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Ian Grey's Blog Blog Elected for Morley Town Council

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Let me roll the clock back to election day. I was conscious as the week progressed that the BNP were trying very hard to win round support in the Ward. They had been seen out knocking on doors, they had canvassers at both polling stations all day engaging with the electorate and they had received a phenomenal amount of publicity the previous week with the BBC exposé. It had been my suspicion that there would probably be only a handful of votes in it between the three candidates. As the afternoon progressed and I chatted to people around the Ward, I started to get tense. Could I have done more? Should I have knocked on doors and introduced myself? Was I too much of an unknown? Should I have put a phone number on my leaflets to appear more approachable? Common sense told me that under the 80/20 rule, I was into diminishing returns but I’d have hated to have lost by a tiny margin and only time would tell.

After a hearty tea, we met round Terry’s flat in order to prowl the two wards with Megaphones. We had two available- a large industrial one that belonged to Robert Finnigan and a dinky one that I had bought on Ebay for a charity pig racing event held by Ladies’ Circle (the female equivalent of Round Table that Karen is a member of). I had actually paid more in postage than I had paid for the megaphone and still managed to get change from a Tenner but it worked fine and achieved its purpose which was to make people look out of the windows & hopefully think about voting.

At round about 8:30pm I went back home to pick up Karen & return to town. On the basis that it was now the home stretch, I converted the battle bus back to normal car again, removing the rosettes & posters. We parked round the back of the Queens Hotel (on the basis of that probably being where we would end up later) and walked the short distance to the Town Hall. There was a notable police presence in the Area, with a riot van and a number of uniformed Bobbies /PCSOs.

After being admitted to the Alexandra Hall, the Returning Officer decided that it was probably better if count participants remained outside as the polling station was still open until 9pm. So, we rang Terry’s crowd and were told they were in “the office” which I took to mean Terry’s flat. What they actually meant was the new office in the Basement of the Town Hall for the six independent councillors where we found them after a quick wander round town. There was a fairly large crowd of a dozen or so outside the Queens by then, some of whom didn’t look very nice people. It transpired that they were BNP supporters from snatches of conversation overheard.

Just after 9pm, we returned to the Hall for the count. Tables were arranged in a large U shape and it was explained that Central Ward would be counted stage left, Elmfield Ward stage right. (stage left is the left hand side of the hall from the performer’s point of view. The postal votes were initially counted, reconciled with the tally and then put to one side, bundled in 50s. Then the polling boxes were opened, the ballot papers unfolded, the papers all put the same way, counted, reconciled with the polling station tally then put with the others. Central Ward already had one box in the hall and it is the smaller Ward so they managed to count and declare the results very quickly. Terry received 231 votes with 61.11% of the voting share (378 votes were counted), the Labour Candidate came second with 100 votes (26.45%) and the BNP candidate came third with 47 votes, (12.43%). The turnout was less than 15% so whilst it was a decisive victory for Terry, he still only received less than 10% of possible votes, 85% of people deciding to stay at home.

Meanwhile, the tension was building around the Elmfield Ward table as the 547 voting papers were being sorted by candidate. Whilst BNP had came a clear third in Central Ward, it was becoming apparent that Chris Beverley had received a lot of votes and could possibly win it. Having been put into candidate heaps, they were then placed onto candidate tables, rechecked and recounted. It gradually became apparent that Labour had come third as their table finished counting a minute or two before the others. Suddenly, the BNP & Grey counts finished within a few seconds of each other. I looked at the bundles, furiously counting in my head. Had I just stolen the edge? I glanced over at Chris Beverley and he looked crestfallen, being comforted by his partner. The Labour people looked disappointed but there were some smiles amongst the Independents. Karen said she felt physically sick with the uncertainty.

Then the Returning Officer asked the candidates to come forward. She showed us the count figures and my vision blurred. Mine started with a two. The others started with a one. My vision came into sharp focus. I had the most votes! I had won! She asked if we were happy with the result, which struck me as a daft question, I was delighted with it! Then I realised, this was the opportunity to ask for a recount if required. Shortly afterwards, she made the formal announcement of the results and the adrenalin went into overdrive. I shook a lot of hands, including the opponents. I even gave Jean Lancaster a hug, which surprised both of us! I thanked everyone who had helped and we agreed to go for a celebratory drink at the Rugby Club rather than the Queens so after dropping off cars & cadging a lift we quaffed a Pint or two of well kept Timothy Taylor’s Landlord.

For the record, the results were as follows:

Beverley BNP 179 votes 32.72% 5.31%
Grey Independent 225 votes 41.13% 6.68% Elected
Lancaster Labour 143 votes 26.14% 4.24%
Total votes 547 16.24% Turnout

The First percentage is share of the vote, the second share of the voting strength. The reality is that 5 out of 6 people in the Ward didn’t bother to vote.

The following morning, I went to visit the Town Clerk’s office with my Mum & Son whilst Karen packed the bags for a short break we had planned to Blackpool.

I signed the declaration of acceptance of office, I received the forms for the declaration of financial and other interests (which have to be returned within 28 days) and received my first set of Council paperwork, the current “all members” regular circular and minutes/agenda for the forthcoming Town planning meeting this Wednesday. I will also be presented with a copy of the Standards Board Model Code of Conduct and the Town Council Standing Orders in due course.

By signing the declaration, I'm now a Member of the Council. I've been called a member many times before.....!

I have two final items of housekeeping to sort out;- my declaration of expenses (about £250 but I have a good stapler and some kitchen steps that I get to keep, after all, it was my money!) and taking down all of the “Vote Grey” signs. A couple of helpers did the lions share for me whilst we were in Blackpool but we had a quick prowl round the Ward last night and noticed a handful that had been missed which Karen will finish off today.

So, now I’m Councillor Grey. Will it make a difference? In many ways, getting elected onto a Minor Authority won’t change the world very much. I’m delighted to have been voted in and pleased that more electors put their faith in an independent rather than party politics. Had Chris Beverley won, I’m sure the BNP would have made massive mileage out of it. The state of the parties on the Town Council is now as follows:

Conservative 2
Independent 15
Labour 6
Morley Borough Independents 1

Although you could argue that there are actually five Morley Borough Independents on the Council, only Terry stood as one this time round, the others stood as regular Independents last year and haven’t renounced their independence yet.

On a purely selfish note, the plastic chairs for observers in the Council Chamber are extremely uncomfortable for someone of my “Rubens-esque” proportions so I am looking forward to staking a claim on the padded blue benches at the next full Council meeting on August 4th. Where I sit in the chamber is my prerogative as an independent.

I want to say a big thank you to my family and friends who have assisted beyond the call of duty this last month or so, particularly my Wife Karen who has been a rock of support and encouragement. I now need to keep it all in context & put my family first.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog. I don’t intend to keep it up after today, although I will retain it on line as it has created some interest both locally and from afar. Here are a few of my favourite quotes just to send you on your way…

Nothing was ever achieved without enthusiasm….

All that it takes for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing….

If voting changed anything they’d abolish it….

When people say “they should do something about it” they don’t realise that “they” includes “them”…..

TANSTAAFL:- There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch…..

The State is not your friend…..

Given the choice, people will vote for Bread and Circuses….

Never trust a snake oil salesman….

Heyyy! You f***ed up! You trusted us!…..

