In Reading the Greens hold the balance of power between Lab and the LD Cons coalition. There is much speculation so long after the election, understanably, who will be Mayor, lead cllrs etc.
And much misinformation is coming mostly from a few LD and Tories. And an ex LD. All saying we will be in a coalition with one side or another, but this isnt needed ir helpfull.
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/18-05-11-greens-balance-power-reading-council.html
Just because the LD formed a coalition doesnt mean we have to. Why would we want to make the same mistakes. Who would want to be Nick Clegg now.
Clegg would have been better off supporting policies he agreed with rather than betraying much that he stood for. Played lab against tories/ LD and got a better deal for the country.
We would have had a proper referendum on PR, less chaos at the NHS and a few Green policies may have made there way into the mix.
So rather than sell out to get a cabinet position we want to put the people of Reading first.
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1 month ago
10 comments:
You are very naive if you believe that once you have voted Labour into office you will have any influence on what their cabinet members do.
Of course taking a cabinet posts requires taking responsibility so you are going to take a pass on that.
I fear we are going to have what is in effect a Labour controlled council.
Your colleagues appear to have fluffed an opportunity to have
an administration that includes more than one party not least by showing their hand right at the outset of the negotiations.
Read the post. We wont repeat the mistake the LD made.
Getting cabinet posts is similar to getting bribed in this context, unless there is real change.
I looked at what the coalition had done over the year, but there isnt much for them to be proud of.
http://greenreading.blogspot.com/2011/05/one-year-in-power-reading-reviewed.html
I have read the post Adrian.
To its credit your party has
taken cabinet posts in some councils.
The Lib Dems nationally were in
similar position last May to your councillors now and the difficult decision to go into a formal coalition was endorsed by a special conference.
Many including your party have made accussations of back room deals which is exactly what your councillors are doing in Reading.
The result is going to be a Labour council with no Green influence whatsover.
Of course you can try to retain popularity by saying 'not me guv' when it comes to next years elections.
Labour are desperate to get back into power given you a strong negotiating position and sadly it looks as if your party is going to blow it.
Not read the post or my comments. You conclude that last year the LD were brave. Ask most people they will say you were either hypocrites or fools.
You say we have no chance to influence them, if we work togerher we can outvote them. Find an issue where theur policy is worse thsn yours.
In a recent blog you claimed we didnt respond to your offer to talk, i responded to that and other similar emails. All confidential communicatipns will remain so from me. Until you break it.
Any political party must first and foremost have a care to represent the people that voted for them. IF they can do this is a coalition all well and good but if not, morally they have to tread the difficult path of voting their consciences in a hung government.
It is refreshing to see the Green Party choosing this course, not because it is easy but because it is right. Especially in a day and age where political parties seem to think they are merely products and change their policies to suit the "current market"
Any political party must first and foremost have a care to represent the people that voted for them. IF they can do this is a coalition all well and good but if not, morally they have to tread the difficult path of voting their consciences in a hung government.
It is refreshing to see the Green Party choosing this course, not because it is easy but because it is right. Especially in a day and age where political parties seem to think they are merely products and change their policies to suit the "current market"
Rob showed his hand right at the start of the negotiations and in my view has got very little in return in exchange for putting Labour back in power.
By putting a single party minority administration in you give them control because their are very few actual votes under the cabinet system.
The Lib Dems nationally were actually in a worse position than your party because a coalition with
Labour was virtually impossible given the numbers.
I think a great opportunity has been missed by your party. Labour have 'played' you and you don't even see it.
I don't understand your point about confidential emails?
According to you we should do just what the LD have done. No thanks.
If you are WAS he has been making false allegations on his blog. The LD seem rather bitter about not being in power, shame really.
As I keep pointing out, if the opposition all disagreed with what Lab are doing we can act togrther to stop them. Because we have not gone into coalition. By not being like Clegg.
I am not Was and i am not bitter.
If you actually want to get Green policies implemented then you need to be in a coalition with a clear agreed programme.
You had the option of forming a coalition with Labour, Labour and the Lib Dems or the Conservatives and Lib Dems.
Nobody else could gain control of the council without your two cllrs.
You have been played and you don't even realise it.
All because you prefer to be a protest movement.
We now have a Labour controlled
council so a Green vote was a wasted one because you haven't secured one firm policy commitment.
Your maths beeds some work. A Lab LD coalition would have meant we could have been cut out. For their own reasons these two parties have not seem to have talked to each other.
You have decided what will happen this year already, wait and see. Why not have a look at what last years coalition has achieved before you continue to say thay theres is the only way. I wroe an earlier post on this. The LD have backed Tory cuts but seem to think they have stood up for the poorest in Reading. Time for them to wake up.
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