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Posted by yestomayor Salford on 10th January 2012 at 06:00 PM

Labour in a mess over Elected-Mayors

The mayoral Alliance supports Labour Party policy for elected mayors.

Labour in a mess over Elected-Mayors !

The mayoral Alliance partners of my party, The Community Action Party, The English Democrats North-West, led by Stephen Morris are distributing literature in wards of Salford (little Hulton, Walkden North & South and others) telling Labour supporters that voting YES on the 26th January 2012 in the forthcoming mayoral referendum, they will be actually supporting labour Party policy.

In fact, I will predict in the event of a YES vote in Salford, even though manchester have to hold a referendum in May 2012 for the same concept, they will in fact revert without a referendum to a directly-elected mayor system of local government ? Why ? because it is a Labour council supporting Labour Party policy.

Both Salford Labour MP's support the concept. Both hazel Blears and Barabar Keeley are on public record supporting directtly-elected mayors but not in their backyard. So once strong advocates are now against it but only in Salford ! They make me laugh !

From John Warmisham's (Salford Labour councillor) blog as follows :-

“We are proud to have belonged to a Government that gave people the right to decide on a directly-elected mayor. Believing that people should have a choice does not mean that it should be in favour no matter when or where.”
Ms Blears added: “I remain in favour of elected mayors but believe they are most effective when they cover large areas such as Greater London, Quote Hazel Blears.

How desperate can you get from an ex-government minister that actually tried to loosen the legislation to make it easier to trigger referendums for elected-mayors and now out of government she says she does not want it in her own backyard.

Utter hypocrisy from a MP that clearly some people think lacks moral fibre when she was ridiculed by having to return MP's expenses because she was caught out. Well, am afraid they have been caught out again.

We and I support this system and we support Labour Party policy !!!!

Michael Moulding, The Community Action Party

Comment by Ex Seadog ( member ) ^{3rd February 2012}
Oooh... you are cynical alpha, but I agree with you. Strange how this announcement about axing top jobs has come so quickly after the Yes vote. Somebody trying to look good in the eyes of the electorate do you think?

Comment by Alfa99 ( member ) ^{2nd February 2012}
I believe that Salford Council are to axe top jobs to slash £1 million pounds off the budget. These people will be offered redundancy or early retirement. Nice one. Big fat tax free lump sum. Nice retirement package......But i wonder how soon we will see them back as "consultants" ? I love political parties paticulary Labour as they are the true embodiment of the struggles of the working man!

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{31st January 2012}
matter of days * typo

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{31st January 2012}
Alfa99 - It was a good result. I agree with many of the comments you have made. Councillor Owen has truly showed himself to be out of his depth on the issues facing Salford when within a matter of says he says "Salford does not need fixing" and a few days later says "What kind of city are we living in ?" I have said from the beginning of the campaign that we would achieve a YES vote. My attempts to improve our city by attracting support for the directly-elected mayor concept resulted in vile verbal attacks from the "NO" supporters/campaigners but I wont rub salt into their wounds other than to say they were warned and advised of what we thought would be the outcome and the reasons why.

Comment by Alfa99 ( member ) ^{27th January 2012}
Get in! What a great result. Anyway it would have been rather difficult to be brought to your knees and walk away with dignity! More of a shuffle really! It is amazing that the no campaign are questioning the ligitimacy of the vote bescause of the low turnout? You would have to also question the same with our elected leaders when there are similar low turnouts in by elections and Council elections. Norman Owen, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: “There has been no understanding of what this referendum was about from day one. Amazing. Can you believe comments like that? Is that his opinion of the local people's intellegence or his own understanding?

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{27th January 2012}
I am making no further comment.

Comment by Jenkins ( member ) ^{23rd January 2012}
Roll on Friday morning and we will see, hopefully the last of the Yes Mayor campaigners brought to their knee's and they walk away in dignified silence, I some how doubt it though. And yes Mr Moulding please feel free to copy this comment and feel free to use it in whatever context you require, you sir are literally the barbers cat, please feel free to look up the meaning of the expression.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{23rd January 2012}
Councillor Merry - I accept I did not update myself on the Supplementary voting system as that was not in my list of priorities at the time and have since corrected my error a long time ago. And 2/3 rds of councillors Councillor Merry under the current composition of the Council in Salford would mean your group could veto every single decision he made if you wanted to as you have over the 2/3rds required majority do you not ? And therefore I am not incorrect. But this is an ADDITIONAL safeguard Councillor merry because unlike you an elected Mayor is accountable to the whole city in an election ! They dont perform we vote them out. Simples.