Ladies & Gentlemen, the caterers…..

There is no such thing as society, society is other people…..

Minutes are a record of the lies said at the time, not the lies you wish you had said on reflection….

A Committee is a body that takes Minutes and wastes hours…..

Frankly, I wouldn’t trust him to sit on a toilet the right way round………

I used to think all politicians were scum. Now that I have met some, I realise that I was being unfair;- only most of them are scum…..

Occam’s Razor- don’t put down to conspiracy what can be more easily explained by incompetence….

Father, I cannot tell a lie. I ate all the pies…

July 23rd 10:30

I've now signed the acceptance of office and can formally call myself Councillor Grey. I've also updated the figures for the elections as what I'd written down wasn't exactly what the declaration said for Central Ward. I'll blog my thoughts after the weekend.

Signed on

I've now signed the acceptance of office and can formally call myself Councillor Grey. I've also updated the figures for the elections as what I'd written down wasn't exactly what the declaration said for Central Ward. I'll blog my thoughts after the weekend.

Result!

I am absolutely stunned and delighted to have been elected by a decent majority, as was Terry Grayshon. More thoughts after it has sunk in....

RESULT!

CENTRAL		Turnout	14.79%
TERRENCE GRAYSHON	Morley Borough Independents	231	ELECTED
JOHN DARRELL HIRST	British National Party	47
JOHN WILLIAM MEDLEY	The Labour Party candidate	100

ELMFIELD		Turnout	16.24%
CHRISTOPHER BEVERLEY	British National Party	179
IAN MICHAEL GREY	Independent	225	ELECTED
JEAN LANCASTER	The Labour Party candidate	143

Afternoon update

Well, I've been wandering the Ward saying hello to anyone who has shown any interest after getting back from my work meeting. I'm wearing a tie in Corporate purple with a grey suit & it is far too warm to be wearing a suit today! I chatted with the BNP tellers who both seemed perfectly normal and observed some of the goings on. They seem to get two distinct reactions, scowls from the older generation and some show of support from people disenfranchised by our P.C. society. No sign of Chris Beverley yet.

I had a chat with Jean, my Labour opponent, at her nearby polling station. The polls had been open for more than half of their allocated time and there had been roughly 80 voters at each one so taking postal votes into account, about 10% of the electorate have voted so far which is about par for the course, apparently. The busiest time is in the early evening, but some people leave it right to the last few minutes. I haven't had to give anyone a lift to the polls or kiss any babies yet, but there is still time!

Later, we will be hitting the streets with megaphones, hopefully I can convince the Central mob to reciprocate if I do some rallying for T. Grayshon Esq.

The big day arrives

Today is polling day. the polling stations are open from 8am to 9pm with the count to be held immediately afterwards in Morley Town Hall. I have visited both polling stations & talked to the officials, introducing myself and asking general questions about procedures. The Bridge Street one said they had 900 ballot papers and the Fountain Street one 1400 which means that in the unlikely event of a turnout higher than 50% or so they may have a slight problem!

The BNP have a Polling Agent at each Polling Station, who also appear to be acting as tellers as they are hanging around near the entrance with clipboards. (I assume they are both Polling Agents as one introduced herself to the Officer with the appropriate letter, so the other one probably is.)

Apart from a smattering of Labour signs at the houses of people whose names I recognise as activists, there seems to be negligible interest. I have had a few emails and phone calls wishing me success but only time will tell. One chap did collar me and complain about not being able to vote as he lived on the wrong side of Fountain Street & he didn't quite understand what the point of being an independent was (he initially assumed I was the BNP candidate). it does strike me as slightly silly that parish ward boundaries pass down the centre of streets, it would make more sense if the boundary was through the garden, so to speak.

I need to go to a meeting at work, more news later in the day.

democracy in action

I attended the opening of the postal votes this morning. I am obliged by the Representation of the people act to not reveal details of everything I saw, however I will explain what is reasonable to do so in the form of a process overview. (The secrecy aspects are given further down.)

I had previously been informed by letter that I was able to attend the opening of the postal votes with a colleague without notice, although I was the only candidate who bothered to do so. The checking was carried out in the Leeds Electoral office. I thought I hadn’t been to the building before but quickly realised it was familiar-it also housed the Registrar’s office and Karen and I were married there in 1994!

Gail and her team made me welcome and explained clearly what they were doing & why. There were three participants sat along a large table, with myself on the other side.

In deference to me being the only observer, the Elmfield Ballot box was dealt with first. As postal votes arrived each day, they were placed into the box which had a slit for the purpose. The seals were broken, the envelopes double-checked that they were for Elmfield, counted and the total recorded ensuring that there were not more returned than sent out.

The envelopes were then divided into three heaps and the team slitted them all open with a letter opener. Inside each envelope there should have been another envelope (Envelope A) with the ballot paper inside, along with the declaration form loose in the outer envelope (envelope B). Each declaration was checked that it was correctly filled in and that the serial number matched the number also printed on envelope A. In the event that there was no declaration to be found (or the ballot paper was outside the envelope) the other envelope was checked & the papers transposed to be correct.

Any casualties of the slitting process were repaired with sellotape and after checking any queries on declarations, they moved on to the next stage.

Now the ballot envelopes were opened, the ballot papers extracted and the serial number checked against the envelope number. If there was a mismatch it was put to one side as apparently people in the same house sometimes mix up the envelopes.

Once the ballot papers had been extracted (and any mismatched ones were reunited,) they were counted (for quantity only), the total recorded and they were sealed up again in the ballot box. They will be taken to the count tomorrow night where they will be checked for spoilt papers and sorted accordingly along with the polling station ones.

Seal is a bit of a misnomer as the process doesn’t involve the use of wax and tapers. “Cable tie” is a more accurate description of how the box gets secured shut!

The process was then repeated for the Central Ward postal votes and it was all sorted out in less than an hour.

My thanks to Gail and her team for an informative and enlightening visit. Their handling of the papers was very pragmatic and fair, they certainly made every effort to ensure that as many votes as possible were included, whereas a “jobsworth” approach would have possibly have led to some being discarded for trivial reasons.

Out of curiosity, I also asked if it was a matter of public record who had petitioned for the By-Elections (it is). If twenty electors from each ward write in requesting it then it has to be held. I was shown the file although I did not actually recognise any specific names so cannot tell which political party instigated it (although I had been informed that the Independents were not intending to, putting all of their efforts into the City Council elections in June). The by-election would normally have coincided with a City Council election but apparently this cannot be done if there is also a European election as well.

I did ask one other question. A parish Council will be created if 10% of the electorate petition for it but was there a similar procedure for dissolution? I was informed no, there is no mechanism for abolishing a parish or town council once created.

These days, anyone can request a postal vote and indeed we all voted by post last month for the City Council and European elections.

The political parties like the postal vote system- their declining membership of non-activists are less and less inclined to make the effort and having the papers arrive at home rather than having to travel to a polling station increases the chance of getting a tick in the right box, particularly if the activists go round and “help” them fill in the complicated forms.

I don’t agree with giving postal votes for everybody by default. This can lead to far too much potential for abuse and whilst it is still a secret ballot via the post, people can feel under pressure to fill in the forms the way others recommend.

With polling stations, a voter knows that he or she can look at the ballot paper, decide who to vote for and put a cross in the box unobserved by others.

