Offering advice to fractious Torbay Tories : Letter to H/E 290509

Your report on the fractiousness within the ruling Tory group on Torbay Council and the alleged Masonic influence at the Town Hall it is deeply worrying. Whilst freemasons within Tory ranks may declare their Masonic allegiance an 'irrelevance', surely that is for bay electors to decide if such influence is malign ? That those critics of Carroll, such as Cllrs Oliver and Carter have been removed from committees they are well qualified to serve on makes one concerned that the needs of the party leadership are being put before the interests of the bay.

There is a solution available to disenfranchised Tories to ensure their voices are heard as committee vacancies are allocated proportionally according to party numbers. They could be take the politically brave and honest step of forming an Independent Conservative Group. I ask those councillors who've already spoken out and those who have yet to go public, is your loyalty to a Carroll-led Tory group or to the electorate and the best interests of Torbay ? Surely either Carroll or they have to go from the council group as the reported level of mistrust, if correct, appears beyond repair.


This is the unedited and likely unpublished version !

I've joined the 'liberal elite' !!

In today's newspaper (and tomorrow's toilet paper) a correspondent in the 'Herald Express', Julian Head, writes of Mark Hellyer and myself as being part of Torbay's 'liberal elite'. When did I become part of the elite ? Do you get a badge like you would on 'Blue Peter' ? What privileges and responsibilities goes with such a title ? Do you get free tickets to Wembley ? Do you get to claim any expenses / allowances ? And, being a tad proletarian, how do I renounce the title, should I wish to ? Any ideas ?

It's good to know others write even more errant nonesense to our local paper than I do ! Well Done Mr. Head, I salute you !

Tory PPC - a 'fearless' campaigner ? Letter published in the Herald Express 220509

The following is the edited version of a letter I sent to the local 'Herald Express' newspaper. Predictably they edited bits attacking the arrogance of Mr Steen and vt5he more trenchant criticism of Marcus Wood (Tory PPC - Torbay). It ended up reading :

JOHN KIDDEY tries to suggest in these pages that Marcus Wood (Conservative PPC) has been a fearless campaigner on the issue of MPs' expenses. However this 'fearlessness' only extends to situations where Mr Wood feels he can portray, rightly or wrongly, the Lib Dems as the bad guys.

In the interests of political even-handedness I asked Marcus for his comments on the £87,000 expenditure, at our expense, on Anthony Steen's £1million plus (second) home in Devon. His response, and I quote from his web blog: 'As to Anthony he will face his executive on Friday — it is for them or the voters of his constituency to judge him'.

Clearly in Marcus' world it's open season in the press on Lib Dem MPs locally, but it's not for him to judge Conservative party colleague Mr Steen.

Is this yet another example of political misjudgement, following your earlier fulsome praise for your Tory colleagues Bye and Carroll ? Let's start talking about policies rather than personalities Marcus, for whatever people in the Bay are looking for in their MP it certainly isn't politics by press release that you currently offer.

'Nip and Tuck' Reform or Radical Change ? Letter to the Herald Express 260509

Letter (unedited) to the Torbay 'Herald Express' sent 260509 :

Much recent debate on parliamentary reform has, understandably, focused on MP's expenses. However the real debate is much wider than this.


Do you want a voting system that accurately reflects the voting strength of political parties and individual politicians ? STV, a proportional system, offers a fairer voting system that would more accurately reflect the will of electors at local ()elections, including quite probably Labour, UKIP and Independent representation in the bay at council level, which is largely denied by the current electoral system. Nationally, do you want a representative parliament, one where every vote cast counts ? Or do you want a party having absolute power at Westminster with in all probability less than a 40% share of the popular vote ? If you want 'fair votes' you'll need to vote Lib Dem.



Do you think that an upper house with law framing capabilities but elected by, and therefore unaccountable to, no-one is right ? Real reform is offered by the Lib Dems who seek elections to a reformed House of Lords. Likewise do you think donations from individuals or corporate bodies should turn marginal seats into a contest of cash reserves rather than political ideas ? If so, then vote for the Tories or Labour. and the vested interests that financially back them. The Tories, infamously, have received huge sums from Lord Ashcroft and others in an attempt to 'buy' marginal seats like Torbay. Nick Clegg of the Lib Dems seeks to limit individual donations to political parties to restrict such practices.



Whilst I welcome David Cameron's backing for fixed term parliaments, his remarks that the use of the royal prerogative which allows the prime minister, in the name of the monarch, to make major decisions without the backing of Parliament, would be limited and supporting greater auditing of expense claims, the response is, as Nick Clegg leader of the Liberal Democrats says, one of 'nip and tuck' reform. If you really want to refashion politics at Westminster, and more locally, then only the Lib Dems offer such with conviction. Are you ready to vote for real change or do you seek 'business as usual' from our politicians ?

