[Apologies if you have been trying to contact the Skidder phone - I mislaid it (again). Now back in action on 07599 983737].
Steve Eling was crowned the new Leader amid acrimonious scenes and, on the face it, appears to be a breath of fresh air following the crazed dictatorship of the late Smethwick scumbag. But......
Before the meeting Steve confirmed that he would be continuing his day job at another Labour basket case council, Rotherham. He also seemed to imply that he would eschew the liberal use of the two Council's chauffeur-driven limos which were much in evidence on Tuesday night and which were one of the perks so much enjoyed by the megalomaniac Cooper (Chief Executive "lol" Jan Britton even laid one on the take Cooper to Steelhouse Lane nick in Brum when he was to be interviewed under caution on a private matter!)
Socialism in action in the dirt-poor Borough - no cuts here as 1 HA and 1 EA = 1 massive piss-take by Labour:
I honestly wish Steve well as something has to change after the corruption, cronyism and incompetence of the Cooper era but, as has been pointed out here many times, Mr Eling is probably the most boring man in the Black Country and, on your behalf readers, The Skidder pleaded with him before the meeting not to make an acceptance speechzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Steve opined that he genuinely wants a new spirit of openness and transparency following the grim recent history and HAS got off to a good start with the publication of the damning Wragge Report. However, he declined to say that he would be suspending and/or otherwise starting immediate disciplinary proceedings against Jan Britton, Melanie Dudley, Neeraj Sharma and Nick Bubalo - whose positions are clearly now untenable in the light of a catalogue of management failures and worse. Cllr Eling did say, however, that he had already had a discussion with the pathetic Britton and warned him that, in the light of the Wragge Report (many blog posts to come analysing this): "Doing nothing is not an option". Grow a pair Steve, and suspend this shower with IMMEDIATE effect!
Cllr Eling even suggested that "maybe" in a couple of weeks The Skidder will be invited for tea at The Kremlin but don't hold your breath......
On a different subject, I pointed out to Steve that he was up to his neck in the bent ice rink deal. He initially questioned this until I pointed out that he was at a key meeting which mysteriously switched from a proposed dodgy lease deal for the land to an even dodgier outright sale. But asked whether it was proceeding his exact words were: "I'd be very surprised if it did".
But Sandwell being, er, "Sadwell", low politics crept in to the whole affair and the new "more inclusive" era is already tainted by the unbelievable inclusion of the talentless Cllr David Hosell IN THE CABINET! The Skidder has been told that this was a cynical ploy by Eling to gain votes for his leadership bid which, if true, does not augur well for the future......
A few months ago, Cllr Paul Moore confirmed to me the rumour that Cllr Hosell (who is married to Cllr Shirley Hosell) had been frequently enjoying the company of one of Cllr Melia's daughters. As he left the Kremlin on Tuesday I asked the new cabinet "member" (ROFLMAO) whether he was off for a bit of rumpy-pumpy after the mayoral bunfight? He said to me: "It could have been worse. I could have been shagging your wife!" Clearly Hosell is going to do Sadders proud..... (Note to Hosell - never wise to make unpleasant comments to a man with a megaphone in his hand).
The other problem for the new Leader is the open rebellion and civil war in Sandwell Labour with Yvonne Davies (she of the interesting CV) refusing to accept Eling's legitimacy as Leader and twelve of the Wednesbury mafia & associated drones abstaining in the vote approving his leadership. The MP's have also split with Ten Bellies and ex-public schoolboy Spellar backing Eling and the invisible man, Bailey, making a rare public utterance in favour of his chums on his patch.
Talking of Wednesbury - Ian Jones publicly condemned the Wragge Report and its findings. He insisted to a small crowd pre-meeting that he had never seen the valuation in the Boggate affair before he lied to Adrian Goldberg live on BBC WM that it had been done AFTER the sale (an absolutely ludicrous thing to say and which I questioned on the radio there and then). Regular readers will know that when I quizzed Jones about this lie to his face he claimed that it was not a lie but that incompetent staff at SMBC have briefed him incorrectly! Asked to repeat this on Tuesday he did! This unacceptable attack on the integrity of SMBC employees is being reported to the Labour Party. Following the meeting, Jones gave an ironic thumbs-up sign when asked whether all was going well with the £90k payments to his son's boyfriend following the SMBC sting on Sport England. Nice man.
(Of course, Britton himself has form for slagging off the staff to distract from HIS incompetence and management failure).
