BNP in Reading

For the first time since coming to live in this town over 10 years ago, I came home today & found some BNP electoral literature had been posted through my letter box.

To the best of my knowledge, the far right had never had a great foothold in Reading and I do not recall ever having seen a BNP candidate standing in any of our wards in the local council elections.

I may be accused of bashing the local Labour group on occasion and anyone who reads my blog knows that Socialism in all its guises is not really my cup of tea. I’ve had a few labour supporters comment on my blog and disagree with what I say, that’s fine it’s what a healthy political debate is all about.

However, when it comes to political views based on the colour of a man’s skin, this can have no basis for debate or any role in our democratic system of Government. No matter how they try to dress it up we are dealing here with the politics of racial hatred and the literature which came through my door has only one place, the rubbish bin.

Lets send these people a clear message through the ballot box, ‘you’re not welcome in Reading so don’t bother coming back.

Teachers Leaving? Its The Children Stupid!

How the resignation of 95 teachers from Reading Schools can be explained by the bad behaviour of pupils is beyond belief.

For years now, the education of our children in this borough has been a subject at the bottom of the priority list for the Labour administration and fully in line with the apparent policy of ignoring those who need the most from our council in terms of support.

Bad behaviour by children in a school classroom is not new, it has been going on since schooling as we know it began. What has changed, is that teachers are no longer given the support to deal with bad behaviour by those that manage them or, it must be said, by parents.

In addition, it should be noted that this borough has been very keen to foist children with special educational needs on the mainstream school system, without giving the teaching staff the necessary training and facilities to meet the child’s needs.

Rather than trying to blame the children, lets look at how education and all of the council children’s services are managed. More to the point who is managing them.

It’s like everything else in life, change needs to start from the top.

Meanwhile Back In The Real World

I think that Gordon Brown must be enjoying the furore surrounding MP’s expenses as the real news on how the current Labour administration continues to mismanage the economy is kicked into the long grass.

Well just to bring one & all up to date:

Tribunal appeals, by people trying to claim additional benefits are costing you & I, the tax payer over £150 Million per year. Claimants win their cases simply because Government & Local Council Officials fail to appear at the tribunals to contest the cases.

Private Rail companies are set to receive over £100 Million in 2009 & £300 Million in 2010 of tax payers money, because this Government agreed to cover their operating shortfalls in the event of lower passenger numbers.

And finally, if this was not enough. Good old Gordon & the boys at No10 are thinking up even more ways of taxing us. Current ideas in vogue are taxes on currency transactions and additional levies on mobile phone calls. I should point out that this is being couched as an international effort to help developing economies.

Go on Gordon, pull the other one it’s got bells on.

Clearing the Decks

Bracknell Conservative MP Andrew MacKay has announced that he is to stand down at the next general election.

Whilst there can be no excuses for claiming the second home allowance at the same time as his MP wife, at least Mackay has recognised that for the good of British Politics, he had to go.

It is a great shame that the likes of Hazel Blears cannot come to the same conclusion.

Getting The Message To Gordon

Well it looks like the allegation from the local Liberals, that Labour & the Tories enjoy a cosy relationship is not manifesting itself on the doorstep at least.

Tyler understands that Reading East Conservatives, have heeded their leaders call and started a local petition demanding that Gordon Brown dissolves Parliament and holds a general election.

The petition first appeared last night in Thames ward, where the Tories were campaigning for the European Elections and apparently got over 100 signatures of support in less than 2 hours.

Maybe we could organise one for Comrade Lovelock & the rest of the Politburo down in Redinski Square.

The Magnificent 6.5

They came riding into the council chamber all guns blazing to run the bad guys outa town.

Whilst I do admire the spirit of Kirsten Bayes and the rest of the Liberal Magnificent Six and a bit, the execution leaves a little to be desired.

It’s the ballot box that’s going to send this bunch of bad guys up to Boot Hill, not a publicity shootout for the papers.

Labour Reaches Its Sell By Date

About the only true thing that Tony Blair ever said was that, ‘every Politician has a shelf life.’

After recent events, I believe that is true for the 640 or so that currently inhabit the Palace of Westminster. That does not mean that they should all go & never come back, but it does mean a reselection process is an essential element in restoring the credibility of the governing chamber in this country.

Despite his increasingly futile attempts at today’s Prime Ministers question time to sound the credible leader of a credible Government, he must now accept the fact that the British People have in effect withdrawn their support for the current Parliament and it has lost its mandate to govern.

Although it can be said of opposition leaders, that they will always be looking for opportunities to call a general election, in this case David Cameron is entirely justified and is acting as the voice of the people.

In many ways what we see now is the culmination of Labour misrule for over a decade. When Tony Blair stood aside for his Chancellor, it was only a matter of time before the New Labour mask slipped and the hard Left re-emerged to tax this country into oblivion.

But the plan never worked, because the new master lacked the required skills of a leader, the new government lacked political ability and the train hit the buffers. What the expense scandal has done is to bring this into sharper focus.

Gordon Brown knows nothing can save him as Prime Minister and every Labour MP knows that they will not form the next Government. For once, Brown must put ego & self interest aside. For the good of democracy he must call the election that will see David Cameron become the next Leader of this country and the Conservative Party the next Government.

Shreddergate - The Bad Smell Lingers

This is one running sore with RBC that I for one intend to see opened into a festering wound.

