Logging Off With Off The Record

Posted by David Sudworth on February 15, 2008 6:42 PM

SADLY this is my final posting on this blog. I officially left the Advertiser today as I'm off to pastures new.

I'd like to thank everyone who has read and contributed to my blog and the Battle for West Lancs election blog I set up last April.

It's been great fun covering the local politics of West Lancs but decided (alert - horrible cliche ahead!) it's now time to seek out other opportunities.

I'm still living in West Lancs and will as ever maintain a keen interest in local politics - I may even turn up to a few council meetings (depending what's on the telly of course).

Seriously though, I've met some brilliant people along the way, got into a few scrapes (all part of the job) but hope I've managed in some small way to stoke some interest in the workings of local government in West Lancashire.

It's the duty of every newspaper, especially local ones, to keep its readers abreast of what decisions are being made in their name and how their hard-earned cash is being spent.

The Advertiser, in this respect, has always set the standard for others to follow, long before I arrived and hopefully this will continue to be the case in the future in the future.

All the best, and thanks for reading my rambles.

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Political Blasts From The Past

Posted by David Sudworth on February 14, 2008 4:44 PM

I FOUND these pics during a bit of a sort out today at my desk, showing both Conservative and Labour functions in West Lancs over recent years.

I recognise a few from the Tory, namely Geoff Roberts (leader), Don Burns, and Margaret Edwards, both ex councillors plus a few others./

With the Labour pic, it's obviously David Blunkett visit West Lancs while Labour was still in control, which would make it around the mid 1990s, including the late Cllr Walter Brown as well as a few well-known councillors of today, Alan Bullen and Bob Pendleton...

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Man About The House

Posted by David Sudworth on February 13, 2008 8:24 PM

IN this week's Advertiser there's an indepth, behind-the-scenes look at life in the House of Commons.

It comes after West Lancs MP Rosie Cooper kindly allowed me to shadow her for a day - and what a day it turned out to be, as I ended up meeting the PM Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, as well as many more famous names.

Hopefully the write up will give you a taste of what life is really like in the corridors of power away from the media scrum where MPs of all persuasions - shock, horror - actually share a laugh and a joke with each other once the serious business is out of the way.

Hope you find it of interest, I know I did.

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Is It Really Necessary to Bash the Bishop?

Posted by David Sudworth on February 11, 2008 7:37 PM

THE Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is a victim of serious misreporting.

There, I've said it. No excuses on behalf of the media, he's truly been hauled over the coals for no apparent reason other than seemingly wanting to start a debate (full text can be found here).

I think alot of the problems are that basically there's some people in this country who think men of the cloth should stick to dishing out bread and wine and leave the politics to politicians.

To think that though is to ignore the fact the two are closely linked (Northern Ireland is a classic example).

Coming down so heavily on Rowan Williams for speaking about it is an insult to the notion that this is a free country, which is what is was the last time I checked.

Not only that, it stops others from debating other issues of a sensitive nature, for fear of being pilloried.

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Frank McKenna Q&A

Posted by David Sudworth on January 24, 2008 9:35 AM

HOPE you've all managed to read the Big Interview by now. If not, click on the image above.

Here's the Q&A from tha interview which I've saved as a treat to my loyal blog reader(s).

McKENNA ON...

...GORDON BROWN
“I think he made a mistake not calling a General Election last autumn. He should have done because we’d have won and Cameron would have been finished.
“He’ll prove over the next 12 months that he’s a very good Prime Minister.”

...DAVID CAMERON
“He’s certainly no Tony Blair because he got the party to drop Clause Four. Cameron has yet to take his party with him when it comes to change, with the grammar schools row being a good example.”

...DONATIONS
“We’re in danger of seeing all of politics as corrupt, and actually it’s better here than a lot of countries this world.
“The business of politics is expensive and the rules for donations are extremely complex, as we’ve seen with what’s happened to Peter Hain, David Cameron and George Osborne.”

...WEST LANCS DISTRICT COUNCIL
“I’d like to see it go for unitary authority status. I think Bill Taylor (chief executive) and Les Abernethy (deputy chief executive) deserve the chance to show what they can do on a bigger scale.”

...COUNCILLORS
“They should be paid more but have fewer of them. Afterall, I’ve never had anyone come to me asking more more bureaucracy and yet that’s what we give them.”

...ADRIAN OWENS
“Adrian is a very able public debater but he’d feel more comfortable in a Thatcher-led party. It’ll be interesting to see the differences which appear between him and David Cameron.
“The last West Lancs Tory MP, Ken Hind, was very consensual so Adrian is the best candidate for us fight.”

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Frank McKenna - Exclusive Interview

Posted by David Sudworth on January 23, 2008 4:21 PM

IN this week's Addy (Jan 24) we've got an exclusive interview with Frank McKenna, ex-leader elect of Lancs County Council.

It's now five years since the fraud charges against the ex-Labour councillor and colleague John Fillis were dropped.

It promises to be an interesting read... so don't forget to pick upt he Addy this Thursday.

Also, tomorrow morning I'll be uploading a special Q&A session from the interview where Frank gives his views on Bill Taylor, Adrian Owens, Gordon Brown and party funding.

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