Forum Topic

Question for Councillor Theo Dennison re Hounslow Labour's new honest and community-focused approach

I have just noticed the following on the blog of Councillor Ruth Cadbury, Brentford ward councillor and former Deputy Leader of the Labour Group at LBH:"Before I left the Civic Centre on Tuesday I signed the order to repair the roof at St John’s Community Centre in Isleworth...the issue was in my In-tray when I took over Cabinet responsibility for Assets in May this year, and as soon as committee members showed me round the centre, I ensured we had funds in the capital budget to cover the repair costs (my emphasis) and instructed officers to go out to tender."I was wondering whether, in the spirit of the new openness being enthusiastically embraced by the current administration, you would be able to explain why Councillor Cadbury would need to "ensure" funds were available which had already been allocated at the insistence of ICG councillors at the Borough Council Budget Meeting in April 2010, and which you yourself recently confirmed had remained available ever since?In return I promise not to mention the fact that Councillor Cadbury and every one of her colleagues voted against the allocation at that meeting.

Phil Andrews ● 5160d83 Comments

That sounds like a good deal but don't hold back on my account.I was told several times that despite the decision of Council in 2010 no money had actually been placed or transferred into a separate fund, reserve or contingency.  But no one argued twice that the decision wasn't taken, so the liability or commitment clearly remained and I agreed with the Director of Finance that this liability should be funded from a little known pot called the Capital Reserve which had more than enough to cover the commitment.Ruth's seemingly puzzling description neatly encapsulates the process of getting the relevant officers to confirm what we all know, always did know and wouldn't let others forget.

Theo Dennison ● 5160d

What a noble subject, if he had only a noble Queen...:)

Phil Andrews ● 5160d

Phil, I think everyone is entitled to be a hero in their own blog and both you and I, as well as all the hard working volunteers and users of the St John's Centre have much to celebrate in Ruth's epiphany.

Theo Dennison ● 5159d

That is fair comment up to a point.  There are 7 billion people in this world and I publish my own blog on the possibly mistaken assumption that two or three dozen of them are interested in my thoughts, where I take my holidays and my various ailments and maladies.What I don't do though is try to stop a thing from happening and then try to claim the credit for it when it does happen.  I would not have the nerve to do that, neither I suspect would the large majority of the aforesaid 7 billion.  There are though a small minority who would, and I would suggest that a disproportionate number of them are to be found amongst the ranks of the Hounslow Labour Party.  Ruth is their natural leader.Look, this isn't about credit for the ICG.  I am not too interested in that and I suspect my colleagues aren't either.  It is about simple honesty.  More importantly, it is about the preparedness of a local administration which professes to have become more open and honest to acknowledge the role of ordinary everyday people in the community in achieving something positive.I have related elsewhere how a few years back I was described by the Labour Group as "mean spirited" for amending a motion praising the then Mayor of London Ken Livingstone for the Safer Neighbourhood Teams to extend the plaudits to the community volunteers who made it all work.  Therein lies the essence of the point I am trying to get across.Ruth appears utterly incapable of accepting that the community can do anything of any value to itself without her beloved party intervening on its behalf.  I suspect that as well as trying to convince others that this is the case there is an element of trying to convince herself.If this was some peculiar personality quirk that was Ruth's and Ruth's alone then this wouldn't be a much of a problem.  But Ruth is still a prominent member of the local party and her mindset would seem to be institutional within that group.There is just nothing that can be said that can justify this Theo, though your loyalty in attempting to mitigate it is to be commended nevertheless.

Phil Andrews ● 5158d

Lets not beat around the bush here,Cllr Cadbury has been dishonest in the hope of future votesThe residents in the St Johns Rd area are well aware where and when this 250k was allocated and that the ICG despite opposition from the Labour Group including Cllr Cadbury were the ones who made this funding available

Paul Fisher ● 5158d

Not only is it dishonest, it is also extremely stupid.There are, for argument's sake, about 1,000 residents living in the St. John's area, depending upon how rigidly one would define it.  Of these I would say around 100 are active with one user group or another and are thereby in close and regular contact with the Community Centre.When one is dealing with those kind of numbers the grapevine is almost instantaneous.  It is reasonable to assume that more or less every resident of that area knows the story of how and by whom the allocation of the funds for the roof repairs was made.That is 1,000 voters, in a vulnerable ward, that will be aware within a week or two from now that the party which tried to block the allocation of the funding for the roof is now claiming the credit for the same allocation having been made.  Simple pride leaves us with no option but to ensure that this happens.Labour will not get one new vote from the St. John's area from this tactic, but it will lose many.  Nobody likes to be lied to.Now let us consider the implications of this in terms of votes - the pursuance of which, after all, is what lies behind this disgraceful tactic.Should the ICG decide to contest Syon again at the next local elections, it will be the beneficiary in voting terms of Labour's own goal.  Should it decide against, there will less of an exodus but the Conservatives will still benefit to some extent from the adverse reaction to Labour's false claims.  They could, after all, point out that the allocation was made under their administration, albeit with the Tories being dragged kicking and screaming.Ruth, meanwhile, will probably be in self-congratulatory mood and certainly will not be concerned.  She is, after all, a Brentford councillor and it is in Syon that her damage will be done.My own personal dilemma is that as a point of very firm principle I do not want to see the Tories profiting from their coalition betrayals by making gains in either Syon or Isleworth.  Not at any cost.  But equally I feel obligated to do whatever lies within my capability to try to set the record straight over St. John's.So where does that lead us to I wonder?