As you will all no doubt recall, two officers in the Children’s Services Dept were placed on; lets call it administrative leave, over the bullying scandal which the Peoples Republic Party has been trying to hush up.

Then of course, the same suspended dynamic duo, covertly enter the Kremlin offices one weekend and indulge in a little file destruction, which became known to one & all as Shreddergate.

In the ensuing fallout, all Councillors have been effectively banned from discussing the subject publicly, under threat of at least 15 years in the Gulags from the Standards Board, ( I think that the Standards that the Board uphold by the way come straight from the local Labour Party handbook, in other words the standards of the gutter. )

If this was not enough, our esteemed Director of Children’s Services has had to deal with some adverse publicity relating to her previous role with Surrey County Council & some pretty damming comments from a High Court Judge.

All gleefully reported to the good citizens of Reading by yours truly.

I can now tell you that Tyler has been having some very interesting conversations with disgruntled insiders at RBC and whilst I would in no way wish to make allegations against our highly regarded Council based of hearsay, Tyler would like the answer to a few questions:

1/ Is it true that the two suspended employees where offered cash settlements to resign from their posts.

2/ Is it true that, the first cash settlement offer made to the foregoing two was in fact rejected and a higher figure agreed by the Council.

3/ If question 2 is true what were the circumstances surrounding this.

4/ Is it true that two versions of the so called independent report into the bullying allegations within Children’s Services exist and that our councillors have only had access to a watered down version.

As I said, far be it from Tyler to question the integrity of the ruling junta, but can anyone else see from my questions where this all just might be going?

Not so much, ‘cash for questions,’ but cash for silence?

We’re Leaving On A Jet Plane, Don’t Know When We’ll Be Back Again.

Tyler has learnt that our friends down at the Civic Centre are having a spot of bother recruiting Social Workers. With such well publicised, great leadership & superb management, I can’t think why.

However, in a gargantuan effort to ensure that our most vulnerable members of society are protected, it would seem that a group of RBC officials went on a recruiting drive. IN CALIFORNIA.

Now, good people of Reading - steady on. Before we all stand up together and demand to know why this little jolly was organised at our expense, we must accept one undoubted truth:

Simply, that owing to the professional reputation of our little Stalinist enclave, no Social Worker in their right mind would want Reading Borough Council on their CV or be subjected to the daily bullying which appears to be part of the culture.

Having said that, if any Councillor is reading this, I would like answers to a few questions:

1/ How many trips to California where made during this recruitment drive.

2/ How many employees of RBC travelled to California.

3/ Did any Councillors travel to California as part of this exercise.

4/ What was the duration of each visit.

5/ What class of air travel was used, Economy, Business or First.

6/ What was the total cost to RBC for this exercise. Including, Airfare, Accommodation, Car Hire, Subsistence and fee’s for any recruitment organisation retained in the United States.

7/ How many Social Workers were recruited as a result of this exercise.

Having said that, their is one type of airline ticket which I believe all the current Labour Coucillors should be able to obtain at public expense. A one way ticket, anywhere they like as long as they never come comeback.

Good OLD Labour

It would seem that leopards never do change their spots and when it comes to our little Red Friends down at the Civic Centre, the old Trade Union ways are very much back in favour.

As many of you may know, at a recent full Council meeting it was decided that all Councillors should take a pay cut in view of the current state of the budget. At the time, the only squealing & squawking came from the Labour benches in opposition to this Conservative motion.

However, not to let matters rest, it now appears that certain Labour councillors are now refusing to attend meetings where they serve on scrutiny panels as they feel that they are no longer paid enough for the effort.

For the avoidance of doubt, this is part of their job, it’s one of the reasons that we have local councillors.

So having finally got confirmation of something that some of us have known for years: that the local Stalinists are only in it for the money, Tyler thinks it’s about time we have our own local expenses investigation.

I just wonder what we would find!!!!

Reading the Travellers Rest.

Once again our friends at the Reading Politburo prove that if drinking sessions in Breweries need organising, Lovelock, Page and the rest of the team are not the people to call.

Having got a court injunction to ban travellers from 33 open spaces in our wonderful little Stalinist State, they miss the oldest trick the Pikies book which is to use the grass verges.

User of the collective Labour brain for the day, Tony Page then states: “The present injunction only refers to the council’s parks and open spaces but it doesn’t preclude us from looking at the same exercise for other open spaces and verges in the borough. Obviously that might involve a longer list.”

Wow Tony that is brilliant, it’s taken you god knows how many years to get the present set of injunctions in place despite the repeatedly high profile of this problem. So I guess with the urgency that surrounds the Southcote issue we could even see injunctions in place by 2020? Or is that asking a little too much from our caring council.

But while you are thinking that one over, why not try a few wooden stakes along the Roadside edge of the verges. It would most probably cost a whole lot less that the legal fees associated with court injunctions and would keep the travelers out. If they remove the stakes, that is Criminal Damage and the Police could take action against the offenders.

I know Tony, you had already thought of it and just weren’t going to tell us yet.

Labour Expense claims the best is yet to come!

Yes thats right folks, watch out for the Sunday Teleghraph this weekend. So Tyler is told, a major Labour couple are going to get it right in the Balls, so to speak.

Apparently, they tried to get a High Court gagging order against the DT yesterday & failed. Two claims for just one mortgage, or maybe no morgage but still two claims.

Can't wait.

Time for Reading Labour Coucillors to find a real job