Tameside Citizen

How times change

2008-05-23T16:16:00.001+01:00

Wait until the next instalment featuring a long serving high profile councillor comes along ;-)

Tories trounce Labour in Crewe. Will ‘Jimmy’ Purnell be the man to revive Labour as their next leader?

2008-05-23T15:26:00.004+01:00

David Cameron's Conservatives today won a spectacular victory in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election.They seized the formerly safe Labour seat by a margin of almost 8,000 votes.The result, overturning the 7,000 majority achieved by the late Gwyneth Dunwoody in the 2005 General Election, is another savage blow for Gordon Brown after Labour's drubbing at the local elections.It is the first Conservative gain in a by-election since 1983 and the 17.6 per cent swing to Tories would deliver Mr Cameron a large majority in the House of Commons if repeated in a General Election.

I am beginning to regret not taking the advice of the poster on this blog who goes by the name Tameside VIP. Months ago he was tipping James Purnell to become the next Labour leader. He advised blog viewers to place a bet on this happening while the odds were good. Did he have inside information? The Spectator magazine recently ran a story on James Purnell becoming Labour leader. Others also believe this could become a reality. Would James Purnell becoming Labour leader be a coup for the people of Tameside? It would certainly put Hyde & Stalybridge constituency in the spotlight!

In doghouse... for a cat

2008-05-23T15:16:00.002+01:00

When pensioner Joy Tracey found a stray cat, her first thought was to try to reunite him with his owners.But Joy's kindness ended in heartache. She was threatened with a hefty fine after she put up a poster for the missing ginger tom she has nicknamed Copper. She found Copper on a street corner. She put posters on lampposts but was amazed when two `council patrollers' - from the town hall's neighbourhood task force - left messages on her phone ordering her to take them down.She said: "They said I had to go round and take them all down or face a heavy fine."Joy, from Denton, found Copper at the junction of Ruby Street and Shoecroft. She contacted the RSPCA, who took out two newspaper adverts in a bid to trace his owners. Then she began putting laminated `found' posters in the area where he was discovered. She arrived home a day later to find two messages on her answer machine from patrollers ordering her to remove them.She says she was only trying to help. She said: "It makes me feel angry. If it was a scruffy poster I wouldn't mind, but it's been really neatly done. I just want to get this poor cat home. I'd had no response and he's such a loving cat."Anyone who wants to put posters on lampposts must apply in writing to council highways engineers for permission at least 28 days in advance.Fines can be imposed even if permitted posters are in place for more than 28 days. A spokesman for Tameside council said: "We understand the distress when pets go missing. "However we have to reflect and act upon community concerns such as flyposting."Manchester Evening News

I know the person looking after the found dog in Haughton Green has been busy putting up laminated “Dog found” posters too. Will she also be getting a visit from the Tameside Patrollers?

Alles in ordnung

2008-05-21T15:37:00.008+01:00

Potsdam 1968 or Ashton 2008? No prizes for guessing the correct answer, but this links nicely with yesterdays ‘rant’ about the surveillance state that has come about since Nu Lab took office in 1997.

This afternoon I found myself sat in an almighty traffic jam on the dual carriageway that runs through Ashton under Lyne. At first I though it must have been caused by an accident or a broken down vehicle, as I got closer to the cause of the jam I saw lots of police and cones so I assumed it must have been a serious accident. Only when I was yards away did I realise that this was no accident, but a police checkpoint.

I have heard about these ‘multi-agency’ checkpoints, but this is the first time I have witnessed one first hand. As it happens, our car was not stopped. I assume the first reason they would stop you was if anything flashed up on the ANPR system and ours seemingly has no ‘intelligence’ markers flagged against it. I had to have a closer look so I got out of the car and watched proceedings. These were not ‘routine’ police stops, but more like roadside interrogations. Each motorist I saw stopped was questioned by various state apparatchiks for at least 15 minutes.

What is it all about – why are these things suddenly being carried out in such a public and intimidating way? I am all for uninsured drivers being apprehended, but I feel there is far more to these checkpoints than catching criminals or drivers whose ‘Papiere nicht in Ordnung’. In Mondays Manchester Evening News editorial they repeated the mantra “If you have got nothing to hide – you have got nothing to fear” as a result of feature they done on ANPR surveillance cameras. Is the MEN right when they make such proclamations or are we on the slippery slope into a total surveillance state that could easily lead to an outright dictatorship?

