BHU members to join 2011 local election race?

We're just 10 weeks away from the local elections. Thursday May 5th is the date that the people of Burgess Hill will flock to the polling stations in order to seal the town's fate for another 4 years.

It promises to be a very close run affair, the most exciting ever perhaps. With big changes once again being trumpeted for the town, which party will gain control and have the most influence over developments?

Currently, the make-up of the Town Council is as follows.
Conservatives 9, Liberal Democrats 8, Independent 1.

The District Council has 53 members, consisting of....
Conservatives 31, Liberal Democrats 21, Independent 1.

As for Burgess Hill councillors on the District Council, the numbers are...
Conservatives 6, Liberal Democrats 6,

The Snub
With the statistics pointing toward a tight election, its a huge surprise that neither the Lib Dems or the Conservatives have contacted the Burgess Hill Uncovered offices, requesting for us to consider running in the elections in order to seal their party's victory.

How to win an election in the 21st Century
Think what we can bring to the table. We have an established website, A growing Facebook page on which we can directly communicate with the locals in an instant, this very blog , and of course our creative flair for making internet videos.

It's 2011, not 1991, leaflet deliveries and harsassing the constituents on their doorstep isn't the only way to go about winning an election anymore. All avenues to gain more votes should be exploited.

The problems that the parties face (and I'm generalising here) is that most party members are OLD and don't have a clue about new media technology.

Speaking of old, why don't the local party leaders look to recruit young people in order to freshen things up? They should embrace a more modern way of thinking and ideas that may appeal to the younger generation. It seems to be the same set of councillors term after term. Are a number of these councillors now completely out of touch with today's electorate?

The Independent Route
It's tempting to enter the local political arena as a group of independents. Victory may not be achievable, but it would certainly split the vote and keep the other parties on their toes!
Hmmmmmm.......

Egglestone triumphs in By-Election

Sad news readers, I won't be being bribed for my vote next year in way of a fair trade chocolate brownie as Robert Egglestone triumphed with 662 votes versus John Merrill's 453 in yesterday's by-election in the Victoria Ward. 28% of residents exercised their right to vote (could be bothered to leave the house)

As much as I wanted to see John Merrill win, the Lib Dems did put out very impressive and hard-hitting literature which clearly influenced enough people to vote for Robert.

Were the Conservatives too confident and thus felt they didn't need to make much of an effort to win the seat?

Well, we only have to wait until May next year to see if they will try harder, for in 2011, both the town council and district council seats will be up for grabs. It could turn out to be a very short reign for Robert.

The Make-Up of the Burgess Hill Town Council is ---
Conservatives - 9
Liberal Democrats - 8
Independent - 1

Thrilling times ahead for fans of local politics.
Prepare for lots of dirt slinging from the parties.

Victoria Ward Polling Update

Today's the day. Its the by-election in the Victoria Ward for the vacant seat on Burgess Hill Town Council.

Its 'Mr Fair Trade' Robert Eggleston representing the Lib Dems against the Conservatives' latest acquisition, John Merrill.

As a fortunate inhabitant of the Victoria Ward I have a very tough choice to make, or is it really that tough at all?

Firstly, I've never known anything like it with regards to election literature to be delivered to the BHU offices over the past month. Both parties are really going for it, especially the Lib Dems.
This by-election certainly hasn't been kind to the environment. A tree or two would have been sacrificed, couldn't they have just done it all online? Even the elderly know how to use the internet these days

Robert Egglestone
Robert Egglestone and the Lib Dems have fought such an aggressive campaign, John Merrill's efforts have been much more understated.

Egglestone's literature boasts of his skills and achievements, it's rather a turn off to be honest. Another leaflet shows Robert tackling issues in the Victoria Ward, this is unusual as he's not actually a councillor.

I think I'll start going round Burgess Hill with a bucket of water, putting out fires and see if the local fire service will give me a job.

