The Time is Nigh!

Saturday 8th December 2012

Emily Darlington MK North Candidate with Andrew Pakes MK South Candidate with supporters outside the Kiln Farm Club

As I got near to the venue there were cars everywhere on both sides of the road it took a while to edge through had to take a short cut through a car park and I twigged why there was such a jam there was an Oriflame presentation happening nearby.

I was the fiIrst to arrive (at 10:00am) followed by the Chair, Regional Organiser and NEC Observer, and the local Organiser.

It was a cold but sunny morning I brought my camera along and the ballot papers, a couple of pens (you see you can't take the Clerk out of the boy to adapt a saying) always trying to be prepared.

The Kiln Farm Club on Tilers Road on Kiln Farm (surprise, surprise) is a lovely venue which I was told used to be the Milton Keynes Development Corporation Social Club and I guess was an old Farm House with a barn and various extensions, once inside the atmosphere was quite cosy all brick walls and pillars split level with a bar at the end.

A stage with chairs thankfully had already been set up all we had to do was put a table and chairs at the entrance and and put the banners up next to the stage.

I had the first job of marking the members off the list as they came in with the Organiser shouting out the names (must be my age now but to read the small print I had to take my glasses off so everyone was literally a blur as they came in.) My god it was so cold with the door open my fingers was numb trying to turn the pages over as I was marking the names off and writing down email addresses or to update contact numbers, one kind member offered to get us a cup of tea but foolishly I declined it all got a bit manic with various people whispering in my ear or shouting my name out about various matters but considering I'm a bloke I multi tasked well.

At the start of the meeting the Chair asked me to read out the number of eligiable members who could vote which I did with my best formal Clerks voice on.

I then could relax and sat at the back to listen to the candidates speeches which were very good which were followed by questions and ranged from the NHS, the Unions, engagement with young people and the voters, pensions, Food Banks, Jobs and Benefits.

Then I voted and had to wait until everyone else had done so followed by first counting the postal votes and all the other votes cast, it always seems the longest part of the selection process the Chair then announced the winner who was Emily Darlington.

After a few thank you speeches (one of which Emily had given me a name check along with others who she was grateful for their advice given which touched me), it was my time then to take a group photograph I wanted to use the garden courtyard but it was felt we might lose people trying to get them to walk round to there so used the area to the outside of the club.

Everyone was handed a poster or Vote Labour billboard and then like a photograper at a wedding I had to round up everyone get them to stand closer together hurry up stragglers and shout out as to where Andrew Pakes and Emily where, as back up her husband took photographs from his I Phone.

I was impressed how I turned very bossy and projected my voice to get everyone in position to look the right way at me as I do not have a booming Brian Blessed voice (still the result of which you can see at the beginning of my blog piece).

Once inside I did a bit of tidying up and was invited to a pub for a celebration drink with Emily and a few other party members in Stony Stratford.

I was thanked by various party members for my work as the Procedures Secretary which was very nice I was buzzing now it was all over and quite relieved all had gone smoothly.

It was a good job I bumped into Emily and her husband in the car park as I was unsure as to which pub they had decided to meet in luckily another party member spotted us to say the Bull which was orginally decided on was closed for refurbishment, we then went to the Cock Hotel and nobody was there! thank god for Google and mobile phones as we got instructions that everyone was in the Crown at the Market Square.

Once inside I had to tell someone that this was the place where Paul McGann and Richard E Grant filmed a scene from Withnail and I, I then saw photograps of them on the wall of them filming that scene.

Shame I didn't get the chance to tell them of the time I had my photograph with Paul McCann at the Stadium MK earlier this year and how he gave me a hearty slap on the back for some bizzare reason, and that when I came to get his autograph he was more interested chatting to the girl about the same place he went on holiday as her oh well a missed opportunity but maybe for another time!             

Loughton Parish Council Appoints New Parish Clerk

Loughton Parish Council today announces that it has appointed a new Parish Clerk.
Loughton Parish Council has decided to upgrade the role of the Parish Clerk from 6 hours a week (previously) to 28 hours a week (0.75 full time equivalent). This has necessitated a change of incumbent.