Dog found in Haughton Green area

2008-05-20T20:46:00.001+01:00

Found close to Haughton Green woods. No collar or name tag. She is very friendly and in good condition. If you know anyone who has lost this dog please email tamesidecitizen@hotmail.co.uk for further details.

Had enough of Nu Lab? Here is one solution!

2008-05-20T20:04:00.001+01:00

I do not think I am alone when I say life in Britain under the Nu Labour regime is becoming barely tolerable. Every day their control freakery seems to intensify. If they are not watching your every move they are listening to everything you say and reading everything you write. Then there is the dictatorial streak they employ when dealing with dissidents who uncover too many home truths about Labour Party shenanigans.

Orwellian is a word used often to describe life in Britain under the current administration, but I doubt if even the visionary genius Orwell could have imagined how bad things have become. Think of all the negative things afflicting Britain since 1997; the list is vast but just off the top my head we have – illegal wars that are of no benefit to Britain. We have massive and uncontrolled immigration, constant stealth taxes, record levels of crime, prisons bursting at the seams, massive debt problems, housing shortages, spiralling food costs etc etc.

One way to escape the oppressiveness of Nu Lab would be to vote with your feet and emigrate – like hundreds of thousands of Brits have done already, and what better place to go than Australia! If I didn’t love Britain so much I am sure I would have already joined the exodus, but if these control freaks get elected back into office at the next General Election I will certainly be reviewing my options. For those who can’t wait, email registrations@australianstates.co.uk

Labour's 'toff' campaign defended

2008-05-19T22:41:00.002+01:00

Tamsin Dunwoody, Labour's candidate in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election, has defended her campaign's portrayal of her Conservative rival as a "toff". She said activists dressed in top hats had helped highlight Edward Timpson's wealth and were "good visual imagery". BBC News

Click the BBC link and watch the video. Tamsin Dunwoody comes across as very dishonest and a total opportunist. With her as the Labour candidate – I cannot see how the Tories can lose.
Tameside Citizen

Spice up your life for charity cash

2008-05-19T22:28:00.002+01:00

Food lovers are being urged to enjoy some top notch grub and buy a house for just £800! You could barely afford a three-piece suite for that amount in Tameside, but for a poverty-stricken family in Bangladesh £750-£800 could buy a new home. That’s why Dukinfield-based charity, Just Help Foundation, has arranged a fund-raising night at the Blu Spice Indian restaurant on St Albans Avenue, Ashton, from 7.30pm on 28 May. Chairman of the charity, Mizan Rahman, of Market Street, Hyde says the event follows the success of a curry night held in December which raised £20,000 for victims of the cyclone in Bangladesh."We are now hoping to make enough money to build 25 houses for distressed people in Bangladesh, especially those whose family sacrificed their lives in 1971 (when Bangladesh fought for independence from Pakistan)," he said. "The money we have already raised has paid for blankets, oil, rice, medical treatment and we are hoping to roll the project out in other countries." Already 12 businesses across the North West have pledged their support with the Warrington Rest in Hyde and Blu Spice in Ashton agreeing to pay for one house each. Mr Rahman, who is a news reporter for Bangla TV and a former Bangladesh national hockey player, added: "Tickets are £20 each which includes a feast of fine indian cuisine and traditional cultural dancing." Bangladesh’s Assistant High Commissioner Asad Alam Siam will be attending and tickets can be bought from the restaurant or by phoning 07985 143304. The Asian News

Meet the ladies of Dukinfield – filmed on location at The Royal Balti, King Street Dukinfield

2008-05-17T20:06:00.001+01:00

Charming ladies! Would you like to bring any one of them home to meet the parents?

Trio jailed over priest robbery

2008-05-17T19:47:00.002+01:00

Three burglars who forced their way a priest's home and punched him in the face before making off with church funds have been jailed. Father Francis Wadsworth, 37, was attacked as the men barged their way into St Ann's RC Presbytery in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. The priest bit the hand of one of the thieves before they escaped. They admitted burglary and assault and were sentenced to four years in jail at Minshull Street Crown Court. The incident took place last November as Father Wadsworth returned to his home following a hospital visit. Brothers Paul Hands, 28, of Holebottom, Ashton-Under-Lyne, and Andrew Hands, 25, of Atlas Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne, and Stephen Hinchcliffe, 25, of Gambrel Bank Road, Ashton-Under-Lyne, were each sentenced to four years in prison for admitting burglary and assault. Hinchcliffe also pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to possession of a shotgun cartridge. The priest suffered bruising to his right eye and was left very shaken by the incident. DC Amanda Mercer, from Tameside CID, said: "This was a despicable and cowardly attack on a priest in his own home. "Father Wadsworth was left extremely distressed by the ordeal and I am sure he is now more reluctant to answer his door after dark now, which is a terrible feeling for someone to have, especially when they have such an important role in the community. "It beggars belief why someone would choose to steal money that belonged to the church and would have been destined for a worthwhile cause." BBC News

