David Conway was not the only one with a big smile on his face Friday morning as Labour awoke to the short sharp judgement of the residents of Springfields and Trent Vale. Whilst it might not stop the move, the backlash against the move to the CBD was apparent, which raised the spirits of many council officers on Friday morning. Parking in Stoke may not be perfect, but the thought of a daily game of ‘musical parking spaces’ followed by a forced tutorial on how you should cycle to work rather than moan about paying £25 a year to spend 20 minutes looking for a parking spot before abandoning hope and parking in Tesco, is a step too far for some.
Of course, if you survive the journey to work, you will then have the pleasure of being turned out of your office at lunchtime with the instruction from the Labour leadership to ‘spend spend spend’ in the local shops. EyeSpy can see the Quartermasters Store doing a roaring trade already…
The loss of Springfields & Trent Vale to Labour was made even more painful by the fact they had spent the previous 4 weeks shouting about how it was a sure win and the other 8 candidates were all wasting their time. Or at least those who knew how to work the Twitter accounts the PR department had instructed them to get did. The Labour Party’s new ‘odd job’ man (rent a room, start fights on twitter, pretend you like your MP when we all know you don’t) did an entertaining job telling all the other parties just what Labour were up to and proving beyond all doubt that he has the political nous of a fly squashed on the front of Mark Meredith’s car.
Reading his tweets, you could be forgiven for thinking the Tories were the main threat here, which was probably why the fragrant Mrs Brown was apparently so smiley at the count. Nothing proves how effective you are than how much you get up Labour’s nose – and the recent outburst by ‘Labour Len’ (cough) in the comments on a Sentinel article that she wasn’t even mentioned in, will no doubt reassure her and her colleague Jack Brereton just how annoying the 2 young upstarts can be to Labour…
…Of course, Labour were robbed and need to refine their message, however having seen the small novel put out by the City Independents, EyeSpy wonders if Labour would be better rethinking their election strategy altogether. Allegedly turning up late to the count and missing a lot of the action, the hand on that tiller seems particularly weak, but then it is quite busy on parliamentary business in London (amazing how he fits in all those articles in the Observer, isn’t it?). For how long will a weekly article in the Sentinel keep the proletariat happy that their MP is amongst them and one of them, especially now his ‘right hand man’ has gone part time to further his own career? Perhaps Gary Elsby was right all along…?
Meanwhile, the City Independents will be hoping the new addition to their group lives up to her reputation as a big voice for her community. EyeSpy can see some worried faces already as the bombastic Jackie Barnes joins their number. Dave Conway will also be hoping that she proves slightly more dynamic than the other ‘community leaders’ in his group, such as Peter Hayward, who promised so much but seems to have been almost jettisoned since he showed his unwillingness at the Police Authority to support the 0% council tax increase. At least he has firebrand Terry Follows back to stir them up, after a year as Lord Mayor, though how comfortable Terry will be in the group remains to be seen. Once very much a pragmatic (read ‘disparate’) group, Conway still upholds that there is no Whip in the Indies, however makes it crystal clear what he thinks, unlike the slippery Brian Ward before him.
Talking of Police, EyeSpy wonders what the Conservative PCC candidate Matthew Ellis made of his recent trip to Stoke-on-Trent? Labour have been keen to portray the November election as a death match between ‘cool urbanite’ Joy Garner and an anonymous ‘country bumpkin’ Conservative from somewhere down south, however it seems nothing could be further from the truth as at least Matthew made it to Trent Vale, whereas Joy and her henchman/husband Martin kept well away. Could this be because one of M’Lord Tristram Hunt’s aides publicly came out against her in the Party ballot?
EyeSpy will of course be watching with interest.
Off now to check out those election expenses to see whether the ‘hard working candidate’ who had his leaflets delivered with those of the local takeaway declares it….
Posted from here.
I arrived back in Stoke-on-Trent after a 15 day abscence to see the election result.
I planned the trip 12 Months ago and had no intentions of cancelling it.
I saw the result for the first time on Sunday 29th July @3am.
A number of points quickly came to mind.
The turnout was what, 21%?
A quick calculation in my head got 37%. Are my sums wrong?
What is a City Independent (winner)? We know it was borne of the dissaffected Conservative grouping and well led by them, but what is the current decsription? Disgruntled Labour? (Now that would be a Con).
Labour, like the rest, came last but they will hang onto the thread that a General Election brings local results as a bonus.
THAT IS NOT THE GAME OF EVERYONE ELSE. BE WARNED!
The City Independents won because (and I quote) ‘Because of the town hall move’.
Is that it? Is that all in the bag?
Do we have to wait until the last minute of every by-election to get the current topic?
And your thoughts on debt interest rates both National and current (town hall move) are what?
Is it too much to ask?
I do wish eye spy would inform us who hates their MP the most or who ditches who part time.
It seems a bit much to hate their MP when all said and done.
I had a lovely time talking to Tristram about Bonnie Prince Charlie’s visit to Leek,in my living room. Us historian’s like this sort of thing you know.
Anway, first things first. The precentage turnout was what?
Considering I was not in the Country and Labour chose to call the election during a mass getaway period, could it not be considered cricket that I put all of my election strategy into the hands of the post office and proffesional delivery agencies, with set times and dates?
34 votes? Did they actually deliver anything?
Final point.
The whole question of voting is pondered by the whole country to get the biggest participation. Text, ballot, checkout, internet, phone, scuba diving, you name it, it is considered.
So what doeas Stoke-on-Trent’s Labour Party do?
The exact opposite to frustrate every known availability and acces to respectible voting and opportunity.
It calls it during a holiday period for (alleged) maximum exposure to ‘my dad voted Labour so I will’.
This is why they lost.
Not because it was a focus of their losing, oh no.
They lost because they are sussed out for doing such things, fair and square.
Argue the toss on a town hall move, by all means, and you may get a winner opposed to such an idea but may also get little expanded vision for city in the bag.
For my own part, see you in the next by-elction, all out election and general election.
In the mean time, by popular demand, I go down the route of the springfields winner (decided months ago before Sarah stood down) and so will be very busy.
Well done to Jane Bridges and can’t wait to hear what you have to say on all things.
I think the turnout is correct. I calculated properties rather than voters.
How naughty Mr EyeSpy. I am presuming Labour’s new “odd job” man is the former writer to this very site. You insult the fly in giving him that much political nous.
never presume anything
It’s HAVE fallen. You wouldn’t think EyeSpy’s an educated man.
It should actually be “Oh, how are the mighty fallen”, to quote this biblical expression.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/188450.html
So lets get this one right. This Eye Spy critter can say what the hell they like. I think one or two will remember me, and this is the last time I’ll ever comment on this ONCE great site. I will know put my efforts into the Labour party, witch I have just joined, but I might read what total waste of times like Gary Elbsy have to blow off about. I pick up on one thing hear, Gary says he went on holiday in the middle of a election run in, how very committed of him, just think of how much time he would spend at the Civic Centre representing the poor people who ever voted for him. With that I leave you in peace.
I’m glad you are going Waren.
For the record, I booked my holiday 12 months ago and cringed when the election was called which landed smack in the middle of it.
Would you publicise the fact you were away?
This whole Country is attempting to get everyone to vote in some way or other. Text, phone, check-out, postal, ballot box, you name it, it has been considered.
So what did this crummy, grubby Labour Council do?
It called it during a holiday period (as Officers shook their heads in disgust-I witness that first hand) for a party political advantage of as little turnout as possible.
Scum politics.