tony the Whalley is making the same snide remarks on twitter as well

    https://twitter.com/tony_walley/status/103110701169647617

    I’m going to love watching pr 1 ks and splots fall apart

56. You may find more interesting reading on the Snake Patriot site Mr Loather Loather … I CAST YOU OUT FOUL DEMON!

57. Yeah thanks for that Mr Lover Lover, you just reminded me to sort out the anonymous commenting..

58. Are you thinking Mr Rimmer Rimmer is who I’m thinking it is?

59. You are all just jealous because Andrew is my friend.

60. For the record, I was talking about something completely different actually.

    Rest assured lover if and when i have something to say It will be said face to face, that’s how we roll in the shire!

    To the best of my knowledge Mike & I are the bestest of bessie mates isn’t that right flower?

    Thanks for all the nice comments and let’s hope this site goes from strength to strength.

    Notice there were no nice comments from the far right thinkers so I must of got something right!

61. Too bloody right I’m jealous!

    Why can’t I be your friend?

    I’ll ignore this un-elected, cobbled together government. I’ll pretend the riots are Ed’s fault. I’ll support gunning down the council with a monkey. I solemnly promise NEVER to win any election except what’s for tea or what we watch on TV in my own house.

    Am I in?

62. I’m absolutely certain who it is. It don’t make no nevermind Dave.

    To come on just to attack the site and it’s grandees is uber churlish. He’s no doubt retreated to the dirty puddle he considers his comfort zone.

    Kudos to Nicky Davies for pointing out Coleman’s Stoke Patriot site to me – essential reading!

    Know thy enemy.

63. [quote=tonyjohnt]Kudos to Nicky Davies for pointing out Coleman’s Stoke Patriot site to me – essential reading!

    Know thy enemy.[/quote]

    Ditto, reading the blog of the leader of the local BNP leader shows they cannot hide behind this we’re no longer racist pish that Terry and boss Griffin keep trying to peddle. At least with Coleman (and Pond-Life) you know what you’re getting.

64. That’s right, the riots are all about Nick Clegg and have nothing whatsoever of the 13 years that Labour delivered a Utopia for the ‘working classes’.

    They gave me a Country I am proud of and the best bit is, we didn’t have to pay for any of it.
    …..well…………….er…………………………not on their watch we didn’t anyway.

    Labour have proven that they can’t run a Country properly and this Labour Council is proving that the Tories must have been right all along.

    Tonyjohnt must be livid and chewing himself up inside.

    Mike Rawlins: I write a blog for the site on a topical subject in the City for while you are on holiday.Is there any chance you could look into your mailbox?

65. That’s right, the riots are all about Nick Clegg and have nothing whatsoever of the 13 years that Labour delivered a Utopia for the ‘working classes’.

    They gave me a Country I am proud of and the best bit is, we didn’t have to pay for any of it.
    …..well…………….er…………………………not on their watch we didn’t anyway.

    Labour have proven that they can’t run a Country properly and this Labour Council is proving that the Tories must have been right all along.

    Tonyjohnt must be livid and chewing himself up inside.

    Mike Rawlins: I wrote a blog for the site on a topical subject in the City for while you are on holiday.Is there any chance you could look into your mailbox?

66. Moronic! Moronic! Such cr@p he posted it twice!

    Are you really falling back to the Tory redoubt that Labour caused the global economic crisis? How powerful was Brown if he could screw up every economy in Europe plus the USA’s?

    You are either stupid or disingenuous. Which is it Gary?

    Our social problems began in the 80′s under Thatcher (spit) when today’s parents were kids. When we were told “there’s no such thing as society” sod everyone else, look after you and yours. When mass unemployment was used to scare workers and emasculate those ‘evil’ unions. (UP THE MINERS)?

    How you can have the neck to claim to have ever been of the left and lend even half a candle to these b*stards beggars belief.

    No wonder nobody outside your family ever votes for you little man… “I’ll tell you the name of the game boy – we call it riding the gravy train”!

67. Are you sure it wasn’t you with that AK47 in the video Tonyjohnt?

    You are so warped in your excusals of Labour’s tenure that you fail to give a reasoned explanation of British cultural change during the period 1997-2010.