Future PM backing for Brown

2008-05-16T18:49:00.002+01:00

Beleaguaered Gordon Brown has received backing from one of the favourites to succeed him.Speaking on a visit to Salford, Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell, denied the prime minister's political career was near its end.Mr Purnell, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, said: "He is a remarkable man. He is passionate about public service and improving the lives of ordinary people."If you think about the changes in Greater Manchester over the last 10 years you would have to say that although there are still problems, it is a much better place than it used to be."He admitted Mr Brown's popularity had taken a hammering but said: "We believe we have the right policies - we want to show to people that we are listening to their concerns about prices and tax."Mr Purnell, who at 38 is the youngest member of Mr Brown's Cabinet, was previously the Culture Media and Sport Secretary.He along with David Miliband, Ed Balls, and Alan Johnson, is being touted as the possible next prime minister.Asked if he was ambitious enough to want the top job he said: "I am ambitious about changes, I am ambitious about helping people."Asked if he would turn down the post if it was offered, he said: "I never shirk any job - I am the Minister for Work".Mr Purnell was visiting Work Solutions' Skills to Work project which is being funded by Salford council. It aims to help people without jobs get work or training, including lone parents and those with disabilities.Mr Purnell said: "It is important to provide support to enable people to have the confidence and skills to get back to work."But he added his department would also not tolerate benefits cheats.He said: . "Everyone that can work should be working. There is no excuse for being on benefits when everyone out there is working hard and paying taxes."Mr Purnell met people who had benefited from horticultural and landscaping courses organised by the Pendleton-based project.Mark Schofield, 31, from Charlestown, one of the trainees, said: "The training at Salford council has been great. "The grounds staff have been incredibly supportive, full of advice and more than willing to teach us skills we need. I have learned more than I could have imagined. The team spirit has been wonderful." Manchester Evening News

Ashton Under Lyne mosque

2008-05-14T16:45:00.002+01:00

Ashton Under Lyne Mosque

2008-05-14T16:40:00.001+01:00

Young Musician of the Year 2008

2008-05-12T17:36:00.003+01:00

A 12-year-old trombonist last night became the youngest winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year award. Peter Moore, from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, battled against four other talented youngsters in the final of the competition at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. He said: “It feels so good to join all the big names that have won before, and think of how prestigious it is.” Peter, who is from a family of brass players, moved from Northern Ireland at the age of 8. He has held the position of principal trombone of the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain for the past three years. He is in his third year at Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester, and enjoys performing magic tricks. Peter said: “I think playing the trombone is fun. It’s something I always wanted to do. I didn’t want to pick a boring instrument.” Times Online

Anti-Homophobia event on May 16th

2008-05-12T17:24:00.003+01:00

Tameside Third Sector Coalition will be marking International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) this year in the town by a holding an event around homophobic bullying on 16 May. The event in partnership with the Lesbian and Gay Foundation will be held at Dukinfield Town Hall from 9.30am and will feature workshops, a performance by Hope Theatre Company around Homophobic bullying and related issues and speakers including Paul Martin, Chair of the Rainbow Partnership and local Councillor Margaret Sidebottom. The Lesbian and Gay Foundation - News

Could things get this bad in Tameside?

2008-05-10T13:39:00.001+01:00

Not a chance while Roy Oldham is in charge, but god help us if the likes of Quinn ever get the top job. Regardless of political affiliation it is difficult to argue against the fact that Cllr Oldham has done a good job in keeping Tameside one of the best boroughs in Greater Manchester. Compare this to neighbouring Manchester, a council dominated by Champagne Marxists of the worst variety, odious creatures such as Leese and Karney. This video clip features the decimation of Moston, but the Manchester Marxists have inflicted similar torture on many other parts of the city, this video could easily have been filmed in Gorton, Openshaw, Beswick, Levenshulme to name just a few.