Phil Andrews ● 5157d

Maybe Ruth was trying to speak 'elegantly' as #Romney might say - not quite convinced she was actually trying to be dishonest or that it was some sophisticated political tactic - nobody could be in any doubt locally about where the money came from and nobody not local would care.However, for the avoidance of doubt, 'The £250k needed to repair the roof of St John's Centre was secured by the Isleworth Community Group councillors in 2010' - Theo DennisonThere will be no Labour leaflets in Syon claiming credit for this but there will be an apology for the dcecades of neglect that the Centre has suffered.Given the trouble Ruth's blogging has caused, do please feel free to stand against her in Brentford ;)

Theo Dennison ● 5157d

Brentford?  Now there's a thing...The role of the residents in working through the ICG (Independent Community Group actually, but let's not split hairs) is what is really important here.  That has to be acknowledged and your clarification achieves that.  Thanks.

Phil Andrews ● 5157d

Btw Theo, I don't live in Brentford ward - but I believe you do!Just saying, like.

Phil Andrews ● 5157d

There was not a vote at the April 2010 budget meeting on the funding for community buildings.  At that budget meeting we voted (twice) against a Tory budget over which we had a number of objectionss.  There was an impasse at the first vote when no budget was agreed (the ICG abstained), then an an adjournment, after which the Tory leader announced the original budget plus an additional £250,000 to "be identified to be funded from capital or revenue budgets".  No detail, no explanation, and in the light of the need for a local authority to have quite distinct and separate capital and revenue budgets, it was probably not fully compliant in the way it was drafted.  We stated we need more detail, and Phil Andrews did not use his right to speak.  This was not a separate amendment on which we had the opportunity to vote, but a change to the overall budget which we had already said we could not support.  Anyway with ICG now supporting it the Tory budget was agreed late in the evening.  Within weeks the election meant that we now controlled Hounslow's funding, but in the context of a 4-year cut in grant of £60m thanks to the Conservative Government's approach to public sector finances and local authorities in particular.  We had to go through the finances with a fine toothcomb, and make some very difficult decisions in a very short time including looking at the use and cost of all our buildings.  I assume this was the trigger for the campaign to save St John's.  Nevertheless, as budget lead, Theo ensured there was an element in the capital budget for Community buildings.  I took over the Cabinet responsibility for assets in May this year, and was shown the appalling state of the building by the St John's Community Centre committee.  They showed how they are able to cover the running costs of the building from lettings income, but that the leaking roof was turning some renters away and causing them additional costs.  I asked for an up-to-date technical survey and was pleased to see that it came well below the amount that had been bandied about, and so within the capital allocation available.  The tenedering process was not as complex as  it could have been, the contractors should be on site within a fortnight, and the committee can now plan for a dry and busy building in the months to come.

Cllr Ruth Cadbury ● 5157d

So what are you saying Ruth?  That the allocation we made at the 2010 budget was ignored by the officers at the time despite the fact that it had been made as part of a legal process, but was later acknowledged and the money released thanks to you and your party?  Are you then contradicting Theo's admission that it was the residents, through the ICG, who secured this money?Ruth, I have some bad news for you.  When a majority of councillors at a Borough Council Budget Meeting vote for a budget then that budget becomes fact irrespective of whether or not it is supported by the Labour Group.  Things do not automatically become invalid or "not really happening" just because they don't have your approval.I think it is high time you started to give communities some credit for the things that they do for themselves.  This doesn't in any way mean that they do not sometimes desire your help and there is no good reason why your party and the wider community cannot work together from a position of mutual respect, but respect and the state of perpetual dependency that you seem to prefer are two different things, and I would suggest mutually incompatible.The residents of St. John's secured this funding, through the ICG.  If it is your intention to try to pretend otherwise then bring it on, but it is your beloved party that will be the loser I can assure you.It strikes me that you are determined to cause unnecessary problems for Theo and his fellow ward councillors.  Have I inadvertently stumbled upon an internal feud here or something?

