News

Bracknell Forest Council's deputy leader Cllr Dale Birch hit out against the former Labour Government
advertisement

Councillors clash over Labour's 'failings'

By Jennie Slevin
January 17, 2013

The deputy leader of Bracknell council hit out against the former Labour Government claiming it ‘sold us down the river’.

During a meeting discussing the reforms on council tax Councillor Dale Birch said: “This country has no money and we need to remind ourselves of who put us in that position.

“Labour say they want to raise benefits.

“That is an absolute travesty and that is why the country is in the mess it is and it’s not fair.”

Under the new arrangement, local authorities will manage council tax benefits for residents once the national scheme is scrapped in April.

Cllr Birch added: “We need to bring in now, a system that is fair and we are going to make sure whatever system we bring in will reward people for being in work.

“We need to make sure that it’s better to be in work than on benefits and that those who are working are properly recognised.”

Arguing against his comments, Councillor Mary Temperton, leader of the Bracknell Labour party said: “The word ‘benefits’ is not blasphemous.

“Most of those on benefits are in work but in low paid, temporary or part-time work.

“All would want to live on a wage that would enable them to live without having to claim benefits.

“Most are strivers not scroungers.”

The councillors clashed during an executive committee meeting on Tuesday, January 8.

The full council will be asked to vote on the council tax reforms next Wednesday (January 23).

| Submit Comments | View Comments (44)

« Previous Story | Next Story »

Most recent user comments 15 of 44

1 | 2 | 3 | Next Page Show 15 | 25 | 50 per page

Hi Crimson - I am definitely not male nor called Neal :)

CMK
27/01/2013 at 12:45

Great story here about our moron MP. Read the comments - even one person suggesting Bracknell should recall him. http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/10186308._Forget_about_getting_A_E_back___says_MP/

http://38degrees.uservoice.com/forums/78585-campaign-suggestions/suggestions/3544175-bracknell-conservative-association-must-recall-and

Neal Evans, Forest Park
26/01/2013 at 21:28

There you go - Is that enough communist housewife for you? Would I shack up with that little Cut and Paste twerp who cannot type? Have a look at http://www.politicalcompass.org/

All is not always what it seems!

Crimson Dawn, Bracknell
23/01/2013 at 17:36

As socialists, we have some things in common with people who want to invest for growth. They want huge building projects such as schools, hospitals and housing—and so do we. The difference is that we don’t believe these things will restore the system’s profits.

We want working class people to have jobs—and we want to build things because they would be useful for ordinary people.

New Labour's policies meant kowtowing before business, giving more power to fat cats, wrecking services and jobs.

As the revolutionary Karl Marx argued, instability is an inherent part of capitalism. The system always goes through booms and busts—economic peaks and troughs.

CAPITALISM'S BOOM-bust cycle is central to its operation, not some temporary aberration. It is the product of the unplanned, anarchic nature of capitalism, whereby periods of hyped-up investment as sales increase and profits rise are followed by periods of overproduction leading to falling profits and layoffs.

http://socialistworker.org/2002-2/419/419_09_BoomBust.shtml

Reed it and tell me it makes sence.

Crimson Dawn, Bracknell
23/01/2013 at 17:33

My dear Crimson

Are you a communist housewife called Dawn?

I can quite assure you that I am neither anyone but myself - Sum Quod Sum - and have nothing whatsoever in common with half of these oiks.

My man-friday Fenton can attest to such matters, as can my rather gauche neighbour Mrs Cutler-Hume.

Maddie Vegas, Hanworth, Bracknell
23/01/2013 at 09:47

Sorry to disappoint Crimson, I am me and me alone. I only signed up when I had my rather public falling out with the local Tories which if you have the time to check I am sure you will see is the case. Must admit though, I do share the same ideas as Disgruntled Former Tory; then again as we are both of the same obvious political mind-set that is hardly surprising. Our mutual dislike of that man Lee which the BCA sicked upon us was welcome, and of course we are not alone.

Possible good call on Olds Oak (or Old Soak) being Phil Lee (Man of the People) as that person and one other were rather vocal defending our moron MP and the BCA when I had my fun with them last year. Also the name – well we know Lee spends more time propping up bars and then serving in them to supplement his meagre income.

It does however make you wonder whether some people are using more than one login to spout some nonsense and in some cases “support” their own moronic ideas. Perhaps the GetBracknell web team can check IP addresses and email addresses and weed out the guilty?

