Election Aftermath

As the dust settles in Dinnington and the wider Rotherham Borough has anyone from the ruling Labour group realised why so many people voted UKIP here?

UKIP is a protest party, an angry party. You vote UKIP when you want to say that you are unhappy in no uncertain terms with the status quo.

Are Rotherham Labour genuinely surprised that people are so unhappy with them?

Was it the fact that they ignored child abuse in the town for years and put those councillors most responsible for this neglect into positions of greater power?

Was it the greenbelt issues where our local councillors did not one useful thing to oppose Rotherham Council building a thousand houses over our countryside? (In Dinnington’s case)

Was it the fact that when they pay themselves 1.1 million pounds a year and then try to save money by closing children’s centres?

The cuts to our library? The closure of the Council service centre?

The answer is probably yes to all of the above, Dinnington gets a raw deal in Rotherham and we are sick of it.

Labour supporters fought a massive negative campaign against UKIP, accusing them at times of being a Nazi or Facist party.

Which party spent a decade or more undermining our personal freedoms, taking away our right to free speech, introducing draconian legislation and starting two major wars? Labour.

Who allowed uncontrolled immigration and epic abuse of our benefit system? Yep, look in the mirror folks and you’ll see what an oppressive party really looks like.

BUT I didn’t vote UKIP.

In amongst all the excitement did anyone notice the independent candidate running, our tireless local stalwart Dave Smith? Dave took 579 votes and although this wasn’t the thousand and odd the other two got I think it a great achievement for a guy who stands up for Dinnington on his own with no party machine just a few friends and family helping him out. If you don’t like UKIP and want to see change next time consider voting for Dave because if you want someone who will tirelessly fight for Dinnington and not cow tow to a party line he’s your man.

Dave almost certainly took enough votes off Labour to ensure they didn’t escape by the skin of their teeth as Jo Burton and Gerald Smith did in neighbouring wards.

That’s why I didn’t vote UKIP, I voted for Dave.

The Changed Landscape

Our map below shows the new results from the other night at a glance…

Purple is UKIP, red is Labour, pink shows Labour seats which UKIP missed by a very small amount of votes.

Just to be clear this indicates the results from the last election only, it doesn’t show the balance of power in Rotherham which is still predominantly Labour.

Summary of wards with majority for each:

Anston and Woodsetts 31	Rotherham East 220
Boston Castle 161	Rotherham West 39
Brinsworth and Catcliffe 1628	Silverwood 539
Dinnington 98	Sitwell 675 (Tories 2nd)
Hellaby 675	Swinton 59
Holderness 3	Valley 185
Hoober 211	Wales 278
Keppel 400	Wath 149
Maltby 63	Wickersley 203
Rawmarsh 343	Wingfield 391
Rother Vale 347

 

Dave Smith Launches Dave4Dinnington Campaign

Dinnington local activist Dave Smith is the latest to enter the fray for May’s local elections. He intends to challenge the incumbent Labour Councillor Jacquie Falvey for Dinnington ward.

Launching is Dave4Dinnington website he says:

“I make no secret of the fact that I will be standing as an independent candidate in the Rotherham Borough Council elections in May.  The question I get asked the most is what difference can one person make when faced with the might of the political parties.  So I think I should point out the changes I have forced Dinnington Town council to adopt, and this whilst not being an elected member of the Town or Borough council.  Dinnington Town council has been misusing the 1972 local government act, to keep the general public from hearing what decisions these people were making supposedly in our interests.  Virtually all of the council business was being conducted in secret, I challenged this and made them change the way they conduct their meetings; the public can now stay for all of the meeting.  This means that what for years was secret is now open to public scrutiny, I did this.  Then I took them on about their secret committees, they had two, one was  the finance committee and the other the asset committee.  They were keeping the public out of these committees by misusing another act, I have forced them to disband the finance committee because this has to be dealt with in the full council meeting; and the asset committee has to now allow the public into their meetings.  These are important changes it means the council has to conduct its business in front of the very people who’s money they are spending.  I did this because I believe that the public should be able to see at all times what their elected politicians are doing.  I did this whilst a member of the public just imagine what I could do as an elected councillor.  It is worth noting that in all the years I have been attending the council meetings there has been no sign of the Conservatives or UKIP attending yet when it comes to the election they will be asking for your vote.  I am active all the time not just at elections.“

Let’s hope he gets a better picture this time, the last one looked like something off Crimewatch.

For balance I should state that we will also be seeking to give full coverage to all candidates if and when we hear something about them.