A couple of reports regarding the elections from the Tameside Reporter

2008-05-09T18:02:00.002+01:00

It is interesting to see Cllr Perry getting re-elected and making a pledge to destroy the countryside in pursuance of his goal of getting the by-pass built. It appears that the people in Longendale who could be bothered to turn out and vote on the whole back this monstrous scheme.

The headline from Dukinfield “High tension and drama” is an appropriate headline I am told. By all accounts Roy West did win the Dukinfield election – but only on votes cast on the day. The minute the postal votes were included the Dukinfield by-election went from neck and neck to no contest. I still have grave misgivings about Labour and postal voting – I don’t know the mechanics of this electoral scam, but I do know it works and nearly always in favour of the Labour Party.

Support your local shops

2008-05-06T20:44:00.002+01:00

I nominate Vac Services in Hyde as an excellent shop. I use this shop whenever I need bags for my vacuum cleaner. Sadly I have never had the experience of meeting another customer in this shop which is sad because the shopkeeper is very helpful and very knowledgeable on most matters electrical. It is very easy to pick up bulbs, fans, vacuum cleaners and accessories from supermarkets, but every time we do so we are hammering another nail in the coffin of independent small businesses such as Vac Services. Next time you need a small electrical item give this place a try and see what you think. I find the prices comparable to a supermarket but the service offered is in a different league. And before anyone thinks I am somehow connected to this shop and am doing nothing other than giving it a shameless plug – you are wrong; I do not know the proprietor in any other capacity than me being an occasional customer.

Family robbed at knifepoint

2008-05-06T20:30:00.001+01:00

A young family has been threatened with knives and robbed in Tameside.Police were called to an address on Clarendon Street in Dukinfield shortly before 7pm on Bank Holiday Monday.The men, who were armed with a machete, a kitchen knife and what appeared to be a sword, demanded money from the family, before stealing a number of items from the house. The victims were a family of four, including an eight-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy. The robbers drove off in a silver Fiat Punto to the top of Clarendon Street towards King Street. Two laptop computers and a mobile phone were stolen, but nobody was injured in the incident.Two of the offenders were wearing balaclavas and the third concealed his face with the hood of his jumper. One man was wearing a black coat, black tracksuit bottoms and black trainers and another was wearing a yellow top and three-quarter length trousers.All three are described as white and spoke with a local accent. Detective Inspector Derek Weaver said: "While nobody was hurt in this crime, the victims are very distressed by what has happened. "In order to ensure that we catch those responsible, and that others are not subjected to a similar ordeal, we would appeal to anyone with information to contact us." Anyone with any information is asked to call Tameside CID on 0161 856 9255, or they can call Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111. Manchester Evening News

Election Results 2008

2008-05-03T01:51:00.003+01:00

Ashton Hurst
AmblerRichard
Conservative Party Candidate
1,905
DowthwaitePaul Martin
Labour Party Candidate
1,121
LittlewoodPaul
UK Independence Party
331
Number of spoilt votes: 2
% Turn out: 38.1

Ashton St. Michaels
BartleyJohn
Liberal Democrat
256
BuckleyPaul
Conservative Party Candidate
887
HarrisonRichard
UK Independence Party
180
RollandRochelle
The Green Party
132
SidebottomMargaret
The Labour Party Candidate
893
Number of spoilt votes: 9
% Turn out: 28.1

Ashton Waterloo
BuckleyDot
The Conservative Party Candidate
864
DaleyPaul Stephen
Liberal Democrat
230
JonesAnthony David
British National Party
473
PiddingtonCatherine
Labour Party Candidate
1,152
RollandNigel
Green Party
124
Number of spoilt votes: 4
% Turn out: 34

Audenshaw
BrazilJean
The Labour Party Candidate
1,292
GoughDavid
British National Party
846
KnightonStacey Frances
Conservatives
1,013
Number of spoilt votes: 17
% Turn out: 36.9

Denton North East
GreenwoodGeorgina, Helen
The Conservative Party Candidate
912
O'RourkeShaun
Liberal Democrat
455
WareingMartin
The Labour Party Candidate
1,139
Number of spoilt votes: 15
% Turn out: 30.2

Denton South
DownsMargaret Elizabeth
The Labour Party Candidate
1,421
JonesThomas Meredith
The Conservative Party Candidate
1,049
Number of spoilt votes: 18
% Turn out: 29.6

Denton West
HowarthJoan Mary
The Conservative Party Candidate
1,565
LaneDawson
The Labour Party Candidate
1,578
Number of spoilt votes: 30
% Turn out: 34.6

