Only The Conservatives Can Give You A Referendum

Latest West Shoebury Leaflet

Beware James Moyies and Ukip

West Shoebury Runners and Riders

The deadline for nominations has passed and the runners and riders for West Shoebury on the 22nd May are as follows:

Tony Cox
Matthew Dent - Labour
James Moyies - United Kingdom Independence Party
Charlie Row - Liberal Democrats

Upon looking through all the candidates in each ward it was hardly a surprise that the Independent Party Group have once again done a grubby little deal with Ukip as no Ukip candidate is standing against one of their 'approved' candidates.

To prove this point we only have to look at the Ukip candidates in neighbouring Rochford District Council. In Rochford ward, the Ukip candidate is none other than Jacqi Moyies, a Shoebury resident and the husband of the West Shoebury Ukip candidate.

Now being a Shoebury resident, why not stand in Shoeburyness ward where there is no Ukip candidate. The reason, Ukip will not stand against the 'official' Independent Party Group candidate Nick Ward.

This is somewhat surprising considering that my Ukip opponent only last year claimed that the Independents in Southend were done. As the Independent Party Group are clearly working together with Ukip, does this now mean that they support official Ukip policy like a Thames Estuary Airport?

Election Imprint

As I am a candidate in this years local election, this blog is required to have a legal imprint. So for all election related items, this blog is promoted and published by Roger Hadley on behalf of Tony Cox all at Suite 2, Strand House, 742 Southchurch Road, Southend on Sea, Essex SS1 2PS.

Happy Easter

Like Christmas Day, Easter Sunday is a sacred date in the Christian calendar. Although campaigning can be hectic and there never seems enough hours, campaigning and blogging will cease for the day. I just want to take this opportunity to wish all readers of this blog and the residents of West Shoebury a Happy Easter.

Pseudonym

This week, a readers letter from an S Newman purporting to be living in Caulfield Road part of West Shoebury ward appeared in the Southend Echo

Every now and then this name crops up in the Echo letters pages showing support or leaping to the defence of the Southend Independent Party. Even by usual standards, the defence by S Newman of the Southchurch Independent Party Candidate Derek Kenyon seemed far fetched.

As it was so far fetched I did a little research. To my surprise, I found that nobody by the surname of Newman appears to be residing anywhere in Caulfield Road on the Electoral Roll. So, who could be the real author? Anyone suspect Anne Chalk?

Simply Unbelievable

I do not usually blog on opposition literature especially opposition literature from elsewhere in the UK. I have this evening been forwarded a leaflet from a friend of mine who lives in Isleworth, Hounslow who had the following leaflet posted through his door by the Ukip candidate:

Arguably the most distastfull leaflet I have ever come across, a local Hounslow newspaper report that Mr Griffiths has been deselected by the Hounslow Ukip Group for his 'nutty' literature but were seemingly happy to select him despite his comments following Nelson Mandela's death. I seriously do wonder where Ukip manage to find these people.

Shoebury Beaches Praised For Excellent Water Quality

I was delighted to hear this week that Shoebury Common and Shoebury East Beach were two of six Southend beaches to have been named in the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Beach Guide for 2014.

Six of the Borough’s beaches have been listed as recommended, with two others reaching the mandatory standard.

The beaches listed as having excellent ‘recommended’ water quality are East Beach, Shoebury Common, Thorpe Bay, Three Shells, Westcliff Bay, and Chalkwell. Jubilee Beach and Bell Wharf are listed as reaching the satisfactory ‘mandatory’ standard.

The Marine Conservation Society recommended 538 out of 734 (73%) UK beaches tested during last summer as having excellent water quality – that’s 135 more than the previous year. There were also fewer failures, with just fourteen beaches tested last summer failing to reach minimum water quality standards. For a full list and further details please visit http://www.goodbeachguide.co.uk/

The Choice Facing West Shoebury Residents - Latest Leaflet

"Vote For Me To Lose The Spy Car That I Advocated"

In the Echo today was this little gem of an article on Derek Kenyon, the Independent Party candidate for Southchurch in next months local elections.

Many of you will not be aware that Derek Kenyon, until his retirement earlier this year, was the Parking Enforcement Manager at Southend Council - the man in charge of the CCTV Vehicles.

In one of those' you couldn't make it up moments' in a recent leaflet circulated by Derek, his key pledge, astoundingly, was to abolish the CCTV Vehicles!

The Echo article reports that the leaflet tried to conceal his real position as Parking Enforcement Manager, he described himself as a 'section manager'. Bizarrely, in the leafle,t Derek calls for a 'review' of the operation of the CCTV Vehicle. If Derek had been paying attention, he would have been aware that his department undertook a full and comprehensive review of the CCTV Vehicles only last year. Surely we wouldn't see the Independent Party having double standards would we?



The article also confirmed that Thorpe Independent Party councillor Ron Woodley was to be Derek's election agent. Embarrassingly for Ron, before the item went to Cabinet in January 2013, it was also debated at what was then Economic & Environmental Scrutiny Committee - of which Ron was Chairman!

Intrigued to see the leaflet I managed to get hold of a copy:





We again see another Independent candidate having his picture taken with Ron Woodley as though he is some Messiah. We again have the usual about the Independent Party not being bound by a whip.

If I could give Derek and the rest of the Independent Party candidates for that matter some advice, although like the Conservatives the Independent Party may not have a whip, beware, as if two votes that I have witnessed this week is anything to go by, you will be expected to vote the way Ron Woodley tells you to.