I can vividly recall my first vote. I was a student in Coventry in 1976/77, I was 18 and proudly took my polling card to the rather run down hall where the shabby looking wooden booths & the battered black box were. I used my pencil, showed the back of the ballot paper to the presiding officer ensuring that the election mark was clearly visible (made by some glorified stapler/punch device), dropped it in the box then immediately thought

“Is that it?”.

I was somewhat underwhelmed afterwards and certainly didn’t think I’d be standing for Public Office 28 years later as a “pillock of the community”, in the words of John Shuttleworth, the versatile singer/songwriter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

There is a considerable amount of election law that candidates (indeed everyone) must abide by, designed to preserve the sanctity of the British electoral system. They boil down to what are called corrupt and illegal practices.

Corrupt practices include making false declarations and attempting to influence voters by bribery, treating (providing food, drink or entertainment) and undue influence, i.e. threats, violence, duress. Corrupt practices can lead to a fine or up to 12 months imprisonment along with a five year disqualification from voting & holding public office.

Illegal practices include false statements about the personal character or conduct of other candidates, paying to display posters, omitting the “printed and published” on electoral material (oops- maybe I’d better put it at the top of the Blog to be on the safe side!), pays for taxis to transport voters, uses a school premises as a committee room and goes on TV or Radio to influence voting outside of acceptable arrangements.

Whilst candidates don’t go to prison for illegal practices, they can be fined and disqualified for voting for five years, although they can still hold public office. So it is OK for elected officials to be illegal as long as they are not corrupt...!

I have been careful to stay out of the quagmire of rubbishing my opponents during this campaign as I don’t regard it as at all constructive. I want people to vote for me on the basis of being a decent sort who is community minded & wanting to put something back into Morley and I have tried hard to convey this. I’m actually rather modest and a smidge on the shy side so trumpet blowing and public exposure via letters to the editor is the exception rather than the rule. I am human of course, I do like to be acknowledged for a job well done rather than be taken for granted but squirm when over-praised and welcome a sincere thank you over an insincere fawning any day.

I have played the Independent card strongly in my campaign, particularly when it comes to attendance. In the Morley Town Council Annual report 2003/4, for the first time, individual Councillor attendance figures are published for the Full Council and the various Committees. It isn’t a statutory requirement to do this, it was decided after the 2002/3 report came out that it would be included. I crunched the numbers and came up with stats about how well the various parties attend. However I decided that quoting specific percentages would require substantiation of the methodology so I simply distilled the message down to nine of the top ten attenders are independent. I show the actual spreadsheet here which makes the case visually (blue are Conservative, Red are Labour, independents have white background).

Of course, a Councillor could have a superb attendance record then not actually participate in the meetings but the converse does not apply- if you are not there in the first place you can’t participate.at all.

Tomorrow is polling day. I’ve got the day off (apart from needing to go to a meeting at work) and ready to engage with the electorate. It will be a long day, the polls open at 8am and close at 9pm, followed by the count in the Town Hall.

Just to enliven the page slightly, here are colour versions of the leaflet photos.

No letters in the Morley Advertiser today, or anything heard back from the Editor. Perhaps he adopts the philosophy of the Admiral Jackie Fisher, "Never apologise, never explain". Instead, here is a scan of a letter from another independent last week also accusing labour of electioneering. (The sham letter, not the rubbish in postbox one).

BT update- I have had an email telling me they have passed my query onto the relevant department.

Advice from the election people

I forgot to mention that letters turned up over the weekend from the election office with regard to Polling Agents and Counting Agents. Traditionally, small green pass cards were printed admitting the bearer accordingly and sent to the Candidate or their Agent for distribution. On this occasion, they have actually sent letters to all of the people I named to the addresses given. Had I known this, I wouldn’t have put c/o Morley Town Hall for various councillors as I have made unnecessary work for the Town Council office. (I had their addresses somewhere on file but it would have required a bit of hunting around).

For the count, I can bring myself, a guest (Karen, of course) and just one Counting Agent. I picked a name of one of my helpers who has given the most constructive campaign advice. Polling Agents have the authority to enter the polling station, talk to the presiding officer and satisfy themselves that procedures are being correctly followed. Their main purpose is to detect “personation”, i.e. that electors are who they say they are. (A dictionary definition is “To assume the identity of, with intent to deceive”)

Whilst the elections office have sent information on what a teller can or can’t do, they don’t say a lot about the scrutiny aspects of Polling Agents, other than that their duties are prescribed in the Representation of the People Acts.

I also note that the Department at the City Council have apparently changed names: Letters last month were headed “Department of Legal Services Elections and Registration Section” but now say “Legal and Democratic Services Electoral registration and Elections”.

The BNP have apparently put out three leaflets, of which I have copies of two of them. Initially, their first leaflet was A4 which mostly attacked Labour for their poor track record of attendance. The scans are slightly cropped but you should get the jist of what they are saying.

The A5 leaflet raises various local issues.

Their third leaflet is folded A4 and bears a passing resemblance to my own, featuring a pencil graphic of the Town Hall inside and a back cover similar to my back cover. If they have been inspired to this style by seeing mine, then people often say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

There is also an anti-BNP leaflet doing the rounds. This is a triple folded leaflet that alleges that the BNP are not nice people. It mentions Alex Sobel, a Labour activist who came to his door on Sunday night to advise me that he would be voting Labour, unsurprisingly. His partner said this was the third leaflet she has received from me which were all the same, although I did point out that this was leaflet number two which she accepted when she looked inside. I’m not surprised that we will have done a smattering of double-leafleting & missed out others, without a meticulous micro-managed leaflet regime it is easy to overlap rounds & miss out places along the way.

I was passed details of how to leaflet Elmfield based on eight well established rounds and have copies of the Ward boundaries but there are quirks- the High Street buildings vary between being in Elmfield and Central Wards for no discernable reason.

I developed a personal etiquette for leafleting that I based on how I would expect others to deal with me. Firstly, walk on paths, not grass. Don’t walk in front of windows unless it is the only way to get to the letterbox. Push the leaflet fully in so that it is not showing externally. If it is a glass door, ensure it falls inside rather than hangs obviously against the glass. Lift the flap, lift the inner flap (gingerly if barking is heard) and push the leaflet through, preferably without letting the flaps bang or the knocker rattle. If folding of the leaflet is necessary due to small letterboxes or particularly rigid bristles, fold it in a way that the main message is visible. Try not to scrunch it, although sometimes it is unavoidable. Discourage your small boys from enthusiastic shouting whilst leafleting. Close the gate, or leave it as you found it. Be polite to anyone who engages you but if they want to talk at length, ask if you can come back at their convenience.

I had heard stories of offensive and rude behaviour towards election leafleters in the past but I have to say that everyone I have met and talked to (however briefly) in Elmfield has been fine, other than two small boys who greeted me with “Hello Mr. Fat Man” in a smart residential street.

I met one character on Sunday night who I chatted to for a couple of minutes, glad of the break. He was very friendly and I had seen him around the town, complete with Father Christmas beard and large dog. He was apparently disappointed that he lived on the wrong side of the road and wouldn’t be able to vote. I’m rather fond of eccentrics (or at least harmless ones) as I often find that they have an interesting story to tell, in their own good time, of why they choose alternative lifestyles. The Town Council already has an interesting selection of characters and people with a passion for something are irreplaceable.