Phil Andrews ● 5156d

No and No.  My post was to contradict your assertion that I and Labour colleagues voted against a proposal to repair St John's community centre roof.  I was explaining that the change in the budget was detailed at the meeting (St John's not mentioned as I recall and certainly not in the minutes) nor was the opportunity to vote on it separately.My post then explained that a new administration in a worsened budget climate, all previously budgeted expenditure had to be reviewed.  However, we retained the capital allocation for community buildings (I don't recall it specifically said "St John's CC").  There was no feud, and I don't recall there being any proposal to remove it.  However the community campaign for St John's would certainly have stopped us ever seriously considering removing that element of the capital budget!  I do remember there was some concern that the budget would not be adequate and the costs to repair the roof would be a lot higher, but this was not at the stage it needed resolution.What secured that actual decision to spend the funding, was my visit to the centre, this June I think, on the invitation of the community Committee who run the hall on a day-to-day basis.

Cllr Ruth Cadbury ● 5156d

"What secured that actual decision to spend the funding, was my visit to the centre, this June I think, on the invitation of the community Committee who run the hall on a day-to-day basis."So in other words it was the community, through the ICG councillors, which secured the funding and you who took the decision not to take it away again!That isn't quite how it comes across on your blog Ruth, but thank you anyway for the clarification.

Phil Andrews ● 5156d

I see Ruth's blog article has attracted the following comment:"Well done on such an active and productive week, Ruth. You've also annoyed Phil Andrews, so you must be doing something right!"The comment is attributed to a poster who calls himself "Multiculturalist" - long-suffering TW8 posters will expect no prizes for guessing the identity of this particular poster.I wonder if the Labour Party in Hounslow really appreciates how much long-term damage it is inflicting upon itself by continuing to allow its strategic direction to be influenced by this moron?

Phil Andrews ● 5153d

Phil, you insight would be most welcome: I got a tx from Ruth earlier asking 'who is Multiculturalist?'

Theo Dennison ● 5153d

Ruth knows full well who he is Theo, but I'll not mention his name on here as he is a "man" of simple pleasures and any kind of public recognition of his sad and lonely existence goes straight to his head.  But here are a few clues:1.  He doesn't live in the borough2.  He has been banned from this forum, I believe for posting under false names3.  Unlike you and I he has never had the courage to stand for office himself4,  He nevertheless appears, sadly and most oddly, to wield more power in the Hounslow Labour Party than you do and has a following amongst those who think making unnecessary enemies and picking needless fights with all manner of people in the community is the way of the political genius.They say a person can be judged by the friends they keep.  In Ruth's case that would be the Facebook friends.P.S. Thanks both for visiting the estate this morning, it was much appreciated.

Phil Andrews ● 5153d

Please will someone name this "man"?  Please don't keep us ordinary constituents ignorant of someone who is so obviously all-powerful.

Rosemary Bunce ● 5153d

Thanks for the hint Phil, since he's a 'friend' of Ruth's on facebook I guess it must be your nemesis, Robin Taylor -the man that dare not speak his name

Theo Dennison ● 5153d

He's not my nemesis Theo - he's never done anything of sufficient consequence to earn the right to be called that.  He's just a very silly boy.But the danger is that he trades in conflict, and reacts very badly to any sign that the relationship between his party in Hounslow and the ICG might be mellowing as he feels that would make him redundant.  I would suggest that, party colleague or no party colleague, any man who is prepared to put your council seat on the line just so that he himself can stay "relevant" is not your friend.  But you're a smart guy, and I guess you will have worked that out already.

Phil Andrews ● 5153d

I apologise Phil, you are absolutely right and I wrote 'nemesis' purely in jest - I have never met him but notwithstanding that I think I have an even lower opinion of him than you - he's a poisonous and remarkably offensive twerp.

Theo Dennison ● 5153d

And I responded in jest Theo - I'm never as serious as I sometimes give the impression of being on here :)

Phil Andrews ● 5153d

You would have every reason to be offended if you had not taken it so - like stuff that can be picked up on your shoe, having even a whiff of him around is not very funny

Theo Dennison ● 5153d

Theo,I had to chuckle at your comment that Robin Taylor is a 'poisonous and remarkably offensive twerp'. It won't come as news to you, but that is precisely how you are viewed by most members of Hounslow Labour Group. This helps to explain your recent demotion from the council cabinet. I can understand your bitterness but you are unlikely to endear yourself to your colleagues by brown-nosing Phil Andrews.

Michael Rose ● 5152d

Can hardly be regarded as the most popular people themselves - viz Colin Ellar,attacked publicly by former Labour loyalist Vanessa Smith.

Ian Speed ● 5152d

Apols for my previous but incomplete post:  Robin Taylor is 'a poisonous and remarkably offensive twerp' who believes trolling on TW8 under a succession of made up names shows that he has friends.

Theo Dennison ● 5152d

My post was not a defence of Robin Taylor, it was an appraisel of how you're seen by your Labour Group colleagues.  Still, at least you didn't deny that most of them have a low opinion of you.Have a nice day.

