Many people will know that longstanding Sandwell Labour Councillor, Ian Jones, has resigned from his longstanding membership of the Labour Party and will be standing as an Independent in Princes End Ward on 6th May. How did such an extraordinary situation even arise in bent Labour Sandwell? And should you vote for him if you live in PE?
Ian was a senior figure in the bad old days under the late wife-beater, Darren Cooper. A Twitter-user @Equality4all12 (whom I recommend you follow) recently asked a very fair question - why didn't Cllr Jones whistleblow about the corruption at the time? I suspect that Ian has asked himself that question many times over, given what has happened since.
The fact is that Cooper allowed Councillors to secure funding for their wards (whether it was sensible expenditure or not) so long as they abased themselves and swore complete obedience to him. Some Councillors were physically afraid of him (with good reason when they knew the treatment he meted out to his first wife). Others knew that if they stepped out of line, anonymous "complaints" about them would appear from nowhere and they would be hounded out of the Party - as happened with Cllrs Jayne Wilkinson and Mick Davies. It was far easier for Councillors to keep their heads down and plough on - as Jones did along with ALL the others including the likes of Cllrs Steve "Squealing" Eling, Simon Hackett and Paul Moore.
My first real encounter with IJ came on local radio about the BogGate scandal (posts passim ad nauseum). The Councillor made an extraordinary statement that a valuation of the bogs was done AFTER they had been sold. It later transpired - and I hold the written proof of this - that Cllr Jones had simply read out a briefing paper (seemingly prepared by our old friend Nick Bubalo) and handed to him by the bent Sandwell paid service. With the benefit of hindsight I am sure Ian would have read and questioned the garbage he was given but, at the end of the day, he was given false information - intentionally or otherwise (and folk would surely favour the former possibility given what was happening under Jan Britton's rotten stewardship [sic] of the corrupt Council).
According to a High Court statement (March 2017 para 25), after Cooper's death in a drink and drug-fuelled binge, Eling's wife, the delightful Pam Pulsford, spoke to a third party and stated unequivocally that she and her husband would "destroy" Jones and his family if he stood against her tyrranical husband for the vacant leadership. Jones initially refused to be intimidated and so Eling pushed ahead with a range of allegations intended to discredit him. The night before the contest, Cllr Jones withdrew in favour of Cllr "Red" Yvonne Davies - who appeared to have the votes to defeat The Squealer. She lost, but there were extensive and vociferous allegations that the vote was rigged.
Readers of this blog will know that Squealing Eling (and his sidekick ex-Cllr Marshall) launched an extraordinary campaign against IJ and others sparking the Labour civil war which has continued to this day. The infamous WhatsApp feed published via this blog shows the incredible lengths Eling was going to in an effort to destroy Jones (and there are some redacted bits which are even worse but which I cannot let you see as they contain grossly defamatory comments about others). Not only did Jones become an obsession with the crazed Eling but he and Marshall even resorted to rank obscenity - particularly envisaging Cllr Jones "sp*nking over Cllr Maria Crompton in her bikini".
Thus two charges were levelled against Jones during Eling's dictatorial reign. These related to (a) BogGate and (b) the fraud which eventually led to the sale of a valuable plot to land to a son of Cllr Rouf. Jones pleads his innocence and for the reasons set out in earlier posts there are indeed very serious concerns about the "evidence" brought against him.
I am not goung to go through it all again but in respect of BogGate I have shown that a "photocopy" of a letter which supposedly passed through IJ's hands had a different signature to the original! In respect of the Rouf fraud (which has still not been investigated by the Bent Blues at West Midlands Police) there is a specific document which clearly shows that the decision to remove the plot of land from auction was taken by Rouf's mucker, the late Cooper. Jones had been asked to pass the instruction on to officers which he did do, but the decision had already been made - not by Jones but by the "Leader" himself.
When I saw the documents preceeding Cllr Jones's show trial - and as an ex-lawyer - I was so concerned at what seemed to me to be an obvious "fit-up" I wrote to the Monitoring Officer pointing out deficiences in the "prosecution" case and also provided a written statement myself (though Surjit Tour blocked me from giving evidence!)
Whatever Jones may or may not have done he is not responsible for the Boggate and Rouf scandals. But Jones has enemies in the Labour Group who want him out of the way - notably Elaine Costigan and the absurd Peter "Zorro" Hughes.
Even when Eling was finally brought down the campaign against Jones continued, primarily through ex-Cllr Dave Hosell and his social media troll network. There were some truly pathetic allegations about IJ speaking to some of the Tories (apparently a crime) which anyone who has used the Olde Leathern Bottel pub for the last few DECADES could have told you!
Some of the evidence submitted to the Labour Party about him recently is absolutely risible. This covertly taken photo of Ian having a cup of tea is seriously said to be "evidence" of him "campaigning for the Tories" as the leaflet being read by the bloke standing up is said to be a Tory Party leaflet!!!! WTF?
Ian won a Court case against Labour in respect of another matter and clearly he would have a good run against then again with their apparent reliance on this sort of pathetic evidence, but he quite understandably did not want the costs and stress of all that again and decided if that was the way his Party was going to treat him, then he wanted no further involvement with it. Can you blame him?
The Labour candidate in Princes End is the half-witted Sue Eaves - switched from another Ward. A complete waste of a vote.
Ian had tremendous experience as a Councillor. He knows how to help his ward constituents and he has been a doughty campaigner trying to expose what is still going on in the bent Council. As something of a master of detail, he will give his erstwhile comrades a very torrid time if the folk of Princes End vote him in.
Here's a short-video where he vows to take the anti-corruption fight forward:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfi6GbnuJP4
On a personal note, Ian was one of the few who had the courage to stand with me during the nearly year-long Bent Blues Complex Crime Unit investigation onto this blog, brought about by the vindictativeness of Squealing Eling (whom WMP finally saw through after spending huge sums and told to "do one").
Accordingly The Skidder says - "Vote Ian Jones for Princes End!"
And finally, a question for the local Muslim Community (and I wish you all well in the holy Month) ...
I have received an allegation from within the community that a Councillor is saying that various administrative tasks - endorsing passport photos etc. - can ONLY be done by a Councillor (which is not true) and is charging £5 a pop for signatures. Have you been caught out with this scam - if so, please get in touch (details below).
All candidates in the election next Thursday are listed here - please vote Labour if you want more failure, fraud, cronyism and incompetence:
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PROUD TO HAVE BEEN TROLLED BY DICKHEAD DARREN COOPER DECEASED!
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