Election fever

I received an interesting email over the weekend which I reproduce below.

Ian

I found your blog 'charming' and very informative. Everybody is talking about how to make our democracy more participative[?] and you are doing something about it.

Whether you win or lose, a suitably edited version of your diary and experience would make a very interesting national newspaper supplement story or even local Morley one. It makes a good speech to students too about the reality of our community life. It brings it alive. It is a good idea for a televison programme but too late for this candidature.

I like your philosophy.

Good luck!

Gerald Hartup
Director, Liberty and Law
Unit 384, 78 Marylebone High Street
London W1U 5AP

Thanks, Gerald, for your kind words and for letting me reproduce them here.

Well, all the leaflets have been distributed, bar the ones Judith’s Husband is generously doing for me in the Rein Road area. He knows that the deadline is Wednesday evening and will do it at his own pace. He tells me he isn’t a mornings person hence 7am meet-ups did not appeal!

I mentioned the irrepressible Judith Elliott early on in the blog, expecting to only have a local audience. As the readership has expanded somewhat let me inform the world that Judith is known to everyone in Morley, is very community minded and involved in all sorts of different things. She was the Mayor of Morley 2002/2003 and was originally a Member of the Conservative Party but has now declared independence. She also managed to win a seat on Leeds City Council last month as a “Morley Borough Independent”.serving Morley South, a former Labour stronghold. I am delighted that Judith is backing me in my campaign, as are many of the other independents (and a Tory!) who have shown their support by taking to the streets.

Here are a few photos taken yesterday to give a flavour of campaigning.

Election fever has finally hit Morley as two flats in Elmfield Court on Bridge Street have put up “VOTE LABOUR” signs in their windows. Of course, the Labour candidate lives in this area and is the Secretary of the Residents Association so she is bound to have considerable local support. Although not shown very clearly in this picture as it is just in shot,, the block on the right has a Union Jack hanging out of an upstairs window on first floor level although I don’t know if that is a political statement or a legacy of the football!

The second photo shows a Grey sign on a typical telegraph pole, just to show what they look like. I have received a reply from BT about getting permission to put up signs- it said they were very busy and would reply to my query as soon as they were able to do so. I will, of course, remove the signs if formally requested to do so which I fully intend to do after Thursday anyway, it is one of my election pledges.

The third photo is of my Campaign vehicle which we jokingly refer to as the “Battle Bus!” You can see that it really is dark purple and is adorned with a rosette in the back quarterlight and a poster in the main back door window. To double the impact, it is the same on the other side as well! You can see my reflection in the bodywork- I recently had it valeted as it will become Karen's car in a few weeks (and it really needed cleaning...)

The fourth photo is a scan of a campaign rosette. I had looked into getting rosettes when I decided to stand but the internet sites generally wanted too much notice. I asked around the independents and other than bright green ones, there wasn't really anything suitable. However, I was tipped off that there was a rosette manufacturer in East Ardsley who could make them quite quickly. Their premises are an aladdin’s cave of rosettery with racks of colourful ribbons & a delightful little corner forming an ad-hoc showroom for all of the different styles available. Their premises are also an aladdin’s cave of dispensing machines that you generally find in public toilets! I decided on a traditional two colour design using the nearest colour to grey and the darkest purple. The lettering is a shade on the small side but normally rosette centres say such things as “Third place” and “best of breed” being the province of agricultural and gymkhana events. They were surprisingly inexpensive, they only cost me a grand total of 79p plus VAT each so I have treated myself to a box of ten.

The fifth photo is of someone who would definitely vote for me if he was old enough to do so and wore the rosette with pride (until the novelty wore off, of course). He helped deliver leaflets without complaint although he sometimes needed help with some of the more difficult letterboxes & awkward gates. Thank you David for being so supportive of your Dad! David has been interested in the Town Hall and the Councillors for a couple of years now and loves to attend the functions, particularly if there is a Buffet that he can discreetly visit and graze at. He also enjoys sitting in the Mayors seat in the Council Chamber, sitting in the Magistrates seat in the Borough court and going into the cells in the former police station, although he finds that a bit scary. Mind you I don't blame him, so do I!

Easing off

Saturday was comparatively relaxed, just swimming, shopping, Kid's club and lewisham Gala to fit in. I took a few colourful shots of the French market in Morley in order to keep the Town Council Website topical (www.morley.gov.uk). A nice relaxing glass or two of 10 year old port at home last night whilst watching the making of A.I., 2 for £5 in Morley Market & perfectly legit...

I also watched Bo-Selecta! 3 and have to say that the novelty has worn off, I probably won't keep an eye out for it.

I have been passed some leaflets posted by "the opposition" which I will scan and put up here. First off is the Labour leaflet, rather grubby because it was found near some bins.

This morning, I was leafleting from 7am to 1:40pm, although I did give Terry some help later in the morning. We had a grand total of nine people helping today, including Karen (my Wife), David (my son) and a well known local Conservative who has been very supportive but drew the line at delivering green leaflets for Terry and the Morley Borough Independents! We also fitted in coffee at Morrisons Cafe, Coffee at Puccinos (see the gallery at www.merciacinema.org.uk to find out about our new Restaurant in morley), a visit to the Rugby Club Gala and a visit to our tame car dealer to look at replacing our aging 2nd car. Karen is now out delivering leaflets on the Scotchman Lane round which is particularly long and thin and needs a car. This is very nice of her as she has been equally busy with housework/childcare but knows I have very sore feet!

I posted up on the Libertarian Alliance Forum that I was doing a blog and have received some words of encouragement from people who made the effort to come here and take a look. Thanks guys!

Quirky

The rest of the laminated signs have gone up. I could have put up three times as many if I had been obsessive about it but I have tried to ensure that they will be in view to most people in the ward at some point by car, bus or on foot.. A couple have already disappeared but I don't think it is a conspiracy as the ones near my Labour opponent's address all still seem to be in-situ. The removed ones have been done by children or grouches, I imagine. This evening I saw a teenage ASBO in the making rocking an illuminated roadsign so that it was swinging several feet, presumably with the intention of bringing it down. Apart from the mindless vandalism aspect, he also stood a good chance of electrocuting himself. needless to say he had scarpered before anything could be done but I'll report it to the Highways as it is now looking rather crooked and could be a hazard.

My letter about a community Diary wasn't published yesterday, however there were a lot of letters this week so hopefully it has been held over until Wednesday. More importantly, the Morley observer has published the biographies again, but has appeared to have done three of the six candidates a disservice. It left out Jean lancaster's photo, it left out my photo and for the Labour candidate standing in central Ward, it simply says "no details were provided". Details obviously were provided as they appeared in the Advertiser on Wednesday. I will query this with the editor, although I am of the view that happenings that look like conspiracy are often down simply to incompetence and the Morley papers have demonstrated a lot of that recently in the style of the Grauniad which they probably put down to being short staffed.

I enclose the reprint here (over two jpegs) and last weeks sports centre petition story.

Here are the details of my second leaflet being delivered this weekend.The back page is identical to the first leaflet.

This includes a personal message and some election pledges, which one of my supporters has described as "quirky"!

Raising the profile

Well, there are now a large number of posters up around the Ward. I made 100 laminated signs and have 20 left which I will put up this evening, weather permitting. I have signed the main arteries but still have a few peripheral areas to cover off, including Rein Road and Scotchman Lane.