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{22nd January 2012}
I am amazed Michael you have not checked the law . The Council can only block a mayoral decision if a two thirds majority object. It's a bit like the electoral system when you were under the impression that third and fourth choices count . How dare you accuse me of trying to deceive when you have not done even basic research

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{22nd January 2012}
Councillor Merry - you are trying to deceive Grumpy ! You as unelected "strong" Leader has the same powers as an elected mayor and you remain as "strong leader" for a four year term. A Mayor would not make all the decisions because any mayor has to abide by the constitution of the Council which means that this is impossible. The councillors have the power to block every single decision if they so wish.

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{21st January 2012}
I am afraid Grumpy Mr Moulding is incorrect . The Law is that all decisions are made by the Mayor unless two thirds of the council object to a decision . A leader can be voted out by a majority of council at any time and a majority in council can reject proposals.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{21st January 2012}
There would be little difference in the day to day workings of the Council ie unelected leader versus directly-elected mayor. The difference is we elect the mayor and an elected mayor can implement policies on which he/she has been given a mandate, can instruct and advise officers how to proceed or not with policies and strategies and decide accordingly, according to the constitution of the Council. An elected mayor could replace a Chief executive of any Council as it could be deemed they are not required.

Comment by grumpy ( member ) ^{21st January 2012}
I have read quite a lot on this site about the mayoral campaign but remain confused as to how an elected mayor would function, I read about councilors or civil servants being "told" to come up with cost saving ideas and how the current regime wastes money but nothing specific as to how an admin structure would operate under a single elected supremo. Can someone please give me a straight answer as to how an elected mayoral regime would work on a day to day basis?

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{21st January 2012}
Jenkins - Yawn ! From now all your comments will be ignored by me so do not expect any further replies but I will copy any comments made by you and use them as I see fit.

Comment by Jenkins ( member ) ^{21st January 2012}
Mr Moulding you seem to have failed to answer any of John Merrys questions instead putting up a "it wasn't me " arguement, why on earth shold the Beekeeper give you his name, in case you visit him like you said you would with Reg Howard?, as for knowing my name Michael. well it is Richard or do you prefer Dick?

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{20th January 2012}
Councillor Merry - Mr berg appearance on radio was an invitation because he was the petition organiser, The Mayoral Alliance spokesperson is Stephen Morris as I say and it is he who has appeared on the BBC and ITV and others. I will be putting no leaflet out against Mr Berg as I have no need to Councillor Merry. I have never said that Mr berg does not support the Mayoral Alliance for the YES vote in our city. To the contrary he does.

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{20th January 2012}
Looking forward to the leaflet disagreeing with Mr Berg but he is the named representive of the yes campaign . He is the one who appears in debates and on the radio . He is the one who presented your petition . When you issue a media statement saying Mr Berg is no longer to be regarded as part of the mayoral alliance I might believe it.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{20th January 2012}
Councillor merry - you are getting very agitated because you are now just making things up. All I have done is corrected your assumptions. The mayoral Alliance is made up of The Community Action Party and The English Democrats NW. You have assumed that Mr berg is the face of The Mayoral Alliance. You are wrong. Of course, we value the contribution and support given to us by an independants which Mr berg has clearly provided. His contribution to the "YES" campaign, on balance, has been excellent. Without his help we would not be where we are. Without the support of The English Democrats NW we would not be where we are and without my parties contribution the same. Mr berg is not dumped as you state. he is just not leading The Mayoral Alliance campaign as you have implied. The leaflet distributed to each household in the city was printed and published by Mr berg. Can you please correct your previous statement ? many thanks.

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{20th January 2012}
You take Mr Bergs money and then you try and dump him.He was the man who promoted the referendum and has been the public face of the campaign . Now in a desperate attempt to gain some creditibilty you want to pretend his leaflets are nothing to do with you.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{20th January 2012}
Councillor Merry - The mayoral Alliance is made up of The Community Action party and The English Democrats NW and any independants that support us. The leaflet Mr berg has distributed is clearly NOT from The Mayoral Alliance. It is printed and published by Mr berg and you know this. Mr Berg does not speak on our behalf at all. This is Stephen Morris from the English Democrats our partners in the Alliance. I have no need whatsoever to resign and like I have said previously our two parties are working very closely together.