The change is due to the increased activities of the Parish Council in Loughton which has meant that the job of Parish Clerk has become a lot busier. The Parish Clerk is the only employee of the Parish Council (unlike other parishes in Milton Keynes which employ a number of administrative staff). The new appointment starts from 1st January 2013.

Chairman of Loughton Parish Council, Peter Todd, said :-
"Loughton Parish Council is working hard to engage with local residents. We have seen this for example in the consultation with all residents in Loughton over the changes to the Loughton parking restrictions. We have also started to publish a newsletter delivered to all homes in Loughton and Great Holm to update residents on local issues and to listen to their views on local issues and effectively represent their views on matters of planning and other changes affecting their neighbourhood, and helping to renew play areas. The Council has historically had a rather low profile with local residents but local residents are now more aware of the activities of their local parish council and like to see the area being improved bit by bit"

The new appointee as Parish Clerk is Mr Brian Barton. Brian has been awarded the CILCA qualification which is the industry preferred qualification for Parish Clerks and has over 12 years experience working in local government as a Committee and Member Services Manager, as well as previously having served as an MK Councillor, a Parish Councillor, a School Governor and a Board/Committee member of a number of local organisations from the MK Museum for Rural Life to the MacIntyre Care.

Commenting on his new appointment, Brian Barton said :-
"I am looking forward to the challenge of this new appointment. My career has focussed in local parish administration and I have been interested in doing the senior officer role for quite some time. I think this is an excellent opportunity and I look forward to working with the members of the parish council and local stakeholders to develop further the work of the parish council"

Chairman Peter Todd also paid tribute to the outgoing clerk, Mrs Jenny Wilcox :-
"Jenny has done an excellent job as Parish Clerk. She has been organised, reliable, diligent and supportive. I have appreciated the advice and assistance she has provided and the helpful pointers she has given me in trying to effectively perform the role of Chairman. She has often been inundated with work and has put in countless unpaid hours and deserves significant recognition for her commitment and service to the local community. Jenny is leaving us at the end of January 2013 after a period of handover and I would like to wish her all the best for the future "

Author: Peter Todd Published: Wednesday 12th December 2012 

My Endorsement

Friday 7th December 2012

Maybe out of synch as regards the date, as I have been so busy finding the time of late to keep my blog up to date exciting you of my tales and the fun I have been having as Procedures Secretary I hope you have been enjoying the ride so far?

Any way as I said in a previous blog Emily had asked me to send her an endorsement in my own words which I had emailed her a while back, well imagine my surprise when I opened my post to see a glossy leaflet from Emily with my quote in which read as follows:

"I am happy to endorse Emily Darlington to become Labour Parliamentary Candidate for the Milton Keynes North Constituency.

I am convinced that she is the right candidate to take the fight to the Tories in 2015.

Emily has a great campaigning record that proves that she can engage with all sections of the community and the management/people skills to motivate and recruit a great team around her to win the Milton Keynes North Constituency for Labour."

Brian Barton
MKCLP Secretary and Proud GMB Member

Not sure if it was pure coincidence but she had on the first page written a paragraph about her back story so perhaps my advice was listened to!

Also recieved an equally good colour glossy leaflet from Rebakah Peterson. 

As Frank Carson Would Say and There's More!

Thursday 6th December 2012

This time I was eagerly waiting the usual Thursday thud through the door for obvious reasons was there any more for any more oh yes there is (in the traditional pantomine season of the year) and it could be argued what a pantomine!

This was the headline on page 18 of the Citzen newspaper:

"No Women From MK on Labour's Female Only Shortlist"

Followed by:

"Prospective MP is Not From MK"

So the revalation is that neither candidate is from Milton Keynes and that Emily's Father In Law Roger has a high profile Blog called "Night Hawk" and often blogs that he often enjoys picking his Grand Daughter up from a London Nursery on the South Bank.

The article also says that Emily uses her Mother In Law's address in Ashlands.

However Kevin Wilson (Organiser) said that she is on the local electoral roll and that she has family in Milton Keynes and is often in London for work purposes.