Neal Evans, Forest Park
23/01/2013 at 08:10

I smell rat too. Bracknell Citizen, Bracknell? Neal?

Maddie Vegas, Hanworth, Bracknell Neal?

SandyAndy? Neal - but invented so he can argue against the cr ap Sandy spouts.

CMK Must Be Neal

dodgynews, Bracknell Must be Neal

Disgruntled Former-Tory, Bracknell Area Obvious that that is Neal

And Bracknellian - May be Brad . Probaly

Come on "Maddie" and Neal - and the rest. We know who you are.

An we know old soak is Dr Lee as he spends all of his time in the Finchampstead pubs!!!

Crimson Dawn, Bracknell
23/01/2013 at 00:54

@Neal - d'you know, I fear I may have stumbled upon a conspiracy. Re-reading Old Oaks erudite missives, I realised that he used some terminology that another gent uses on here. Quite specific it is.

Go to his last post. Are the two dastardly gents one and the same? What wicked plot is being hatched?

Anyway - that's quite enough diatribe from me for today. Fenton will be along with the bed warmer and my usual Bushmills nightcap.

Book I'm reading: Women In Love

Goodnight sweet things.

Maddie Vegas, Hanworth, Bracknell
22/01/2013 at 21:42

seems Gingertop is another Tory as he/she is spouting the same rhetoric as Cameron; which he had to withdraw!

Neal Evans, Forest Park
22/01/2013 at 21:19

The UKIP are all swivelled eyed lunerticks. Wee all now that.

Gingertop, Bracknell
22/01/2013 at 17:55

Ginger, sweetheart....

Respect?

Now you're being silly. The left's UKIP.

I know of several local Tories who would vote for Labour if Miliband Sr. was leader.

Me I'm all for their younger brother.

Steve Miller Band

Boom!

I'm here all week x

Maddie Vegas, Hanworth, Bracknell
22/01/2013 at 17:48

http://www.respectparty.org/

In a sinking ship, the bankers and the millionaires seek safety and comfort while pushing everyone else out of the life boats or down the ladders. This is the 21st century that the Tories and the Liberal Democrats want for us.

By 2020, the TUC estimates that living standards will have been cut for the majority by a further 15%. This comes on top of the most consistent fall in living standards since the 1930s. From 2005, living standards have fallen by an average of 1% per year. Last night, the House of Commons voted for a Welfare Bill that will make 7 million working families worse off and increase the despair and desperation of the unemployed.

No Tories No Labour - Lets have some real respect.

Gingertop, Bracknell
22/01/2013 at 16:33

Wee need a real socialist Government. one that will give us our benefits.

Gingertop, Bracknell
22/01/2013 at 16:29

Maddie - Deficit - But of what size?

The Tories had some manageable debt - Labour just did not care, raided all the Gold that balanced off the (millions) of debt, and then proceeded to run up billons of debt – All counter to Gordon’s own economic cycle rule.

Gordon Brown – “No more Boom and Bust”

Yes Gordon was right – No boom – Just Bust.

Gingertop, Bracknell
22/01/2013 at 16:29

I'm hedging my bets it's Cllr. Stanton, President of BCA .

They're only fluff and noise to you because they don't agree with your propaganda.

5300 soldiers to lose their jobs by the end of the year. How many of them are destined for the benefits queue? Hero to zero in 12 months. Defender to scrounger according to the Tory dogma.

Further borrowing? That'll be because Gideon did his sums wrong and realised his policies are actually making our economic outlook even worse. A bit inconvenient for an MP who recently trumpeted the UK as being out of recession. Who was that again?

Manufacturing struggling? Ie. the private sector that was meant to pick up all those wastrel public sector workers who lost their jobs:

"Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insights....the manufacturing sector...still has its work cut out to return to sustainable growth in the face of ongoing challenging domestic and international conditions" From the Torygraph.

The interesting thing from the Guardian data shows that when the economy was doing well we were in surplus and Labour's surplus was considerably larger. Given the extent of the GLOBAL financial meltdown and the Trotter-esque shenanigans of the bankers that precipitated it, I would expect to see such a deficit.

But over the course of 32 years you had a Labour government for 12. For most of the time the Tories were/are in power and they operated with a deficit. The party of business? I wouldn't trust Gideon to run an egg-and-spoon race.

Not sure what the point of the bank data is - well done, you can navigate the Guardian. Hope you didn't come out in hives.