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{20th January 2012}
Mr Berg speaks on behalf of the Mayoral Alliance you are a member of the Mayoral Alliance . Are you going to resign from the Mayoral Alliance or continue to support him and his leaflet

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{19th January 2012}
Councillor Merry - You make me laugh. You have implied in earlier blogs that a leaflet printed and published by Mr berg are my views and you clearly state and I quote "The Mayoral Alliance latest leaflet..........." then go on to report inaccurate information as fact from this leaflet. You then continue and I quote "Michael you need to make it clear that you do not support this leaflet". In a later blog you state and I quote "Your refusal to give details of Mr Bergs expenditure has been noted." Because I have corrected your assumption that the leaflet was from The mayoral Alliance and I have not been able to justify Mr bergs contribution expenditure wise you are now assuming The mayoral Alliance is falling apart. To the contrary. The English Democrats and The Community Action Party in Salford are working very well together in an excellent campaign and this will continue. Any independents that support us we are happy for that support and that include Mr berg who I am in regular contact with. I cannot comment on the views of The English Democrats NW. But will say they are very worthy political partners and it has and is a privilege to work with them on this very important campaign for Salford.

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{19th January 2012}
I have certainly got the message that the mayoral alliance is falling apart. Have you told Mr Berg that you have repudiated his leaflet and where do the English Dems stand on this

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{19th January 2012}
jenkins - The leaflets Councillor merry is referring to have nothing to do with me (note Jerry). The leaflets I am referring to on my blog are leaflets produced and delivered by me and my colleagues from The Community Action Party as part of The Mayoral Alliance. You know my full name what is yours Jenkins ?

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{19th January 2012}
Jerry - You seem a little pedantic. I am writing in various blogs on various sites so I am having to do these things quickly. I do apologise but I think Councillor Merry has got the message.

Comment by jerry ( member ) ^{19th January 2012}
When did 'myself' replace 'me' in normal grammar?

Comment by Jenkins ( member ) ^{19th January 2012}
Mr Moulding if you have not distributed these leaflets, why do you boast on your Facebook page of how many you,or you and Mr Butters have distributed throughout the local area, or was that Mr Berg stuffing them through letterboxes and holding a loud hailer outside Hazel Blears office in Salford? perhaps like you I should get out more....

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{19th January 2012}
How much is the valuable contribution?

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{19th January 2012}
My leaflet Councillor Merry ?????? Please........I have printed no such thing ! Are you on about the leaflet printed & distributed by Mr Berg which I think you clearly are ? And also actually in fairness to Mr berg it does NOT say that young people money will be reduced to that of Trafford ! You are wrong. In relation to the name-calling that is completely unecessary Councillor Merry and again very wrong indeed. Mr Berg has made a valuable contribution to our campaign but he is in no way leading our campaign as you will see over the coming weeks and months. Regarding your notations I suggest you better read the leaflet again and note who has printed and published it. It has nothing to do with myself.

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{18th January 2012}
Your leaflet clearly states you will reduce the budget spent on young people to the level of trafford . Who is right Mr Berg your puppet master or you. As for causing the death of a child I do not know of any such case. Still perhaps you know something that Ofsted does not . Your refusal to give details of Mr Bergs expenditure has been noted

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{18th January 2012}
The Department safeguarding children would receive the resources necessary to keep our children safe. It is Salford Council under your leadership that employed a director that turned out to be incompetent. This incompetence contributed to mismanagement which put Salford children at risk and resulted in death. I dont think you can get much worse than that. In terms of how our campaign has been financed, you are clearly disturbed by the excellent campaign we have fought explaining our valid reasons for a change. The result will be known next week. Finally, I am having to keep repeating myself. Each and every year under your stewardship our Council has wasted tens of millions on pet projects. projects like Media City UK and the BBC move which was ridiculed in todays Daily Mirror where Salford people only got 26 jobs, 10 of which were less than £5 per hour for six months greeting visitors ! This shambles has cost us a fortune. Your "baby" OUR "White Elephant".

