SalfordOnline

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  27th January 2012 I will be making no further comment on here about the outcome of the referendum.

Comment by Alfa99 ( member )  24th January 2012 I voted yes to an elected Mayor. I cannot for the life of me understand why we have to be controlled by people with political connections. Why can't we have a good Salfordian lad who is interested in promoting good practice in running the council and not politicians. In Germany mostly the Councils are volunteers not paid or remunerated in any form. They put their selves forward as pillars of the community to do the best they can for the town. They do not have flashy council offices or the amount of staff that we seem to need to run a City. It is not surprising that their rates are much lower and yet the standards are much higher. I bet they do not write off millions in unpaid rates either!

Comment by Alfa99 ( member )  24th January 2012 I voted yes to an elected Mayor. I cannot for the life of me understand why we have to be controlled by people with political connections. Why can't we have a good Salfordian lad who is interested in promoting good practice in running the council and not politicians. In Germany mostly the Councils are volunteers not paid or remunerated in any form. They put their selves forward as pillars of the community to do the best they can for the town. They do not have flashy council offices or the amount of staff that we seem to need to run a City. It is not surprising that their rates are much lower and yet the standards are much higher. I bet they do not write off millions in unpaid rates either!

Comment by EnglishDemocratsNW ( member )  20th January 2012 Dont forget that John Wilkinson also bankrolled Hazel Blears failed attempt to become deputy leader of the Labour Party.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  20th January 2012 Ex-Seadog I agree with you about Mr Wilkinsons intervention for the NO vote. However, I believe we have fought the best campaign we could and we will know how well when the result is known. I believe we will get a YES vote.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  20th January 2012 Hiram - You are correct. Mr Wilkinson's business arrangements do have pecuniary interests with Labour-controlled Salford City Council.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  20th January 2012 Jilly - We have fought the best campaign we could. I respect your view. It is Labours view that there will be a low turn out and hence a NO vote, same as yours. I disagree. I believe the turn out will be respectable and will result in a YES vote. But it is difficult to predict. So we clearly have our different views on the outcome. I will return when the result is known.

Comment by Ex Seadog ( member )  20th January 2012 As a neutral, I think it's a shame the Yes campaign has been so poorly put across. Whilst I'm sure a lot of what they've said is true, and I'm far from convinced with the No campaigns rebuttals, I fear people will vote 'no' because they don't know any better, and will just think 'better the devil we know'. As for Mr Wilkinson... his 'no' is as predictable as a turkey's would be if asked to vote for Christmas

Comment by Hiram Abiff ( member )  20th January 2012 Mr Wilkinson would say NO wouldn't he? He, salford council and Peel grabbings have a tripartite interest in business dealings, well SOL coverage indicates that anyway...

Comment by Jilly ( member )  20th January 2012 The point I was making Mr Moulding is that Richard Carvath has about as much chance in this campaign as the Yes campaigners and I say that as someone who started out with an open mind, now thinks an elected mayor could be a good thing but sees your approach as wasting this opportunity. As I said before I think we will see a low turnout and victory for the No campaign, a great pity.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  20th January 2012 Jilly - Do you really support Richard Carvath for Mayor the alleged racist & homophobe and who I am led to believe was warned for his extremist views on the internet by the police ? if you do as you stated on another post then am afraid to say I have to take your views about my and our campaigns performance with the pinch of salt it deserves.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 Beekeeper - Out of curiosity do I know you in the allotment movement in the city and if you are which allotment site are you based at ? Are you in Salford or in Swinton ? Apologies if you are not I just wondered by your profile name.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 Jilly - typo apologies - If your prediction*

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 Jilly - If what you predict does turn out to be correct, I will be disappointed and a low turn out in my opinion will result in a NO vote contrary to what others have predicted. A higher turn out will result in a YES vote. Therefore Jilly, we are clearly at different approaches here. My prediction is a respectable turn out that will result in a narrow victory for the YES campaign. If I am wrong, I will acknowledge some of your comments, although I am NOT totally responsible for the YES campaign and in the event my prediction comes true I will return and look forward to hearing your explanations.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 Dave Grey - Why do you believe I am not the right person for the job ? Please bear in mind this DOES NOT mean that I ever have any intentions of submitting my candidature forward in the event we are given the chance to do so ? I have explained my reasons for standing up to pro-labour media reporting which in a democratic society we are entitled and should challenge. Not to do so would be dangerous for democracy in our country. However, based on your comments I am interested to know why you have formed the judgement you have ? many thanks

