Who's is the loser? Brown? Labour? NO Politics!

Posted By: Alan Taylor
Date Posted: 08/10/2007

Well, they said it was going to happen and it hasn't.  Was it the biggest bluff or the biggest loss of nerve?  We'll probably never know.  One thing is for sure - The Liberal Democrats will be continuing to campaign to make Rochdale safer, greener and cleaner.  Who is the biggest loser in the whole sage - Gordon Brown? Labour? No - politics as a whole.  I am glad to see that Paul Rowen and our Lib Dem MP's in Parliament are taking the lead and calling for fixed-term Parliaments.  This would take away any doubt at all and ensure that the country is not put on hold for any self-serving Governments.  Probably the only person who said that Gordon Brown would ‘bottle it’ was Sir Cyril Smith – Just goes to show that experience counts!

The whole debate has overshadowed Party Conferences.  An opportunity for political party’s to sell their vision of how this country should be run.  Obviously, we welcome the debate on inheritance tax.  The Liberal Democrats have long talked about raising the threshold for this.  One thing that the Conservatives miss is the ridiculous situation that many of our elderly have to sell their houses to pay for their care.  That's why I'm proud to support the long-standing Lib Dem policy on free personal care for the elderly.

It was for the conference season that we were asked to produce a report on 100 days in overall control of our Council.  It was great to show the national party some of our successes and how the Liberal Democrats are making a real difference to resident's lives.  We were able to talk about devolving power locally under Councillor Keith Swift, increasing recycling under Councillor Wera Hobhouse and building the first council houses for over a decade under Councillors Zulfiqar Ali.  Of course another is our efforts to regenerate Rochdale and bring in more jobs and prosperity to our Town, led excellently by Councillor Mohammad Sharif.

I am pleased to see that this Council's good practice on the nuisance of fireworks is being rolled out across Greater Manchester.  Credit is due to our hard working Council Officers who have strived to make the 'Good Guy' scheme work.  If you know of a local shop that has not signed up to selling fireworks responsibly then please let me know on 01706 646370.  This Council is committed to cutting out anti-social behaviour on not just fireworks but across all levels.  Our crime and disorder team, led by Councillor Ted Flynn continue to an excellent, but challenging job.

I was happy to see that because of the tough decisions of your Lib Dem Council we have saved you £300,000.  This money, because we have increased recycling will be ploughed back into our Townships.  Of course, the initial decision to pilot this scheme was made by the former Labour Leader, my predecessor as Leader of our Council.  I'm shocked that he is now opposing his own policy but that's politics!  We continue to work hard and it remains a privilege to lead you on this Council.