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Labour seizes control of Thurrock Council (From Thurrock Gazette)
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Labour seizes control of Thurrock Council
9:54pm Wednesday 19th May 2010
LABOUR has "cheated democracy" and seized control of Thurrock Council.
At a dramatic meeting of the full council tonight Labour's John Kent was elected as leader after securing 25 votes to Tory leader Garry Hague's 23.
Labour, which had 22 seats to the Conservatives' 23 after the local elections on Friday May 7, was able to gain control with backing from BNP councillor Emma Colgate and former Conservative group member Stuart St Clair Haslam, who quit the group earlier this week.
Outgoing leader Garry Hague said: "Had we failed at the local elections we would have been magnanimous in defeat, but we were sucessful.
"Democracy has been cheated, the people of Thurrock have been cheated.
"The people of Thurrock have lost a council they actually wanted and voted for at the ballot box."
New leader John Kent said:"To be leader of Thurrock Council is really pretty humbling and quite daunting, but I am absolutely relishing the task ahead.
"I hope that over the coming months I can prove that I am more than capable of moving Thurrock forward."
Cllr Anne Cheale, who last week formed the "Concerned Conservatives Group" with cllr St Clair Haslam, was elected as the Mayor of Thurrock, defeating Tory deputy mayor Eddie Hardiman by one vote, thanks to BNP councillor Emma Colgate.
But councillor Hardiman, who joked that he was "always the bridesmaid but never the bride" was re-elected as deputy mayor after Emma Colgate chose to support him instead of Labour's candidate for the job councillor Yash Gupta.
For a full interview with BNP councillor Emma Colgate explaining the reasons behind her voting, check next weeks Gazette.
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Your Say YourThurrock
Baphomet, Thurrock says...
10:15pm Wed 19 May 10
karen29, Grays says...
11:34pm Wed 19 May 10
JoeJohn, South Ockendon says...
8:18am Thu 20 May 10
Frank1, Grays says...
9:04am Thu 20 May 10
karen29, Grays says...
9:21am Thu 20 May 10
Frank1 wrote:If a couple of dozen LibDem or Tory MPs jumped ship and became Labour to keep Gordon Brown in Government despite losing the election I would say that was cheating democracy.
Would Garry Hague therefore argue that the national party has cheated democracy by making the ConDem pact and grabbing power ? Pot, kettle ?
Baphomet, Thurrock says...
9:27am Thu 20 May 10
karen29 wrote:I would say that they are traitors and void of all moral worth.
Frank1 wrote:If a couple of dozen LibDem or Tory MPs jumped ship and became Labour to keep Gordon Brown in Government despite losing the election I would say that was cheating democracy.
Would Garry Hague therefore argue that the national party has cheated democracy by making the ConDem pact and grabbing power ? Pot, kettle ?
Baphomet, Thurrock says...
9:29am Thu 20 May 10
JoeJohn wrote:The BNP should now sack her.
Emma Colgate - are you really surprised??
Frank1, Grays says...
10:01am Thu 20 May 10
Will be interesting to see what Emma says. I'm no BNP supporter but she does seem to be one of the few BNP councillors who takes the job seriously and puts the effort in.
thurrockbnp, grays says...
10:01am Thu 20 May 10
Baphomet wrote:LOL Matey. You're not related to the Green Arrow by any chance?
JoeJohn wrote: Emma Colgate - are you really surprised??The BNP should now sack her.
Emma Colgate's decision was in agreement with local officials and was considered to be in the best interests of her constituents that she represents in Tilbury.
"Decent White People" Cobblers!
Frank1, Grays says...
10:06am Thu 20 May 10
karen29 wrote:Swings and roundabouts though isn't it ? That last election was a bit of a surprise. Strongholds falling, others increasing majorities - I guess it is right when they say nobody was given the majority to rule.
