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Posted by yestomayor Salford on 29th December 2011 at 01:47 PM A city out of control
2011 - A year of shame !
I live in the city of Salford and in a town called Swinton. I love Swinton and love my city so why am I writing this blog today ? Because I now believe our city of Salford may now be out of control.
In the past few days we have all witnessed a terrible tragedy. The mindless murder of Anuj Bidve and Indian student who visited the city and was killed at point blank range in the head. The young man is of Asian origin yet the police say there is no obvious motive for the mindless killing ?
As an ex-employee of the police following the Stephen Lawrence Enquiry has the police in manchester learned nothing about violent crime against ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom ? It is clear Greater Manchester Police are doing everything they can to bring the culprits to justice with several arrests already being made but I am sorry there is one very obvious motive for this henious crime.
A few months ago we had the UK riots which spread to our very own city. The police seemed ill-equiped and unsupported by our civic leaders at the time where the riots escalated to copy-cat events into our city and neighbouring Manchester.
Young people out of control causing absolute destruction in our city bringing national ridicule to us all by association because we simply live in the same city. And when all this was happening where were our civic leaders ? Nowhere to be seen.
Councillor Owen, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Salford, admitted himself in an Advertiser blog of his own that our Leaders at the council were trying to play down events.
I have written to local media myself and criticised Greater Manchester Police Chief Peter Fahy for trying to say that crime and anti-social behaviour has come down in Salford and in the same year we then have the riots and a mindless murder of a young man in cold blood.
The city council is £600 million pounds in debt. Can you believe that because I cannot ? I repeat - YES our local council is a staggering £600 million pounds in debt and the unelected Leader of the Council Councillor John Merry brags to me that the Council still has credit A ratings so we enjoy very good interest rates.
A mind-boggling and irresponsible attitude to take. Especially in a time when our own country even I have to admit has come very near to bankruptcy. Salford has one of the highest council taxes in Greater manchester and a massive debt to cope with and no sign the extravagent spending is about to stop.
Our unelected leader has so far led a council that wasted £500,000 on a pink ice-rink, £670,000 on 3 BBC programmes, £500,000 on proms in the park, and for me a stark reminder of our Leaders and council's incompetence when they spent £410,000 on the purchase of The Langworthy Hotel only for it to be demolished because the Council did not keep it maintained. And by the way, this £410,000 does not include the demolition costs which have had to be done in a set way to minimise disruption to the community where it is.
The destruction and demolition of salford's heritage and there seems no stopping it costing us all and our city a fortune !
We have the Chapel Street fiasco which has allegedly cost 35 millions which has just made the lives of many ordinary Salfordians more difficult by trying to just get to work and you have to ask the question did our Council create the Chapel Street FIASCO in revenge for us kicking out the Congestion Charge and kicking out Roger Jones the Labour Cronies blue-eyed boy at the time ?
Many believe it is.
The final shame for me personally is the national ridicule of our city on our TV screens. Yes we had the riots. But for celebrities to ridicule our city and bring shame on us all tells me that whilst we can all say they are wrong - we really have to ask ourselves the question - Are they ?
This is one of many reasons why our city needs a directly-elected mayor. Someone elected by the people for the people to bring and lead our city back into a sense of civic pride which is so lacking at present. Only then will over time a sense of belonging and national pride will return to our beloved city where we all live.