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{18th January 2012}
Michael we will put our case to the people but I note you have refused to answer any questions as to where your money is comeing from. Will you publish the extent of Mr Bergs financing of your campaign. Surely as a political donation it should be declared. Secondly as regards safguarding you still have not explained how reducing the budget to the Trafford Level when there are twice as many children in care is even possible let alone safe. You dont challenge our figures you just hope if you repeat an untruth often enough it might be believed .

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{18th January 2012}
Councillor Merry - If the city of Salford vote in favour of a mayoral system whilst you as unelected leader has been leading the Council, surely this would be a reflection of how you has managed this city as "strong" leader and go and do the decent thing. Of course, we may end up with a Labour mayor but that is better than an unelected leader and of course, there is a real chance we could end up with a non-labour mayor. The issues you raise regarding safeguarding. The fact is that Salford Council have already been slated in Childrens Services through bad management. This has been well publicised. The Mayoral Alliance Concillor Merry is predominantly The English Democrats NW and The Community Action Party working together to bring change to the city. Of course, we have independent people supporting us and why not. It will be our two parties that decides how if and any campaigns are fought and how they are resourced. You can be assured as you have seen in the referendum contest that we will make every effort to defeat your party as we believe this has resulted in a deterioaration of the city, neglect of outer townships, an unfair distribution of resources, an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour and ever increasing Council taxes and debt burdens to our city and its people. Again, my party will decide any other elections I may or may not campaign in but I also believe that Councillor Antrobus the Labour Swinton North councillor has totally left his Swinton roots and negglected our town and I am very happy to highlight these issues to local people because as a resident I have been affected by his incompetence locally. I have nothing to do with Mr bergs motives. They are his and his alone. The Mayoral Alliance want a better city for all that is treated equally.

Comment by Hiram Abiff ( member ) ^{18th January 2012}
@ John Merry(?)... While I am no supporter of yestomayor, he does manage to highlight several ill conceived actions taken by the council and erg, you as its leader. Will you and your merry men ever have the decency to speak truthfully and admit when pp decisions have been made. I would truel like to see justification for the white elephant that is the rugby stadium, who is paying the bills and just how do you (as a significant investor on our behalf) propose to fill the seats? There must have been an average capacity factored in to the cost benefit analysis when the plans were approved, surely? Thank you in anticipation of some ground breaking political honesty in our fair city... oh well, I suppose I can dream...

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{18th January 2012}
None of the investment you mention are even in the budget which is why your latest leaflet says the money will be deducted from the area of the budget that covers safeguarding children . So far we have had promises to reduce levels of service to the levels provided by Trafford including the elderly where 6000 people more in Salford are provided for because we operate a different criteria and safeguarding where we have twice as many children in care . Whatever the result I will not be quitting but will continue to fight for what I believe. As you yourself said if the people vote for a mayor and then vote for a Labour Mayor then that is their right We have seen a campaign financed by a Bury businessman . Ask yourself why? It is possible that it has been done entirely out of the goodness of his heart. Or could it be that in your promise to cut the department that is taking enforcement action against him to zero you feel that we should not be taking action on complaints about properties. In any case any election campaign will be governed by limits on expenditure and he will not be able to put the entirety of his resources at your disposal . I assume if there is a no vote you will continue to campaign in the local elections.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{17th January 2012}
Councillor Merry - Savings through better management and greater efficiency whilst maintaining quality services can be achieved helping to reduce Council Tax. Also, as highlighted below you as Leader has wasted an extraordinary amount of money millions on pet projects whist at the same time cuts in services have been made. 1,000's homes in Salford have been demolsihed and rebuilt unecessarily costing us yet more still and list is endless. Not to mention the "white elephant" on the Media City UK and the BBC move. The result if YES is a testamant of how you as leader has managed this Council. If Salford votes YES will you go ?

Comment by markinM44 ( member ) ^{17th January 2012}
@JohnMerry "an insult to the intelligence of all Salfordians" I doubt that it is possible as they have been voting labour for the last 35+ years which when you consider the carnage your party has caused I would say that reflects a median line for the IQ in Salford? It would be quite easy to make significant savings if you and your other labour cohorts stopped playing monopoly with civic funds! The stadium got off to a good start didnt it!! Maybe sell of the debt to peel before you fail to manage it and load it on the council tax!!

