Tuesday 3 March 2015

How long is Cardiff Labour's Civil War going to continue?

The Civil War amongst Labour in  continues  unabated  in Cardiff  With calls  being  made by a number of their own councillors  for Cardiff council leader Phil Bale to resign following rows about the authority's budget cuts.
Councillor Phil Bale
Surely even if he wins a no confidence vote  he can't carry on?

In a leaked (another one!)email, councillor Ralph Cook asks his party colleague Phil Bale to step down to avoid putting the party "through any more trauma".

He faces a vote of no confidence in his leadership on Thursday.
Obviously Labour members on the council have been told to vote against the no confidence vote.
But in his email, Mr Cook claims he and 12 rebels will defy the whip.

"I am surprised that you seem unable to appreciate that if you kick a big dog enough times and ignore its growls of displeasure, it will eventually rip the aggressor's throat out.
"You and your Cabinet (and the Group Officers) have signally failed to heed our warnings, some of you have completely failed to understand and live up to your responsibilities and collectively the entire Cabinet as well as the Group Officers have failed to convince me that any of you have the ability to take this Group and Council forward out of the hole into which you have lead us.
"The call from beyond the Labour Group is for you to stand down, privately I support that call.
"After the weekend I fully expect my position to be shared (if it is not already) by the 12 "Labour rebels" so you cannot win the motion of no confidence.
"I urge you not to put the Labour Group through any more trauma and to announce your resignation today".

 A previous leaked email l from Cardiff South and Penarth Labour MP Stephen Doughty addressed to senior Labour councillors in Cardiff contained savage criticisms of the city's budget setting process.
Swingeing cuts are being made that will see treasured community facilities including play centres face closure.


Mr Doughty's email included the words:


 "It will require some pretty categorical assurances before I am willing to believe anything you, Graham or Phil say after the appalling handling of this process so far."
Mr Doughty’s criticism was directed at the authority’s leader Phil Bale, deputy leader Sue Lent and finance chief Graham Hinchey.
 With just over eight weeks to GE2015 this row lloks like a gift for beleagueres Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Willot who used the opportunity at he party's Welsh Spring Conference  to claim that  Labour is wreaking "political carnage" on Cardiff by the way it is running the local council, 

Jenny Willott told her party's Welsh conference in Cardiff that services like rubbish collection suffered while Labour members argued over budget cuts.

 There may be a slight difference but I believe the current make up of Cardiff Council  isas follows


Lab 46
Lib Dems 16
Con 7
Plaid 2
Others 4

So even if the 12 L abour Rebels voted with a united opposition Cllr Bale  would survive but it would likely mean that all 12 would lose the Labour Whip even facing expulsion.

This Civil war ahas been going since Labour won its landslide in 2012 but they have until now not seen any changes in their electoral appeal held every byelection   and 

Surely it can't last forever? In May if they don't tale Cardiff Central from the Lib Dems and Cardiff North from the Tories they will have only themselves to blame.

On another topic I have been unable to open  oggy bloody ogwrs blog since he made changes if he reads this can he check if things are OK  from his side ?




1 comment:

Owen said...

Hi, Glyn.

Everything's fine from my side as far as I can tell. I've tried the link in your blogroll and that appears to be working too.

One problem I have noticed is that after I've posted it's taking a good three to four hours to update other people's blogrolls. I don't know what's causing it at the moment.