Michael Moulding, The Community Action Party
Comment by Hiram Abiff ( member ) 10th January 2012
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz |
Comment by Ex Seadog ( member ) 7th January 2012
There you go Mr Moulding... you said it, you don't agree with the death penalty, no matter how bad the crime... that wasn't too difficult to say was it? It does rather leave you out of the very significant majority of the UK population though. Not exactly a vote winner. So, whilst I do not agree with you, I applaud your honesty. |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 6th January 2012
I agree there should be tougher sentences and they are available. I believe prison should be prison and life in prison should be that too. I stop short of a life for a life though nomatter how henious the crime. In fact some people I know believe death is not punishment. |
Comment by Ex Seadog ( member ) 6th January 2012
As I expected, Mr Moulding... you're rooted firmly to the top of the fence. Even using the standard 'do-gooder' reply that anyone who isn't can't possibly be a serious right-minded person. I'd like to agree with you... but then we'd both be wrong. |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 6th January 2012
I hold no office at present. Yes a democratically elected representative's duty is to represent the electorate. I am happy to give views on a range of subjects that involve local government as these are the issues that I hold experience in. In terms of the death penalty I am happy to remain on the view that I do not know enough on the subject to form a final view but my initial thoughts are that I believe where possible in the right to life. I hope I have tried to answer your question but it is not a final view as it is something so serious that I dont think any serious right-minded person can take a cavalier position on the subject. And I am not prepared to either simply because we have experienced henious crimes in the city. It is something I would have to think about, educate myself on the issues before I decided. I do however believe in stronger punishments than we do have now. |
Comment by Ex Seadog ( member ) 6th January 2012
Ooops! That question was obviously addressed to Mr Moulding and his earlier response to my question on the death penalty. |
Comment by Ex Seadog ( member ) 6th January 2012
Just as I thought... waffle-waffle-blah-blah... you couldn't answer my straightforward question. You perched on the fence, as all 'politicians' do. If your opinion is irrelevant why do you keep spouting-on so? |
Comment by John Merry ( member ) 6th January 2012
To be fair I dont think he said he has never held office. My understanding is that he was a Councillor in Preston |
Comment by Hiram Abiff ( member ) 6th January 2012
Any remaining shred of credibilty to Yestomayor has just flown out of the SOL window! One minute you pontificate to us voters about politics and local governance then tell us you have never formed "a concrete a view one way or another" on the death penalty due to never having held office, "not even as a parish councillor or anything". By applying that rule of thumb how have you managed to have a concrete view on the need for a mayor etc? Go to any pub and you will hear concrete views on all manner of topics, surprisingly (or not!) formed by people who have never held office, "not even as a parish councillor or anything". |
Comment by Winston Smith ( member ) 6th January 2012
Therein lies the rub, yestomayor - you propose yet another layer of faux democracy that ignores it's own constituents. A politician in a representative democracy should have no more conscience or thought than the piece of paper he or she carries to council or parliament on which is written their constituents voting requirements. I don't care what a councillor, MP, MEP, mayor, whatever believes, all they need to know is what their constituents want and represent them accordingly, even if it goes against their own core beliefs. This is a much higher calling than the vast majority of politicos will ever even dream of, let alone achieve. |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 6th January 2012
My personal view on the death penalty makes not one jot of difference because if I had a view its irrelevant. I am not even a parish councillor or anything so I hold no responsibility whatsoever at present and therefore I have never formed a concrete view one way or the other. I would need to educate myself further beofre I made a final decision. What I do know is that there has to be stronger sentences than living in a comfortable prison. For example - life in isolation with no privileges whatsover ie tv's etc with perhaps 1 hour per day of activity. Its tougher sentence and it would cost less too. |
Comment by Ex Seadog ( member ) 5th January 2012
Mr Moulding... yet more fine words, nothing new. Let's cut to the chase... how do you stand on the question of the death penalty for crimes such as the latest atrocity in Salford? Please, no waffle about a national debate, let's have a straight,(short), answer. |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 5th January 2012
A good directly-elected mayor will have a positive impact on crime and anti-social behaviour. Zero-tolerence apart from the death penalty is as tough as you can get. It can be pro-active as well as reactive. Also, a mayor can stand up to the police and speak out if they are concerned about policing in the patch. Of course, as always it depends who is elected but when you say zero-tolerence it should mean exactly that. I do agree there is little you can do on the justice system but there is certainly much that can be done to proactively prevent crime by rooting out trouble-makers, not rehousing known criminals in the first place, probationary tenancies, injunctions, ASBO's and being on the heels of known criminals to make sure they know they are being watched and know that action will be taken against them in the event of anything happening. I know some believe in being even more tough ie capital punishment but that is a national debate. My blog is about local issues in Salford and how that is being managed at present and how I believe it could be improved at least by voting yes on the 26th january. |
