Friday, February 03, 2006
Rebel Alliance
Rebel Alliance
I recall the first announcement made by Cllrs. Jim Capstick and Jane Branley proclaiming a new era in South Tyneside's politics with their formation of an Independant Alliance. The Shields Gazette described the grouping as "The Rebel Alliance" because of the united stand that these Councillors took against moves to locate a new "super school" at Temple Memorial Park, and their joint proposal of an alternative budget last year.
However, I begin to wonder whether our local "press johnnies" had wind of another scheme to create this new electoral grouping. The South Shields Progressive Association evolved from the remnants of the South Shields Rent and Ratepayers Association almost fourty years ago. As an organisation it has faded and is now ailing, it has a very small membership and no assets or property to call it's own, it exists only because of the efforts of people like Jim Capstick, Ken Hickman, and the family of Harry Marshall. In all probability, no other activities take place other than the fighting of elections, i.e. no coffee morning fund raisers, no social occassions, no regular dinner clubs for businessmen etc. In other words it has become a very loose grouping of Councillors of independant thought who oppose strongly the rule of Labour in this Borough.
They, at present, are quite apolitical, leaning this way or that without any strong direction. In a previous life the Progressive Association was fairly right of centre, certainly in the seventies and eighties when people like George and Stan Smith, Ken Charlton, Derek Thorpe, Maurice Piggott, George Wilkinson, Eddie Russell, John Webb, and myself populated their ranks of elected Councillors (incidentally, we were all members of The Conservative Party also.) In an earlier age people like Bob Bainbridge, Warden Newby, and Harry Marshall had quite Liberal views, yet never, in my experience has the Progressive Association chrysallised in the manner that it is doing now.
As an independant body, it's main aim has always been to oppose the edicts of the local Labour Party and to offer an alternative that is not based upon the ideaologies and ideas of any of the national parties, but seeking only to represent the views of the local population. You may think that in previous years that they were only a "cover" for the Conservatives, this is not true at all, we were never in any danger of becoming the majority block within the Progressive Association. The worry now is that the independant thought and mind of the Association is about to be turned to the left.
Recent announcements of Candidates to stand for the Alliance in May are beginning to display a distinctly "rebellious" streak, an influx of members and candidates who have spent a former life in the Labour Party, before being elbowed out or leaving dissolutioned. It is less than three years since some of them represented Labour on the Council, or fought under it's banner at election time. Husband and wife team Allan and Jane Branley, George Elsom, Tom Defty, and now John Hodgson are all former Labour "rebels" who upset the party whips before suffering at reselection meetings.
It is starting to look like the acquisition by a predatory entrepreneur of a virtually dead "shell" company, ready to be rebuilt with new and different trading purposes.
It will be rather interesting to see, after next week's public meeting, how the Alliance prepares to present policy.
* What direction will they take?
* What alternatives to Labour will they offer?
* If given the reigns of power, what would their spending plans be?
* Would they continue as a fully united opposition if they fail to make big inroads into Labour's majority?
* Will they have radical new ideas for us?
* For the floating voter is the choice to be between one socialist and another?
It is little wonder that the Conservative Councillors decided against joining the new Alliance opposition group.
My crystal ball sees solicitors preparing divorce papers sometime in the future.
Link
2003 election results
_________________________________________________________________
I recall the first announcement made by Cllrs. Jim Capstick and Jane Branley proclaiming a new era in South Tyneside's politics with their formation of an Independant Alliance. The Shields Gazette described the grouping as "The Rebel Alliance" because of the united stand that these Councillors took against moves to locate a new "super school" at Temple Memorial Park, and their joint proposal of an alternative budget last year.
However, I begin to wonder whether our local "press johnnies" had wind of another scheme to create this new electoral grouping. The South Shields Progressive Association evolved from the remnants of the South Shields Rent and Ratepayers Association almost fourty years ago. As an organisation it has faded and is now ailing, it has a very small membership and no assets or property to call it's own, it exists only because of the efforts of people like Jim Capstick, Ken Hickman, and the family of Harry Marshall. In all probability, no other activities take place other than the fighting of elections, i.e. no coffee morning fund raisers, no social occassions, no regular dinner clubs for businessmen etc. In other words it has become a very loose grouping of Councillors of independant thought who oppose strongly the rule of Labour in this Borough.
They, at present, are quite apolitical, leaning this way or that without any strong direction. In a previous life the Progressive Association was fairly right of centre, certainly in the seventies and eighties when people like George and Stan Smith, Ken Charlton, Derek Thorpe, Maurice Piggott, George Wilkinson, Eddie Russell, John Webb, and myself populated their ranks of elected Councillors (incidentally, we were all members of The Conservative Party also.) In an earlier age people like Bob Bainbridge, Warden Newby, and Harry Marshall had quite Liberal views, yet never, in my experience has the Progressive Association chrysallised in the manner that it is doing now.
As an independant body, it's main aim has always been to oppose the edicts of the local Labour Party and to offer an alternative that is not based upon the ideaologies and ideas of any of the national parties, but seeking only to represent the views of the local population. You may think that in previous years that they were only a "cover" for the Conservatives, this is not true at all, we were never in any danger of becoming the majority block within the Progressive Association. The worry now is that the independant thought and mind of the Association is about to be turned to the left.
Recent announcements of Candidates to stand for the Alliance in May are beginning to display a distinctly "rebellious" streak, an influx of members and candidates who have spent a former life in the Labour Party, before being elbowed out or leaving dissolutioned. It is less than three years since some of them represented Labour on the Council, or fought under it's banner at election time. Husband and wife team Allan and Jane Branley, George Elsom, Tom Defty, and now John Hodgson are all former Labour "rebels" who upset the party whips before suffering at reselection meetings.
It is starting to look like the acquisition by a predatory entrepreneur of a virtually dead "shell" company, ready to be rebuilt with new and different trading purposes.
It will be rather interesting to see, after next week's public meeting, how the Alliance prepares to present policy.
* What direction will they take?
* What alternatives to Labour will they offer?
* If given the reigns of power, what would their spending plans be?
* Would they continue as a fully united opposition if they fail to make big inroads into Labour's majority?
* Will they have radical new ideas for us?
* For the floating voter is the choice to be between one socialist and another?
It is little wonder that the Conservative Councillors decided against joining the new Alliance opposition group.
My crystal ball sees solicitors preparing divorce papers sometime in the future.
Link
2003 election results
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