    If it was all Thatcher’s fault for destroying our social culture and our society, then Labour had a whopping three elective terms (equal to Thatchers three terms) to correct any wrong.
    Our children would have aims that are evied arounf=d the world. They would be educated beyond belief and career prospects would be fantastical.
    Jobs, houses, family and future, the Labour way.

    Have I portrayed 1997-2010 and Labour’s tenure and service to this Country fairly or unfairly?

    It is NOT and NEVER has been whether Gordon Brown ruined the world or its economy.
    It is how he prepared Great Britain for any rainy day that may come.

    Germany did EXACTLY that and put enough aside to build a Country less than 65 years old and which morphed two Countries into one and took on all its debts and backwardness of an Eastern wasteland.
    It has done so well with the so called-dreadful Euro that it bails out Countries as and when they fall.
    It does all this inside the so called-daft EU to boot.
    Meanwhile back in old Blighty, Gordon harrassed Tony into believing that Sterling is our Saviour and the game of anti-pro EU/Euro prevailed.

    Labour got it horribly wrong and it let down a Generation. NO they didn’t cause the world economic collapse, they just caused the British collapse.
    They then ran off when asked to lead and that left two other parties to come to some sort of agreement.

    They did and they get on with it regardless of whether I like it or not.

    Mick temple wil write this lot up in his next column.

68. You really do make it up as you go along don’t you?

    Where were you in ’97? Were you crying in your bedroom for John Major?

    Ignore adopting the Social Chapter. Ignore the ban on bloodsports. Ignore the re-building of our rotten infrastructure. Ignore a more accepting attitude to gays and lesbians.

    Hark back to some BBC costume drama when we kicked darkies heads in and there was no crime because nobody had owt worth stealing.

    And while you’ve got your airbrush… rub out the way Gordon Brown showed global leadership at the most critical moment.

    Newspapers have words as well as pictures Gary.

69. Forgive me, I thought that your calling for a view on the economic collapse of Great Britain needed a response on that issue.
    Silly of me, and my mistake not to have mentioned Labour’s triumph over fox-hunting.

    You really do try the patience of a Saint.

    But please, do take this opportunity to explain away to your hearts content how our young people and our society as a whole is doing wonders due to 13 years of blissful Leadership under Labour.

    I’ll take it as read that Thatcher, Major, Cameron and Clegg have three 6′s tatooed on their heads and are born evil.

    Just inform me and us how our Country benefitted and will benefit again if we dump a coalition.

    Please do.

70. Growth figures revised down weekly, let alone quarterly. Unemployment down, but strangely, those claiming JSA up – the Tory statisticians are back.

    Never mind eh Gary? Keep blaming the poor… we all know benefit scroungers landed us in this sh!t.

    PS. noticed how Cameron backs up Libyan rioters with the RAF?

71. I think you are wearing down and your argument of Labour superiority is in tatters.

    The ‘world’ recession started in 2005 and was declared official late 2008.

    All under Labour.

    From 2005-2010 Labour took Great Britain well into the red and PSBR went ballistic.
    This meant that Labour was running our Country into the red and was living beyond its means.
    Income did not equal outgoings.
    In a nutshell, the debt interest (on our debts) rose to the current levels of £600m per Month.

    The simple answer is to do nothing and hope it all goes away. The other answer is to blame the Tories for it all. Nick Clegg will do.
    Whatever you do, don’t blame Labour, especially if you love Labour blindly.

    George Osborne has a plan to remove the debt. A simple plan that will certainly cut the debt regardless of growth.
    He cuts to the tune of £14bn per annum.

    Ed Balls flails like a lunatic and demands growth with steady cuts.
    He never speaks of figures but everyone calcualtes his cuts at £12bn per annum.

    Divided up around the Country, Ed Balls solution offers a meagre few quid to Town Halls everywhere but loses it in debt interest not being paid off.

    But forget all this economic nonsense, let’s stick to the first and only plan Labour had.
    Borrow to pay for our ‘standards’ that Labour gave us during 1997-2010. They believed in this plan so much, they ran us into financial ruin.

    Please explain what my Society actually now has that cuts are considered damaging.