Comment by Ex Seadog ( member ) 5th January 2012
Well said Winston! Anyone who still thinks we really are a democracy, that our Mp's really represent us, or that our mamby-pamby justice system is fair, is living in cloud cuckoo land. There can be no better example of why we should bring back capital punishment than the brainless monster who executed the young man in Salford. |
Comment by Winston Smith ( member ) 5th January 2012
Sorry, yestomayor, but until politicians start representing the public, justice won't (and can't) be implemented. I.e. if the public want the death penalty brought back, physical expulsion of anti-social elements from their community or whatever, and the politicians aren't doing it, then the politicians are still just doing their own thing, and effectively protecting the criminals. That's not justice, is it?!? And Zero tolerance sounds fine in theory but in practice you still won't have control over the magistrates, crown courts or European courts - they'll still all be doing their own thing regardless of any victim's sense of justice, regardless of zero tolerance, ASBOs or any other 'schemes' that politicians come up with. |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 5th January 2012
Winston Smith - I believe and so do my connections believe in a zero-tolerence to crime and anti-social behaviour. Thats why I am campaigning for a YES vote along with other reasons. I believe the right mayor in Salford will crack down hard on these violent thugs. hence my blog - My two themes 1) Salfords finances 2) Salfords spiralling crime and anti-social behaviour. I dont disagree with your sentiments at all. |
Comment by Jenkins ( member ) 4th January 2012
So, it's sour grapes all round then? |
Comment by Winston Smith ( member ) 4th January 2012
Good idea! a pint of 'Victory Gin' for me please... |
Comment by Jenkins ( member ) 4th January 2012
Right then had enough, going for a pint, anybody fancy one? |
Comment by Winston Smith ( member ) 4th January 2012
yestomayor - why not just campaign for a democracy? The public are fed up of crime, they're fed up of the establishment continually letting increasingly serious offenders out without rehabilitation, they're fed up of a society where convicted prisoners have far better treatment than their victims, etc, etc, etc. Who wants this?!? The people?!? Nope. The establishment, mainly politicians, created this state, they maintain it and they fight like hell to keep it that way. That makes them responsible, as a group, and that's why they're only second to the perpetrator when it comes to blame. |
Comment by EnglishDemocratsNW ( member ) 4th January 2012
So Cllr Merry doesn't think they got it wrong, well he wouldn't would he as he is in charge but his new Labour masters stated that they got it wrong at their conference on many issues including crime.Not forgetting that Labour was "Wicked and Malicious" during those 13 yrs (according to Hazel Blears). |
Comment by allan hayward ( member ) 4th January 2012
Hey Hiram. I wish they would **** off too. |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 4th January 2012
Winston Smith. I cannot agree that even the most incompetent politicans have blood on their hands because they did not commit the crimes. Howvever, I do agree that politicians in Salford do create the social environment that allowed or created a society in Salford that contributed to these crimes. hence my blog and due to the severity of the crimes in Salford and the number of them me demanding that the leader of the Council Councillor John merry resigns as an admission that his policies are seriously failing this city, which is putting residents and visitors of this city at a greater risk than the majority of the United Kingdom ! |
Comment by Winston Smith ( member ) 4th January 2012
Politicians just doing what politicians always do when a tragedy and a crime like this happens, i.e. bicker, blame, party dogma, obfuscation, pass the buck, etc. Maybe it's because they have blood on their hands? After all, they created the physical and social environment in which these things happen. Harsh? Hardly, they're fast enough to take the credit if something goes right. |
Comment by EnglishDemocratsNW ( member ) 4th January 2012
"wrong" not "Wring" lol |
Comment by John Merry ( member ) 4th January 2012
No |
Comment by EnglishDemocratsNW ( member ) 4th January 2012
Does Cllr merry then agree that with Salfords crime statistics so high that Labour got it wring on tackling both crime and the causes of crime? |
Comment by Hiram Abiff ( member ) 4th January 2012
STILL at it I see! I can't belive that the poster on here is actually Councilor Merry, the real Mr Merry must be too busy to waste time bantering with Swinton's equivalent of the Monster Raving Loony party. Now be good chaps and leave this once interesting local news site in peace, cheerio both.... oh and a happy New Year too! |
Comment by John Merry ( member ) 4th January 2012
Guest I dealt with this point earlier |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 4th January 2012
There have been several shootings in recent months with more than one fatality which clearly indicates a surge and an increase in gun crime in Salford. There is also a surge and and increase in recent months racist attacks. The number of crimes is well above the national average. Councillor merry is failing on community safety in the city. |
Comment by Guest 4th January 2012