Droylsden East
LomasDavid George
British National Party
1,000
MiddletonJim
The Labour Party
1,408
RobinsonLee Anthony
Conservative Party Candidate
648
Number of spoilt votes: 11
% Turn out: 35.5

Droylsden West
CooneyGerald Patrick
The Labour Party Candidate
1,779
HindleyPaul Anthony George
British National Party
601
WestheadGill
Conservative Party Candidate
657
Number of spoilt votes: 16
% Turn out: 34.6

Dukinfield
MajorLynn
The Conservative Party Candidate
582
MarshallMartine MarieMadeleine
Green Party
250
WestRoy Kevin
British National Party
734
WildBrian
The Labour Party Candidate
1,266
Number of spoilt votes: 5
% Turn out: 31.7

Dukinfield / Stalybridge
BallagherMichael Patrick
Labour Party Candidate
1,022
CartwrightDorothy
Conservative Party
1,288
ClaytonJeffrey Peter
British National Party
366
SmeeMichael
Green Party
236
Number of spoilt votes: 10
% Turn out: 34

Hyde Godley
Ball-FosterJennifer Emily Anne
Liberal Democrat
264
GauciRosalind Christella
British National Party
293
KitchenJoe
The Labour Party Candidate
1,026
O'DwyerDuran Benjamin
UK Independence Party
109
WelsbyThomas
Conservative Party Candidate
733
Number of spoilt votes: 8
% Turn out: 30.2

Hyde Newton
Ball-FosterPeter Stanley
Liberal Democrat
376
ByrneNigel Christian
British National Party
846
RobinsonPeter James
The Labour and Co-operative Party Candidate
1,124
WelshJohn Paul
Conservative Party Candidate
732
Number of spoilt votes: 7
% Turn out: 33.3

Hyde Werneth
BainesDerek
The Conservative Party Candidate
1,821
CookeJohn
UK Independence Party
259
FrancisClaire Elizabeth
The Labour Party Candidate
1,238
GillJune
Green Party
181
Number of spoilt votes: 9
% Turn out: 41

Longdendale
BarkerSue
The Conservative Party Candidate
1,057
BerganRuth
Green Party
312
MisellKevin
UKIP
203
Parker-PerrySean Daniel
The Labour and Co-operative Party Candidate
1,316
Number of spoilt votes: 7
% Turn out: 37.6

Mossley
ClarkChristine
Green Party
275
EtchellsRoy
Independent
1,133
HartleyKevin James
Conservative Party
664
MiahIdu
The Labour Party Candidate
910
Number of spoilt votes: 12
% Turn out: 37

St. Peter's
BrayWarren
Labour Party Candidate
1,265
ClarkeTrevor
The Green Party
261
DunlopIan William
Liberal Democrat
313
WardDorothy
Conservative Party
570
Number of spoilt votes: 14
% Turn out: 28

Stalybridge North
PatrickClive Alistair
The Conservative Party Candidate
1,159
RadcliffeTracy
UK Independence Party
190
SmeeJean Margaret
Green Party
250
WalshBernard Joseph
The Labour Party Candidate
1,115
Number of spoilt votes: 13
% Turn out: 29.7

Stalybridge South
DickinsonDoreen
Conservative Party
1,771
HarrisonPauline
The Labour Party Candidate
596
McManusAngela
UK Independence Party
191
RobertsMelanie
Green Party
217
Number of spoilt votes: 10
% Turn out: 33.5

Illegal leaflet mars the Dukinfield election campaign

2008-05-01T19:36:00.004+01:00

The leaflet at the top of this post was distributed throughout the Dukinfield ward today – May 1st. The leaflet has been condemned as illegal because it contains no imprint information. I am informed that Mr West’s party intend to make a formal complaint to the police and electoral commission. They allegedly have video evidence taken from a motion detecting camera of one of the culprits distributing this leaflet. Also pictured is a house displaying this alleged illegal leaflet in close proximity to the shocking Labour smear leaflet distributed a couple of weeks ago. Finally, Mr West had what could be described as an insulting letter distributed ‘free’ with the Tameside Advertiser. The note about “Hatered” was hidden in the newspaper. The spelling on this mischievous leaflet was poor; who do we know in Dukinfield with similar poor spelling?

I personally find all this illegal activity and intimidation disappointing. From what I have seen of Mr West’s election material it has been above board and legal. If I had the opportunity to vote in Dukinfield I would vote West if for no other reason than to show the sleaze merchants in the local Labour mafia that their behaviour is truly dragging the political process into the gutter.