Comment by Jilly ( member )  19th January 2012 Mr Moulding you should know you are doing a great job for the NO campaign. What a great pity you have squandered our democratic right to have this important debate by failing to conduct a credible campaign. I predict a very very low turnout.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 Jenkins - I am having to keep repeating myself with you but am happy to do so although I have to admit that I realised many weeks ago I am wasting my time with you. I will try to keep this brief as I can. Trinity group Newspapers which the MEN is part of and includes The Daily Mirror support The Labour Party. This is on public record. In doing so, they are biased and take a partisan approach to their reporting. This is not illegal as we have a free press but in being partisan I have every right to challenge their partisan approach. Salfordonline - a reporter of Salfordonline is a member of The Labour Party. He informed me of that fact himself. There very well be more members of The Labour party within this small organisation that we do not know about. This same reporter was given the task with his colleague of reporting on the mayoral debate which the report quite frankly in my opinion was biased, unfair, inaccurate and extremely poor in its content. In its biased reporting for the NO campaign which The Labour Party in Salford supports, it even misquoted unelected Labour leader at this meeting in its desperataion to promote the "NO" argument. Beekeeper - Your comment has made me smile and am sorry you feel the way you do. But pro-labour media organisations that report bias information so freely need to be challenged so that the majority of people who do not take such an avid interest as I are informed of an alternative opinion so that they get a fair reflection of what is going on. This article is NOT news. This person has supported individuals within the labour party and in turn his private enterprises have received finacial support from our Labour Council. This clearly has to smell. Your other comments I agree with entirely.

Comment by dave grey ( member )  19th January 2012 must say i do agree with beekeeper regarding who should be the elected mayor,Mr Moulding is not the right person for the job. I do wonder who would put their name forward for the job.

Comment by beekeeper ( member )  19th January 2012 since the elected representatives are not in favour of a directly elected mayor and Mr Wilkinson apparently has a tame mouthpiece also not in favour, it seems to me that the only sensible thing is to be pro an elected mayor, after all if they don't like it as an idea there must be a reason, could it be that they see an elected mayor as a threat ! By the way I wouldn't vote for Mike Moulding if he was the last man on earth, he could start an argument in a coffin.

Comment by Jenkins ( member )  19th January 2012 Once again Mr Moulding you blame everybody else who in the media is against you and your Mayoral Party, you call yourself a fair and generous person, yes when things are going your way. Face facts Mr Moulding you have had more than a fair share of publicity time on SalfordOnline and because somebody has the effrontery to disagree with you and your rhetoric they are obviously biased and media puppets for the Labour Party. You are beyond words Mr Moulding.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 I agree with you fully Dave Grey. Jilly - It my opinion based on evidence I have collated over many, many months and over many, many articles that have been reported on Salfordonline as news simply because the Press officer for the Salford Labour Party Derek Antrobus has issued a Press release, when in fact its hardly news is it ? John Wilkinson support the NO campaign the man who has allegedly provided financial support to Labour MP Hazel Blears and has received loans from our City Council for his failure to obtain the resources needed ofr his private enterprise and "white elephant". Previous reports have been recorde and printed inaccurately slanted against the "YES" team and in one article previously, the reporter actually trying to "extremitise" the YES team, the same reporter that wrote the article is a member of the labour party. I can confirm that at least one reporter of Salfordonline is a member of The labour Party and this person has had responsibility for rporting very important debates which he failed to report accurately, fairly and impartially. The "YES" team no longer make press statements to Salfordonline because we know they never get published. As you say we have to publish them ourselves. I am a fair person, a generous person and will undoubtedly apologise if I believe I ought to. I am very sorry but after many months of keeping myself up to date on Salfordonline, reading their articles and their sources, they are clearly biased in favour of those in power. I have the guts to say it as it is. I will not apologise for that Jilly. This is not a news story. This is Salford Labour trying a last ditch attempt to trump up support for a NO vote which is being printed by media organisations who are so ready to publish such stuff. I do not believe most people are brainwashed by such propaganda. Salfordonline are not alone in my criticism. MEN Media, part of Trinity Group Newspapers are on public record for supporting The Labour Party and if any Labour MP merely blinks they make it in their daily rags !

Comment by dave grey ( member )  19th January 2012 Well,well is Mr Wilkinson worried that should we get an elected mayor the bank of Salford residents might dry up.No more hand outs to pay the running costs,how much so far well over £1million and counting.Build a stadium for him £22 million and give him the grade two listed building in Buile Hill Park, that fasco cost the city well over £4 million so far by ways of lost lottery funding.No wonder he is backing Labour on this one. Best £10.000 he ever spent when he gave it to our Hazel. Over the next few days we are all going to have to think very hard on what are the benefits of leaving things as they are or to go for the elected mayor. At the moment Labour have full run of this city with no challange what so ever, they can and do anything they like. Not sure about some of the things the yes people are saying about the savings of council tax, but I am in full favour of a elected Mayor and if he or she don't do the job out they go. Never in a million years will we get rid of Labour,so its our only chance of stopping the above and the other ways they are wasteing our money on Peel,the BBC the Lowry,Consultants,Support members to name a few.