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{17th January 2012}
The Mayoral Alliance latest leaflet is an insult to the intelligence of all Salfordians. Now they promise to slash the budget spent on safeguarding young people in order to achieve their cut in council tax . It as if Baby P never happened. They also downgrade Salford from a city to a borough. Michael you need to make it clear that you do not support this leaflet.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{15th January 2012}
Jenkins - I am a liability coming from you that is opposed to my activities ? LOL I am making no threats. I am merely pointing out to Mr Howarth that before he starts making personal attacks on myself, out of the blue which he, he needs to concentrate on his own local party as Chairman because his members are affiliating themselves to ludicrous groups that would seriously offend many people. Wishing someone dead is sick & outragious. I will let my party decide my role and activities judge their successes. We will not be preached to by our opponents, including you & Mr Howarth. Jilly - I think Mr carvarth has probably learned his lesson that his vile, extremist views are unwanted in this city.

Comment by Jilly ( member ) ^{14th January 2012}
I say let's get Richard Carvath for Mayor!

Comment by Ex Seadog ( member ) ^{14th January 2012}
Curiosity keeps me checking-out the comments in this 'debate'...I'm always let down...Yaaawwwnnn!

Comment by Jenkins ( member ) ^{14th January 2012}
One final request to Mr Moulding, if the electotate vote NO to an elected Mayor in Salford will you promise to stay away from this site?, you are becoming even more confused and becoming a liability to your party, and as for threatening Reg Howard, dear me, grow up please.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{13th January 2012}
me to divert* (typo) apologies.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{13th January 2012}
Mr Howard - So far I have concentrated my energies on trying to defeat The Labour party which I believe is letting our city down. If you want to unite with them to personally attack me and my party which you have done so on here then that leaves mo no choice but to divery some of my time, energy & resources on letting local people know in Salford what the Green Party is about. As it happens I do have some respect for your party, some of your members and indeed our party The Community Action party supported The Green Party in the 2010 Euro elections and maybe doing so again IE Peter Cranie so can I suggest in future before you start personally attacking me and my party you think twice before doing so and uniting with our real opponents The Labour Party. As Chairman you maybe advisable to sit down with your counterparts in Swinton South ! As far as I am concerned the matter is now closed.

Comment by reghoward ( member ) ^{13th January 2012}
Lunatic tendancies? I give up,

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{13th January 2012}
I will not name the individual on here but he is a Salford Green Party member and he for example is a member of a group called "The impending death of Margaret Thatcher" ie looking forward to her death which despite her failures or not is disgusting. A so-called pro-human rights activist looking forward to the death of a former prime minister. This is crucial information which I am sure the electors of Swinton South will be interested to learn about the lunatic tendancies that exist within the Salford Green party.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{13th January 2012}
Mr Howard - from out of the blue for no reason you made a personal attack on myself. I dont intend to say anymore on the subject other than if you want me to spread my activities to Swinton South to defeat your party out of Swinton I will do so.

Comment by reghoward ( member ) ^{13th January 2012}
I would like to make a public appology to all people who read this article,I made the serious mistake of responding to the garbage written by Mr Moulding,in his last message he issued what i can only interpret as a threat when he said that "i must be carefulthat i dont bite off more than i can chew because Swinton South is only a ten minute walk from where he lives"so, as a peace loving man i will turn the other cheek this time,but when it comes to the elections i will show him what ruthless means,if that is not enough for him then he can feel free to take that ten minute walk,. that is not a threat, it is a promise !! as for his comments about our members, I challenge him to name ONE who falls into the description he portrays

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{13th January 2012}
Hiram, I agree with much of your sentiment. Councillor merry has nothing to fear in that any Mayor would be elected by the people. If its Labour it has to be Labour. I would rather have an elected Labour Mayor than an unelected Labour leader. Mr Howard - Your parties policies for Salford are anti-salford and anti-Swinton. In fact your party contains members that are affiliated to groups that support "the impending death of margaret Thatcher", and other lunatic tendencies. Be careful before you can bite off more than you can chew because Swinton South is ten minutes walk away from my home. Councillor Merry - no it is not true. Mr Howard you will see that Salford will vote YES which means it is your party that is out of touch.

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{13th January 2012}
Is this true Michael ?