Stacey strikes back

2008-04-30T20:12:00.003+01:00

A selection of Labour leaflets from Audenshaw

2008-04-29T20:41:00.007+01:00

How will the Conservatives respond? Will the BNP put out a last minute leaflet to siphon off a few Labour votes?

Postal vote system turns farcical

2008-04-28T20:12:00.002+01:00

What started as a reform to increase British election turnout has descended to such a farce that staff counting this Thursday’s polls have needed lessons from the Forensic Science Service.
Postal voting on demand was supposed to herald a democratic golden age of greater participation and social inclusion, but its benefits have been exaggerated, a report concludes today. The story of how Britain slumped from a century of faith in the fairness of its elections is outlined by the Rowntree trust. The report shows that half the convictions for electoral malpractice since 2000 happened in just four Muslim communities in Lancashire and Birmingham. Vote-rigging has been linked to the biraderi (brotherhood) traditions of Pakistani, Kashmiri and Bangladeshi clans, the report says. Half the convictions for electoral malpractice since 2000 came from Muslim parts of Oldham, Blackburn, Burnley and Birmingham. Politicians had achieved “dramatic electoral success” by allying themselves to clans. But postal voting deprived women in particular of the secrecy of the ballot box, enabling clan chiefs to force relatives to mark their ballots at home for the clan’s chosen candidate. “The biraderi system is widely recognised to have provided significant forms of mutual support in those British Asian communities in which it has persisted, particularly for newly arrived migrants joining established communities in the UK,” the report says. “However, the hierarchical and essentially patriarchal nature of biraderi associations has drawn much criticism, particularly among second and third-generation British Asians. In particular, it is widely suggested that extended family and kinship networks, frequently with their origins in settlement patterns in Pakistan and Bangladesh, are mobilised to secure the support of up to several hundred electors, effectively constituting a ‘block vote’. “It has been widely suggested that the biraderi system disenfranchises voters, given the combination of a patriarchal clan system and widespread use of postal voting, in which ballot papers are completed within the family home or, in some cases, taken to a central facility (so called ‘voting factories’) for completion by party representatives.” Only 46 per cent of British Asians regard postal voting as safe. The Times

ID Cards Cost To Every Council Tax Payer in Greater Manchester

2008-04-27T17:57:00.002+01:00

Ahead of Greater Manchester's local elections on 1st May, local campaign group Manchester NO2ID is polling election candidates to highlight the cost of the National Identity Register at the local level. The published costings for the scheme, estimated at £10-20bn by the London School of Economics, does not include the cost to local authorities of reworking their computer systems to talk to the Government's central ID database, where over 50 categories of information will be stored on every resident along with a life-long audit track. Manchester co-ordinator Dave Page says "This is a local issue for these local elections. Councils will have to foot the IT bill, local police will waste time chasing after people who forget to tell the Government every time they move, and local people will be forced onto giant state databases, ripe for plundering by identity thieves. "Councils around the country, along with the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament, have voted to keep their citizens safer from the Database State but so far only Bolton out of the Greater Manchester councils has done so. Manchester City Council has supported the scheme without even investigating the costs. Any candidate who does not oppose this expensive intrusion wants to waste your money and put you at the mercy of Government incompetence and bureaucracy." The group is sending the following questionnaire to every candidate in every ward in every local authority in Greater Manchester, and will highlight responses on their website which can be found by clicking here.

ID Questionnaire - sent to all candidates. You will no doubt be aware of the plan to introduce compulsory ID cards and a set of linked databases to manage a National Identity Scheme. As this is an issue that will affect each and every voter, I am sending you this short questionnaire so as to determine your position on the nationalisation of personal identity.

1) Do you support plans for a Home Office agency to track the life-history of every person over the age of 16 resident in your ward? YES/NO

2) Do you support expenditure of your authority's funds on integrating council computer systems with the Home Office identity management databases and verification charges for council services? YES/NO

3) Three dozen local authorities, the Welsh and London Assemblies and the Scottish Parliament have passed motions opposing the National Identity Scheme. If elected, would you oppose the National Identity Scheme by voting in council? http://manchester.no2id.net/

So far only three Tameside candidates have answered this questionnaire; two Lib Dems and one Labour. I myself am strongly opposed to compulsory ID cards. It would be interesting to see what the opinions of the candidates standing for election think on this issue. It would be good to hear not only how they feel on ID cards but why they feel the way they do on this important issue.
Tameside Citizen