Frank1 wrote:If a couple of dozen LibDem or Tory MPs jumped ship and became Labour to keep Gordon Brown in Government despite losing the election I would say that was cheating democracy.
Would Garry Hague therefore argue that the national party has cheated democracy by making the ConDem pact and grabbing power ? Pot, kettle ?
If you look at it the other way, you could say the majority voted not to have a Tory government and the system gave them the greatest amount of seats.
**** statistics ! The only good thing is the chance we might get the voting process changed for slightly better representation of the actual vote. Not holding my breath on that one though !
Baphomet, Thurrock says...
10:25am Thu 20 May 10
thurrockbnp wrote:The best interest of her constituents, considering that most of them are African, Eastern European and workshy chav scum I now see why she has defected but she is still a traitor and has gone against what she originally stood for.
Baphomet wrote:LOL Matey. You're not related to the Green Arrow by any chance?
JoeJohn wrote: Emma Colgate - are you really surprised??The BNP should now sack her.
Emma Colgate's decision was in agreement with local officials and was considered to be in the best interests of her constituents that she represents in Tilbury.
"Decent White People" Cobblers!
thurrockbnp, grays says...
10:35am Thu 20 May 10
Baphomet wrote:"Workshy Chav Scum" We told people during the elections that the rest of the Borough looked down on the Tilbury people. For years we have seen other areas prosper at the expense of Tilbury. We ain't going to sit back and let it continue without a fight.
thurrockbnp wrote:The best interest of her constituents, considering that most of them are African, Eastern European and workshy chav scum I now see why she has defected but she is still a traitor and has gone against what she originally stood for.Baphomet wrote:LOL Matey. You're not related to the Green Arrow by any chance? Emma Colgate's decision was in agreement with local officials and was considered to be in the best interests of her constituents that she represents in Tilbury. "Decent White People" Cobblers!JoeJohn wrote: Emma Colgate - are you really surprised??The BNP should now sack her.
Deragatory comments about Tilbury People.. Bring em on.
Baphomet, Thurrock says...
10:54am Thu 20 May 10
chickenfeed1, Thurrock says...
11:22am Thu 20 May 10
Freddy K, Grays says...
11:23am Thu 20 May 10
The whole of Thurrock council should hang their heads in shame over this travesty, the best thing now would be to unseat all the councillors and hold a fresh election for the borough.
This has been a two fingured salute from the Labour party to all those that cast a vote at the local elections and it absolutley disgusting behaviour.
labour will drag this borough even further into the mire as they did during their last term in office.
the best thing for Thurrock is to go back to being a part of Essex County Council and drop the unitary body once and for all as it has proved that it cannot work on it's own and all the councillors are concerned about is power and point scoring.
Freddy K, Grays says...
11:25am Thu 20 May 10
Baphomet, Thurrock says...
11:34am Thu 20 May 10
Freddy K wrote:I agree.
chickenfeed1, I am with you on that suggestion, those that defected should be forced to hold local elections in their wards, they were voted in as part of their old party nad once a defection is made they should held to accound and a revote needs to be taken.
Maybe the good people of Thurrock should plan a protest outside the Council offices. The good people of Thurrock get sh*t on once again.
Maybe one day we will have councillors that actually care about the decent law abiding working people of Thurrock?
karen29, Grays says...
12:54pm Thu 20 May 10
Freddy K, Grays says...
1:44pm Thu 20 May 10
All those councillors that no longer live in the borough or decided to switch partys should be struck off and a new vote in their wards taken
Thurrockforall, Little Thurrock says...
2:10pm Thu 20 May 10
John Kent and his Team have a big job on their hands but they are ready and willing to rebuild Thurrock for all. Get used to it and engage.
Freddy K, Grays says...
2:47pm Thu 20 May 10
The turncoats should be thrown out of the chamber and a new vote should take place with them based on their new party, this is leadership by the backdoor and should be stamped out instantly.
As for the £7m, how much was missing that last time Labour was at the helm?
karen29, Grays says...