So there you go hopefully this should be the last of it (or is it famous last words).

Front Page News

Thursday 29th November 2012

The usual thud of the Citzen Newspaper through my door a time I look forward to as sad to admit I like reading the local papers, but imagine my horror of seeing the front page:

"Complaints over female only for would be MP Candidates sent to Labour Party HQ"

Follwed by the main headline:

"Sexism row over over Women Only Rule" 

The jist of the article highlights that an Executive Committee member is the mother in law of emily, that Brian White former MP cannot stand that a Labour stalwart is withholding his membership over this, and quotes from two female Labour Councillors saying its all wrong, with a bit saying Labour Party Executive members had decided to enforce an All Womens Shortlist against the wishes of members.

All very tiresome and unnecessary just hope that there is no backlash from it all, there was me hoping that under my watch as Procedures Secretary everything would run under the radar how wrong was I nothing like this happened when I was involved in the Milton Keynes South selection!   

An Audience With Emily

Friday 23rd November 2012

Went to see Emily Darlington at her inlaws house in Ashlands, I wanted to know a bit more about her as I was undecided who to vote for.

One the one hand I liked Rebakah Perterson's working class background as a Train Driver and that she was fairly local living in Leighton Buzzard, that is not to say that Emily had no local connections obviously her family lives in Milton Keynes and that she has a base here.

I just was fed up with candidates that went from University became Special Advisers and then through knowing the inner circle of the Labour leadership get the connections to go on to better things, I do not doubt for one minute that such indivduals are not hard working and often not on great salaries, perhaps I'm just bitter that I never went to University and had to work hard at every job not achieving a lot, with sometimes having to sign on or do dead end jobs before getting a decent one.

As we were both about to sit down with a cup of tea to get to know each other a bit more her Father In Law went out the door to drive her work colleague back to Milton Keynes Central (they had both been campaigning in Olney where Emily had rushed back from there to meet me). However Emily realised that he had not left her with any keys so we were both locked in the house I did say I had been left in worse places it was afterall a very gorgeous house and I am sure there was plenty to eat and drink, Emily was frantically banging the window and waving to her colleague, who was waving back thinking no doubt shes was being very friendly seeing her off, of course it did not make the slightest difference as they drove off.

Still we got down to business Emily started talking about her background her family came from Wales her Father had a job which sent them to Canada and she came back to the UK to look after her Grandmother after her Grandfather had died and had to support herself working in pubs (so unlike my perception of her was completely wrong that she had a gilded life) until she found a job working for the GMB Union then as a Special Advisor to Alistair Darling MP Chancellor of the Exchequer in the last Labour Government, and how her career had suffered as she refused to take positions on the ongoing Tony Blair/Gordon Brown infighting (which endeared me to her even more) and therefore was not included in either inner circle.

She had recently starting up her own business and has loyal members of staff out campaigning for her and the Milton Keynes Labour Party.

She then told me how she gave birth to her daughter on an Accident and Emergency corridor on a trolley rushed there in pain in a back of a taxi all because the Hospital had a lack of Mid Wives so she uses the NHS as well another plus point in her favour!

We talked about the enonomy and homelessnes she said how she interviewd homeless people here in the UK and Canada for a piece of work she was doing and what came out clearly was how hopeless they felt and how little ambition they had as they did not want to be disappointed if their dreams did not come true it was all very sad to hear.

I did advise her that she should tell more party members about her back story as I got the feeling I was not alone in thinking that she had a privledged and well connected background, it was interesting how she felt that the other candidate had a better operation because of union backing, funny as I told her I felt she had good support by MP's and former Government Ministers!

I was quite amazed how our conversation was not rushed and that we covered a lot of ground I think all in all we spent three hours chatting quite a feat.

I felt comfortable enougth to say I was happy to giver her my first preference vote, Emily asked me if I was happy to make a written endorsement which I consented to.

I did say if she needed any advice or help to let me know (not that I am sure I could give her any) for which she said she would.

Oh and in case you were wondering Emily's Father In Law did eventually return in the middle of our conversation so I was safe in the knowledge I could get home and not have to spend the night in Ashlands lovely though the place is!