Leader of Greens at Ashton Jobcentre protest!

Natalie Bennett - Green Party Leader

GREEN Party leader, Natalie Bennett, came to Ashton-under-Lyne on Tuesday to support a protest that has been taking place outside Ashton-under-Lyne Jobcentre, since August 2014, against unfair benefit sanctions and benefit cuts.  However, it is unlikely that you will read about this in Tameside's only local newspaper, the Tameside Reporter, now exclusively owned by New Charter Housing Trust Limited.  Yet, we are reliably informed that the press were briefed about Ms. Bennett's visit to Ashton yesterday, but as usual, were conspicuous by their absence. 

Councillor John (Wag) Taylor, the Deputy Leader of Tameside Council, was spotted skulking about across the road from the Jobcentre, observing the events that were taking place.  When invited to join the protest, he declined, saying that he was busy doing his shopping and was off like a rat up a drainpipe.

Councillor Taylor, a.k.a. (el Cabron), has voiced criticism on social media about the Jobcentre campaign and Green Party member, Charlotte Hughes, a leading figure in the campaign, calling her 'The Bag Lady'.  Apparently, Taylor thinks that Ms. Hughes, a self-employed single-mother of five, should spend her free time looking for work rather than protesting outside the Jobcentre against benefit cuts. 

We might well ask, when Councillor Taylor, intends to come off the public purse and get himself a proper job?  For the last 30-years, he has been a full-time Labour councillor sponging off the taxpayer.  No doubt, this wouldn't look good on anybody's CV, but as they say, people who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones!

Cllr. John ( 'el cabron') Taylor's Spanish Villa Casa Azul

We do wonder what is happening to the Labour Party today?  Although the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn, has vowed to fight the Tory government's austerity policies, the Labour controlled Manchester city council, recently tried to imprison seven people who had been living in tents to highlight the plight of the homeless in Manchester.  Rough sleeping in the area has risen 150% in the last five-years.  This case was rightly thrown out of court by Judge Allan Gore, who said the council's case was fundamentally defective.  Dismissing the council's case, he said:

 'there is no dates, description of behaviour or identification of which allegations are made against which defendant.  That is a fundamentally misconceived and inappropriate way to advance criminal proceedings when the council ... seeks to commit people to prison.' Striking out the council's application, he said the council must foot the bill for the defendants legal costs, which could amount to many thousands. 

Although the Labour Party now says it is committed to fighting austerity, Labour council's across the country, have collaborated with Tory government cutbacks at every step.  With the election of Corbyn, the time is now ripe to throw out these Labour Party carpet-baggers who are in it for the money, and put in their place, people who believe in socialist values.  If Corbyn's Labour Party are fighting austerity, when are the local Labour council's going to join in?  Trying to imprison courageous people who fight the government's austerity policies, was an appalling act of incompetence.  We call on Sir Richard Leese to resign!