3:06pm Thu 20 May 10
Make Thurrock Better, says...
3:16pm Thu 20 May 10
Hopefully this is the start of the Labour fight back. A party that has integrity and was not prepared to ditch most of its manifesto for a coalition.
chickenfeed1, Thurrock says...
3:22pm Thu 20 May 10
Thurrock labour have just proposed an ex Tory as their Mayor, appointed a chair of planning who incidentially an ex Tory and fought like crazy to get another ex tory in Haslam onto the same committee. LOTS of integrity
Make Thurrock Better, says...
3:35pm Thu 20 May 10
With regard to Labour appointing Tory people, with the balance of power on a knife edge that is bound to happen but in doing so they will not sell out Labour voters.
Freddy K, Grays says...
3:42pm Thu 20 May 10
People vote both Tory and Labour and did not want one single party in power as per the way the vote went, all Labour have done now is to show their true colours of not listening to the people of Thurrock.
I still say that those who defected to an opposition party should be withdrwan from the council until such time that they are voted back in by their constituents, this is a backhanded way of circumventing the rules and regulations of local government, they should have the decency to go back to their wards and stand for what they now believe in and let the public decide if they still want them after defecting from one party to the other.
I agree that Labour will not sell out Labour voters however they may just sell their soul to the devil for a few peices of silver.
Make Thurrock Better, says...
4:11pm Thu 20 May 10
This coalition has created utter confusion and left the Labour party as the only mainstream party that is independent and able to fight for its own causes. After this ends we will be back to two party politics in this country as the Lib Dems have shot themselves in the foot for short term gain. True Conservatives must be livid at what is being ditched.
Nye Bevin, chadwell says...
5:21pm Thu 20 May 10
But Labour must be proud today. For all of Terry the T*t and his talk of a Tory-BNP pact, the BNP voted for the Labour nomination for Mayor (and the casting vote which follows) and then for the Labour leader. So Terry are you going to quit Labour as well and join UKIP, which also was so outraged at Tory-BNP pacts but supported a parliamentary candidate who said in the 2007 local elections 'there's no UKIP, so I will vote BNP'????
Interesting . . . .
diggerdave, Chadwell says...
7:20pm Thu 20 May 10
Make Thurrock Better, says...
7:49pm Thu 20 May 10
No I am not an activist just a Labour party supporter for around 35 years. Despite all its faults I still believe the Labour party has the interests of the poorer and underprivaleged at heart. I have lived in different areas one of them being one of the most expensive areas in London and I have seen first hand how class and money divides people. How any working class person from Thurrock can think that David Cameron will fight for them is beyond me.
Nye Bevin, chadwell says...
8:10pm Thu 20 May 10
The Tories have notched up many wins in many places in this borough well beyond the watermark of 2004.
How you think the Labour group and the borough can be best served by the incredibly wealthy Madam Defarge of Great Malgraves is probably the bigger question (although she and yours alike seem to have served themselves quite well in terms of posts and salary)
Make Thurrock Better, says...
8:32pm Thu 20 May 10
I agree all councillors should live in their borough and preferably in their ward also.
Working class people who vote Troy have been conned and it stretches back to the days when Thatcher had people buying their council house and dabbling in shares etc. People saw themselves differently. That's what Tony Blair understood. Owning your own home and having a few shares in no way makes you equal to the privaleged start the moneyed people have where wealth stretches back generations meaning that they have a large deposit for their first home, pay it back early and then get inherited wealth on top by the time they are middle aged so the whole cycle starts all over again for their children. I was the first in my family to get a mortgage. I'm still paying it off. I have nothing to offer my adult children to start them off. So they will be in the same position we were only now they can't even afford to get on the housing ladder. They will get the house when I'm dead but they will be middle aged by then. You see it's not quite the same deal when a working class person buys their own home as it is when the moneyed do is it? The same with shares. There's not much profit to be had on a few hundred but if you have thousands invested.........