Michael Rose ● 5152d

"it was an appraisel of how you're seen by your Labour Group colleagues."and how would you know that, 'Michael'  ??

Steve Taylor ● 5152d

I don't think anybody who has been around on these forums for more than a year or two will have taken too long to tumble "Michael".  Robin has lots of form for this kind of thing and, in any event, I doubt whether such a person as "Michael" could exist in the Hounslow Labour Group at the centre of things without Theo being aware of his existence!  He must be a real berk to think he could have pulled this particular deception off.However, that is not what is important.What is important is what was actually said, and I would hope and expect that certain of Theo's colleagues who are acquainted with this forum will take the opportunity to place some distance between themselves (and their Group) and these remarks.  Especially in the light of the fact that Theo has been loyal beyond the call of duty in trying to negate some of the damage caused by their own recent antics.If no attempt is made to disassociate the local party from these insults it will be as good as an admission that Robin's malevolent influence is indeed at work within the local party, and that notwithstanding Theo’s optimistic promise of a new attitude and a new approach it is in actual fact Robin’s particular brand of trashy politics which still holds sway with the majority in the Labour Group at the London Borough of Hounslow.

Phil Andrews ● 5152d

Who said I'm "at the centre" of Hounslow Labour Group? Not me. But I have got my contacts.As for posting under pseudos, well you'd never do anything as morally debased as that would you...Topic: Re:Re:Re:Excellent Chronicle coverage for united residents' group on Ivybridge      Posted by: Simon Anderson  Date/Time: 06/03/08 17:38:00  philfirstly how manytimes have you come on here under false names more than i, come on.Oh as o Mr Stanley masy i say you Knew about it when i first did that years ago but you never said anything then did you but now you say things about it, also you have told me to my face when i was doing your dirty work that youve posted under False Names something you wont admit.

Michael Rose ● 5152d

LOL - nice one Phil - this is just so like Mornington Crescent (a game with no discernible rules and a self-declared winner).Given the only two Labour councillors to have posted on TW8 in the last month are me and Ruth and we already know Ruth has Robin Taylor as a facebook friend and therefore would cover up this rasputin-like fiends influence it must be indisputable that Robin Taylor is the malevolent force behind Labour in Hounslow and responsible for all our ills.But like you've already said, he's never done anything of sufficient consequence to earn that right either - he is just a very silly boy.I am sad he's still around and sorry for the harm he does Labour's cause but Robin Taylor is not a Labour Party member in the borough - nor as I found out is he even a member in Southall (And as we all know Michael Rose is not a real person at all).  Taylor is malevolent and delusional but he is not the all powerful being he would like to be and you joke about.  In fact outside of TW8 I can't say I have seen much of an influence from him at all - not now that Ann has retired from public view.

Theo Dennison ● 5152d

TheoWhy are you brown-nosing Phil Andrews when he directs this sort of foul abuse at one of your Labour Councillor colleagues...xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxTopic: Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Ann Keen's re-selection      Forum Home  Posted by: Phil Andrews  Date/Time: 12/02/10 10:58:00  SueI assume you have good reason to believe that your smug triumphalism is well founded?I mean, how would you know what people on the doorstep are thinking?  With your track record and that of your MP you are no more welcome on most people's doorsteps than a pile of dog poo, and substantially less appealing as a potential councillor. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxTheo, do you condemn or condone this nasty brand of politics aimed at one of your fellow party members?

Michael Rose ● 5152d

Michael - how could you have contacts, you aren't even a corporeal entity?  But thanks for the confession Robin.I am relieved that your virtual contacts have me down as 'a poisonous and remarkably offensive twerp' too - I was concerned they thought me far too innocent and idealistic.  As for my demotion - yes it may have been as you say but how could I be bitter?  I am immensely grateful - they elected me Chair of Planning which, while it is a bit of a hot potato is a truly delightful role and has given me back days of 'out of the civic centre' time to share with family, constituents, online folk and work. I don't think I have been as happy.

Theo Dennison ● 5152d

That's as maybe Theo, but the bottom line is that Taylor/Rose posted as though he had some inside knowledge of what the Hounslow Labour Group, or a majority therein, thought of you - and it wasn't pleasant.I would therefore have thought that that Group would have wished to make it clear that Taylor/Rose did not speak for them.Let me put it another way - if a person posted on here claiming to be from the ICG and bad-mouthing one of our valued members I would want that valued member, and others looking in, to know that the imposter did not in fact speak for the ICG.I would certainly be concerned that my silence might be interpreted as tacit approval of the imposter's comments.I feel that at times you are too generous towards some who are not deserving of your generosity.  It is surely in your party's interests, not just your own, that a non-member should not be allowed to get away with pretending to speak on its behalf?