    NB. Pleaase do not confuse National cuts and debt interest with this local Labour Council who cuts because they spent our money wrongly (don’t blame a kiddies farm etc..).

72. Gary, for gods sake don’t mention Browns brilliant genius at selling off the gold at half price, LOL.
    “Its all the Tories fault” LOL
    Lets forget time about Nu-Labours 13 years of utter failure by bankrupting the country, and to reverse any of the “bad” decisions made previously by 13 years of Tory rule.
    Amazing how they increased the Poll tax (they were so against by 100% in their power years.
    Locally lets forget the DMO and its investments.
    Lets forget the reserves they tried to hide away.
    Lets leave aside the Labour25+1 paedophiles
    Is this whats referred to as Labours selective memory, and “its not our fault guv” syndrome.
    Oh and before I get the blame, this post was diverted well before I posted.

73. Ed Balls can’t talk about figures because he’s in opposition and can’t see the books, ergo (like us all) he’s guessing.

    Clegg IS a Tory Gary, but he’s supposed to be the Lib Dem Silverback. If there was anything ‘Liberal’ or ‘Democrat’ about them they’d leave this government now.

    You trust Osborne? The heir to a fortune, never done anything except been groomed for high office?

    Early days oh Great Elsby, those cuts ARE going to hurt. Infact, outside your smarmy bubble they already are… I’ll paraphrase Neil Kinnock, you must remember him you socialist stalwart?

    “… don’t be old, don’t be sick, don’t be poor…”

    You stood at the last GE on a leftwing ticket. Any apologies for those daft enough to vote for you?

74. Ay up!

    Sod the organ grinder – the monkey’s back!!!

    Basic (very basic) economics : low taxes = sh!t schools, hospitals and all other public services. higher taxes = better schools, hospitals and all other public services.

    Before you say these things aren’t better – I know you’re old enough to have been alive in the 80′s.

    Waiting for the Great Leap Backwards!

75. Again, another forum that’s about to go seriously off-topic. This is supposed to be a goodbye to Tony Whalley. However, we yet again have the usual suspects with their axes to grind against the Labour Party, one because everything is their fault, the other because of whatever personal falling out he had with them. Can the rest of us, myself included, do the site a favour and stop pandering to their bitterness/ lunacy. When they go off topic, ignore the cnuts instead of giving them the attention they are so desperately seeking!!

76. I thought you were banned Pond?

77. At least we can all stop worrying that he’s disappeared and still lurking. He’s not posted on his vile an loathsome site in some time. I was beginning to believe he’d had a change of heart and embrace the human race again

78. Tony, very basic economics: raise enough taxes to pay for services but in a way allowing maximum economic growth.

    Whether they’re high or low is irrelevent if that is followed. As long as enough revenue is being raised we can still have low taxation. It’s just coincidental that if we want to achieve this the system needs to be progressive as the poor will spend everything on goods and services (generating growth) whilst as we get progressively richer we progressively save and effectively take money out the economy.

    Unfortunately the UK is an expensive country to run, what with the exponential increase in health spending to deal with poor lifestyle choices, spending on pensions because we’re all living longer, and of course, criminality caused by discontent and excess alcohol!!

79. To do that he needs to evolve. He’s not even in the same genus, let alone species!!

80. Devolve – he considers himself to be some higher species doesn’t he. The next stage of human evolution. God help us.

81. I’m an offender myself, but yes!

    Let’s raise a glass (it might be cranberry juice) to our owd mate Tony – the truth is out there – Whalley!!!

82. LOL,LOL,LOL,LOL,LOL.

83. In the same logic that a good parent would shop their rioting son or hand their murdering daughter over to the police, we must assume that those parents who would do no such thing have no moral conscience.

    I therefore ask you to accept that my public criticism of this type of Labour Party is not one I would reccomend to anyone. It is corrupt and it fails miserably on what most former Labour members wish to happen.
    I shop them without a care in the world.

    Tonyjohnt now uses a low taxes equals poor schools argument.
    This also fal down badly because most of it is PFI privare money paid back via even higher and wasteful taxes.

