dazza333

Amanda, I'm sorry but as much as I respect you I have to disagree and say that IOC had 4 years to plan but naïvely left it all until the last minute. As a nurse I can tell you that with every single patient that comes onto a ward discharge planning commenced immediately, thus, after the last election would you not have thought it wise to plan for the next election immediately, set the wheels in motion, plan recruitment for targeted attainable wards etc....or shall we leave it for 3 years and 47 weeks then quickly sod off down the Barrels for a meeting, see who knows 25 passionate and loud people who can knock a few doors, blow the whistle and wait to see how many make it past the post? I think I witnessed the latter.....

Adrian "lessons will be learned"...no they wont. IOC don't have basic planning or strategy knowledge. I wouldn't trust them to be capable of organising a Saturday afternoon bbq. and the Independents appear to be a bunch of egotistical narcissists. The Torys looked to me like a well oiled, organised machine albeit clones of one another, who will march virtually uncontested throughout Herefordshire for many years to come until finally a truly independent leader comes along and binds a group together properly whether that be the Independents, IOC or whoever, and is able to strategise and plan for the future with patience. With what I have just witnessed with these local elections I am ashamed to have been part of it. I should have stood on the sidelines throwing eggs and rotting veg at the players.

Hi all, and bloody well said Bobby.

I'm Darrell Meekcom and I did stand in the Credenhill Ward for IOC. Right here we go: Recruitment policy - You'll do. Manifesto - basic at best. Strategy - war of attrition. Planning - none. Ideas - trams etc...

I was asked to do the Credenhill Ward 5 weeks before the election despite IOC having had 4 years to find people and plan, 25 others of us were also thrown into the mix with this short time span despite having had, as I said, 4 years to plan. In that 5 weeks and despite Credenhill being the second largest populated ward I was given absolutely no help leafleting which I did thrice and no help whatsoever canvassing and door knocking. No help at all, nil, zero, nada! Strategically Credenhill was a massive scalp for IOC; taking down Bob Matthews the leader of the Independents AND moreover creating a big gateway to the typically Tory Blue rural wards, and what do you think those in charge within IOC did? Nothing, nil, zero, nada.

I have never known such poor planning, poor strategic nouse, poor recruitment, poor timing. Please forgive me if I sound very much like a bad loser but the ward was there for the taking. As a total unknown and with no help I scored the most votes Matthews had ever had against him in 5 weeks. If Id stood for the Torys I would have taken this seat.

So, Its Our County is it? Nope, Its Our Cock up. Imagine Herefordshire if IOC had taken charge of the Council? Stop stop! I'll have nightmares......

PS I got that vote with no canvassing or leafleting help from IOC, I did that alone.

I'm thinking this and I've switched off that filter in my head that stops me saying something that I know is going to provoke a strong reaction but I feel I have to say it and be dammed!

 

IOC/ Indies you knew it was a risk to stand against an independent/ IOC candidate but you did it anyway! No amount of backtracking will alter that fact. Sorry to one an all but if I had been an IOC candidate or an Independent standing in my Ward I would have stood down rather than run the risk of splitting the vote! When I hear stories commending each other on what a good Councillor the Independent/ IOC candidate would have made from the IOC / Independent to each other I'm afraid it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I have the urge to scream! Mikefitz, Cambo and Dazza one of you should have stood down in your Wards particularly as none of you is saying they would have done any better than their IOC/ independent opponent.

 

I'm sorry but I have to be brutal and say that IOC still haven't got their Act together and until they do they have no chance of achieving their goal! If IOC are true to their ethos I'm concerned why the greater good didn't win through over party politics. Analysis clearly shows that the vote was split and if it hadn't been we would be looking at a whole different scenario! I await the inevitable lambasting!

Hi flamboyant, I agree totally with the theme of your post, however, with Credenhill I had ulterior motives for standing against Matthews. Firstly it was a show of strength for the imagination station nursery which the PC with allegedly Matthews acknowledgement has issued them with 2 notices to quit. Secondly it was to advertise IOC to the Credenhill ward in anticipation of a Matthew's retirement, who knows. And in hindsight we came second albeit by 1 vote to a known Tory with 430 votes to Julia Blackshaws 429 (not 449 as reported by Hereford Times). This was all done on the space of 4 weeks from my deciding to stand to election day, so to me and IOC, this was a very successful day. My 430 votes was the largest opposition vote polled against Matthews in 30 years and I got that in 4 weeks, imagine if I was given 4 months?

Thanx dippy, much appreciated.

Glenda there were some shocking results yesterday, yours being one of them, Charlie Nichols another etc, I saw our new councillors yesterday and for all bar the odd few I hang my head in shame for our duped, apathetic electorate.

Please forgive me if I sound like an arrogant bad loser....but....I was shocked by the winners of certain wards, for example, the winner of Stoney Street, where I live, is a short, fat, toothless, scruffy, unkempt little chap...a Tory who, on questioning knows nothing of Swainshill or Bishopstone or the people that live here and what their needs are...lots of farms...now in the hands of a gormless berk at the expense of the impressive James Stokes who has lived and worked with this ward all of his life. It really just goes to show...and you will probably dislike me for this....that the Herefordshire electorate at present is easily duped or simply not bothered.