Besides the Ukip Greedfest event (collecting food and cash for a Tipton foodbank whilst the Labour Group wined and dined) there were "Hussain Out" and "Britton Out" demos. As if ex-Mayor Cllr Horton had not done enough to tarnish the image of the Mayoralty of Sandwell with her involvement in the Liar Cashmore saga, she metaphorically pissed over the robes of office yet again by publicly bringing (Labour-party suspended) Hussain into the meeting on her arm. It is noteworthy that Hussain is still trying to pull strings and that he nominated the new deputy Mayor for office. He sneaked off post-meeting without facing the protesters (as did the feeble Britton).
Just changing tack slightly, if you will forgive me, I did blog recently about the mysterious adverts by a longstanding near-neighbour of ex-Mayor (or 'mare) Derek Rowley, Mr Tom Arnold, who was mysteriously offering SMBC property for sale on his Facebook page! See my post:
http://thesandwellskidder.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/jan-brittons-tipton-teaser.html
Informants told me that four SMBC shipping containers had also purportedly been offered for sale by Mr Arnold and I am indebted to "X" for this interesting item from January:
There is a very poor photo of the shipping containers with a mystery figure standing by them. Not sure who it is though......
Before the meeting I asked the ex-Mayor if he had any comment "on the sale of scrap metal to his mate, Tom Arnold" to which he replied: "Do you want a smack in the f*cking mouth?"
Of course, West Midlands Police are aware of all this and, as ever with Sandwell, they will no doubt leap into inaction soon. In the meantime they had the brass neck - given their dismal failures to investigate Sandwell Council either adequately or at all - to put a truncheon up the rectum of us taxpayers by sending a representative and his wife to the publicly-funded mayoral beano. Now I have met Chief Superindendent Matt Ward a couple of times and he seems a very nice man but it was an absolute f*cking insult to the people of Sandwell for him to be there representing his local "Cowards in Blue" given their appalling conduct to date.
The new Mayor gave one of the pathetic homilies so beloved of the Great Helmsman himself about how great Sadders and its people are. Get real Julie - Sadwell is a sh*t-hole which, after 40 years of Labour failure, is at the bottom of virtually every poverty and deprivation league table and where a brutish and indifferent population mostly fail to vote. Good people have spent a lot of time and effort trying to expose what has been going on for over two years but you and your moronic drone colleagues have buried your heads in the sand. Cut the sentimental guff and start working to clean up the Cooper mess and to make Sandwell a better place!
There was jostling and abuse of The Skidder as I left the Council Chamber - Cllr Price particularly looked like he was going to blow a fuse. Some guests and weak people like Britton fled over the "bridge" to avoid the protesters outside or by secret exits. The limos had to be taken round to a different exit as the Mayoral year got off to a very bad start. After CS Ward and his wife had gone to fill their faces at the taxpayers' expense two eggs were thrown at the protesters from a window above the Council chamber (I am asking the embattled Britton whether there is a kitchen up there and who had access at that time of night - also whether the eggs were actually SMBC property?) It is ironic that Labour people should destroy food by throwing it at protesters collecting for a local food bank!!!
The Skidder has repeatedly pointed out that most of the Labour "Group" (now bitterly divided) have little experience of the wider world in general and business in particular. A large number are unemployed and so it was also a merry moment when one scrotum-faced female member of the idlers and scroungers club shouted "why don't you get a job?" at The Skidder!
I advised the Oldbury public to avoid the local bus shelters as Cllr Hackett left as allegations persist of the Chair of Trustees of the Albion Foundation and Head of Children's Services receiving a fixed penalty notice for urinating in public. There are even suggestions that Tom Watson MP was with him at the time - more info welcome please! (In another sad start to the Eling Era, the BBC have also made further allegations regarding Hackett which he denies).
Never a dull moment in Sadders "lol"!!!!!!
THE SANDWELL SKIDDER - COMMUNITY NEWS - READ THE SKIDDER, KIDDER!
PROUD TO HAVE BEEN TROLLED BY DARREN COOPER (DEC'D) AND HIS "GURU", ANDREW HIPKISS.
Confidential phone no: 07599 983737 Facebook: Julian Saunders
Email: thesandwellskidder@gmail.com
Those eggs were thrown by a youth wearing an hoodie, who then scarpered up the street opposite the council house.
ReplyDeleteAs for Councillor Julie Webb, she was born & raised in Tipton & has been in the Black Country all her life.
How do I know this? I am her oldest brother & I witnessed the egg thrower legging it, almost knocking me over in his quest to escape