Back in July, then Leader of bent Labour Sandwell Council, "Red" Yvonne Davies, made an explosive resignation statement at the end of the Council's Cabinet meeting. Cllr Davies has been keen on destroying green space in the sh*thole Borough whilst having property herself in leafy Herefordshire. She backed the continuation of Steve "Squealing" Eling's (who spends much of his time in a delightful Derbyshire village) plan to destroy Londonderry Fields for the absurd Commonwealth Games white elephant and recently axed Brandhall Golf Course for new houses. She has taken issue with my comments about her backing the bent deal to shaft Lion Farm by wrecking the Fields although she has not made a single public utterance in support of the many protesters trying to stop that piece of Labour carnage.
Her latest Herefordshire pad is described as a "cottage" but is a substantial, near half a million pound, property with adjoining land in sylvan surroundings. It is not so much "seeing the wood for the trees" as seeing the house for the trees. Here's a picture - where the delightful pad is almost invisible due to surrounding woodland - which you can compare with the healthy trees she and the "Comrades" were happy to kill at Londonderry to the chagrin of locals in that built-ip environment.(Second picture from the Save Londonderry Fields campaign group.)
Yvonne has some really tremedous qualities but seems to see everything in black and white only. She was brave and amazing in supporting me in the C*sucker Trial but there is a story I can't tell you just yet where she also shafted me royal! I am afraid that she was too naive to take on the forces of darkness within the Labour Sandwell cesspit and paid the price. She bizarrely trusted certain members of the paid service in the full knowledge of their "history" and leaves a running sore to her successors.
Curiously she declined to supply a transcript of her electrifying resignation speech and when I went on the SMBC website it had disappeared. Happily the Skidder archivist keeps EVERYTHING and I have prepared the following from the tape. One can imagine this sort of damning indictment in describing the activities of an opposition party. But this it is a public flaying of the shocking conduct OF HER OWN LABOUR PARTY. And far from being "great people" locals are moronic and keep voting this shower of scum back in!
Just one final point. No-one seems to have done anything about the content of this speech at all. One imagines that the three Tory MP's would be banging on doors in the corridors of power demanding action but seemingly not. We know West Midlands Police are corrupt when it comes to matters Sandwell and so we cant't expect the bent Blues to do anything. The "responsible" journalists are, as ever, steering well clear of their keyboards rather than expose whay is really happening. The Labour Party is still backing Spellar as he drips his poison. The Labour Councillors have absolutely no shame and are carrying on their bitter civil war despite the small background matter of the life-threatening Covid pandemic. The staff - far from being "great" - are showing the usual craven and cowardly attitude they have for the last few years. (Incidentally - five who were encouraged by a still-serving Councillor to make formal statements accusing Hackett of malpractice have, just this week, refused to allow them to be placed in the public domain - even redacted to to provide anonymity!)
This is a fairly long statement from Red Yvonne but it is ESSENTIAL reading:
"I hope you will indulge me to address some of the unveiling things around me. At 9.30 last night I opened an email from the Labour Party and learnt that I was subject to an administrative suspension based on complaints of antisemitism relating to retweets that I made two and three years ago. I haven't had the opportunity to answer these charges but they've suspended me in any case. Of course, some local Party members have chosen to leak these matters to the press. They have then campaigned on the basis of my presumed guilt. For the record I am not antisemitic. I am horrified I might even be considered so to be. Equally I am as aware as our Party Leader of the risks of unconscious bias and the dangers of perpetuating negative tropes. Had I been asked about this - as a male Shadow Cabinet member was earlier this week and about a tweet not two or three years old but as recent as last Saturday - I could have apologised for my historic misjudgement. Maybe it's because I'm a woman? Possibly it's because I'm a strong woman. Or maybe other factors have been at play which are about the approach I've tried to bring to the running of the Council.
When I became Leader just over a year ago I made a number of promises to the people of Sandwell and the staff of our Council. Among them was the promise that I would act with integrity and I would use my leadership to model the courage and transparency that we need as a Labour Group and as a Council. I said that as public servants we answer to the people of this Borough and they should expect that we will at all times conduct ourselves with the utmost integrity and that we will uphold the highest standards in public life. I also commented, I'm sure you will remember, that we've had in the recent past fallen well short in this regard. Since then I have worked as hard as I can to deliver on that promise. I have lead this Council's conduct and that of its members and officers using proper procedures and processes, upholding the Nolan Principles in public life, guided by core values and principles of decency, honesty and integrity.