Phil Andrews ● 5152d

Phil is a constituent and as such is entitled to my respect, courtesy and service.  He's also a former multi-termed councillor and as such has earned the respect I'd give to any successful or hard-working political opponent.  I'll happily disagree with him and with the ICG but only on issues where we differ.  He's entitled to have a poor opinion of me and Labour colleagues and I am not going to argue with him everytime for your sake or theirs - they are big enough to look after themselves in the main.

Theo Dennison ● 5152d

RobinWhen I made that post Sue had done a lot of things to deserve my contempt.  An awful lot of water has passed under the bridge since those days, clearly much to your annoyance, and in more recent times she has done a lot of things to deserve my respect.To be honest I doubt whether she's that bothered about either.  Stop living in the past man, you are fifty now - isn't is time you found yourself a girlfriend?

Phil Andrews ● 5152d

I would be upset if my colleagues thought I needed them to spring to my defence - I post here and am fair game.  People can judge for themselves if Robin is a reliable witness on anything.

Theo Dennison ● 5152d

A number of remarks have been made about Robin Taylor and his influence within the Hounslow Labour Party. As a Labour Councillor and Cabinet Member for Hounslow I would like to confirm for the record Robin IS a member of the Labour Party and has made a valued contribution to various campaigns over the years dispite what other may claim and what you to believe.

Sue Sampson ● 5152d

I guess you and I will differ on this then Sue.Perhaps he'll offer some proof of membership such as a membership number and constituency?And perhaps you can offer some evidence of a positive contribution to a campaign?

Theo Dennison ● 5152d

''If his group do stand again, it will usher in a new era of what the late Alan Keen MP called "bullying and trickery". Incidentally he's now posted another unseemly rant against me on a local internet forum, and all because of a rather innocuous post I did on Cllr Cadbury's blog. I basically agree with your other point: those with long-term far right connections may change their ideology (though in his case there is a lot of conflicting evidence about this) but their underlying mentality remains unaltered.''Fascinating quote today from RT's facebook page about the ICG. Makes you wonder what he thinks of Hounslow' current Borough Solicitor and Head of Democratic Service Richard Gruet, who was found guilty of racial harassing and bullying a Sikh member of his staff at Camden Council.

Ian Speed ● 5152d

TheoI have no idea who is right and who is wrong in respect of Robin's membership or otherwise of the Labour Party, but he has certainly contributed to Labour campaigns in Isleworth.As I've no wish to give him the satisfaction of reopening old arguments I won't go into very much detail.  Suffice it to say that my idea of a "positive" contribution and Sue's may differ.When Labour regained the six seats in Isleworth and Syon in 2010 my own hope was that everybody concerned could learn some lessons from the quarrels of previous years and that maybe there was a supportive role that the ICG could play thereafter as opposed to an adversarial one.  Certainly such a role would have needed to respect the fact that we remained a group with popular support in the community and a surviving organisational base, but with young councillors who were new and keen to serve I actually felt a twinge of excitement about the prospects of a new kind of relationship developing.  We would be a critical friend, sure, but one which endeavoured to be friendly where possible and critical only where necessary.Robin's response to this was to encourage the new councillors to distribute a hate leaflet, filled with personal attacks, wild speculation about my private financial affairs, and the most appalling (and libellous) abuse, clearly designed to put paid to any prospect of a working relationship developing.  He was evidently unconcerned that the leaflet gave the reader an impression that the newly elected councillors lived in mortal fear of the very people that they had just defeated.To their credit the councillors seem to have had second thoughts after delivering a handful of copies and the leaflet quietly disappeared from circulation shortly afterwards.There were one or two other operations that I believe he contributed to some time prior to the election, and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss these with him in person at some time in the future.Meanwhile however I like to think that the relationship between your party in Isleworth and the Community Group has become more positive.  All three councillors actively supported the march to keep the Library open and their participation was greatly appreciated.  Ed Mayne, as you know, came along to the St. John's march, and we are aware that he also lobbied selflessly for Caroline and another ICG member to be permitted to continue working as trustees of a local charity when their previous tenure had expired.Robin's efforts tend to work against this trend, for reasons that I have already given.  Therefore when you ask Sue for details of a "positive" contribution that he has made, it really is going to be very much a question of definition.In the light of what Sue has helpfully shared with us I think we need to face unpleasant facts about the extent of the involvement of Robin Taylor Theo.  His portfolio of LBH Facebook contacts speaks very much for itself.  If Ruth and others close to you will not condemn his appalling attacks on you then I'm afraid my assessment of them is likely to be considerably less generous than your own.I am at a loss to understand why somebody who has never had the guts to stand for office, doesn't live in the borough, is malign and clearly delusional and is not even particularly bright seems to have carved for himself such a presence in our local body politic.  It frustrates me that some others do not seem to have the nous to see what is glaringly obvious to you and I, that this presence is a wholly negative and destructive one which must inevitably invite more damage upon your party than it ever could upon those whom he considers his opponents.I am less involved now, of course, but I still maintain an interest in these things and I would still ideally like to see a progressive consensus working positively together across these two wards - something which I believe that, with goodwill, is entirely possible.Should you ever feel the desire to talk about these things in a different environment Theo, please remember I am your constituent.

