Re: MP Danczuk lays into Council Leader Lambert

cyfrifia Mon Jan 07, 2013 5:50 pm

M.P. Simon Danczuk, and council leader Colin Lambert react somewhat differently to the Falinge situation.
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1597519_call-for-change-as-rochdales-falinge-estate-heads-deprivation-list-for-fifth-year

Guest Mon Jan 07, 2013 11:00 pm

Lambert is trotting out the same lame mantra that has been peddled by the council in previous years:

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/127/council-watch/76688/falinge-estate-the-most-deprived-area-in-england

johnb Tue Jan 08, 2013 7:32 pm

It's not the estate especially; it's the inability of several, successive council administrations to adequately manage their housing stock.

Old Regulator Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:53 am

I have just heard Simon Danczuk on the Alan Beswick programme commenting on the Falinge deprivation issue. His opinions on ‘the Council leader’, did not mention Mr Lambert by name, was at worst rude and at best downright insulting.

When told by interviewer ‘the leader was on earlier and said things had improved’ he replied, along the lines, I don’t know what the leader knows about Falinge’ and when told that the leader was a teacher at a Falinge school said ‘Falinge High School is not in the area’.

The whole position between Rochdale’s MP and the Leader of the council, both Labour Party, is surely becoming untenable and it must be about time someone banged heads together and started WORK on healing our broken Town.

cyfrifia Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:24 am

It's probably a good thing that this dispute is out in the open, it needs to be resolved, and resolved on the issues rather than the personalities. What exactly are the issues?

Hinch Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:24 am

Not all things heal Frank. Time for a resignation methinks.

Some things go too deep for them to be resolved over coffee and Hob-Nobs in the Leader's office.

We all have our views about Simon D but he has rightly spoken out about the council's piss-poor attitude to the homeless, the totally crap state of affairs which not only allowed child-grooming to take place but more or less made sure that it did. He also spoke out about the 'sweep the muck under the carpet' approach to the repeated cover-ups of Cyril Smith's strange, sexual predilictions over decades.

Hard to see how this can just be set aside in a 'let's all be pals' act that convinces nobody.

We have had early retirements and resignations aplenty with perhaps more to follow but not one of these have been from our elected councillors who just trot out the old RMBC 'Get out of jail free' card which starts with the immortal words, "I was not aware at the time..."

The continuing arrogance of our council and its leadership is well documented. We need changes not just in working-styles and practices. We need different bums on the seats.

Simon D is a Marmite politician. You either like him or you don't. However, in the past year, he has shown that he is not afraid to speak out strongly on local issues and has not shrunk from criticising his own party where this is warranted.

Of couse, he could just keep quiet and pretend that everything in the garden is coming up roses in the interest of a faux display of harmony but is this what we really want and is it a good long-trerm strategy.

We have witnessed all too clearly the problems that have arisen from people being afraid to speak out in the town and inconvenient truthes being ignored.

High time to tell it like it is.

cyfrifia Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:02 pm

Councillor Lambert is a controversial figure, he gives a poor impression of not properly engaging with the public or the issues by 'trotting out' bland and meaningless public statements, but maybe that is a matter of style. What is he actually achieving? Is his leadership going somewhere? What is his plan for Rochdale? It would be a good thing if we were to properly hear his side of the story before calls for a resignation which may not happen make a sour situation even more of a bitter and damaging stalemate.

Hinch Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:14 pm

Hear his side of the story?

And how do we do that when he will only talk to those sections of the press who, as his 'preferred media partners', are willing to hang on his every word, print his speeches in full and keep any criticism muted.

If Colin Lambert is not being heard, it is only because he has been 'hoist by his own petard'.

I hear what he is saying very clearly and don't like what I am hearing.

As for his Leadership; he is a caretaker; nothing more. I should imagine that his heir/heirs-apparent are quite content to stay in the wings and pay out the rope with which he will assuredly hang himself given time.

Maybe he might even score a Blue Plaque? It's amazing who gets them in this town!

A quote that Mr Lambert might do well to remember goes like this, "Be careful whose toes you step on today because they might be connected to the foot that kicks your ass tomorrow." (Attr James Stewart)

johnb Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:56 pm

Falinge Park High school is about three quarters of a mile from Lower Falinge Estate.

Council Leader Lambert MAY have to drive past it to go home...

cyfrifia Thu Jan 17, 2013 11:10 am

Simon Danczuk has been telling the House of commons about the Hunters Rest pub.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130109/debtext/130109-0003.htm#13010946001683

I expect this is relevant in a roundabout sort of way. Complaints about the price of beer in the pub are a national tradition, and used to be a way of taking the 'political pulse' of the nation, but does this emphasis on the beer/leisure industry present a relevant picture of Rochdale to the House of Commons? Perhaps now, when they think of Rochdale, if they do, they will think of men in ratting caps drinking pints of beer.

cyfrifia Tue Jan 29, 2013 11:29 am

Mr Danzcuk said

"It’s now four months since a damning report revealed that child protection services ignored young girls’ cries for help and for all the council’s tough talk of taking disciplinary action they still haven’t acted."

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/fury-of-mp-simon-danczuk-as-rochdale-1249949

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