Nye Bevin, chadwell says...
9:17pm Thu 20 May 10
I'm not really sure what your point is about working class Tories being conned if this is basis of your judgment. If anything Tony Blair and Brown made home ownership a central plank of their appeal to people and they weren't to constrained about regulating the banks to prevent people taking out mortgages way above their incomes.
Try another argument, you never know you may find a winner. I mean you've just got the BNP vote in Thurrock, even with a legacy of mass immigration
pa, Grays says...
7:12am Fri 21 May 10
Eddie, aveley says...
7:52am Fri 21 May 10
thurrockbnp, grays says...
8:08am Fri 21 May 10
Baphomet wrote:So is it who runs the Council who is responsible for the amount of Immigrants coming into the Borough?
Well, the decent white people may as well put their houses up for sale now and move away from Thurrock. It has just been taken over by a group of traitors. I can't believe that Emma Colgate had sided with labour, could she be any more two faced? You think the flood of immigrants has been bad, you wait and see how bad it gets now.
If this is the case surely we must blame the Tories as they have been in charge since 2003.
If it is the fault of Government then if Thurrock is flooded further, is it not the Tories who are to blame as they are in charge of Government now?
Baphomet, Thurrock says...
10:20am Fri 21 May 10
thurrockbnp wrote:Why are you bnp people suddenly against the torys? Surely they are far more suited to your ideals than Labour. What has happened over the last few days here has really opened my eyes to the BNP, I have now seen that you lot really haven't got a clue what you are doing. There was a time when I would have voted for you but not now, Colgate will jump into bed with the devil if she was told to.
Baphomet wrote:So is it who runs the Council who is responsible for the amount of Immigrants coming into the Borough?
Well, the decent white people may as well put their houses up for sale now and move away from Thurrock. It has just been taken over by a group of traitors. I can't believe that Emma Colgate had sided with labour, could she be any more two faced? You think the flood of immigrants has been bad, you wait and see how bad it gets now.
If this is the case surely we must blame the Tories as they have been in charge since 2003.
If it is the fault of Government then if Thurrock is flooded further, is it not the Tories who are to blame as they are in charge of Government now?
thurrockbnp, grays says...
11:37am Fri 21 May 10
Baphomet wrote:The Tory's are nothing more than wolves in sheeps clothing.
thurrockbnp wrote:Why are you bnp people suddenly against the torys? Surely they are far more suited to your ideals than Labour. What has happened over the last few days here has really opened my eyes to the BNP, I have now seen that you lot really haven't got a clue what you are doing. There was a time when I would have voted for you but not now, Colgate will jump into bed with the devil if she was told to.Baphomet wrote: Well, the decent white people may as well put their houses up for sale now and move away from Thurrock. It has just been taken over by a group of traitors. I can't believe that Emma Colgate had sided with labour, could she be any more two faced? You think the flood of immigrants has been bad, you wait and see how bad it gets now.So is it who runs the Council who is responsible for the amount of Immigrants coming into the Borough? If this is the case surely we must blame the Tories as they have been in charge since 2003. If it is the fault of Government then if Thurrock is flooded further, is it not the Tories who are to blame as they are in charge of Government now?
They are the ones who championed multiculturalism & diversity and who unashamedly told us all how great it all was, google Tory Gareth Davies.
They are the ones responsible for funding minority groups like TRUST all this time to the tune of 70+ grand a year.
How Liberal is that!
But don't worry, just like yourself we know exactly what we're doing.
And on another note, if you think that this matter has been bad for the Thurrock Tory Group, just wait and see what's in store for them next.
Evening all.
thurrockbnp, grays says...
11:47am Fri 21 May 10
Councillor Gareth Davies,
Portfolio holder for Business and Culture, October 2007
smkinnear, Midlothian says...
1:56pm Fri 21 May 10
phantomfudgepacker, linford says...