Under my leadership we have ensured the proper seperation of member and officer roles. We have ensured clarity in the responsibilities of the political executive and scrutiny. I have opened the Council up to external challenge looking to learn from the best that we can of what is happening elsewhere. I have worked hard to enhance the Council's reputation with Government, with neighbour councils and with the local government sector more broadly. We are actually doing well and we must continue in that same vein. Quite rightly, where there has been evidence of possible wrongdoing, we have investigated. This has applied to officers and to members. Those investigations have proceeded according to due process. Confidentiality has been respected and those investigations need to continue through due process to a conclusion through the appropriate Council and political processes. No-one under my leadership has been paid to leave. Nothing has been covered-up. I have always insisted that we do the right thing. Through this process some elected members have been asked to account for their previous conduct when it appears to have fallen short of expected standards in public life. I am not going to name names or allegations as due process needs to conclude but people should be in no doubt at all, the people of this Borough should be in no doubt at all, that some of those findings are truly shocking including cover-ups, misuse of public funds, reports being leaked, use of private emails to hide communications, lies being told to courts, clear racism. We did have in this Council a culture of deceit and cover-up, sly lies, snide comments, destructive dripping of poison into the public domain, [mis ?] information and prejudice. In some cases this has absolutely destroyed people's lives and their livelihoods. And I will mention the Wragge Report, something that some people prefer to think is over, is done, is dusted, but believe me - it is not. It remains a stain on this Council's reputation. It is riven with and surrounded by racism and racist intent. With Black Lives Matters shining a light on the casual way that our public institutions enshrine racism it actually breaks my heart that we are presiding over such a racist endeavour. It also represents a flagrant misuse of public funds to pursue political objectives.You must ensure that it is not allowed to be buried again.
Some people should ask themselves why has the Leader of Sandwell Council been forced out? Why has someone gone to the trouble to trawl her Twitter account searching on the basis of possible pejorative terms. Why have they gone back two years to find only retweets or other people's work not even original statements? Is this really about antisemitism or is it about a cover-up of some disturbing truths that are shortly to come into the public domain. Is it more about powerful self-interest seeking to avoid proper scrutiny, proper accountability for those who have fallen disgracefully short of expected standards in public life. And who is behind these complaints you should question? Is it the white male old guard who were at the heart of this shocking behaviour in the past? Who did leak these allegations to the press and deliberately whip-up a campaign to remove me from office? What was the role of the local MP in all of this [ie John Spellar] and ask yourselves how far does the collusion and malign intent reach up into the Labour Party hierarchy. I predict that these same people using the full weight of the Party machine will now try to seize power in Sandwell by contriving reasons to suspend others in the current executive. I was told of my own suspension more than four weeks ago. People knew I was going to be suspended. They will then try to bury all the misconduct allegations. They will bully others by holding the threat of suspension over them. The echoes of four years ago when I was told by somebody the reason they were doing something were because they weren't going to find themselves suspended shocked me to my core. He's still operating today. Those people absolutely should be held to account for their actions - people of this Borough should demand that they are held to account. Responsible journalists should be ensuring that these matters are brought out into the light of day.
I won't be here when this done. I am resigning my position as Leader but the questions and the choices will remain for the Labour Party, for the Sandwell Labour Group and for the people of this fine Borough. Right now the choice is pretty stark.There is a group of old white men who want to go back - back to the vile baiting, the poisonous leaking, the denigration of fellow elected members for political purposes, the mis-use of public funds for political retribution, numerous officers hounded out of employment because they would not follow the political line or because they fell out of favour with the leadership. Millions of pounds and I do mean millions of pounds of public funds have been spent with little regard to the public purse. A return to the white male old guard who will pay lip-service to equality and black lives mattering but who will seek ultimately to preserve their own power base for its own sake.
Now the Council can embrace a new future where its elected representatives are humble, humble in their service to the public. Where they absolutely respect that they serve only in the interests of the people of Sandwell, where one gives real meaning to the fight against prejudice and inequality and where you have honesty, transparency, integrity in all of your dealings. People of this Borough absolutely deserve the best Council and the best councillors driven by the right values. This self-serving political malignancy and this interference in local leadership by outside Party interests serves only to undermine confidence in this Council's ability to serve its people well. It undermines the institution of local government itself but that future is for others. I won't be here to lead you. I've got things to do, I've got places to go and people to see. But the questions genuinely really do need to be answered long after my leadership is over.