Phil Andrews ● 5152d

And of course you do also wonder what Robin's concern about ''bullying and trickery'' leads him to think about the incident where Standards Committee Member Gurpal Virdi was told to drop his concerns about Heston & Cranford Area Committee or ' suffer a loss'...

Ian Speed ● 5151d

I must admit when I saw the comment about "bullying and trickery" I couldn't work out whether he was suggesting that was something we do or if it was something he was threatening us with.  Traditionally his MO has been to instigate nasty campaigns and actions, then hide behind the people on the front line.  I really wish they would wise up to him.

Phil Andrews ● 5151d

"Can hardly be regarded as the most popular people themselves - viz Colin Ellar,attacked publicly by former Labour loyalist Vanessa Smith." You forget I go back a lot further with some of these people than you possibly do, and I would never, and did never, defend the indefensible, and Ellar's behaviour  towards others was cowardly and vindictive. Another one whose opinion of themselves is far higher than their capabilities in my opinion. An arrogance that went a long way to losing the council after so many years of Labour control. I realised I could no longer remain in a party that was prepared to sit back and do nothing while the unacceptable was excused, I resigned more in sorrow than in anger. Now as an elector I am entitled to criticise who the hell I like, strangely enough it's known as democracy.

Vanessa Smith ● 5151d

Vanessa we all very much appreciate you breaking with party ranks in the name of decency and principle.

Ian Speed ● 5151d

To be honest I did it for me, I didn't expect or want any thanks. And after the latest disgusting revelations I think that was the right thing to do.

Vanessa Smith ● 5151d

"not now that Ann has retired from public view."I thought she was 'ousted' kicking and screaming.Quite funny though as Robin was the Tories best weapon. All he had to do was open his mouth and people flocked to 'vote against' Ann Keen in the GE.....and so Sir Robin lost his position as handbag carrier!

Steve Taylor ● 5151d

"And perhaps you can offer some evidence of a positive contribution to a campaign?"And perhaps she could explain why Robin denied being a member of the Party on this forum?

Steve Taylor ● 5151d

"And of course you do also wonder what Robin's concern about ''bullying and trickery'' leads him to think about"Actually Ian, I don't wonder or care about Robin's concerns and I don't care what he thinks about. What he thinks about is not worth my thinking about.

Steve Taylor ● 5151d

I that "the majority of the Labour Group" know who Robin is let alone care.

Vanessa Smith ● 5150d

Maybe, maybe not.  But one would be a lot more convinced if said majority were a little less bashful about saying so.Thus far we have had Councillor Dennison telling us that he isn't a member and has no influence, and Councillor Sampson telling us that he is and he does.

Phil Andrews ● 5150d

PhilI agree with you. The Labour Group should pass a motion condemning anyone who does not show you absolute loyalty and respect. You are the rightful master of the universe and those who defy you are not only mad but fundamentally amoral.

Michael Rose ● 5150d

Well said Vanessa. Hounslow's Labour group includes some very disreputable characters who owe their membership of the Borough Council purely and simply to their membership of the Labour Party and nit to their own personal qualities or popularity within the wards in which they were elected. A new broom is needed to sweep clean.

David Giles ● 5147d

Absolutely.  But not just another political party whose first allegiance is to itself rather than to the wider community.

Phil Andrews ● 5147d

I think you'll find RT busy on his Chiswick Chat website Forum. We each might have been mentioned at some time.By the way I think, but haven't been able to confirm, that RT stood at Councillor Elections in Ealing back in about 1990in the West End ward. He may have been listed with another surname. But not confirmed.http://www.chiswickchat.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=14&sid=5a544399c2e81cf5e3be737570500207

Jim Lawes ● 5147d

That's right: Captain Darling is another trading name.. trading insults that is.And as for JonJo Hobbs....I'm comforted to read Theo's observations about the gentleman.

Jim Lawes ● 5147d

"I think you'll find RT busy on his Chiswick Chat website" At least it is keeping him off the grown up forums

Steve Taylor ● 5146d

JimI believe a Robin Taylor stood for the now-defunct Wood End Ward in the 1994 Ealing borough elections.  The result comes up if you type Wood End Ward in the ChiswickW4 search engine.Regarding the ChiswickChat forum, I think this might be the article which has offended the sensitivities of 'He who must not be criticised'...http://www.chiswickchat.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=42&start=10

Michael Rose ● 5146d

Virtually all of this goes back to an era when Phil admits he was an NF member. Not only that,but apparently Queen Anne is dead.

