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davieG

Leicester Mayoral Election May 2015

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Posted

Surely the people in the county should be able to vote?

The City only wants the County involved when it's spending money in it, not voting Tory in it.

Posted

The City only wants the County involved when it's spending money in it, not voting Tory in it.

I'm sorry but now you're just being daft.

There's lots of anti labour, anti Soulsby, anti mayor arguments I can get on board with. I'm not unwaveringly in favour of any of the above.

But why the **** should anyone other than a city's residents get to vote for its mayor?

You may need to visit occasionally but if you don't live here you don't live here. If you commute to London to work should you get to vote for their mayor?

So the majority of the city votes labour, tough shit. Should all those labour voters be able to vote in a labour county council or MPs?

Posted

I wasn't putting up an argument that I wanted to vote in it or that we should be entitled to, just stating an attitude I know many have in the city towards those in the county.

Although we'll obviously have to revisit this situation with further regional devolution on the political agenda.

Leicester City Centre is exactly what it deserves to be and despite the so called anti-Soulsby rhetoric we know he's getting in whatever he does with a massive majority again. That's what Leicester centre is.

Posted

I'm sorry but now you're just being daft.

There's lots of anti labour, anti Soulsby, anti mayor arguments I can get on board with. I'm not unwaveringly in favour of any of the above.

But why the **** should anyone other than a city's residents get to vote for its mayor?

You may need to visit occasionally but if you don't live here you don't live here. If you commute to London to work should you get to vote for their mayor?

So the majority of the city votes labour, tough shit. Should all those labour voters be able to vote in a labour county council or MPs?

Tbh Its not like a council or parliament election, where the counties and cites get to vote for their local areas. I might not live in the city but I work in it, drive through it and around it, every day. Maybe I should get a say.
Posted

Tbh Its not like a council or parliament election, where the counties and cites get to vote for their local areas. I might not live in the city but I work in it, drive through it and around it, every day. Maybe I should get a say.

 

There's got to be a boundary somewhere. There's probably people from Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and just inside Warwickshire that come to Leicester every day to work or shop, should they get to vote? Like I said, the same argument would stand for residents of Surrey, Kent, Luton, Watford etc and the London mayoral elections. 

 

You want him to be the mayor of the combined county and city? Okay, we'll all vote for him and you can have your Tory. While he's only got the authority to make change in the city then it's a vote that is, will always be and should always be a vote for the people who live in the city limits.

 

The president of the United States, whether we like it or not, has a massive impact on the majority of the planet's populace. Should we all get to vote in the US election? Or Russia's? :shrug:

 

Don't like it? Move here.

Posted

There's got to be a boundary somewhere. There's probably people from Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and just inside Warwickshire that come to Leicester every day to work or shop, should they get to vote? Like I said, the same argument would stand for residents of Surrey, Kent, Luton, Watford etc and the London mayoral elections.

You want him to be the mayor of the combined county and city? Okay, we'll all vote for him and you can have your Tory. While he's only got the authority to make change in the city then it's a vote that is, will always be and should always be a vote for the people who live in the city limits.

The president of the United States, whether we like it or not, has a massive impact on the majority of the planet's populace. Should we all get to vote in the US election? Or Russia's? :shrug:

Nah I'm not making it a Tory, labour thing. Soulsby is the type of power hungry creature that can pop up on either side, I would dislike him regardless.

Don't like it? Move here.

Nah I'm not making it a Tory, labour thing. Soulsby is the type of power hungry creature that can pop up on either side, I would dislike him regardless. I get what your saying about there has to be a limit somewhere but it's not unreasonable to think the county might have a say, or a workforce. It's quite possibly unworkable and unfair but it can be discussed. I Doubt that many would take up the offer anyway, such is the general feeling for this particular political position.
Posted

It just seems odd to me. I grew up in a London borough but lived around 3 times as far out from the centre as I do here and yet get no say on the mayor, I thought that was one of the points to having a mayor. Although it's a fair point about there probably being plenty in Surrey and Kent who have an interest in the London mayor but no vote.

Posted

It just seems odd to me. I grew up in a London borough but lived around 3 times as far out from the centre as I do here and yet get no say on the mayor, I thought that was one of the points to having a mayor. Although it's a fair point about there probably being plenty in Surrey and Kent who have an interest in the London mayor but no vote.