Comment by Jilly ( member )  19th January 2012 I think the very fact that both sides are critising Salfordonline means it's doing a good and balanced job also perhaps both sides would like to acknowledge that this site has probably given this topic more free speech time than any other publication in Salford. As for Mr Moulding you seem to me to be the sort of person who is quick to critisize but slow to apologise which is something I think you owe Salfordonline

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 TomSO - Am afraid Salfordonline should not be publicising such what is clear Labour propaganda. The "YES" team have now responded which you have to publish as on this occasion we have been given the opportunity to respond but am afraid this has not been done on some occasions in the past and this is simply a good old political stunt by Salford Labour to use local media organisations to spout their rubbish which once again has been happily printed by Salfordonline. If this was put on their Labour leaflets and delivered with the hard work that takes then good on them but it has not. Yet, as I have explained to your editor previously, this and other articles have been printed simply because Salford labour have requested and statements the YES team have made they have not been printed as you indicate to Councillor Merry when you clearly inform him any articles we write have been published by ourselves. Enough said.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 Steve E ! Well said !

Comment by SteveE ( member )  19th January 2012 Would this be the same John Wilkinson who donated money to Hazel Blears in the past? Who got bailed out of by the council for the building of the new stadium as his own efforts had ended up with the development frm going bust? No wonder he describes the council as forward thinking. He'd be better trying to convince the 98% of Salfordians who don't bother watching the rugby team to attend games. Actually nest not bother with that as it won't change. Still everyone one can enjoy the excellent community facilities, whatever they are.

Comment by TomSO ( member )  19th January 2012 John - when Michael self-publishes on the Article or Blog pages it's considered a personal posting and not a news item. Our attempt at balance here has obviously satisfied neither side, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't aim for balance on news items.

Comment by EnglishDemocratsNW ( member )  19th January 2012 I can confirm Michael i have just finished and sent a reply to Tom on our behalf.

Comment by TomSO ( member )  19th January 2012 Well, you'll have a missed call from me Michael, I'm sure you can confirm that.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 Councillor Merry - Salfordonline have rarely ever published anything from us am afraid. Most articles we have had to publish ourselves.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 I have no further comment to make on this other than this is not even a news story. Salfordonline are happily again as on many occasions during this campaign happy to publicise rubbish on behalf of the NO campaign. Labour propaganda being published by a Labour propaganda machine ! I repeat I have no messages from anyone making contact with me from Salfordonline.

Comment by John Merry ( member )  19th January 2012 So in future Tom someone from the No campaign will be asked to comment on anything submitted by the Yes campaign. I have not noticed this rule applied to anything submitted by Mr Moulding

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 The first "white elephant" is the Media City UK & BBC move much ridiculed recently on national TV and newspapers. 26 jobs to Salfordiana, 10 of which are for 6 months paid at less than £5 per hour for greeting guests out of thousands that were available. Salford Tax money, tens of millions, wasted on another "white elephant" for Salford. Mr Wilkinson am afraid is talking claptrap as is Councillor Antrobus the Press Officer for Salford Labour who are trying desperately to keep their own hand0somely rewarded positions at the Council ! An elected mayor will stop the waste of our hundreds of millions and reduce the number of councillors to ensure we get value for money from them.

Comment by EnglishDemocratsNW ( member )  19th January 2012 I can confirm Michael i have just finished and sent a reply to Tom on our behalf.

Comment by TomSO ( member )  19th January 2012 I phoned you today Mike before I called Stephen Morris. Stephen has provided a statement which we've added to the article this afternoon.

Comment by yestomayor Salford ( member )  19th January 2012 Nobody from Salfordonline has made any effort to contact myself and I will be making no effort to contact them about this article published inmy opinion by a Pro-Labour media organisation desperately using any attempt to use whatever they can to disuade people of the merits of an elected mayor system of local government for Salford. Immediately any Swintonians reading this article who are concerned about how their Rugby town re Swinton Lions has been neglected by this Council should take heed ! Its no surprise that the Salford Reds boss has decided himslef to interfere in the political affairs of this city when the enterprise he represents has received I am led to believe hundreds of millions from salford tax payers am sure under a different regime, serious questions would have been asked about this other "white elephant" for Salford. John Wilkinson should concentrate on the issues he is involved in instead of interfering in the political and democratic process of our city in the way he has. I wonder in releasing this article he has also declared his pecuniary interests in doing so ? it is also clear that once again this article is biased and written that way. Moderate Conservatives clearly support the YES vote. The Salford Conservative Party have come out in favour in favour of a clear YES vote. Your portrayal of trying to "extremitise" our campaign to improve our city is a last desperate attempt to get a NO vote as is Mr Wilkinson's intervention. Very sad indeed for these organisations in the event the city moves with a YES vote which I am confident it will achieved. People in salford have had enough of millions being wasted on pet projects like Mr Wilkinsons "white elephant" of a stadium which has cost us millions. A pathetic intervention.

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