Candidates are not allowed to put up signage on street furniture in Leeds. It is permitted to put up signs on grass verges subject to various constraints, namely no less than 40m from a junction, no less than 0.5m from a kerb, not on trees, not obscuring posters by the opposition etc. etc. They can't go up more than 7 days before polling day and have to come down again 7 days after.

The reality of Elmfield Ward is that there aren't really many suitable places that meet these constraints and there are other obstacles put in the way of independents such as the need for indemnity insurance.

So, that leaves that old political fallback, using telegraph poles. Poles are an oddment in the street scene as they are generally tuned out and invisible to everyone as are streetlights, bollards and various shaped and coloured cabinets that abound. Telegraph poles are used to provide wiring to premises and in new developments they are rarely used as the builders provide underground ducting. The name telegraph pole is a 19th century term and it predates the telephone considerably from the days of Morse.

There are two types of telegraph poles, the traditional wooden ones and the more modern metal ones. I can recall being fascinated as a young boy when the Post Office (Telephones) turned up to replace a pole outside our house using a specialised lorry which included an enormous hole drilling device. (As the poles have to be strong enough to support a man working at the top of them they also go down several feet below the ground as well.)

Wooden poles can have laminated signs stapled onto them easily enough and it is a good idea to put them out of arms reach as someone may decide to pull them down for whatever reason.

Every pole poses a small challenge. Which way should the sign face? Does the cable cover get in the way? Is it actually visible to passers by or is foliage going to obscure it? I decided to generally put them facing oncoming traffic & occasionally on both sides or at right angles depending on local conditions.

Often poles aren't in a useful place at all- for example, Chartist's way has all of the poles in Central Ward, and most of them on private property.

I decided to give metal poles a miss- it would need cable ties and be more fiddly to remove again afterwards.

Strictly speaking, poles are the property of BT and affixing signs to them probably requires permission. After a good look around the BT website for guidance and a fruitless trawl through their various voice menus, I have sent them an email to their general enquiries and will see what response comes back. So, I have made the effort, which is more than can be said of the "make money now!" brigade and a lot of the local builders as well. Labour took a long time to take their signs down and there aren't any up again yet.

As I made my way around the patch, I removed a number of older political signs, all from the Morley Borough Independents put up for the June elections. I had previously complained to them about being a bit dilatory in taking them down and whilst most have gone they had put up so many throughout the Morley South (& North) Ward(s) that I imagine we will still see odd ones flapping in the breeze for months to come. They confirmed they don't want them back and they wouldn't be any use anyway, they are discoloured and damp.

I bought myself some kitchen style steps from Handiman Supplies in Morley on the basis that they would be easier to carry around than my Aluminium stepladder which is much bigger. Being a Round Tabler, the proprietor offered me a three step version for the price of a two step one. On reflection, as I only went up two steps anyway, the smaller one might have made more sense as it was still too big to go in the back of the car without a bit of messing about. It also would have been lighter and easier to carry around!

The BNP in West Yorkshire were given a hard time on telly last night and in the papers this morning. I have mixed feelings about the whole business, I believe that they are entitled to their views and to express them freely, no matter how repugnant. It also seems to me that the extreme left Searchlight crusade is equally as distasteful in their opposition and tactics. I was shown a copy of their leaflet by an Elmfield elector, it really laid into Labour big time about attendance. I didn't see the programme last night (I was still out stapling) but I was curious to read this morning whether Chris Beverley had been specifically named, it seems not.

Here is a scan of the candidate biographies from the Wednesday Morley Advertiser.

Setting out my stall

Yesterday, the Morley Obtiser (in its Morley Advertiser manifestation) printed the biographies of the by-election candidates for Central and Elmfield Wards. (they also printed my letter about the New Pavilion mentioned on Tuesday, which if it comes up trumps for an interior photo I’ll be delighted about.)

I use the term biography loosely, as the responses err more towards personal election pledges rather than “An account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another”.

When I first wrote my spiel, it came to 227 words, much more than the 100 words requested. Here it is below:

Ian is aged 46 and is married with one son.

Born in Tyneside, Ian has travelled and worked extensively around the UK as well as abroad.

He moved to Morley in 1994 and now works for in Bradford as a Telecommunications Project Specialist.

In the local community, Ian is a Parent Governor of a Primary School and treasurer of the school P.T.A. He is also a member of Morley Civic Society.

He restarted a defunct neighbourhood watch scheme in his street and is the current co-ordinator.

He was also an active member of Batley Round Table holding officer positions of Secretary and Treasurer until enforced retirement under age rules this year. He has been chief firer for the Needless Fireworks event for the last three years.

His hobbies include architecture, theatre research, lighting design, visiting theme parks and writing articles for newsletters.

Ian is a trustee of the Communications Management Association which is the professional body of the business ICT user community.

Ian has followed proceedings of Morley Town Council since September 2002 and looks after the www.morley.gov.uk website alongside several others.

Ian has no time for party politics and is fiercely independent. He is delighted that Morley Town Council (and now Leeds City Council) are now “no overall control” and disputes they are under independent control as that is somewhat like herding cats!

After a ruthless rethink, the key points were lifted out and bulleted in the format seen on the biography page. The paper have paraphrased it into third person to good effect, with only two minor quibbles- “He has been involved in Right to Read schemes in Bradford” should say “He is involved in…” as it is a current activity. The other minor quibble was the omission of “(now too old!)” after “former active member of Round Table”. I had included that to make it clear that it was past tense because I had to step down because of being over 45, not that I had lost interest or given up.

Whenever I have stood on a Committee I have always had the view that I have to fulfil my term of office as I was voted into the role on that basis. I have only resigned once as far as I can recall, when I was Magazine Editor for Mercia Region of Eighteen Plus in 1980 and landed a job in Norway. However I actively sought and trained a co-opted editor so that the transition was seamless.

They have printed five candidate photos, omitting the Labour prospective for Central Ward. On closer examination the picture of Jean Lancaster (my Labour opponent) is cropped from the petition photo the previous week. I wonder if Labour took a conscious decision not to send in photos? Other than the fact that both of them are retired, I can see no obvious reason for not doing so as I certainly want to see who I am voting for as part of making an informed decision.

All of the other candidates have passed a comment on how they will put the world to rights once they are elected. I have deliberately resisted the “Bread and Circuses” approach as I suspect that expressing such sentiments are more sound bite than reality. Being a Councillor on a Minor Authority isn’t going to change the world and there are always two sides to every argument.

Terry Grayshon (bless his cotton socks) has a misprint in his write-up that caused howls of laughter in the Grey household last night, despite missing it on first read…

If elected to Morley Town Council I shall continue my philosophy of representing the ordinary man in the street by listening to what the pubic of Morley are saying and putting those words into action.