It's not about distance, it's about authority. You lived within the jurisdiction of a London mayor, so were in an area to vote. You don't live within Soulsby's power of influence, so you don't get a vote.

People from Lands End to John O Groats get a vote in the general election because they live within the authority of Westminster.

I'm really not sure what part of this people find so objectionable. I have an active interest in Japan, I visit, I have opinions on their laws, I want them to relax their immigration laws and let me in! But I don't get a vote, I'm not a resident.

It's not rocket science. "Fair" is irrelevant. He's not a mayor for the county, the county doesn't vote. The end.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

A Leicester city councillor wept in the dock yesterday after she was convicted of lying to the police and warned she could be sent to prison.

Barbara Potter buried her head in her hands and repeatedly cried out “How can that be possible?” after a jury returned a guilty verdict on a charge of intending to pervert the course of justice.

Former Labour city councillor Potter (48) will be sentenced next month but was told by a judge it may be inevitable she is sent to jail.

Potter, an independent councillor for the Humberstone and Hamilton ward and mayoral candidate, denied lying to the police when she told them her ex-partner Andrew Taylor had spat on her car windscreen.

Leicester Crown Court heard that Potter, of Winslow Green, Netherhall, drove to the city’s Keyham Lane police station and told officers her car had been spat on when she left it outside a friend’s house in Steins Lane on August 8, 2013.

Potter said she had just seen Mr Taylor, with whom she had split up with in 2010 after an 18-year relationship, driving past her car in his van.

She signed a statement saying she had seen Mr Taylor at the wheel and heard a “flobbing” sound before he smirked at her and drove off.

The police investigated and established Mr Taylor was more than 40 miles away working in Birmingham at the time Potter stated she had seen him in Leicester.

DNA testing of the spitle on Potter’s windscreen showed it belonged to a Simon Birch.

Potter said she had no idea who Mr Birch was but he told officers he had previously fallen out with the defendant after she had thrown a kebab at him. Potter denied this happened.

James Bide-Thomas, prosecuting, asked the defendant if she had gone to the police and told them she had seen Mr Taylor, when she had not, to get him into trouble with the law.

A tearful Potter said: “That’s not true and I haven’t lied.

“I saw a vision driving past and at the time I believed it was my ex-partner.”

She told the court: “Over several months he had been driving round harassing me and intimidating me on the road.”

She said she had panicked when she had seen the van.

She added: “We decided to take the car up to the police station because the police had been telling me I need evidence. I thought I would take them evidence.”

Mark McDonald, defending Potter, told jurors she should be acquitted because she made an honest mistake when she identified Mr Taylor.

He said: “Mistakes do happen.

“Can you be sure it was malicious? Can you be sure it was a lie or do you have doubt?”

Judge Nicholas Dean told Potter she would be sentenced next month and released her on unconditional bail.

He told her: “Perverting the course of justice is a serious offence. It is often met with an immediate sentence of imprisonment.

“You must understand that may be inevitable in this case.”



 

Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/GUILTY-Leicester-city-councillor-Barbara-Potter/story-26049391-detail/story.html#ixzz3SBv3ZTDP 
Follow us: @Leicester_Merc on Twitter | leicestermercury on Facebook

Posted

Can you even imagine the cost to the taxpayer of the whole case, time in court, DNA testing, legal aid etc - pathetic.

 

Reflects well on the City as well these sort of people are fighting to be mayor. lol

Posted

It's not about distance, it's about authority. You lived within the jurisdiction of a London mayor, so were in an area to vote. You don't live within Soulsby's power of influence, so you don't get a vote.

People from Lands End to John O Groats get a vote in the general election because they live within the authority of Westminster.

I'm really not sure what part of this people find so objectionable. I have an active interest in Japan, I visit, I have opinions on their laws, I want them to relax their immigration laws and let me in! But I don't get a vote, I'm not a resident.

It's not rocket science. "Fair" is irrelevant. He's not a mayor for the county, the county doesn't vote. The end.

 

It just seems a poor set up. I think the mayor should have authority in the county then. I don't actually know the set up in greater London, because you have the borough councils but also the mayor. We should either have a mayor for all of Leicestershire or no mayor in my opinion.

Posted

It just seems a poor set up. I think the mayor should have authority in the county then. I don't actually know the set up in greater London, because you have the borough councils but also the mayor. We should either have a mayor for all of Leicestershire or no mayor in my opinion.