Comment by Hiram Abiff ( member ) ^{13th January 2012}
The electorate know that in Salford the Labour Party will always be returned as the majority in any local or national government election. We will never experience change or have the chance to make comparison, as either by the will of the people who turn out to vote or the apathy of those who don't, Salford was , is and will remain an insurmountable Labour bastion. My one faint hope, if the mayoral system was to be employed, is that it would provide an opportunity for a non political position to be created. That is the only potential benefit I can see at this time. I have yet to be swayed by either sides argument in this issue but still believe that the electorate should choose. Mr Merry has little to fear in this as the Labour voters would vote for a donkey if it had a red rossette on it, a true independant would be very welcome in 2012...

Comment by reghoward ( member ) ^{13th January 2012}
John,this is the same Michael Moulding who,in November 1998 was just as voiviferous in his support for the congestion charges,although the people voted overwhelmingly against it, just shows how much he is out of touch with the people, Reg Howard, Salford Green Party chairman

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{12th January 2012}
Michael the mayor has the power to implement virtually any policy unless two thirds of the council object. I can only implement a policy while I am supported by a majority of council. Either you do not understand the power of the mayor or for some reason you don't want to tell the truth

Comment by Guest ^{12th January 2012}
Reading some of the comments on this article leaves me feeling somewhat bemused, I am not sure that the concept of democracy is quite understood by many of the people posting here.The party which gets the most votes, runs the council, simple,the ruling party elect the leader, so, labour win,Merry is the leader,conservatives win, Garrido is the leader and finally,(God forbid) Lib/dems win, Owen leads, that is the will of the people who get off their backsides and vote.I have read the comments made by the pro mayor group and have yet to see any feasible way in which they can implement their policies,the only reason i can see for their campaign is one of self gratification and 15 minutes of fame,instead of concentrating on the serious issues in this city,of which there are many, they are flooding the city with utter garbage and promises which they have no hope of fulfilling, ask any pensioner or disabled person in this city what they fdind most important, you can be sure that elected mayor will not appear on the list.the simple truth is that the people can get rid of the council each year by simply voting for someone else, i would remind people that history has proven that absolute power corrupts,just look at, Hitler,Saddam Hussain,Gadahfi, all of them took power on the promise of a better life for all citizens, look what happened. I would point out that views expressed here are my own and not those of my party who i will be representing in the May elections and will be fighting on real issues, not the tilting at windmills which seems to be the vogue at the moment, Reg Howard,

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{12th January 2012}
Once again Councillor merry you try to deceive. You as Leader of the Council is in position for four years under the strong Leader Model. And why should only councillors choose you in smoke-filled rooms behind closed doors in a Labour group meeting before council which in reality is what happens ? The leader of our city should be chosen by the people and this is resonating with Salford people. If you believe you are worthy of such a position Councillor merry you should put your candidature forward and let the voters of the city decide whether they want you to do the job. I find it ironic thst on the BBC you try to instil fear into the electorate by suggesting that by voting YES we could be even giving you more powers than you already have as though this is a shocking reason as to why we should stay with what we have as its better to have you with less power than more power ? The powers are the same and you know it Councillor Merry. As Hiram as said the only difference is we choose who we want and not your colleagues.

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{12th January 2012}
Hiram I am not personally afraid of any system. What I am concerned about is the truncating of democracy to electing one person every 4 years. As things stand if you do not like the Labour Administration you can vote every year to get rid of them . Under the mayoral system your local elected representives will have no power .if that is what people want then fine Labour will fight for the mayorality but remember following the activity of the English Dem Mayor in Doncaster over 11000 have signed a petition calling for the scrapping of the system. As things stand every council meeting I have to win a majority for the policies being followed. Under the mayoral system one vote every 4 years is sufficient.