My place will be taken in the interim by the Statutory Deputy, Maria Crompton - she will step into the space. I want to thank the staff of this Council - the finest that there are, working incredibly hard and bringing good Black Country humour to often their incredibly difficult job. Invidious to mention any groups I know but I would mention our fantastic neighbourhood office staff - incredibly supportive to me over the years whether as a backbench Councillor, as a suspended Group member and I hope now as a suspended Labour Leader. I would also like to pay particular tribute to the Cabinet secretaries. In perhaps the vilest of many vile political deeds they were marched unceremoniously off the premises and suspended under the previous [Eling] regime. A harder-working and more loyal group of staff you won't find anywhere. Thank you Jane and your wonderful team. If I've achieved nothing else I hope I've helped to make you feel valued and indespensable as the workers that you are. This Authority needs people like you.
And finally, to the people of Sandwell - it has been my pride and my pleasure to serve you in the various guises that I've been in this area for the best part of 20 years. I remember ultimately none of us, none of us, work for the Council. My Chief Executive, David Stevens, doesn't work for the Council. We all work for the people of Sandwell. It's your Council - it's not our Council. You deserve the best council led by the best councillors driven by the right values. There's political corruption - there has been operating in Sandwell for too long. That's what it serves to undermine confidence in the Council. If I've been able to bring some of those public service values to bear in my work here then hopefully, hopefully, I have made a difference. I think my Cabinet has made a difference. I'm enormously proud of the strong team that we built at the top table, working together positively, not listening to gossip, not dripping poison, following proper process with the right values.
I wanted to leave you with a lovely letter that I had this week while this maelstrom was around me because this is why I came into public office and this is why I try to make a difference and it is from a constituent that I do not know and he says, "Hello again, Cllr Davies. I just felt the need to give a personal thank you to you. I have only contacted you on a few occasions but each time you have been so extremely prompt and efficient with the matter raised and even if the outcome is not that desired your response has always given assurance that one is not wasting their time in going to the trouble to bring matters to the attention of the Council especially when it may be of benefit to others. Again I sincerely thank you and please there is no need for a reply." I think that resident epitomises what I try to achieve in all my working life whether it's as an officer in the voluntray sector or as a councillor. I am very, very, happy to have that letter as my epitaph.
Thank you from Sandwell and you all - be brave, carry on with our work - do not fail in your pursuit of truth and justice. Build a Council that we can be proud of and I shall watch your progress with a huge amount of pride in my heart. Thank you."
Skidder Comment - Red Yvonne remains a Councillor and it remains to be seen whether she will continue to pursue the fight against the endenic Labour corruption from the "backbenches". I should just add that she has finally voiced officially in a Council Cabinet meeting what this blog has been saying. ahem, FOR SEVERAL YEARS!
And finally...
In my last post I referred to the hideous antisemitic posts of a local Labour Party member, Basharat Khan. I sent the post direct to the General Secreatry of the Labour Party but, to the best of my knowledge, Bash has NOT yet been suspended by the Party.
Interestingly Khan - also heavily involved in the plot to destroy Cllr Hadley (see recent post) - is back on Twitter moaning about fly-tipping on land behind his shop. He caused a massive stink about this sometime ago rather than go through the proper channels. Foolishly a sting of Labour Councillors fell for his "campaign" and visited his premises - even though the site is not in their own wards.
We say in the Hadley matter that Khan disclosed a covert tape recording which the person who made the tape claims was "stolen" from him and yet found its way to Billa - Cllr M. Y. Hussain aka "Condom Man". Khan is this joker's right-hand man. Billa has declined to say how (or when) he came by the covert tape altough he had it by LAST DECEMBER at the latest. (Incidentally Cllr Hadley says the tape has also been doctored.)
There is a strong suspicion Khan asked various councillors (ones Billa coincidentally wants to bring down) to his premises hoping to gain detrimental information about them. Cllr Ian Jones was one who attended.
The current interim Leader, Maria Crompton, also paid court to this moron. Mysteriously, having viewed the piece of land where the fly-tipping has allegedly taken place, Bash invited Maria into his shop where there are CCTV cameras and then attempted to hand her an envelope. Very wisely Cllr Crompton declined to take this! Bash strongly denies to the Skidder that he was trying to trying to compromise Cllr Crompton in any way but what was/is he up to?
Cllrs have no need to visit this land and dance to Bash's tune as Council officers have the matter in hand and are following due process. If they want to make fools of themselves though...
Last year Bash phoned me and told me that he was communicating by direct mesaages with Cllr "Inane" Elaine Costigan, Cllr Caz White (girlfriend of married ex-Cllr Dave Hosell) and with Hosell himself. And who should crop up on Twitter supporting Bash's latest rants about the "fly-tipping" than Costigan herself even though the land is miles from her own Wednesbury sh*thole ward. Bearing in mind Costigan's penchant for opening her gob I asked her whether, in supporting Khan, she was also endorsing his antisemitic Twitter posts. But answer came there none...
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