I have a fairly straight-forward philosophy in life, which I have paraphrased below in a number of opinions; -

· Don’t say you are going to do something unless you intend to do it.
· Don’t make too many assumptions without all of the facts, but hunches are good in the absence of them.
· Prejudices are perfectly acceptable in advance of actuality (the word means to pre-judge) but postjudice is ignorance.
· People can do anything they want provided it doesn’t dump on anyone else. Getting the boundaries right is the hard bit!
· People are entitled to a superficial level of respect but have to earn real respect. A superficial level of respect is also known as politeness.
· People are entitled to personal political and religious views (no matter how irrational) and to express them freely. However, the law should not protect their choices from scrutiny & ridicule.
· Personal responsibility trumps state interference every time. The state has no business in social engineering, or indeed in 90% of the things it pokes its nose into. The state is not your friend.
· Legislating against human nature is a waste of time, it always leads to unintended consequences.
· Political correctness is a blight on society and needs to be derisively mocked and exposed for the manipulate idiotarianism it is.
· Racism is a hijacked word used to stifle opinion and curtail freedom of thought- what it often really means is culturism.
· Property is not theft- taxation is.
· Incitement is not a crime in a free society, unacceptable action is.

I have had this world view a long time but never felt that the traditional political parties aligned with it. If I had to rate myself on a scale from left (red) to right (blue), I always put myself as centrist (which if you mix red and blue gives purple). Then I came across the “Worlds smallest political quiz” a few years ago.

This expressed politics in a two dimensional model rather than the one dimensional flat line. It can be seen that centrists horizontally can vary when also mapped vertically as from anarchists (or fascists) at the top to statists (socialists) at the bottom. You can take the quiz yourself online, it can be found at http://www.theadvocates.org. You can also download an acrobat file that explains it succinctly. Whilst it reads a little strange being based on American political definitions rather than British ones, it makes perfect sense without too much thought. The ten questions cause much debate but I think the theory is sound.

In case you were wondering, my score makes me a moderate libertarian.

Tonight I’ll be pounding the streets of Elmfield Ward armed with short steps, a stapler & some laminated posters, weather permitting. I’ll try and grab some photos with my picture-cam to break up the text.

More musings

Last night I had to fill in a couple of forms for the election office. The first one was to nominate “polling agents” who are entitled to enter the polling station, check for nefarious goings on and talk to the staff there. Great lengths were made to distinguish them from “Tellers”, who appear to have no particular legitimacy other than precedent. Tellers are the people who loiter around outside the polling station and check you off after you have voted. Their main purpose seems to be so that the political parties can go and knock on the doors late in the day if there seems to be a wave of apathy in a particular stronghold area.

I understand that the political parties can get hold of the records of which electors have actually voted after an election, but not, of course, which candidate they voted for (Although the left-leaning journalist Polly Toynbee wrote a recent article in the Grauniad decrying how voting was too good for many of the electorate and there was a subtle inference that they could find out who someone had voted for, link here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1231150,00.html). I wonder if a £10 investment in a Data Protection Act search might yield enlightening results?

The second form was to nominate people to attend the count at Morley Town Hall. Only three can attend on this particular occasion, namely the candidate, the candidate’s guest (Mrs. Grey of course) and a “counting agent”, i.e. someone else to scrutinise proceedings and make sure it is fair and above board. The count takes place at 9pm on the 22nd, i.e. straight after the polls close. Realistically it is unlikely to take more than an hour as with probably only 1500 or so ballot papers to count (based on a 25% turnout across Elmfield and Central Wards) & only one candidate to select on each paper, it is simply a case of sort and count.

With a maximum of 18 observers and presumably a handful of staff, it is likely to rattle around the Alexandra Hall so might be held in the smaller Morliean Hall below (indeed that might be the reason for capping counting agents). I don’t know whether both Wards will be counted at the same time, if not then Central will be done first as alphabetism prevails.

I am aware that I need to maximise my profile within Morley as I am up against two candidates who have the might of a national party political machine behind them. There are three more editions of the local papers to come, which might spring a few surprises. Blatant electioneering is not my style and I have rebuffed suggestions of staged photos around contrived local issues as I am sure that Morley has had quite enough of that!

Thinking laterally, I composed another letter to the Morley Obtiser, regarding something last week that I think has some mileage so here is the pre-story to set the scene. On Tuesday night I went to the regular monthly meeting of the Morley Civic Society, which is generally held in the Town Hall on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm (a much more civilised time than 7pm for those of us with children). I was surprised that there were only two others there, Jill Haigh and Colin Crabtree. Two things had depressed the numbers, frantic preparations for Morley in Bloom (the summer judging actually took place today) and a Morley Forward meeting downstairs that Colin had excused himself from in order to join us.

Morley Forward has been the subject of much debate within the Town Council as the local Labour Party insists on calling some of their leaflets Morley Forward as well. (It has now been renamed something like the Morley Town Centre Partnership which isn’t as snappy but it is much clearer what it is about).

Once we had sorted out business with the Civic Society, Colin said he would rejoin the meeting downstairs and I asked if I was able to join it as an observer. As far as he knew it wasn’t a problem so I entered quietly, grabbed a chair and sat down behind some people near the door. The room was laid out with long tables arranged in a big rectangle and I quickly realised that I was actually sitting behind the Chairman so I rapidly moved off to one side.

Gazing round the room, I realised that I immediately recognised about half of them as local Councillors and attendees of the Town Council. Of the others, perhaps half again were familiar from other meetings & I was able to piece together who some of the others were as the meeting progressed. I was able to borrow meeting paperwork in order to fill in some of the gaps on the topics being discussed.

Later on, Alan Gray from the Rugby club was talking about Morley Carnival in the old days and passed the comment that choosing dates for events was difficult as no one really knew what else was going on. This struck a chord with me as every year we dither over when to hold our school gala as we try to not let it clash with nearby schools and of course they are also dithering as well. I am also aware that the “What’s on” in the local papers is sometimes sadly lacking being based on a business rather than a community approach.

There was talk about how having a Town Manager would resolve that sort of thing but I suspect we are a long way away from having one. Then it struck me, we have a Town Clerk (& assistant) in the Town Council office every day covering at least the mornings, and so the office could readily look after the minor admin of a task.

I put my hand up & was eventually invited to speak. I expressed my idea to the meeting, which, was received politely & with a few nods round the room but the next person talked on another topic and the meeting moved on.

I realised yesterday that good ideas start as tiny sparks but sometimes you have to fan the embers for the flames to take hold. My letter picks up the story…

Letter to the Editor

Recently, I sat in on the latter stages of a meeting of what used to be known as “Morley Forward” in the Morliean Hall. I didn’t set out intending to go there but as a consequence the regular Civic Society meeting upstairs was much depleted in numbers & I was curious to see what went on.

One theme emerged later in the meeting that I immediately related to; - the lack of co-ordination between the various community groups so that sometimes conflicting events ended up on the same day. Whilst the Town Council keeps a diary for civic occasions, no such scheme exists for other events beyond “What’s on” in the Morley Papers.

I did suggest to the meeting that a second diary kept in the Morley Town Council office would be of considerable benefit to the community and well worth the small cost and time involved. Of course, there is often a big gap between a bright idea being suggested and anything actually happening so I have decided to move things along.

I have sounded out the idea in principle with the Town Clerk who had no immediate objections. I have now written to the Chairman of the Community Development Committee asking that the idea be given due consideration at their next meeting.

Of course, there are practical aspects to such a scheme but I’m sure that with a clear set of guidelines and a spirit of co-operation we could enjoy future events with dates chosen in full knowledge of what else is going on in Morley.

Ian Grey

Here is the text of the letter written to Cllr. Joe Tetley, Chairman of Community Development and Regeneration. That is enough blogging for today!