    Tonyjohnt must explain how a brand new hospital of the highest spending standards raises standards in our society. He must also explain how a new school of similar standing raises schooling standards.

    A rioter rioting may have attended one of these new schools and may also have had the misfortune to be a patient in the best hospital in London.

84. Send the monkey in to Perry.

85. This is not Mr Pond, as he is still banned, and cannot reply to the personal attacks made against him.
    He has also left the Potteries, Community ,Federation site and is working on the England First Party.
    Just thought I put anyone thats interested straight.

86. You’ll need to know where to get sent.

87. I’m sure your wife does the same when she sees it.

88. His old user account is blocked you are quite right but this is a guest post from a guest naming herself as Mrs Luber Luber. So he can still post, just hiding under a false name.

    Sorry, missed a point there. He’s left the potteries. Happy days. One down.

89. [quote=terry turbo]This is not Mr Pond, as he is still banned, and cannot reply to the personal attacks made against him.[/quote]

    Really? No chance he’s snuck back on by registering with wholly new details? “Mr Lover Lover”? Different e-mail address? Do think we’re as thick as you not to have thought about that one?

    Personal attacks against him? Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t he banned from this, and various other sites, because of his constant personal and abusive attacks against anyone who disagreed with him? Are you that blind, stupid or biased that you continue to paint him as the victim?

    [quote=terry turbo]He has also left the Potteries, Community ,Federation site and is working on the England First Party.[/quote]

    Not doing a great deal then, the EFP site hasn’t been updated in over a month. Is he perhaps laying low in the post-Breivik world?

    [quote=terry turbo]Just thought I put anyone thats interested straight.[/quote]

    Or attempting to feed us misinformation?

90. He is also blocked from recieving the site I believe so he cannot even sign in as guest.
    Also please read the post he a left the Potteries Community Federation site, and as far as I know still lives in Chell Heath.

91. NO Buddy!

    You must explain how savage cuts to those with FA will heal our fractured society. How those you try to con yourself amongst (MPs) can ever appreciate the daily struggle some people face, when they have less to live on for a fortnight than those b*stards spend on lunch.

    That’s what’s WRONG with our society. Before 24 hour rolling news channels it used to be called ‘in-equality’. Now it’s ‘gobshite nutters’. We were only given the NHS and Welfare State to stop a Bolshevik revolution. Now the danger’s past the cnuts want it all back.

92. How do block someone from receiving the site Terry? This isn’t China or Iran.

93. Think what you like, could not give a damn what feeds your paranoid mind.
    Ask Mike or Tony, I’m sure they can check the IP address, or perhaps he’s changed that as well?

94. By blocking the IP address, just ask Mike or anyone with half a brain cell that knows about computers.
    How do I know, I have been blocked from recieving this site before.

95. [quote=terry turbo]Think what you like, could not give a damn what feeds your paranoid mind.[/quote]

    Not paranoid, just what Mr Lover Lover has written is exactly the sort of stuff Pond was writing on the PCF/ EFP blog.

    [quote=terry turbo]Ask Mike or Tony, I’m sure they can check the IP address, or perhaps he’s changed that as well?[/quote]

    What’s this article about Terry? Tony leaving the site? Wouldn’t really be asking him then would I? So not knowing what this story is about could reveal why you go off topic so much!

    Those running the site MAY be able to check IPs, but if they don’t then there’s nothing stopping someone banned re-registering with wholly different details. It’s not actually that hard to change your IP address, if you wanted to do it there’s plenty of tutorials on the internet.

96. You might not have been blocked Terry.

    I get the impression that the site does go own from time to time.

    However, if you’re running a website it isn’t all that hard to block someone’s IP. I DO know a little bit about computers. It’s also not difficult to alter an IP either.

    Then there’s always the possibilty of using someone else’s computer!!!!!

97. You get tiresome Gary.

    Would YOU – the Great Elsby – care to explain how cutting back public services to the bone to save up pre-election tax cuts for the rich will help?

    NO RESPECT WHATSOEVER! Chancer!

    B’Stard… innit to win it… not an ounce of integrity… and that is EXACTLY why you didn’t cut the Labour mustard. If I’m wrong, bring on the crowd defending you.