South Devon Tory MP milking the system - Herald Express letter 200509

Below is a letter referring to the £87,000 expenses claim by Totnes (Tory) MP Anthony Steen. This is the unedited (and as yet unpublished) version !


John Kiddey tries to suggest in these pages that Marcus Wood ( Conservative PPC) has been a fearless campaigner on the issue of MP's expenses. However this 'fearlessness' only extends to situations where Mr Wood feels he can portray, rightly or wrongly, the Lib Dems as the bad guys.


In the interests of political even-handedness I asked Marcus for his comments on the £87,000 expenditure, at our expense, on Anthony Steen MP's £1million plus (second) home in Devon. His response, and I quote from his web blog ; "As to Anthony he will face his executive on Friday - it is for them or the voters of his constituency to judge him." Clearly in Marcus world it's open season in the press on Lib Dem MP's locally, but it's not for him to judge Conservative party colleague Mr. Steen. Hypocrisy and evasion of the kind that gives politicians and politics bad name.


What mealy mouthed nonsense ! Mr Steen milked the system and you say nothing ! Is this yet another example of political misjudgment, following your earlier fulsome praise for your Tory colleagues Bye and Carroll ? Lets start talking about policies rather than personalities Marcus, for whatever people in the bay are looking for in their MP it certainly isn't politics by press release that you currently offer !

Who to vote for in the Euros ?

As one of that rare breed, a largely eurosceptic (but not little englander) left-leaning liberal who can I vote for in the 2009 EU elections ? I have never understood Lib Dem enthusiasm for the EU. It is a centralising, unaccountable, undemocratic institution which few people in the UK pledge any allegiance too. That unelected figures - previously discarded by the UK electorate - like Patten, Kinnock and Mandelson had more say than elected parliamentarians hardly endears the EU to me. The case for massive reform is unanswerable and you don't need to be a swivel-eyed right-winger to believe this.

It seems the EU of today is far removed from best liberal principles and practice. To vote for the most slavishly pro-EU party, the Lib Dems, is quite a challenge. Without question the rancid racism (and residue fascism) of the BNP is a no-no.The xenophobia and right wing nature of UKIP rules them out, as should their performance in Brussels. And, if we want to talk about dodgy expense claims and disreputable behaviour, their MEP's take some beating. The Tories ? They seem set to align themselves to the wilder fringes of the EU. They are swapping influence for ideological purity, which is never a good move by a mainstream party. There is the added factor of the Tories I see 'in action' or should that be 'inaction' locally. Of course I am many things, but never a Tory.

On the left there's the No2EU - Yes to Democracy group, with a ragbag slate including trade union bureaucrats, stalinists from the Communist Party of Britain, the 'tanned trot' Tommy Sheridan and the Liberal party's EU-obsessive Steve Radford. As one might expect, no-one got to vote on who the candidates should be. 'Leftism' of the worst kind.


Labour ? What position do they take on the EU ? The Greens ? Well more to the point which Greens ? At the last Euros, the UK Greens were pretty Eurosceptic, but the wider continental Green group was much more EU-friendly.

In short, who can a progressive, liberal, left-leaning voter positively vote for this June ?

Who Cares About the Speaker ?

Lots of writers cramp is not doubt impacting upon LD (and Tory) bloggers over the future of Michael Martin as speaker of the House of Commons. Whilst he has hardly covered himself in glory, it is not him that is exercising people's minds, it is the grubby expenses claims of MP's.

As ever this reflects, in my view, how out of touch with 'real people' most people politically active are. Frankly, I'm sure more local minds were on Torquay United's visit to Wembley than the chattering classes obsession with The Speaker of the House of Commons. Get real people, get real !

This Lib Dem says goodbye to Conference

Yes it's goodbye to the Conference for this Lib Dem. As of yesterday, our yellow shirted heroes said goodbye to Conference football. A great day out at Wembley and the Gulls made Torbay and South Devon proud with the promotion play-off victory over Cambridge United. Having beaten Champions Burton Albion home and away, having not lost to any of the play-off contenders all season, Torquay United deserve the acclaim they are getting today. Thanks too must go to the local consortium that took over the club at it's darkest hour. They have, with manager Paul Buckle, turned the mess they inherited into a vibrant club who have done us all proud. Today I am bursting with pride at the Gulls achievements. Pride of place goes to our inspirational 37 year old captain, whose commitment and dedication is what this team is now all about. Mr Chris Hargreaves you deserve another 12 months contract (should you want to carry on playing). In just two years you've become a true Torquay legend.

Finally, best of luck next year to Cambridge and their army of fans. You deserve better. Here's to future contests with you in the Football League very soon.

The Return of 'Tito' and Letter to H/E 080509

Rejoice fellow citizens of the bay, as Kevin 'Tito' Carroll the self-styled 'street fighter' of the Tory group returns to lead that group. Luckier still are we that he retains his 30K a year post as Deputy Mayor too.

With all the hoped for sell-off of council assets desired by the Tories we are most fortunate to have a former estate agent as an elected executive Tory Mayor, now ably assisted by a builder / freemason as his Deputy !

