Tag Archives: rotherham

Joe Otten

Labour hang on in South Yorkshire – my guilty part

By Joe Otten | Fri 31st October 2014 - 4:19 pm

Labour have retained the post of Police and Crime Commissioner, following the resignation of Shaun Wright, with 50.02% of first preferences ahead of UKIP on 31.66% with a turnout of 14%. The Liberal Democrats did not stand a candidate.

The campaign was dominated by the issue of the child sexual exploitation scandal in Rotherham, with UKIP accused of crassly exploiting the issue for their own political ends, and Labour accused of being responsible for the authorities that failed those children. Both accusations have merit, though in my book failing to protect 1600 children is worse than crass politicking. I’m not suggesting that Labour’s policy was to fail these children, but any virtual one-party state is likely to fail its people and needs to be voted out.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 41 Comments
Colin Ross

Reflections on Rotherham (4): Lessons were not learnt before. They cannot be ignored again.

By Colin Ross | Sat 30th August 2014 - 10:15 am

The report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham issued this week makes tragic reading. It highlights the collective failure of the authorities to take robust action over a number of years. It is a matter of astonishment that the findings of no less than three reports were either dismissed or treated as exaggerating the situation. How many fewer victims would there have been if a more aggressive approach had been taken at an earlier stage?

Let us not forget that the real villains in this are the perpetrators of these crimes, who have committed unspeakable acts of violence and abuse on …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | 26 Comments
Stephen Tall

Chris Davies wades into Ukip foster care row. Why?

By Stephen Tall | Wed 16th January 2013 - 8:40 pm

chris daviesA couple of months ago you may recall a big row when it was alleged three eastern European children were removed from their foster parents by Rotherham council because the couple were members of Ukip.

Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies certainly recalls it. And on Monday he made a one-minute speech in the European Parliament about it:

Chris Davies (ALDE ). – Mr President, before Christmas there was, rightly, a furore when social workers in Rotherham took away children from foster parents because they belonged to UKIP,

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 14 Comments
Mark Valladares

Bad day in Black Rock… and Croydon North and Rotherham…

By Mark Valladares | Fri 30th November 2012 - 10:02 am

It is perhaps a sign of the times that three Parliamentary by-elections took place yesterday, and even your day editor mentally filed them under “not that interesting”. After all, all three were safe Labour seats at a point in the electoral cycle when the other two major parties are doing a bunch of unpopular things. Naturally, Labour held all three easily, although had they managed to lose even one, the media would doubtless have found room on their front page somehow.

In Croydon North, Marisha Ray did at least have the consolation of beating Respect’s Lee Jasper into sixth place, coming …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged and | 238 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Phil Wainewright
    Yes @Tim Rogers of course we need policies that deliver for people now. My point is that, if we don’t put those policies in the context of our longer term goa...
  • Christina Evans
    Very sensible idea, lib dems ,labour and greens form a coalition if we get a hung parliament. Kemi Badenoch has given a nod that the Tories would go in with the...
  • Suzanne Fletcher
    Yes I agree re the backdrop, just what is wrong with promoting who we are and what we stand for, rather than meaningless "fairer" type slogans. Good to read Ca...
  • Tim Rogers
    Sorry but l do not believe that the British people would accept a message of golden times in 25 years They are tired of reasoned and calm debate that got us to...
  • Tim Rogers
    Argentina are past masters at sabre rattling so I do not see the Falklands as under imminent threat. Milei faces an election next year and is in an unenviable p...