98. He’s just using a proxy server to disguise his IP. Or if he get’s off his backside he can use the library. Or a neighbour has left their wireless route open and he’s using that. Or he’s switched Internet provider. Or he doesn’t have a fixed IP so it’s impossible to block. Or he’s doing it on a smart phone through his mobile provider so he’s using a different IP altogether.
    Do you get what I’m saying.

99. So in Terry terms he’s either changed/ masked his IP or using a different ‘computer’!!!

100. No swarming masses defending the Great Elsby then?

     He’ll be on later slagging off Labour and telling everyone how GREAT he is… couldn’t even get his wife or the daughter who ‘invented’ that SDP rosette to come on.

     Stay in Baddeley Green and torture rabbits, or whatever it is you do in that superior, leafy suburb.

101. Sounds like it. You’ve also got the pond “TELL” as well, which circumnavigates all internet tracking software, and confirms the proof. Unless of course it was Terry who posted to make it look like there was more support locally than there real is?

102. There’s no reason for this paranoia just ask Mike.
     I’m betting that he either knows or can find out who it is.

103. There’s no reason for this paranoia TERVY TURBO

     now you mention it, that thought can go a long long way.

104. Oh dear, here we go with the insults.

     Who is suggesting that public services are closed.
     Not me.

     Who is calling for tax cuts? Labour.

     In your dream sodden world of Labour excuses, this amounts to cuts for the poor and bonuses for the rich.

     Sad man.

105. Labour are calling for cuts to VAT… the Tories are holding their breath and biting their tongues in anticipation of cuts to inheritance tax.

     I’m sodden and you’re sober? Shut up Gary – you’re sending the wrong message to our kids!

     Not a word on how you’ve betrayed those who voted for you by lurching to the right. Nobody else on here leaping to your defence. A sad reject… now and forever.

     If you want to do something positive for your community, abandon hopes of higher office and start a lunch club or youth centre…

106. He could be posting from GCHQ getting round the IP address by typing in a secret code LOL.
     Or maybe he’s snuck in to the town hall and using a council lap top, LOL

107. Who gives a rat’s @rse?

     Whoever the pencil d!ck was, he went to a lot of trouble just to abuse this site! God ‘bless’ his mother.

     Meanwhile the kangaroo courts have just jailed a guy for suggesting (via Facebook) a riot that never took place!

     4 years for a riot that never took place!

     There’s something broken about Britain. I’ve noticed the Tories have no problem spending money on kids if it means sending them to jail.

     B******S!!!

108. Or maybe he used your computer which is why you’re denying it’s him so much!!

109. A VAT cut?

     Let’s put yet another Tonyjohnt Labour excuse to bed.

     Labour cut VAT in 2008 as we entered a year long deep recession from 17.5% to 15%.

     We are now no longer in recession and we are in growth. We are in growth on a Tory/Liberal coalition watch. Like it or not, that is a fact.
     Labour say we are not growing enough (out of this recession).

     Who exactly are Labour to give advice?

     A VAT cut in a sustained growth economy is nothing short of tinkering and offers absolutely nothing at all.

     An inheritance tax cut will benefit more people in Stoke-on-Trent than any VAT cut will do.

     Tonyjohnt, you are a kid playing with a loaded gun called politics.
     Stop waving it in our direction, do the decent thing.

110. I suppose today’s unemployment figures can be ignored because they can’t be blamed on Labour?

     Wonderful insight into your mentality… “politics is a loaded gun”.

111. You are getting more desperate by the hour.

     Is it any wonder that unemployment goes up when a Labour Council such as this one sacks 700 workers?

     After shutting Libraries, Swimming Pools and anything else that children use (yeah) they then find £5m to spend on spy cameras to spy on us.

     Yeah.

     Labour in all its glory.

112. Without spy cameras Gary, these Diplock Courts couldn’t be sitting and throwing kids in prison. You want this retribution don’t you… being a respectable citizen like wot you is?

     I’d tell you where to go and what to do when you get there, but it might get me 4 years.

     Digging at Warren for spelling was cheap… stones, glass houses and all that. Wonder what you’re saying about some of your constituents in that warped parallel universe where you can win elections…

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