2:02pm Fri 21 May 10
It's funny how she dressed in burka in Tilbury with a Vote Labour poster to show how immigrants vote and then actually does vote for them herself
thurrockbnp, grays says...
3:00pm Fri 21 May 10
phantomfudgepacker wrote:It's good to see Tory's Bleed.
I think Cllr Colgate has just overplayed her hand and if she thinks otherwise, she is in for a serious surprise in 2011. It's funny how she dressed in burka in Tilbury with a Vote Labour poster to show how immigrants vote and then actually does vote for them herself
phantomfudgepacker, linford says...
3:28pm Fri 21 May 10
If this is the case surely we must blame the Tories as they have been in charge since 2003.
If it is the fault of Government then if Thurrock is flooded further, is it not the Tories who are to blame as they are in charge of Government now?
Well immigration is not the fault of the local council, so why do the BNP campaign on the matter when standing for local council and yes it is a national issue, but are you seriously blaming a two week old Government?
Labour allowed in 3 million immigrants, so how does the BNP respond? By voting Labour
thurrockbnp, grays says...
3:48pm Fri 21 May 10
phantomfudgepacker wrote:And how many did the Tories let in between 1979-1997?
So is it who runs the Council who is responsible for the amount of Immigrants coming into the Borough? If this is the case surely we must blame the Tories as they have been in charge since 2003. If it is the fault of Government then if Thurrock is flooded further, is it not the Tories who are to blame as they are in charge of Government now? Well immigration is not the fault of the local council, so why do the BNP campaign on the matter when standing for local council and yes it is a national issue, but are you seriously blaming a two week old Government? Labour allowed in 3 million immigrants, so how does the BNP respond? By voting Labour
Answer 7 Million.
phantomfudgepacker, linford says...
4:00pm Fri 21 May 10
thurrockbnp, grays says...
4:33pm Fri 21 May 10
Thomas Johns, Grays says...
5:29pm Fri 21 May 10
phantomfudgepacker, linford says...
6:17pm Fri 21 May 10
thurrockbnp, grays says...
6:52pm Fri 21 May 10
phantomfudgepacker wrote:Well that's funny. I couldn't find anything regarding Emma Colgate wearing a Burkha in Tilbury either.
Did that and found nothing
phantomfudgepacker, linford says...
8:34pm Fri 21 May 10
Nye Bevin, chadwell says...
9:21pm Fri 21 May 10
Great judgement by the British National Labour Party
thurrockbnp, grays says...
8:10am Sat 22 May 10
Or should it be The LibCon Party.
Celebrating black history month Mr Davies said,
"No one should doubt that Thurrock is a modern and multicultural borough. As our towns continue to grow and expand, so does the diversity of our residents. Events such as Black History Month are an important opportunity to meet our neighbours, to learn of different cultures and celebrate what makes Thurrock and other towns, cities and countries throughout the world, a special place."
Councillor Gareth Davies,
Portfolio holder for Business and Culture, October 2007
phantomfudgepacker, linford says...
3:17pm Sat 22 May 10
thurrockbnp, grays says...
4:03pm Sat 22 May 10
phantomfudgepacker wrote:Maybe that's because we are the only BNP "bunch" in the UK to of ever been in a position to put in place a Labour administration in the first place.
What is this? A game of Just of a Minute? Hesitation, deviation or repetition? What is your point? You've just put into power the party that imports votes to stay in power and thrives over black history month more than any other. Thurrock BNP must be the only bunch in the UK to have voted in a Labour administration , the party of mass immigration! You couldnt make it up!
Unlike some of your supporters we don't vote on the basis of hate, we vote on fairness.
We are locally a party that has it's roots in the real working class and we are giving Labour a chance to do the right thing for our people.
The Petty Bourgeoisie can get stuffed.
Nye Bevin, chadwell says...