Dear Cllr Tetley,

You may recall my suggesting the Town Clerk keeps a Community Diary on behalf of the town at the recent meeting of what used to be “Morley Forward”.

I have given this idea further thought and also sounded out the Town Clerk to see if there were any immediate obstacles to such a scheme. On that basis I wish to make the following suggestion to your Committee for due consideration (& hopefully acceptance & implementation).

My initial thoughts on such a scheme are as follows:

Agenda Motion:

That the Town Clerk keeps a Diary for the recording of community activities and makes available the information on date availability to interested community groups on request.

I enclose some first draft guidelines overleaf that I hope may be a useful starting point for the implementation of such a scheme.

Best regards,

Ian Grey

COMMUNITY DIARY SCHEME

Morley Town Council maintains a community events diary for the benefit of event organisers when choosing suitable dates. In order for it to work well, the following guidelines should be observed: -

Guidelines for the community groups:

· Events can be recorded in the Community diary on request, on a tentative, provisional or confirmed basis.
· Tentative means that more than one entry may exist in the diary and plans are preliminary. Provisional means there is only one main entry & the event planning is well advanced but subject to confirmation. Confirmed means that the event is booked and highly unlikely to change.
· Dates recorded are not bookings or reservations and are therefore not specifically reserved by inclusion. Any event may be held on any date regardless of diary entries. However good practice is to check the diary and give due consideration to potentially conflicting events.
· On recording a date, a name and contact details must be provided and will be made available to others if requested.
· The diary is open to inspection during normal office hours in person or via telephone/fax/letter/email enquiry.
· It is the responsibility of the Community Group to keep the Town Clerk informed of changes or cancellation. Morley Town Council provides this service for the benefit of the Community, however it will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions, however caused.
· There is no obligation on the Town Council to publish contents of the diary to any third party.

Guidelines for the Town Council Office

· A process needs to be developed that only uses one repository, whether paper based or on Computer. The simplest way would be a large diary a different colour to the Civic diary.
· Provide information on diary contents to callers on request.
· Where an entry is requested, record the name of the event, the community group involved and contact details, along with the date of the request and a sequence number. Events should be categorised as tentative, provisional or confirmed as described above.
· Where multiple dates are requested for tentative events, ensure each date is cross-referenced so that when made provisional or confirmed, the other dates can be noted as being released.
· It needs to be made clear that the diary is not a reservation system and it is first come, first served for the recording of entries.
· There is no restriction upon the recording future dates, in which case a list may need to be kept until availability of paper based diaries.

Draft guidelines by Ian Grey, 13/7/2004

Getting in the paper...

I’ve written a letter to the local paper today. It is nothing to do with the election, rather a celebration of the New Pavilion re-opening as “Puccinos”. This is a letter I’ve been meaning to write for some time and has been hold whilst the building work has dragged on and on. The arrival of “Puccinos” will revitalise the east of the town centre in an otherwise static area and the owners are to be commended on such an enterprising venture.

He is the text of the letter; -

I was delighted to see that the new “Puccinos” café/bar has finally opened in the former New Pavilion this week and particularly pleased to be given a chance to see inside the smart new restaurant.

Morlieans of all ages will undoubtedly have very fond memories of the building, whether as a Theatre, a Cinema, a Bingo Hall or even in its last incarnation as an alternative night club.

With a personal interest in both architecture and entertainment history, I have been fascinated by this remarkable survivor for a long time and disappointed that no photos of the interior decoration appear to have been found, despite the determined efforts of Ronnie Barraclough and the late David Atkinson.

I continue to hope that somewhere in Morley, maybe in a shoebox up in a loft, there are some hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. Perhaps this letter might trigger a memory….

Now that the building is open to the public again, there is an opportunity to perhaps open it to visitors for a guided tour on heritage weekend (on September 11th/12th) if the owners and local historians are willing. Whilst most of the past has been sadly swept away, the memories of Morley Entertainers live on inside those walls.

When I decided to stand for the By-Election, I had to fill in a couple of forms and received a stack more of them to be going on with. I knew what to expect as I still had the paperwork from the May 2003 Election but it is still a fairly laborious process reading and understanding the paperwork.

Whilst Morley is a Town Council, Town Councils and Parish Councils are interchangeable other than in name, both being “Minor Authorities”. Morley Parish Council declared that it would henceforth become Morley Town Council during 2000 and it came to pass that it was so.

Firstly, I had to persuade two people who lived in the Ward to propose and second me. They then had to sign the form and be clearly identified by their “electoral number” which consists of three letters and a number. The first two letters are MS (for Morley South, the Leeds City Council Ward) and the third letter represents the polling district. There are nine districts in Morley South, lettered MSA to MSJ (missing out MSH for some reason). Elmfield Districts are MSC (1798 voters, to the west) and MSG (1564 voters, to the east) and each district has its own polling station, one at Cross Hall Junior, the other Elmfield Infants. There are actually 3368 voters, six more than shown in Parish paperwork but I have no desire to add them up in the electoral lists.

When being nominated, I am entitled to provide up to six words of description which, if acceptable to the Returning Officer, is printed on the ballot paper. Needless to say, I just chose the word “Independent”, resisting the temptation to prefix “fiercely” &/or suffix “and proud of it!”. Criteria for acceptability mainly relate to possible confusion with registered parties, although offensiveness might also be deemed unacceptable.

I also had to return a consent to nomination form which had to be witnessed by someone but that could be anybody so was actually Mrs. Grey, as she was there….

To qualify for nomination, in simple terms a candidate has to a) be a registered elector in the Parish, &/or b) live in the parish, &/or c) work in the parish, &/or reside within 4.8 kilometres of it. The candidate also has to be over 21, a British/EU/Commonwealth citizen and not disqualified due to bankruptcy or nefarious doings. Another exclusion is paid office under the local authority.

Meanwhile, back to the laminator….

A pleasant distraction

This evening I have managed to do some laminating and choosing some rosettes as well as a Governor meeting, sorting out my mobile and squeezing in a cup of coffee in the new Puccinos. They gave me a quick look in the restaurant bit, it is very smart indeed and I wish them every success. Tomorrow I need to fill in some forms and some more preparation work.

I saw someone I knew outside the Library earlier, they hadn't seen my leaflet yet but they had received a BNP one.

To look forward let us first look back...

Yesterday I had sore feet, today I have sore hands! I have written a letter to all of the people registered for a postal vote enclosing leaflet two on the basis that they could well return their votes before the second leaflet run next weekend. I also wrote letters to the addresses that we couldn't get access to enclosing both leaflets. I also did a couple of streets that were overlooked yesterday.

I left a few people off the write-to list where I recognised their names from local politics. If they feel the need to vote against their instincts then I'll just rely on the door leaflet to sway them rather than wasting a stamp!

I thought about standing for the Town Council last year but my Wife talked me out of it- I was busy enough already and perhaps I should wait until I became an embarassment to my son in his teen years. What has changed this year? Well, retirement from Round Table has released some free time and having met a number of local politicians through her job, Mrs. Grey realises that they are not all bad!

I wrote a letter to the local press in April 2003 which I reprint here.

Dear Sir,

I see that the race is on for the Town Council elections and Labour are first off the blocks with their announcement that they are contesting all 24 seats across the six Wards.

Whilst I have never considered myself political, I went along to observe the full Council in action after the Heritage days last year and would encourage others to do the same- I found it fascinating and surprisingly compelling- I've been to every one since.