Comment by markinM44 ( member ) ^{12th January 2012}
Mayors, councillors etc I wouldnt trust any of hem to look after my cat and she has been dead for two years. The council is like a home for retiree shop stewards and any other egotistical labour drone who cares to raise a labour banner. As for the rest of runners in Mayoral campaign what makes you think that you have the required business sense to deal with a city of this size? Currently the way you all go on and the statements you make I would not classify any of you as "Fit for purpose". Once it goes ahead another LABOUR ex-councillor will step in and because of the labour propaganda engine will win hands down. Give it up because another 3 generations will have to pass before the mill town, docks, steelworks, shop steward, union mentality disappears. The incumbent council are laughing at you.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{12th January 2012}
Hiram - You are 100 % correct. Thats what The Mayoral Alliance has been campaigning for. The right for the electorate to choose who runs our city. It is called democracy. Why would a current council Leader be afraid of that ? The simple answer is we should have that right hence why we are trying to persuade people to vote YES and why I will be voting YES ! A Labour Mayor elected by the people is still better than a Labour Leader unelected by the people because at least the people elected them but in the event they dont perform they would also be voted out by the people. That is what Councillor merry is afraid of.

Comment by Hiram Abiff ( member ) ^{12th January 2012}
Jerry makes a good point here. Underneath the bickering and posturing I am trying to see the difference between a mayor and a council leader, my only conclusion is that the former will be voted for by the local electorate while the latter is an internal appointment made by the incumbent council majority and without any consultation/approval process with the electorate. I stand ready to be swayed by convincing argument one way or another on having an elected mayor or not, but I do believe that I should have the right to vote for or against actually having one. Mr Merry, are you truely saying we shouldn't allow the electorate to decide if Salford should have an elected mayor? This reeks of fear to me, perhaps for the position of council leader and also for the loss of a political stranglehold in the safest of safe councils. Time to forget the Alliance's political views, their lack of sound reasoning and paucity of facts to support their comments and just focus on the real question here.... Should we or shouldn't we (the electorate), have the right to decide how we feel our city should be managed and lead? Over to the protagonists for a simple yes or no answer, thank you.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member ) ^{12th January 2012}
Councillor Merry - your incompetance of the Council is devastating for the city ! I am an ordinary guy that wants abetter community and a better city ! An elected mayor FOR the people has to represent the people ? WHY ?????????? You vote them OUT ! i Love PRESTON ! I LOVE SWINTON ! I LOVE SALFORD ! I LOVE SWINTON ! I LOVE PRESTON ! I LOVE SALFORD ! I am a Lancashire LAD born & bred !:) x

Comment by jerry ( member ) ^{12th January 2012}
From what I've read here, it's the right to decide that both your parties are championing, rather than being for or against, is it not?

Comment by John Merry ( member ) ^{11th January 2012}
To deal with a number of untruths 1) the labour party policy nationally is not to support local mayors it is to leave it to communities to decide 2) Hazel and Barbara are both despite the misleading leaflet by the mayoral alliance urging a no vote 3) the Audit Commision the Engish Democrat mayor of Doncaster who had failed to discharge his responsibilities 4) The current ceremonial mayor in Salford is not chosen by Labour Members it is chosen on the basis of seniority 5) The promise to cut council tax by 50% has been shown elsewhere on this site to be false 6) the estimates of the council debt overstates it by almost £100 million and the vast bulk of it relates to council house building that took place before I was even a member of the council I could go on but this whole argument is such a cynical misrepresentation of the truth that it is difficult to know where to begin. I talked to people on the night of the debate who had not made up their . In one case they were Tories who had expected to support the Yes Campaign. They were clear when they left they were voting no. Not because of love of Labour but because they felt the Yes campaign was an insult to their intelligence.