Cllr Merry please can we have your view on Salford crime figures as issued by the home office which shows that crime in Salford is well above the national averge in virually all areas except 1. The riots were not a "One off" event as we saw in November as the students rioted at the Oasis academy near media city, the shooting was not a "one off" as there has been a number of shooting incidents in 2011. If kiaran Stapleton did shoot Anuj then from the age of 5 to 18 he would have been under a Labour Government & labour councils education system and any inititives they had for the area, rememeber the labour saying "On crime, we believe in personal responsibility and in punishing crime, but also tackling its underlying causes - so, tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" Is this one that slipped through the system or as the home office figures show is a more common trend. |
Comment by Ex Seadog ( member ) 4th January 2012
Well said Hiram! I suggest Mr Merry and Mr Moulding pick up their phones and have their 'fish-wife' squabbles in private. Such blatant politicising of every issue is unhelpful and infuriating. Mr Merry, I suggest you stop rising to such obvious 'bait'. |
Comment by Hiram Abiff ( member ) 4th January 2012
ENOUGH! This constant bickering is taking over every thread and I for one am heartily sick of it. Take your political posturing to the council chambers and let SOL report anything of interest to us voters. Time for both sides to clear off and do something constructive! |
Comment by John Merry ( member ) 4th January 2012
You chose to attack someone who commented on your blog. I don't find that helpful. You then deny what is fact about debt build up due to building council houses in the past . The audit Commision an Inderpendant body has always judged the council to be well run financially . You have claimed that the Council Tax could be cut by half yet when challenged said that the officers would be required to come up with the ideas. In other words you have no idea as to where the cuts could be made. It is for others to judge your comments. I merely pointed out that someone else was entitled to comment. |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 4th January 2012
With all due respect Councillor merry - you could hardly say my blog is a rant as jenkins proclaimed. As an ex-employee of the police employed in a capacity to bring together sections of the community with police in relation to hate crime, you can hardly call my blog a rant when I highlighted serious failures of how GMP were handling the case before they then came out later on the same day in public to say what I had written/strongly implied earlier ie the incident should be treated as a hate crime. You can hardly call my blog a rant when I highlight serious financial mis-management of our city to the tune of £600 million pounds in debt and you are the leader of the Council managing this mis-management. You can hardly call my blog a rant when as a result of the Salford riots and several serious and henious crimes happening in recent weeks and months that I highlight concerns about community safety, community cohesion, crime, anti-social behaviour and education in our city which are all clearly failing in some way that has contributed to these events and you are the Leader of the Council that has responsibility for this mis-management. You see Councillor merry you and your labour cronies are very good at trying to deceive readers, personalise and attack someone for trying to genuinely improve his community because like your colleagues in Swinton North if you go against the establishment or you dont join the club somehow you rant, you cause trouble or some other vile attack of many that has been aimed at my direction. Water off a ducks backside. If you wont resign Councillor merry stand on your record and put yourself up for election in the whole city - I will definately stand against you and your appalling record in how this city has been managed in recent times ? |
Comment by John Merry ( member ) 4th January 2012
With all due respect Michael I think any member is entitled to comment |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 3rd January 2012
Jenkins - I am in conversation with Councillor Merry. Do not be so rude as to intervene. This conversation has nothing to do with you and your little rant. |
Comment by Jenkins ( member ) 3rd January 2012
Mr Moulding, you once threatened to boycott SalfordOnline I believe, then why do you keep on posting here because nobody else will listen to your rants? You keep on tilting at any windmills that appear on the horizon, shame on you for using this poor lads death to use as a platform for your ill informed rants. |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 3rd January 2012
Councillor merry - The debate about reducing Salford's Council Tax has not been lost as you will ascertain over the coming few weeks when our plans are presented to people to decide for themselves. That debate will be won. Your defence of the Council's massive debt is just plain ridiculous. We are not anywhere near like any other Council at all. We are hundreds of millions in debt built up over decades your teams rule. Blaming the debt on the 60's is just plain ridiculous when the new Salford City Council only took responsibility for services in 1974 !!! The Council has given £670,000 to the BBC, and am sorry successful or not £500,000 of our money spent on Proms when we are in debt and Council taxes one of the highest in Greater Manchester and you having to cut frontline services is wrong. The Langworthy Hotel's responsibility and demise lay with Salford City Council. Another half a million pounds down the pan ! Community safety ? Education of our young children - have a listen to Salford's District Judge on the video posted by Salfordonline and you might learn something about managing crime and anti-social behaviour in this city and community cohesion because you are failing on this too Councillor Merry ! Councillor Merry - The RIOTS did happen in OUR city ! Take responsibility for your shambolic performance and go ! |
