Nominations close for both Borough an Town Council elections on on Tuesday at 4 pm. Five years ago we saw labour make gains across the Neath Port Talbot Council area. Early reports suggest that Plaid will be fielding a record number of candidates and having already gained a council seat from Labour in . They will be looking to make further gains on Thursday May 3.
The independents will also be standing record number of candidates. However to my way of thinking the majority of independents standing would better be described as members of Stephen Karl Hunts cabal directly imported from his Assembly campaign of last year. To me a party of independents is an oxymoron in itself. However most of them seem to clearly be acolytes of Mr Stephen Kim Jon un Hunt. Looking at the posts on the Facebook Group Neath Voice for Everybody on which Councillor Hunt assumes supreme admin right we find that most of these independents appear Right-wing, pro market , and to have voted to leave the EU. I smile when I reflect on Councillor Hunts leaflet from last year where he claimed to be a socialist and somehow played down his support for remaing in Europe. I have long agreed with Adlai Stevenson claim that the independent was the guy who wanted to take the politics out of politics. I always remember one of this cabal of right wingers calling me “un British” on the Facebook page. Its an odd grouping and will only bring you right wing solutions and a promotion of Councillors Hunts ego on his campaign to be leader of the opposition.
Labour in NPT is a monolithic , small c conservative grouping. It is the party that bureaucratic, centralised and unthinking. It would be refreshed and renewed if it found it s soul again and realised it was supposed to be socialists. But I am afraid the Corbynistas have not come to Neath port Talbot. It also worth noting how a few independents and some form other smaller parties defected to Labour or who joined it some five years ago. Labour will lose seats mostly to Plaid, some to Kim Jon Un`sperverse cabal.
Neath Town Council is stuffed with Borough Councillors, it is secretive, centralised and hoards its money like a miser. It could do far more for the people and businesses of Neath than it does. It could open its doors, have public question times and ban borough councillors from serving on it. The debacle over the Christmas lights some years ago reveals its true nature, purpose and control. Its a sham and should be challenged.
Rumours abound that Darren Nichols will be standing in Resolven as an independent. While I must say that Darren has done first class work over the Christmas Lights issue some two years ago, we must not forget he is the communications director for UKIPs local AM. He is a right winger, a Brexiteer and a full blown worshipper of Right wing Politics and of the market. He is a classic representative of what an 2independent believes, does and thinks. I am not sure what value it would be to the people of Resolven in replacing a Councillor from the ruling Labour group with essentially a right wing UKIP fawning replacement. Youth, energy and a “new generation of councillors” essentially means electing a Tory or UKIP representative....
There will be other parties standing and I will be commenting in details after nominations close. Please, ask any candidate who they voted for last time, ask them where they stood in the EU referendum, ask them what they think about the use of the market in the Health service and other areas. Don't get fooled again. Remember what Marcus Aurelius said...” Do not ask what a person says they are, look at what they do and what they believe...it will be most revealing and then you wont get fooled again........
The Bambuti Pygmies of The Ituri Rainforest elect their most inadequate as their political leaders. With a number of honourable exceptions we are being offered much the same. I am sad that perhaps the most talented are not able to stand, or having looked don't want to stand or whose circumstances make it impossible for them to stand. In Neath East Emma Knight would have made a formidable Councillor as would have Lisa Rapado. And dont forget which Councillors voted for exploratory drilling and where...because they said it was not fracking please........
There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
So remember to ask them where they really stand, interrogate the candidates who come around and remember that simple answers to complex questions will not do....this is not a Game of Thrones it is your community that is at stake.
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss
Same as the old boss
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