Can I say as someone who lives in the county, we don't want that tw@t running anything around here.

Posted

Can I say as someone who lives in the county, we don't want that tw@t running anything around here.

Seconded.

Keep as big a gap between city and county as possible.

Posted

Looks like she has been leaving comments on the Mercury website and Facebook about the case.

 

Barbie1234 | Thursday, February 19 2015, 12:37PM

I have been terrized by these people had my home broken into two cars smashed up and beaten up in the street since I dumped my ex.
As for Simon birch I've never hear of him no of him or seen him in my life.
As for having a fight over a kebab last year with my ex is so untrue because I haven't been in arm distance of my ex for over for years.
Am a sitting councillor who works day and night to help those rhat need it most often with ASB Probloms and far worst than someone with wrong ID I can assure you.
As a councillor we are open to target yet it was only my ex that managed to distory my life and prevent me standing in the ward he isn't even registered to live.
No justice no fairness

If that really was her, then Jesus Christ, that spelling.
 
The facebook stuff from the Mercury:
9519584-large.jpg
Posted

And she's a Labour councillor? lol

 

No, got cobbed out (or quit herself, can't recall which). Sits as an Independent.

 

Same fvcking idiot who called for the death penalty while she was a Labour member mind.

Posted

If she goes down, I can already see the Facebook post:

 

Barbara Potter: OMG WTF babezz, bin cent to prison wont be abel to stand in the elecshun for mayour.

 

 

 

....

 

Peter Soulsby likes this.

Posted

No, got cobbed out (or quit herself, can't recall which). Sits as an Independent.

Same fvcking idiot who called for the death penalty while she was a Labour member mind.

Appears she's part of the 'Independent Leicester councillors against the cuts' political group now.

Anyway hope she keeps her head up, she may be down, but she's not out out out....

Posted

Can I say as someone who lives in the county, we don't want that tw@t running anything around here.

Ditto.

Posted

Greens choose Tim Grayson to challenge Sir Peter Soulsby in Leicester mayoral race

By danjmartin  |  Posted: February 20, 2015

9522214-large.jpg

Green mayoral candidate Tim Grayson

 Comments (0)

The Greens have selected their candidate for Leicester’s mayoral race.

The party has chosen Tim Grayson to stand against sitting Labour mayor Sir Peter Soulsby in May’s election.

The 27-year-old, who lives in the city centre with his wife and young son, has joined other mayoral candidates in saying he would offer voters a chance to say whether they wanted the city council to be run by an elected mayor.

In 2010, the city council’s ruling Labour group chose to make the transition to the mayoral system without offering voters a referendum, as has happened in other cities.

Mr Grayson, who works for Leicester publishing house Tudor Rose, said: “Peter Soulsby seems to have got wrapped up in the idea that a referendum would be very expensive.

“I would look at another way.

“ I would introduce a 'direct action' digital polling app and website to enable councillors to regularly engage with the electorate as a means to listen to what's important to the residents of the city, such as whether we actually need a city mayor, and act accordingly.

“This would make the local democratic process more transparent and bring more accountability to the decisions made by the elected councillors themselves.”

Mr Grayson said: “This is new for me. I’ve been interested in politics before but I haven’t got involved.

“I have had an awakening. I got fed up of politicians not standing up for regular people.

“If a decision was made to keep the mayoral position, there are so many areas within the city which often get overlooked and need addressing, so I would turn my attention to helping the socially excluded, utilising empty council-owned premises for charities and co-operatives, attempting to improve the poor and expensive public transport, and encourage local businesses and co-operatives over the exploitative dominance of multinational corporations.

“I would also like to start a discussion about taking steps to replace the current 'banded' system of council tax with an intelligent income-related tax, as a means to assist those living in the city on a lower income.”

Sir Peter said: “The debate about whether there should be a city mayor is one from three or four years ago.

“The debate has moved on.

“The argument now is not whether there should be a city mayor but who the city mayor should be?”

The Tories have chosen DMU academic and Harborough councillor Paul Bremner as their candidate and independent Barbara Potter has said she is standing on the TUSC ticket.

Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Greens-choose-Tim-Grayson-challenge-Sir-Peter/story-26057777-detail/story.html#ixzz3SI6q1mdn 
Follow us: @Leicester_Merc on Twitter | leicestermercury on Facebook

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