Ian Speed ● 5146d

It is also the case that the majority of it is actually fictional.  But I am genuinely confused by the inclusion of the last quote (about the burka) and have been meaning to ask Robin why he included this, and it would seem to portray me in the opposite light to that which is presumably his intention.Maybe Michael could ask his good friend Robin to elucidate?

Phil Andrews ● 5146d

Incidentally the comment about LBH Watch in that Chiswick Chat article is totally inaccurate. The group was formed  in 2010 by myself, Nick Marbrow from Heston RA and David Pavett from the Campion Concerns group after ( in mine and David's case) a bruising 4 year battle over the Osterley Campion House site ( now being built to a plan very similar to our 2007 suggestion). Representatives of Residents Groups all over the borough were invited. Phil did represent the ICG at one meeting. Subsequently it has mutated into an umbrella group for all these residents' groups all over the borough with meetingsorganised by Christine Diwell of the Isleworth Society under the name ' Group of 15' . Phil has never been the main man or even a regular.

Ian Speed ● 5146d

Nor ever attended in fact Ian, although my offer to represent the ICG for the most part of the next meeting stands if nobody else is available.

Phil Andrews ● 5146d

An inaccuracy in an article by Robin Taylor?  Shurely not?Seriously though, this particular inexactitude is useful to us as it helps to highlight the mindset which has continued to inform local Labour's intense hostility to the ICG and to our programme even in our current "post-political" stage.Robin is a simple boy with a simple view of the world.  His vehicle has one gear going forward and one going back, but no steering wheel.  To him it is all perfectly straightforward.  One person writes an article for an NF mag at the age of 22 and more or less everything that happens in the Western Hemisphere thereafter must be directly attributable to that blueprint, from which circumstance and life itself allows no deviation.  Freed from the constraints of any form of lateral thinking Robin has a faded yellow newspaper cutting curled at the edges to explain away anything that is said and done by anybody, at any time and in any place.What he, and consequently most of the Hounslow Labour Group which for some inexplicable reason seems to regard him as some kind of guru, have been slow to grasp is that the community ideal has blossomed into something that now exists and thrives throughout the borough and beyond.  Indeed if the ICG were to disband tomorrow and I were to have a fatal encounter with a 267 the whole movement would simply carry on as before.  It just cannot be crushed by a personal smear article here or a leaflet brazenly claiming the credit for the community's work there.  Things have gone too far for that, and Hounslow Labour needs to acknowledge that fact and catch up.There are two ways in which the local political establishment can deal with this.  It can embrace the new reality and incorporate it into a new, revised agenda which retains the party's dominance of the polticial structures but on new terms.  This would seem to be the way Theo is looking.  Or it can take the Taylor/Cadbury approach and just, as that renowned military strategist Mussolini once put it, "go onto the offensive everywhere".Unfortunately it is the latter approach which would seem to hold sway at the moment, which is why the community must continue to organise independently in all areas of our local life.

Phil Andrews ● 5146d

PhilUnderstanding the way Robin's mind works is way beyond my pay grade, but I would guess that the answer to your question lies in the opening section of his thesis (where he refers to it being a "balanced" article).  Love him or hate him, at least he's trying to be fair to you.

Michael Rose ● 5146d

"Love him or hate him"Neither.  You should have included "pity him" as an option.

Phil Andrews ● 5146d

Oh, I know.  Anyone who does not recognise you as the New Messiah is pitiful, pathetic, sad, lonely, and has no friends (whereas those who pay homage to your glory are utterly virtuous in every way).

Michael Rose ● 5146d

"You should have included "pity him" as an option"Err actually,  it is way beyond pity.

Steve Taylor ● 5146d

"if the ICG were to disband tomorrow and I were to have a fatal encounter with a 267 the whole movement would simply carry on as before.  It just cannot be crushed" I can't see that any decent person would want to see the ICG disbanded.  IMHO the ICG has done only good things to improve the lives of all the people of  Brentford, Isleworth and Hounslow. The ICG always put the communities they serve first. The ICG can be proud of what it has achieved over the years against all odds.

Steve Taylor ● 5146d

It's good to see MRAG is as politically impartial as ever.

Michael Rose ● 5146d

Why don't you play by the rules Taylor and post under your own name and own what you say like an adult does?If it's because you are banned from the forum please crawl back under your stone in Southall.Better still,start your own Southall forum.Then you can preach to those nearer to your home and to your heart.That's if anyone there is interested that is.