Comment by John Merry ( member ) 3rd January 2012
Your last comment illustrates the sheer poverty of your campaign and the need to resort to personal attacks and rants. To spell it out
1 Every Council that engaged in slum clearance and building of council houses during the sixties ended up borrowing significant sums of money. Salford is no worse than other councils
2. I have no idea which BBC programes you are talking about when you claim we paid for them
3. The Proms in the Park was one of the most popular events we put on
4. IF we are so badly run why is our population growing with people wnting to live here
5. The Langworthy Hotel as has been well documented elsewhere was brought not by me but by the SRB Board
Do the right thing and get your facts straight otherwise you will have annother "we can half your council tax" debacle on your hands |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 3rd January 2012
Councillor Merry - in plain English - You as Leader is leading a Council that is hundreds of millions in debt. Financial mis-management on a massive scale. Under your leadership Salford had the riots and violent crime in 2011 under your leadership is getting worse. If you really think the city is going in the right direction after 2011 and the crime that occurred during this time then you are so very out of touch and why we need a directly-elected mayor someone who is in touch with the people. GO !!!! You are doing an appalling job ! |
Comment by John Merry ( member ) 3rd January 2012
No I do not agree with your view of Salfords finances and having had your figures taken apart on your claim that the Council Tax could be halved I dont think anybody credible will believe you on this either. Salfords crime figures have always been above the national average as have many areas but they are comeing down and whilst any crime is not good news we should be pleased they are moving in the right direction. |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 3rd January 2012
I do not need to say anything else other than a minor point which is that any shooting or killing in our city is wrong and outragious. Other than this I think you have made the points very well. Hence, my reasons for calling for Merry to go. He should do the decent thing and go. He is failing this city. |
Comment by Guest 3rd January 2012
The statistics speak for themselves:SALFORD COUNCIL with a population of 225,100 living in 99,100 Households
Burglary Sal 12.3 N.Ave 6.9 - Criminal damage Sal 17.3 N.Ave 12.7 - Drug offences Sal 6.6 N.Ave 4.2 - Fraud and forgery Sal 4.3 N.Ave 2.7 - Offences against vehicles Sal 12.2 N.Ave 8.2 - Other offences Sal 2.2 N.Ave 1.2 - Other theft offences Sal 16.5 N.Ave 19.3 - Robbery Sal 1.7 N.Ave 1.4 - Sexual offences Sal 1.1 N.Ave 1.0 - Violence against the person Sal 18.4 N.Ave 14.8
Data is supplied by the Home Office based on data collected by police forces in England and Wales between 2010 and 2011
All but one "Other theft Offences" are all above the National average, on one hand you have the media shouting "City of Shame" on the other "Communities outraged" but is this shooting out of the ordinary for Salford. Looking at the stats and the media on how many gun crimes have occurred in Salford over the past year shows a different story, the tragic events of this shooting is it was a student visiting the city, it is this fact that is drawing the unwanted attention to the city for the civic leaders and why they have gone into overdrive on their "Outraged" PR campaign just as they did after the riots with "I Love Salford" campaign as the other gun crimes hardly get a mention or the same "outrage" |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 3rd January 2012
Councillor Merry - I am not using this tragic event as a political football. The reality is that you as Leader of Salford City Council that has lead responsibility for community safety and community cohesion and education of our children and young people is clearly failing our city. You concentrate my comments on the henious crime. You agree then that our Council is in a very serious financial mess when we are in debt as much as we are where future generations of Salfordians are going to have to pay this money back ? You are mis-managing our city. You do the decent thing and resign. |
Comment by John Merry ( member ) 3rd January 2012
Of course we take responsibility for our actions that is why I am happy to have been the Leader when the population in Salford has risen for the first time in 50 years. I will not use this tragic event as a political football and nor should you if you really wanted to do the decent thing |
Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) 2nd January 2012
Councillor Merry - Strategically crime and anti-social behaviour is the responsibility of Salford City Council of which you are leader along with other partner agencies in this city. The education of our children and young people in this city is the responsibility strategically of Salford City Council of which you are leader. This year we had the Salford riots and the most henious crime you could ever imagine. These things happened in our city bringing national ridicule to the city and everyone associated with it. Salford City Council is also nealry 600 million pounds in debt and there seems no stopping it. We are in a financial mess. Do the decent thing for our City and RESIGN ! |
Comment by John Merry ( member ) 2nd January 2012
People in Salford do not want you or I to make political capital out of the events of the last few days so I shall confine myself to saying the police had all the support they required from the council over this tragic incident or the riots . If you don't believe me ask them. |
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