Comment by EnglishDemocratsNW ( member ) ^{11th January 2012}
The Mayoral Alliance of the English Democrats and Community Action Party walked the streets speaking to residents about how a new form of Council Governance could change the city for the better. The previous Labour Government (which Hazel Blears MP called Wicked and Malicious in 2010) wanted to bring direct accountability to our Council leaders, Hazel Blears when Government Community Secretary said “I am keen to see more elected mayors. The public want to see a person they have voted for and can hold to account.” “We need strong political leadership for our cities, which is why I support directly-elected mayors and want to see more of them in the future. People want to see an accountable, visible figure in charge. Business needs to know who to talk to. Cities need Mayors to compete internationally.”(from Manchester Evening News) Even Labour MP Barbara Keeley is quoted as saying “Elected Mayors can offer highly effective local leadership - which is why Labour introduced the model.” (from www.barbarakeeley.co.uk) Let’s look at the reasons Salford Labour use to try and get people to vote “NO”: 1) This is an American style Mayor – This is completely untrue as the rules on what an Elected Mayor of an English City can do are decided by the British Parliament, whilst in the US this is done by the U.S. Government. The other point being that no one has a monopoly on Democratic Accountability of our Leaders. 2) Salford Labour also say “When you cast your vote at local elections, you make a choice about who should represent you and thus what you council tax should be spent on. This right will be removed if a referendum to impose a directly elected Mayor is successful” This is once again a false statement from Labour, you continue to have local elections to choose your local councillor however with an elected Mayor you also get to choose the Council leader, something you don’t have at present. 3) Salford Labour say that it is to much power in the hands of one person, however this power was given to them by a Labour Government, it is however very hypocritical of them to say a Mayor covering 1 Council has to much power whilst supporting a Mayor for Greater Manchester who would control 10 Councils. 4) What about Stoke who recently changed back to the old style of Council Governance, interestingly Salford Labour fail to mention that the last Mayor of Stoke was arrested on corruption charges and was one of the reasons people lost confidence in that system and wanted to change. 5) What about Doncaster, Salford Labour once again fail to mention the full facts to you, yes the audit commission did go in but it is what they said about the Councillors - “Councilors were described as “venomous, vicious and vindictive” and responsible for widespread “bullying and harassment” of council officers” The Commission condemned councilors for putting their “hatred of the mayor” before their responsibilities to local people and electors. The result has been poor schooling, poor housing, high crime and poor health and poor education. For instance, many local adults in the employment were too unhealthy and/or unskilled to find new jobs, said the Commission.” This was about Councilors’ and not the Mayor for the failings. 6) In their recent leaflet they say that the Mayor could “Ignore the wishes of a majority of the councillors you have elected” but in the same paragraph state” The Mayor could continue ruling – unless a two thirds majority of the council voted against the Mayors policies” This paragraph contradicts itself on a massive scale and cancel’s itself out. 7) Last year Cllr Merry would have only needed approx 22 votes to become Leader of the Council, we believe this is not Democratic or fair to the people of Salford, as long as he keeps those few people happy he will stay as leader. We want the approx 168,000 voters of Salford to have the chance to choose who they want as the leader of the Council, this is truly giving a voice to the people and an elected Mayor would have to keep the majority of those 168,000 voters happy or be voted out by them 8) Why are Salford Labour so set against a more Democratic system when other Labour Councils have changed to the new system, let’s look at the facts at who it affects, Cllr Merry is fighting for his position along with his colleagues who hold council portfolios, each person could lose 10s of thousands of pounds of tax payers money if an elected Mayor was chosen. They only have their own interests at heart and not that of the people, just like the councillors in Doncaster. 9) What about the cost, Cllr Merry started with £100k them went to £150k then £200k then £250k then £400k then £350k, bearing in mind he recently admitted to dealing with the A.V. referendum you would have thought he would have had a better idea of the true costs, what he attempts to do is scaremonger you the voter saying services to the elderly will be cut, whilst Cllr Merry himself cuts those services. Is this type of accounting why Salford is nearly £600million in debt? 10) An Elected Mayor will get rid of the impartial ceremonial Mayor – There is nothing impartial about a ceremonial Mayor who is chosen from Labour Councillors, this is just another perk for another colleague. 11) Salford has been Labour since 1973, through Tory, Labour and now coalition governments and Salford is still listed as one of the most deprived areas in the country, its crime figures in all but one section consistently remain higher than the national average, after such a long time surely a more Democratic and accountable leader is needed to steer the City from this disastrous Labour rule. 12) Lastly -Do not forget that Salford Labour fully supported the Congestion Charge Tax being imposed on Salford stating that they knew what was best for Salford – However Salford had the largest no vote out of all the 10 Greater Manchester Councils proving that Salford Labour are no longer in touch with people’s views. Everybody in the Borough will be able to vote for a person, either standing as an individual or as a Party candidate, who will be personally democratically accountable to all the people of Salford as the Elected Mayor. This method of universal suffrage also establishes a direct bond between every resident with the person who is responsible to all local taxpayers for local services. Additionally a person who gains the most votes locally and becomes the Elected Mayor has received a majority of support from the whole local area and also, importantly a direct mandate to implement the policies they have promised in their election manifesto. Stephen Morris North West Chairman National Operational Director English Democrats

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