John Merrill
John Merrill's campaign is basically: 'Hello, you all probably remember me, 16 years a town councillor, former chairman of the town council, Unlike Egglestone I live in the Victoria Ward. Vote for me, my record speaks for itself'
Well, that's not quite how he put it, but that's how I would have done, it would have been short and sweet and saved a lot of paper!

What we have is a man who is tried and tested in the job, and another that is doing all he can to claw himself onto the council.

Who I'm Voting For
If you've not worked it out by now good reader, I shall be voting for John Merrill. I don't care for either party at the moment, but John always did a good job previously even he was on the Lib Dem's side, so he deserves another crack.

If Mr Egglestone is reading this.......then Robert, you MAY have won my vote if your Fair Trade event at the Martlets had chocolate brownies on offer. I'm fickle and a man, a nice chocolate brownie would have left a good impression on me. However Robert if you don't win, I'm sure you'll have another crack in 8 months time, that means you have a chance to supply Brownies at your next Fair Trade event.

But Who Will Win?
I'm voting Merrill, the older generation will probably also vote for Merrill, but the poor weather today means that many won't want to leave the house. The Lib Dem literature will have impressed many, even though I see plenty of holes in their claims and 'brilliant' ideas. Will the majority of voters have been fooled? Probably.

Egglestone to win, but only just.

Ask your MP to keep the hunting ban in place - ha ha ha

In the letters page of the Mid Sussex Times this week, there was a joint piece from the RSPCA and the League Against Cruel Sports.

They were asking people to contact their local MP and ask for them to vote to protect the Hunting Act.

Asking Nicholas Soames to vote against the hunting of foxes would be like asking Adolf Hitler to be nice to the Jews.

Another political defection and a by-election.

This morning a leaflet dropped through my letter box from those fine people known as the Conservative Party.

As a resident of the exclusive Victoria ward I have a tough choice coming up, and that's who to vote for in the town council by-election.

Sadly, sitting Conservative councillor Barbara Selby passed away following a losing battle to cancer. According to the Conservative literature, the party wanted to keep the seat vacant until the 2011 town council elections, but the Lib Dems wanted the by-election to go ahead.

It's surprising that it's taking place. Through the media we're often told how the town councillors from both parties work so well together and do the best for the town, so why the urgency to have one extra councillor in place for all of 10 months?

What I found extremely shocking from the leaflet is how it featured former Lib Dem Town Councillor John Merrill. He was a councillor for a number of years, then left the Lib Dems and sought to be elected to the town council as an independent. Sadly the voters appear to vote for the party and not the person, and John missed out.

So John Merrill is now back on the political scene, flying the flag for the Conservative party, he's even been made chairman of Burgess Hill WEST. Is Burgess Hill really that big that the Conservatives need chairman for different areas?

What I'd really like to know is why over the past 4 years or so have so many Lib Dem councillors in Burgess Hill switched to the Conservatives or chosen to go independent? What is so bad about being a member of the Lib Dems at local level?
There has to be some sort of internal problem, doesn't there? If so, why doesn't someone higher up in the Lib Dem foodchain solve any unrest?

If you readers have any ideas, then please leave a comment below.

Middy skew figures to Tierney's detriment

"Lets not allow facts to get in the way of a good story" That's what the editor of the Mid Sussex Times probably told reporter Finn Scott-Delany as he tried to add as much shine as possible to Nicholas Soames' victory in the local elections.

It was written:
Hopes that the Lib Dems would be able to captialise on the hype surrounding their leader Nick Clegg proved unfounded with voters rallying behind Mr Soames.

Mrs Tierney received 3,000 LESS votes than she did in 2005.

Those of you that were aware of the voting data, Tierney actually received an extra 3,000 votes compared to 2005. Such careless reporting by the Middy.

Imagine what damage could be done to the Jonas Brothers if they lived in Mid Sussex. The Mid Sussex Times would be liable to incorrectly report that one of the members has induldged in pre-marital sex. thus ruining their wholesome image.

