Newport councillor hits back after call for her post to go (From South Wales Argus)

An enlightened Council would have opposition party cabinet members on it.

Instead we have 100% the old guard with out of time Old Labour values.

Ah, today's opportunity to twist the knife in the local Council. Why, thank you Argus, don't mind if I do.

First of all Cllr Fouweather, from where I'm sat, Cllr Davies could well be one of the least culpable in office. It's the morons making all the decisions that evidently we all need to worry about.

Secondly, Cllr Davies, nearly a year in office and all you've done is HELPED secure a dozen or so crappily paid apprenticeships? That's pathetic. What the hell are you doing?

With our manufacturing base haemorrhageing to Eastern Europe , with thousands of immigrants entering the country everyday, the jobs market
in Newport requires Bob Bright to dismiss Deb Davies To non cabinet
status , inviting Merlin the magician to accept the job.

coalpicker wrote:
With our manufacturing base haemorrhageing to Eastern Europe , with thousands of immigrants entering the country everyday, the jobs market
in Newport requires Bob Bright to dismiss Deb Davies To non cabinet
status , inviting Merlin the magician to accept the job.

And there was me thinking that there was no way that this story would have any comments about East Europeans and Immigrants...lol.

Perhaps Councillor Davies could produce a list of all the various organisations she has actively met over the past year so we can qualify her statement that the amount of decisions is a simplistic analysis.

Of course, what the Argus doesn't say is they have dramatically reduced the number of council meetings and cabinet members can no longer be questioned on the spot as they used to. Instead they get the officers to do the job.

Howie' wrote:

coalpicker wrote:
With our manufacturing base haemorrhageing to Eastern Europe , with thousands of immigrants entering the country everyday, the jobs market
in Newport requires Bob Bright to dismiss Deb Davies To non cabinet
status , inviting Merlin the magician to accept the job.

And there was me thinking that there was no way that this story would have any comments about East Europeans and Immigrants...lol.

Couldn't agree more Howie. I too am sick and tired of listening to narrow minded bigots, like you coalpicker, whining on about immigration and jobs. It may take a JCB to perform the operation, (for you coalpicker, and all the others like you out there in xenophobialand), but I have somem time on my hands, let's see if we can't remove your head from your backside, without the aid of horsepower and four wheeled drive first eh?

Firstly, let me just say that I'm a working class, white British male. I was born here. I've lived and worked in the UK almost my whole life. Every generation of my family tree, (far back as I know), have likewise been British. I come from a long line of good, solid, English stock.

Secondly, in the near forty years I've been alive, and the twenty five or so of my professional career, I've met scores to hundreds of foreign nationals, from dozens of countries, living and working here, in the UK. The overwhelming majority of them have been friendly, decent, hardworking etc... Many have been a pleasure to know, and have enriched my life considerably. Their company is certainly preferable to many of the natives I've met with whom I share a pedigree. The exceptions to the rule have always been boss/owner/landlord types. I don't much care what they look like, or where they were born, class is class afterall, it's the only divide that matters, and those few obnoxious, arrogant examples generally have no trouble convincing me they're on the other side.

Which brings me ramblingly, (yet neatly) to the third point I'd like to throw into the mix. Where are your jobs really going? Because let me tell you, if you think immigrants are picking your pockets, then you're completely oblivious to the strip mining operation going on right under your nose.

A case in point from my own experience. My last employer before I moved to Wales two years ago, was a small, profitable company. They employed twenty one staff, and reported clear profits of £3 million in the year previous to the one I left. Five of those staff were foreign, four Polish, one Brazilian. I can see how it would be easy to think that immigration has claimed a quarter of the jobs, but why ignore the owner? The man who has kept enough of the profit (surplus labour) to himself to employ 150 people on £20k/year surely deserves a little more of your anger than, essentially, ordinary working class wage/benefit slaves like most of the rest of us?

I mean, it's not like it's a lone example. It's a fairly typical portrayal of thousands of businesses up and down the country. The wealthy few are keeping enough to themselves to eradicate unemployment, probably many times over, and like Mel Gibson says in Braveheart, a film that surely stirs up emotion in all you proud Welshfolk out there,

"You're so concerned with squabbling for the scraps from Longshank's table that you've missed your God given right to something better."

Just look at the figures, 8% increase in UK millionaires the last two years. 210 new billionaires in the world in the last twelve months. You want to know where your jobs are going? It's all over the headlines, just put two and two together ffs.

Incidently, I mentioned the last job before moving to Wales because both of my employers since have been foreign companies. Looking quite likely that my third will be too. Now, as much as I'm grateful to them, on one level, for the opportunity to earn my living, it can't be ignored that these too are immigrants, no? Sacrificing British jobs, increasing capital flight, for profit margins? yet where is the condemnation and outcry? You all seem strangely silent on that score out there in your nationalist, xenophobic bubbles.

I'll finish by saying that, in case you hadn't got the message by now, immigrants are not your enemy, they certainly aren't the cause of your problems, and I fervently wish you'd all just STFU about it because you people make my head hurt.

thanks.

Wow! Some intelligence at last. Thank you to that last poster. He/she sums it up very well, but there's none so blind as xenophobic bigots, poorly educated and obviously Sun or Mail readers.
They scan the headlines and take in what they want. The message is out there. It's those foreigners pinching our jobs. If it's not foreigners it must be benefit claimants ripping us off. Go and do some reading and research. If you don't like foreigners, ditch all your phones, and |-pads and all the other clutter that "foreigners" have provided us with. Stop whining and do something for yourselves.

I agree with councillor Fouweather only it shouldn't be one it should be at least twenty less councillors altogether. It is crazy to have fifty councillors in a city this size some of whom are in receipt of nearly £30000 per annum. What ever happened to wanting to serve your community to make a difference to it not for financial reward. And how did local councils become so politicised where people go on to the council as a lab,lib, con politico, leaving their brains and original thoughts at the chamber door and trotting out party dogma. This city needs people who care about the city not political points scoring for one party or another.

Councillor Fouweather could suggest and instant saving by putting forward a motion that Allt Yr Yn reduce from 3 to 2 councillors and resigning immediately.

They could then all take on his enlightened example and reduce all wards with 3 or 4 councillors to 2. That should save a few quid.

KarmaSuitsYa wrote:
Ah, today's opportunity to twist the knife in the local Council. Why, thank you Argus, don't mind if I do. First of all Cllr Fouweather, from where I'm sat, Cllr Davies could well be one of the least culpable in office. It's the morons making all the decisions that evidently we all need to worry about. Secondly, Cllr Davies, nearly a year in office and all you've done is HELPED secure a dozen or so crappily paid apprenticeships? That's pathetic. What the hell are you doing?

Apprenticeships are not all about money. Securing up to 20 positions sounds good to me.