I went around taking a few of my own boards down yesterday, and whilst doing so asked one or two people why they had voted Bob Matthews, the replies; "because we recognised his name on the voting slip"!!! OMG! Not one mention of what he has or hasn't done or what he stands for, the answer being, not a lot. In the short time I've been I Hereford I've helped save Credenhills nursery from potential closure and helped put Hereford County Hospital in Special Measures.

Please enlighten me as to why I should stand up for these people again?

As a loser in the Hagley Ward may I add a few words to the Independent/IOC working together? I stood to defeat a Conservative but ended up having to fight against a local IOC candidate as well. As we both got over 600 votes to the Conservative's 749 the logic is that if one had withdrawn then the Conservative would have lost. I had hoped that the two leaders of the groups would have got together to select only one candidate but I have been told by IOC sources that the Independents have declined to work with the IOC. The inevitable division allowed a Conservative victory.

 

However, I now feel that the future lies with the IOC if they hold their nerve. They have a clearer ethos, are more of a team and are more modern in their approach eg social media. Their support of successful and unsuccessful candidates was commendable today. They need to get their name better known long before general elections and sustain it. Im confident that it can be done. Their priority must be to become better known in Herefordshire. I dont see the IOC putting two of their own candidates in the same ward.

The future lies with a well organised party that can keep its message in the minds of local people. Good luck.

Spot on mikefitz!

I am very tired and need to rest and chill. But come Monday will be back to my self again. Saxon Gate was a scandal, but as it was part of my former Ward, I will be doing what I can to ensure that a non Tory wins the by- election. I will leaflet, canvass and as a former councillor and Agent for elections, am prepared to act as Agent for the non Tory candidate!! But posters need to help!

 

It is now important that all of us, what ever our political leanings, dislikes, etc should be as one on this. I will give my forty years experience of elections to ensure that David is elected to the Saxon Gate Ward . So are you with me, and will you help with leafleting, canvassing and getting out there to ensure that a non Tory is elected?

Chris Chappel, you are a thoroughly decent man. Together we can get the colour Blue from the minds of the electorate!

Saxon Gate will be re run because many voters ticked two boxes as previously they had voted for 2 candidates.

Dippy, you are absolutely correct, we really need a long term strategy to beat the Torys starting now. We can antagonise them and generally be a thorn in their side by spreading the word. I looked around at the Torys at the count today and they all looked the same, it was like being I a room full of assimilated automatons or the Borg! Totally soul less with no personality. IOC worked on the strategy of attrition but history tells us that never works. If we put forward a smaller number of candidates, picked our fights and heavily advertised and canvassed every door we will win control of the next council.

I know it makes no difference to the result of the Credenhill ward but the Hereford Times had reported that I came 3rd to Julia Blackshaw, that is wrong, she did not get 449 votes she got 429 votes and I beat her. Is the Hereford Times a Tory paper by any chance?

And the Credenhill result...... gutted for Darryl Meekcom, a really great guy.

Bless you dippy 😊 Well Bob Matthews has held that seat for 30 years and has a large old guard vote, I polled the biggest vote against him in all that time and beat the Tory so its mot so bad and something to build on. We'll take Credenhill either in a by-election or in 4 years....watch this space 😉 Thank you for your support 😊

Amanda Martin do you mean £45k per annum? If not and you mean £45 then I feel that that is reasonable annual expenses expenditure 😉

I'm hoping James Stokes takes Stoney Street, lots of Kenchester support for him down at Bridge Sollars earlier today.

Sincerely hope that IOC sweep the board , I also hope that there is a Ruck involved as well !

Robert Ruck.....brilliant fella 😊

How organised are we??

 

I ask because in a little over 24 hours, the count will begin!

 

Are members who are "in the know", or just in the right place at the right time,able to post updates for the rest of us, as the results are known??

 

Personally speaking, I know I shan't sleep a wink until I have confirmation that Jim, Dazza, Jimbo, Paul, Amanda, Liz, Chris and Glenda have won their ward places..... and Pat, Harry and Tony are given their marching orders!

 

Fingers crossed,IOC will sweep into power, and Friday could herald a brighter future for Hereford and its residents!

 

Vive La Revolution, Comrades!

Thank you so much Dippy!! Elected or not what an important site Hereford Voice is for real-time topics within Herefordshire. Thank you.

The Herefordshire 'Independents' aren't actually independent are they, and according to their recent advert in the Hereford Times they've actually incorporated the 'Unattached' candidates and councillors into their ranks......that'll cost them a few bob in court 😉

As such my point is; the back pay will come in very handy for the Indys 😊

The Herefordshire 'Independents' aren't actually independent are they, and according to their recent advert in the Hereford Times they've actually incorporated the 'Unattached' candidates and councillors into their ranks......that'll cost them a few bob in court 😉

Dazza, if you haven't already... Please read The Freedom Church thread I started a few months

 

There are serious concerns about this group.

Hi dippy, just read it, its unbelievable that this is going on under our noses??

This needs reporting.

That's totally illegal mentioning religion on an electoral leaflet!! The Freedom church? Haven't they been kicked out of Swansea university recently? Pay per prayer rip off thing?

Mikefitz

What similarity is there between ukip and IOC? @baffled

I suppose it was the images of the IOC van and the UKIP truck that struck a chord...or maybe it was some points of political similarity.

 

What points of similarity? Please expand on this because there is nothing remotely like ukip that I know to.

 

By the way could someone form IOC tell me how their party is funded, Cheers broke Mike