Keith Iddon ● 5146d

Michael,  I am not sure who has been bending your ear but I can assure you that MRAG is 100% non political and campaigns purely to improve the environment of Richmond and Hounslow Boroughs.MRAG's work has been highly acclaimed across England and Wales and its tenacity in holding Water Utility companies accountable for the environmental impact of their operations  resulted in the first Defra Code of Practice, in this field, being published. MRAG was founded in 2001 by Hanifa Dobson and Councillor Phil Andrews and chaired by Dr Trevor Whittall, the renowned  Mucosal Immunologist

Steve Taylor ● 5146d

"...and chaired by Dr Trevor Whittall, the renowned  Mucosal Immunologist"and former Liberal Democrat Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames I believe.  Meanwhile Barry Edwards, MRAG's Environmental Scientist and the man who presented the residents' case to the infamous SDC meeting at Hounslow Civic Centre in 2009, was a Conservative candidate in Teddington ward at the local elections in 2010.This, I'm afraid, is what happens when a person starts to involve himself in the affairs of another borough of which his knowledge is limited.  Out of his depth, he begins to embarass himself but the people who should really be embarrassed are the locally-based party members who are letting this idiot run their campaigns.  They really ought to know better.

Phil Andrews ● 5146d

'Out of his depth, he begins to embarass(sic) himself'Interesting words, those. They might well apply to a certain MRAG spokesperson...'Sue Samson(sic) stands no chance whatsoever of being elected as a Cllr in Isleworth'.- Steve Taylor, Chiswick Forum, 02/01/10

Michael Rose ● 5146d

Are there any other organised groups of residents in our borough that you want to harass and taunt Robin?  Maybe the people from St. John's who marched to keep their community centre open, or the library campaigners perhaps?You are a perfect example of everything that we stand against, and the esteem in which you are clearly held by the Labour majority locally helps give the lie to their professed new commitment to some form of community engagement.As you were, as it were.

Phil Andrews ● 5146d

Comes from Swanley in Kent according to Facebook- she was not elected an Isleworth Councillor!

Ian Speed ● 5146d

Elected as Cllr for Isleworth Ward 2010.

John Todd ● 5145d

The library campaigners - led by the Isleworth Society - do not make highly partisan political attacks on Labour candidates.  Nor do they stalk people by driving up to Trinity Road Southall to doorstep their opponents with the intention of intimidating them in their own homes.

Michael Rose ● 5145d

She was indeed John. And hasn't been heard of since.....

Steve Taylor ● 5145d

“Meanwhile Barry Edwards, MRAG's Environmental Scientist and the man who presented the residents' case to the infamous SDC meeting at Hounslow Civic Centre in 2009, was a Conservative candidate in Teddington ward at the local elections in 2010.”Well,  I never knew that despite attending scores and scores of meetings with Barry and solving the problems of the world over a few ales. More proof of just how apolitical MRAG is.I knew vaguely that Trevor was a former Lib Dem Cllr in Richmond but we never discussed politics.  Likewise I have never asked Simon E-W, Simon Fullalove, Hanifa, Rachel, Marianne, Murray, Paul  or any of the others what their politics are and I have never been asked by them.  It’s a pity that people like ‘Michael’ can’t get over the fact that ordinary people across two Boroughs can work together and get things done to improve the environment for all.  I wonder if the fact that Barry and I had a meeting at the Civic Centre with Cllrs Collin Ellar and  Ed Mayne  last week will lead ‘Michael’ to believe that the MRAG Committee has signed up to the Labour Party? 

Steve Taylor ● 5145d

You are quite mental Robin.

Phil Andrews ● 5145d

Thanks for that John.  Wherever would we be if we didn't have you politicians to provide us with such information as this?

Phil Andrews ● 5145d

Robin is of course quite obsessed with what he calls the "political spectrum" and spends most of his life trying to place everybody on it.  You will recall when he used to post here under his own name that everyone with an opinion on anything was a Tory, or a Lib Dem, or far right or whatever.It seems that nobody can be just an ordinary Joe (or Joanne), unattached to any political party and with innocently-held views about a range of things which can't just be neatly pigeon-holed into one party political box.But to be fair to him he's not the only one.  Witness John Todd this morning informing us whom our local councillor was, and the intelligence-insulting spin that we get from David Giles whenever any issue of local or national importance is discussed on this forum.The amusing thing is that, according to an article I read recently in the Telegraph (oh no, I must be a Tory!), these people comprise just 1% of the population in this country.  That's right folks, 99% of people in the UK are not members of any political party whatsoever.But still nobody can be active in the community without having to "belong" to one political tribe or another.  Does not compute...does not compute...

Phil Andrews ● 5145d

Robin never tied  me down, but he's not the brightest pebble.........Provocative though and sometimes usefully.......sometimes.Err, why in this day and age would we want to be a member of a political party unless standing as a candidate? The evil of politics changes from one to another and I want to vote as a rule for the lesser bundle of evils. Recently we have a privateer in charge of the NHS. Today we have McCluskey wanting to chuck out the cuckoos in the nest.

George Knox ● 5145d

Beats me George.

Phil Andrews ● 5145d