5:34pm Sat 22 May 10
This is all classic stuff. 'Give Labour a chance'. Two weeks ago you relished them losing the Government, this week you're blaming the Tories for immigration problems because they are in government. A few weeks ago you were dressed up to highlight that immigrants vote Labour, this week you are!
This is hysterical. Can't wait for your interview in TG next week.
jbibby, Tilbury says...
6:04pm Sat 22 May 10
thurrockbnp wrote:The petty bourgeoisie can get stuffed!
phantomfudgepacker wrote: What is this? A game of Just of a Minute? Hesitation, deviation or repetition? What is your point? You've just put into power the party that imports votes to stay in power and thrives over black history month more than any other. Thurrock BNP must be the only bunch in the UK to have voted in a Labour administration , the party of mass immigration! You couldnt make it up!Maybe that's because we are the only BNP "bunch" in the UK to of ever been in a position to put in place a Labour administration in the first place. Unlike some of your supporters we don't vote on the basis of hate, we vote on fairness. We are locally a party that has it's roots in the real working class and we are giving Labour a chance to do the right thing for our people. The Petty Bourgeoisie can get stuffed.
A Commie phrase!
The working classes will be telling you to get stuffed next May. I wanted a party that looked out for us here in Tilbury not back up what the country just kicked out.
I wish I never voted for you now
thurrockbnp, grays says...
6:08pm Sat 22 May 10
Nye Bevin wrote:"This is hysterical"
Which people are they now? The immigrants? What fence will you sit on tomorrow? This is all classic stuff. 'Give Labour a chance'. Two weeks ago you relished them losing the Government, this week you're blaming the Tories for immigration problems because they are in government. A few weeks ago you were dressed up to highlight that immigrants vote Labour, this week you are! This is hysterical. Can't wait for your interview in TG next week.
Now you are the one who is being hysterical.
You know full well that it's Councillor Colgate who has an interview in next weeks paper.
Next.
kbatts, Aveley says...
8:49pm Sun 23 May 10
C100sw, Chafford Hundred says...
12:45am Mon 24 May 10
kbatts, Aveley says...
2:01am Mon 24 May 10
pa, Grays says...
7:42am Mon 24 May 10
local election reformer, Everywhere says...
11:19am Mon 24 May 10
That aside kbatts, hate to tell you this, councillors and council workers work well in most other places when they are not whining at the others failures and just getting on with their respective jobs.
PA I think you find John Kent gets paid as a director of Basildon Hospital, which is failing, the Thames Gateway, which is failing and EERA which I think has now been wound up. Now that is a C.V we should be scared of!
I would also suggest everyone write to David Cameron asking that if a person gets elected under one party and leaves they should have a by election within 3 months. This would be the same as his plans for unelected priministers. Lets see these politicians with no moral fibre be held account if they jump ship.
Baphomet, Thurrock says...
1:31pm Mon 24 May 10
As for Thurrock BNP blaming the tories for our immigration problem, what a joker. What has gone on here has done nothing but damage the BNP, you have lost the confidence of the white working class that were your voters. Do you think that by helping Labour the BNP will gain immigrant votes? You may as well put posters up in Thurrock with you lot arm in arm with Africans and Eastern Europeans and the slogan 'it's ok we have changed our minds, you can stay after all'.
phantomfudgepacker, linford says...
1:45pm Mon 24 May 10
It's amazing though how Labour has taken in or allied to all of the worst offenders of the Tory years - Hipsey and his car parking charges, mad Anne the mayoral mullah and now Haslam, who tried to pass illegal planning decisions with the backing of Rice and Smith (oh yea!)
They win great converts especially now with the BNP councillor
kbatts, Aveley says...
7:55pm Mon 24 May 10
jinksbella, Stanford le Hope says...
11:33am Tue 25 May 10
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chickenfeed1, Thurrock says...
10:04pm Wed 19 May 10
Democracy 0
The people of Thurrock should revolt and demand an election in all the defectors seats