Serena Tierney FAILS in Mid Sussex

Well, what a huge let down the election for the Mid Sussex MP was. Serena Tierney totally mucked up. Nicholas Soames INCREASED the gap between the Conservatives and Lib Dems in Mid Sussex.

Tierney's Statement
Serena Tierney responded to the result via the midsussexlibdems website."
"Serena would like to say thank you for all those who supported her in Mid Sussex saying "Very many people told me how good our campaign was and the effect is clear in the 3000+ increase in our general election vote. In the end, the percentage difference between us and the Tories has hardly changed. The Tories clearly benefited from the electorate's determination to get rid of an unpopular and incompetent Labour government."|

So Serena has the excuse that the Conservatives did well as more people came out to vote for the party that could best displace Gordon Brown. I don't buy that excuse at all. Those that watched the televised debates between the three main party leaders would have been impressed by Nick Clegg, and if anything, would have felt compelled to perhaps vote of the Liberal Democrats for the first time.

The Figures
Looking at the figures, Soames received 4564 more votes than in 2005. Tierney gained an extra 3052. The total score was Cons 28,329 versus Lib Dems 20,927.

What now for Tierney?
As for Tierney, she is sticking around as the Lib Dem's parliamentary candidate for Mid Sussex.
Why bother? She's lost in two elections now. Her campaign heavily concentrated on Soames being a part time MP, but where did that get her? Is she the right person to try and defeat the Conservatives in Mid Sussex, I don't think she is.

Lib Dems nationally
But what does it all matter now anyway? The Lib Dems are sacrificing what they stand for in order to ride on the coattails of the Conservatives. I imagine Nick Clegg is about to alienate thousands of Lib Dem supporters around the country as he signs his party up to to share in the blame when huge cuts are made to cut the national deficit. With Gordon Brown resigning as leader of the Labour Party, it seems the reds will be best placed if an early election is called.

Insight into Soames on the election trail
Finally, he's a little tidbit for you, here's an interview the Times conducted with Nicholas Soames a few days prior to the election. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/election_2010/article7116104.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797084

Serena Tierney Attacked by the Daily Mail

The Conservative supporting media seem to see the Lib Dems as a real threat in the forthcoming election. The Ultra-Safe Mid Sussex seat may not be that secure as the Daily Mail have felt the need to write negatively about Serena Tierney's election literature.
Article: Dirty Tricks of the real NASTY party.
It's actually pretty damning, in fact, I find it incredible. If you've not clicked the link to the Daily Mail article, it reveals that Tierney wrote that 5 councillors have abandoned the Conservatives at local level as the party is a sinking ship. The Daily mail sets the record straight by giving valid reasons for each of the 5 departures, including that one of the 5 councillors DIED.
The worst part for Tierney is that she wrote about the loss of the 5 councillors under the headline 'Bringing Honesty Back to Politics'. Ouch!

Political Debate vs Football

What an ERROR. On Wednesday evening, the candidates for the Mid Sussex parliamentary seat will be at the Gateway Baptist Church in Burgess Hill, taking questions from an audience.
At the same time on ITV 1 you could be enjoying Barcelona vs Inter Millan in the second leg of the Champions League Semi-Final. Now as much as I'd love to be be sitting among a load of old people, listening to them asking the candidates what they're going to do about the state pension, I'd rather have my own religious experience by watching 'God' play football on the TV. The God I speak of is of course Lionel Messi.

Mid Sussex Times back the Conservatives?

Unlike the national newspapers, it would be unwise for a small local newspaper to outrightly back a particular political party. To do so could end up costing you readers.

So what better way than to put one party over another than to print a piece from an external source.

In the April 15th edition of the Mid Sussex Times, they included a piece from the Electoral Reform Society that claims that the Mid Sussex seat is basically a no contest, Soames will win, so why bother voting any other way, if at all.