I'm not a native Morliean, I'm not even a Tyke, I've only lived here 10 years but since becoming a Parent I now regard Morley as my home rather than where my house is.

I think the Town Council is a good thing- it is not perfect but it has started to achieve results. Whilst it is admirable that the local Labour Party would like to win all 24 seats a brief glance towards Westminster shows all too clearly the detrimental effect of ineffective opposition- laws rushed through without enough careful consideration and the scourge of spin- style above substance.

I would like Morley Town Council to make decisions based on collaboration rather than the mixture of confrontation and submission that Party Politics demands of its participants. It should also be a "Critical Friend" of Leeds, pointing out the raw deal Morley often gets but then working with Local Government to improve it. That doesn't need big increases in our local Precept to achieve on a "we know best-tax & spend" basis. It should be Parochial rather than Partisan.

The Town Council will never reach the heights of Local Government as it was before 1974- the Town and Parish models are closer in powers to the Vicar of Dibley than Millennium Square!

How can we all help? By looking at all of the leaflets that come through our letterboxes, reading the papers and trying to reach informed decisions about the prospective candidates & their motives for standing. Do they live or work here? Are they approachable? Do they like the sound of their own voice? Do they have inflated opinions of their own self-importance? Do they have a passion for our town? Having met and talked to many of them I realise they should not all be tarred with the same brush as we disparage our professional politicians- they are ordinary people who want to put something back.

The May 1st elections will be an interesting challenge for National Government. Many of us may decide to vote based on what is going on in Iraq, or how much our April pay packet has gone down after the latest tax grab by Prudence. Some will vote for the BNP candidate, misled by the hysterical media coverage about Asylum Seekers swamping our Ports of entry. Some will vote the same as their parents did, looking for the little symbol that they are comfortable with, whether Rose or Beacon.

Lots of us will be totally indifferent and not bother voting at all- a sure sign that Party Politics is morally bankrupt.

As to myself? I'll be brandishing the pencil on May 1st then watching the count on May 2nd. I can't second-guess the outcome but whatever happens it will be fascinating to be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world- our own real-life soap opera!

Having re-read the letter, it still rings true and I stand by my words. Not a lot has changed in the big scheme of things, although locally the "Morley Borough Independents" gave Labour a big shock last month and Leeds City Council is now in "NO OVERALL CONTROL".

Hitting the streets...

A small band of helpers assembled at Hembrigg car park to start the process of leaflet dropping at the unearthly hour of 7am. (Well unearthly for a weekend!). I don't envy postmen at all- difficult gates, awkward letterboxes, frenzied dogs....

75% of the ward now leafleted with the promise of the remainder by a couple of helpers who were working today. Some will need to be posted, some sheltered housing in the Britannia Road area has no access. It is strange to see familiar buildings from unfamiliar perspectives on foot rather than trundling past.

One lady said mine was her first leaflet & no sign of any signage by the "opposition" yet. Tonight will be spent mostly addressing envelopes....

The leaflets are ready....

Here is a sneak preview of my leaflet, due to be delivered on Saturday morning. It is folded A4 forming a small booklet.

The front cover has the quick message- Council election, vote Grey. The back cover reinforces that I am candidate two on the voting slip, due to being in alphabetical order. The centre pages are a bit about me and some info about independents in general.

Whilst I don't like overly blowing my own trumpet, it has been necessary to sell myself to the voters, most of who will not know me from Adam.

Why purple? It is mid way between red and blue which matches my centrist/libertarian philosophy. It isn't regarded as a mainstream political colour, which is why I chose it for the MTC Website last year. It is a modest colour compared to others (particularly lime green!) and my little Fiesta is also purple so I have grown used to it.

The first post

I have decided to start a Weblog, or Blog, for short. It is a type of online diary and I will use it to track my campaign to try and get elected onto Morley Town Council. There is already a month of activity since deciding to stand but I will try to pick up on the story & fill in the gaps as I go along.

So far, I have written to the local papers to correct the spelling of my name, sent them my photo & biography, persuaded some of the other independents to help me drop leaflets, found a printer, found a publisher (the irrepressable Cllr Judith Elliott), designed the flyers with a lot of help and advice from other Councillors and planned when to start leafleting. There are 2,200 houses in Elmfield Ward so I am going to pick up 4,600 leaflets tomorrow from the Printers, a very helpful place in Queen's Road near Morley high School.. I'll not sleep soundly until I see that they are correct, they never did show me the proofs as promised but the Boss personally corrected the typos so I'm not really worried...

I am entitled to spend no more than £400.30 on my campaign, based on an allowance of £242 then 4.7p per voter (& there are 3,368 of them).

In reality, I don't want to spend even half that as it is my money, out of my own pocket. The Party Candidates will probably have it covered by their Constituency offices but other than holding a Jumble Sale, Independents have to fund themselves.

I met one of my opponents at the Town Council Meeting last night, Jean Lancaster standing for Labour. A very pleasant & friendly lady, well known in the community and likely to be a worthy opponent. We wished each other the best as we are both new to political participation and have essentially the same goals in mind, party politics aside. I'm not sure that her first visit to the Town Council was entirely what she expected, being based on formal rules of debate & ceremony at the full monthly meetings.

Jean has already managed to get onto the front page of the Morley Advertiser although the banner headline was

"Anti-privatisation petition branded as electioneering

SPORTS

CENTRE

OUTCRY"

Alas, I don't have a friendly MP readily available to provide a photo-opportunity!

Original biography page

Ian Grey's Biography Biography Standing for Morley Town Council

BLOG- regular campaign updates- click here

Terry Grayshon is standing as a Morley Borough Independent in nearby Central Ward for the By-Election happening at the same time as the Elmfield vote, on Thursday July 22nd. He is also opposed by both Labour and BNP candidates. As Terry has been kind enough to include a link to this site I am delighted to reciprocate here and wish him well in his campaign.

Whilst I'm not a "Morley Borough Independent" (which is actually formally registered as a political party, apparently due to Leeds City Council playing silly beggars in recent times) I am satisfied that they are not a political party in the traditional sense of the word, i.e. accepting the party whip & using the blunt instruments of conflict & submission to (mis)manage. Indeed having known the various individuals for some time now, the phrase "herding cats" comes to mind for any approach other than collaboration.

-oOo-

This Web page contains the details sent to the Morley Advertiser and Observer in early July for candidate information relating to the Elmfield Ward by-election on July 22nd. Morley is a town of about 50,000 people on the south western outskirts of Leeds, West Yorkshire and was a Borough in its own right until 1974.

Ian Grey - An introduction

• Ian is 46 and lives in Morley

• He is married with one Son

• He works in telecommunications

• He is a Trustee of the Communications Management Association

Community Activities

• Local Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator

• Parent Governor at a Primary School

• Treasurer of School PTA

• Volunteer Webmaster for Morley Town Council

• Member of Morley Civic Society

• Involved in Right to Read schemes in Bradford

• Former active member in Round Table (now too old!)

• Chief firer at Needless Fireworks display since 2001

• Recently raised £400+ abseiling for kidney research

• Regular presenter to Yr11/6^th formers in West Yorkshire

• Has served on Committees since 1974

More info about Ian’s interests can be found at http://www.delicolor.org.uk/

Last updated July 7th 2004