Less than a year ago when 'Tito' was on holiday (former Yugoslavia perhaps) the Tory group unceremoniously dumped him, leading to the 'hard man' of the Torbay Tories to declare 'that while the cat is away the mice will play'. Still, this unforseen setback was softened by the patronage of the Mayor (Nick Bye). Nick plays the role of 'Widow Twankey' alongside the er, 'ebullient' Tito. So we had for some months the curious anomaly of the guy the Tories sacked remaining as the (unelected) Conservative Deputy Mayor.'Tito' clearly was good enough for the Tory Mayor, but not for the Tory councillors !


Upon his return Kevin promised to be cuddlier and softer. It made the Tory 'hard man' sound like an ad for Lenor, but hey if absurd spinning is good enough for Cameron nationally, then why can 'our Kev' get in on the act ? Within a couple of weeks of his elevation 'Tito' is back in the news. His return soon became mired in controversy as Kevin never one used to listening to, let alone taking on board and agreeing with others, was lambasting the well respected head of the local Civic Society.

Whatever Tory opinion may be on the issues, and that is usually of a different view to that of local residents, 'Tito; and 'Window Twankey' can call on Marcus 'Mystic Meg' Wood (Tory PPC) for support. Often this support is hidden away on his little read blog but in the following letter to the local rag - and I do mean rag - I was happy to seek a wider audience for his views. The contents are below :


Like earlier correspondents I am disheartened but not surprised by the vituperative attack on the well respected Ian Hanford of the Civic Society by Cllr Carroll, the reinstalled leader of the Tory group on the council. Clearly the machismo and contemptuous manner displayed by Kevin Carroll has not been leavened by his earlier sacking by his party colleagues on Torbay Council.


Whilst others bemoan in these pages the paucity of talent within Tory ranks that result in the return of Cllr Carroll in leading the Tories, it is notable that on his online blog Marcus Wood (Conservative PPC) describes Kevin as 'someone who clearly has the leadership qualities they need' and that Cllr Carroll 'is well suited to the job, and he knows I wish him well'. To my utter disbelief Marcus in a characteristic rhetorical flourish goes on to describe our Conservative mayor, Nick Bye, as "a massive political asset because people see him as everything the Labour Government isn't - unspun, open and honest, prudent (lowest tax rise ever), hard-working, prepared to make tough decisions yet concerned for all not just the few". I haven't laughed out so loud in such a long time as my incredulity gave way to laughter !

Two further points arise , the pretence of the Tory group being in any way independent of the mayor looks more absurd than ever, with the Deputy Mayor leading them again. Further, what does this say about Marcus Wood's judgement ? Is Marcus on the same planet as me, let alone the same borough ? Are these individuals evidence of the new allegedly compassionate Conservative party. It seems that once again Marcus Wood is out of touch with opinion in the bay. A vote for the Tories at any level remains a disaster for Torbay.


For background reading let me refer you to : http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/news/Tito-8212-s-ditched-new-cuddly-image/article-956762-detail/article.html

Marcus has his own blog, which virtually no-one reads, [but which I indulge in for a 'bit of sport] on which he rarely tells us anything about policy but frequently extrapolates every favourable opinion poll and if replicated in Torbay what good news it would be for him...sorry I'm sure he meant us ! After all, he moved here from Windsor to become our MP, so he deserves it. Why aren't locals more grateful ?! As Marcus frequently overlooks, who'd want to replace a popular local MP, respected well beyond Lib Dem circles, with a strong constituency team and presence with the the carpet-bagging Tory candidate ? Still good to have Kev 'n' Nick onside, if no-one else.

'Luckily' for Macus, the aforementioned Nick Bye is famous for 'pie in the sky' schemes as he longs to 'regenerate' the bay as outside consultants suggest. Sadly for him, he's had more 'visions', indeed his ever changing prospectus is loftily called the 'Mayoral Vision'. Sadly he's had more visions than pilrims to Knock, Fatima and Medjugore combined. Likewise, the authenticity of these 'visions' are frequently challenged. Still let him persist with the 'we're right and 130,00 bay residents are wrong' political strategy. We'll eventually see the error of our ways. The Lib Dems ? They're always wanting to stand in the way of 'progress'. Can't they see the potential for building on every bit of green space in Torbay as we seek to become 'a city by the sea'. Thank goodness the 'bluff Northerner' is back as the council 'enforcer'. Lets get that concrete mixer flowing ! As Tito previously remarked why not start with Paignton harbour ? Lets have an identikit Marina in place of the supposedly useless, but pretty, historic harbour. Hail to 'Tito' and welcome back again (until such time as you alienate your own group once more). I look forward to the new council motto being 'come and have a go if you think your hard enough'. I have one request, can you hold out until after the General Election ? I'd hate Marcus Wood to lose one of his principal local assets !

Let's wish the local Tories well - someone has to !