I don't see why the Middy needed to include this piece unless they wanted to indirectly show political bias. Why couldn't they have printed something to suggest that the Mid Sussex seat could be the closest run election for decades and how the votes of all the Mid Sussex constituents will really count come May 6th if people take the time to vote.

Thankfully, the April 22nd editon of the Mid Sussex Times featured a letter from Lib Dem candidate Serena Tierney, in which she took objection to the piece from last week and pointed out that the Mid Sussex seat could end up being a closely run affair.

We give my sister the Citizen and Leader newspapers to use to line the cage of Marv the Guinea pig, I get a feeling we'll be providing her with the Middy from now on too!

Councillor Anne Jones in Career Suicide?

Last week an email was delivered to the Burgess Hill Uncovered inbox, the content of which was rather distressing. Anne Jones (don't forget the) MBE has decided to ditch her independent status on Mid Sussex District Council and has aligned herself with the Conservatives.

For years Anne had represented the Liberal Democrats whilst sitting on various councils during her long career in local politics. Sadly, things went sour for Anne and the Lib Dems. It was reported that differences on party policy led to her departure. I think that's technical speak for 'Didn't like the cheap biscuits at the local party meetings'

After going it alone for a while, she's decided that her lone voice wasn't effective on the District Council, hense why she's joined the Conservatives. Is this move about to backfire on her?

She'll be up for re-election in May 2010. In 2007 she was voted onto the council as a Lib Dem, the other successful candidate was the Conservatives' Pru 'I think the refuse collectors did a great job in the snow' Moore. The 2007 data suggests that Leylands Ward is split between the two parties. It may be the case that only one of the two women will be re-elected.

The other factor to consider is that the Conservatives keep cocking up at local level. In 2007 people stupidly re-elected many of the same Conservatives that were doing such a bad job in the previous term, will the voters make the same mistake twice?

The term 'Squeaky bum time' seems rather appropriate to use for both Anne Jones and the rest of the Conservatives serving on the District Council. They have a year to enhance their reputation. Can they do it?

Will MSDC allow Tesco to kill the town centre?

Today I finally got round to writing about the Proposed Tesco expansion in Burgess Hill. I chose to publish it on the main Burgess Hill Uncovered website, as a result it's not as opinionated and crazy as the content that you find located on this blog.

What I will say here is that MSDC are going to look like complete idiots if they do allow Tesco to expand by 50%, a move that will see Tesco stocking many of the items that you could get in the town centre. Remember, MSDC want you all to support the local traders and their car parks, so it would be very fitting if they do allow Tesco to expand, it would sum up the council perfectly - A complete and utter shambles!

The District Council elections are taking place in 2011. In Burgess Hill, I get a sneaky feeling that there may be a few upsets coming.

Anyway, for now, please do go and read my superb news report.
http://www.burgesshilluncovered.co.uk/news/2010-03-10-tesco-expansion-plan.html There's even a poll that you can vote on, how exciting!

Burgess Hill Fairtrade Debate

Tonight at the Martlets Hall, the Fairtrade Debate took place. I didn't go.

BBC newsreader George Alagiah was due to host the event. The panel was made up of such well known political heavyweights: Serena Tierney, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Mid Sussex; Katy Bourne, Area Chair East Sussex Conservative Women's Association; and David Boot Labour candidate for Mid Sussex.

It's a Sunday night, Dancing on Ice is on the telly, and yet the organisers expect people to be flocking to the Martlets Hall to see a bunch of low profile people debating Fairtrade.

Now, how can you have a debate on Fairtrade between three political people? If it were a debate between Mr Cadbury, Mr Nestle, Mr Mars and those three minor political names, then it could be interesting. Surely the three panelists were all going to be singing from the same hymn sheet?

Was David Boot going to say he doesn't give a toss about Fairtrade because he only likes Cadbury's chocolate? Was Serina Tierney going to share with us all her love of coffee from Macdonalds? Of course not!

