The most unwanted referendum ever
Mike Whitby doesn’t want an elected mayor, John Hemming
doesn’t want an elected mayor … and now we find out that Labour are at best
lukewarm.
Does anybody want a wretched elected mayor for Birmingham
Birmingham Chamber says it does but then how many of its
members even live in Birmingham
It is estimated that the May 3 referendum will cost £322,000
– what a waste of money for yet another tier of bureaucracy.
I comment of course on Labour’s last-minute bid to block the
whole ludicrous exercise, describing the Government’s decision to force cities
to hold a vote as “Leninist”.
Quite right.
Rather magnanimous, I thought, give that Labour, by the very
composition of Birmingham
So full marks to Jack Dromey (Lab Erdington) who, in his
role as a Shadow Government Minister, led opposition to the policy of forcing a
referendum vote – he failed.
His protest came because, while a general power is contained
in the Localism Act, which became law last year, specific orders for each of
the 11 unfortunates are now being debated one at a time in a Commons committee.
Speaking to this delegated legislation committee, Mr Dromey
said it should be up to local residents whether or not they wanted to hold a
referendum.
“The problem with these orders is that they compel local
government to hold a referendum on introducing a mayor.
"That is in contrast to our belief that local people,
not Government Ministers, should decide whether they wish to hold a referendum
on having a mayor.”
He added: “I am content for the people of Birmingham
"We believe to this day that that was the more
appropriate way to proceed, rather than the top-down Leninism practised by a
Government who profess to be localist.”
Absolutely.
Indeed a Birmingham Mail campaign of a few years back to get
enough signatures to trigger a referendum failed miserably.
That’s how much the people of Birmingham
So, now, for the sake of Tory dogma, we have to go through
the farce of a referendum vote on a question which has already been rigged in a
move to gerrymander a system far less democratic that the one we have at present.
What can be more democratic than people voting for their
councillor at ward level and subsequently an administration being formed by the
majority to run the city – just like how the House of Commons itself is
elected.
And they want this replaced by an ‘elected’ dictator with a
four year mandate.
The ‘mandate’ probably along the lines of the recent referendum
in Salford where residents opted for an
elected mayor on a turnout of just 18.1 per cent.
The vote was 17,344 in favour of a mayor and 13,653 against
– 55.6 per cent yes and 44.4 per cent no.
The referendum was called on a petition organised by oddball
party, the English Democrats.
I wonder what Cameron and company would do if an Islamist militant pledged to do all he can to introduce Sharia Law into Birmingham gets in?
I wonder what Cameron and company would do if an Islamist militant pledged to do all he can to introduce Sharia Law into Birmingham gets in?
Unlikely, but not out of the question.