The General Election is due to be announced very soon. Was Sunday's event set up to benefit Serina Tierney's public profile? If she spent an evening speaking passionately about Fairtrade and how she'd storm the HQ's of the various chocolate makers dressed as a cocoa bean in an attempt to get a better deal for the people in Africa, South America or wherever it is that chocolate comes from, how could you not be impressed? It could be a vote winner.

Serina is yet again set to be Nicolas Soames nearest challenger to become MP for Mid Sussex, she needs to steal 3000 of Big Nic's voters in order to take the seat. Surely she pulled a rabbit out of the hat tonight in order to win some people over?

According to the blog of Andrew Hicks, Lib Dem Town Councillor. A whopping 100 people attended tonights event. I'm sickened that there are 100 people locally that don't like to watch Dancing on Ice live on a Sunday night.

Coming up this Friday, its the Acoustic Fairtrade concert with Phil Beer, Miranda Sykes, 3 Daft Monkeys, Rob Halligan & Gareth Davies-Jones.
Who on earth are these people? They are not household names to the handful of people that I quizzed. It's £14 to go and watch this showcase of folk music.
Why is folk music connected with Fairtrade? Why can't it be pop music? More people would buy tickets for a pop band, surely?

If you attended, or are planning to attend any of the events during the Fairtrade festival, let me know what you thought of it. webmaster@burgesshilluncovered.co.uk

Lib Dems Publicity FAIL!

Last week, the faux newspaper 'The Mid Sussex Messenger' was posted through the BHU office letterbox. It's a publication produced by the Liberal Democrats.

One of the stories they covered was the proposed building of a Homebase store on some land next to the Triangle Leisure Centre.

Please look at the following picture, and decide, are the Lib Dems in favour, or against the construction?


The headline to go with the picture was "Triangle site decision soon"

If you're like me, then you would assume from the picture that the local Lib Dems are in FAVOUR of a Homebase store, considering that they were pictured with items that you can find for sale in Homebase.
It wasn't until reading the story that you discover that they are actually AGAINST the building.

For those of you that don't know, in Burgess Hill and Mid Sussex, the Conservatives are essentially in power. It is any surprise when the Lib Dems are making silly mistakes like this misleading photo?

What they should of done was to have composed a picture where the councillors are holding signs telling Homebase to p*ss off! That would have grabbed the attention of the readers, not caused any confusion, and actually given them credibility among the voters under the age of 30 who I would imagine are the age group that can't be arsed to vote!

I'd like to make Lib Dem councillors aware that I am available as a consultant with regards to your publicity campaigns!

Latest Lib Dem 'Focus'

The latest Lib Dem focus leaflet was greeted with much amusment recently at the Burgess Hill Uncovered offices.

A bold title on the front reads 'Car Parking - action at last'
The headline is regarding local authority parking enforcement being introduced in Mid-Sussex. The councillors will tell you that it's a great thing for Burgess Hill, as cars will no longer park where they shouldn't be parking. For those that like to look deeper into the actions of the local councils, you'll be of the opinion that it's just another money making scheme by the district council as they want to have more money to waste on top of what they do with our council tax.

Now, with every major story, you usually get a picture to accompany it. Those bright sparks at the local Lib Dem HQ really outdone themselves this time, with the subject matter being about parking, they chose to have two councillors standing by a parked car in lower Church road!


The two councillors pictured are husband and wife team Graham and Sue Knight. The description for the picture says that they are looking at traffic parked in Lower Church road. Do they think we are blind or stupid, they have their backs to a vehicle, and are smiling directly at the camera! Not much looking at parked cars going on there, just an excuse to get their picture circulated to 1000's of people in the town.

What can we look forward to in the next issue? Graham and Sue Knight pictured on their knees next to some dog poo, with broad smiles, as they investigate the problem of owners not cleaning up after their pets?