Rod McCord Statement in 'Tameside Reporter'

 Sunday 11th March 2018 20:03 News Stalybridge Tameside by Nigel Skinner

https://tamesidereporter.com/.../family-statement-after-communist-party-flag-flutters-on 

COMMUNITY campaigner Rod McCord’s family have explained why they chose to fly the Communist Party flag above Stalybridge New Labour Club following his funeral last Thursday.

A picture of the flag fluttering at full mast above the club sparked a social media storm, prompting the family to issue a statement.

But this weekend Rod’s sons Danny and Patrick said they took full responsibility for the decision to fly the flag.

While Danny stressed that the kinds of messages made on social media in response to the move had been totally inappropriate.

“Associating the atrocities across the world with my father’s funeral is very inappropriate and comparing the Nazi Party flag and the swastika to the Communist Party flag is also inappropriate,” he said.

A memorial service was held for Rod at Stalybridge Civic Hall and attended by an estimated 350 people.

Rod had been a keen local health campaigner, working to establish Tameside Hospital Action Group (THAG) along with former Ashton MP David Heyes, back in 2006.

He was also involved with the local health watchdog LINk, (now called Tameside Health Watch).
As a member of THAG, he wrote the document “A Charter for Change” that was submitted to the hospital.

He was also a regular contributor to the Tameside Reporter letters pages over the years on behalf of THAG.

Following the memorial service a funeral was held at Dukinfield Crematorium with a reception held at the New Stalybridge Labour Club.

The McCord family statement reads:
“We would like to take the opportunity to thank everybody who attended on Thursday to pay their respects to our Dad, Rod McCord. Also to say thank you to those who very kindly made donations to Willow Wood Hospice – a total of £1,348.94 was raised.
“Our dad was a Communist and also a passionate local activist whose contribution made a difference to our community.
“We are very proud of him and wanted the memorial to be a fitting reflection of our father. As a family we took the decision to fly the Communist Party flag at full mast over the Stalybridge Labour Club.
“This was purely to mark our dad’s passing and in no way was it our intention to cause offence, upset or to associate the flag with the Labour Party.
“We also feel that given this has triggered a healthy debate, we recognise and acknowledge what this particular flag has come to represent, however, this is no different to the way many people across the world interpret the Union Jack, our national flag which has been hijacked by the far right.
“Had we taken the decision to fly the Union Jack, would this have been more appropriate? Certainly not for our father.
“For our Dad the Union Jack represents empire and as we all know the sun never set and the blood never dried. Atrocities have been committed in the name of all flags.”
Cllr Bill Fairfoull is a director at the New Stalybridge Labour Club which, as a private hire venue, he said would allow the flying of a flag in such circumstances if it was the family’s wish.
“It’s a judgement call for us,” he said, “although the flag should have come down earlier following the event.”

He paid tribute to Rod McCord for doing a great job in pushing for change at Tameside Hospital with former MP David Heyes.

Tameside Council's Deadly Embrace with Carillion

WHEN Carillion's share price fell last August, Nigel Pivaro, in the Tameside Reporter, asked:
'What then would it mean for the borough of Tameside being so entwined with the company should the worst happen and Carillion go into liquidation.'

At that time  Carillion was the Tameside Council’s favourite developer, but it was not only 'facilitating' the big building projects like the new council offices through Vision Tameside, it was providing school meals for thousands of Tameside children and managing and maintaining, council owned buildings and schools.

Nigel Pivaro put the obvious question:
'If Carillion did cease to operate what would happen to work such as this and the provision of school meals? and the still to be delivered building projects such as the new council offices in Ashton which will not expected to be completed for at least late Autumn?'

The Tameside Reporter then asked Tameside's Labour Council about emergency plans to be put in place in event of Carillion going pear shaped?

To which, Tameside MBC 'declined to respond'.

According to the Tameside Reporter, Tameside Council was never getting such a good deal from Carillion:

'The provision of school meals came in at 26 pence per unit more than central government gives to council’s to provide them.
'This has meant that one school is is having to meet the difference with £16,000 from its own budget over the year.
'It is understood that around 90 other schools across Tameside are having to meet a similar financial shortfall.
'Carillion are said by Russell Scott’s governors to still owe the school £100,000 for energy costs incurred during the building of the new school.
'It is fair to say that Carillion despite their global reach as a major player in construction and support services, has endured major criticism resulting from sub standard work across a range of contracts nationally.'

Critically Mr. Pivaro then argued that: 
'The dilemma for Tameside now is should it begin to divest itself from its exclusive relationship with Carillion and ask itself is it wise gong forward to have all the council’s eggs in one basket with one firm, on whom it depends too much.'

Time will only tell how lacking in prudence and foresight Tameside Council has been in engaging in a  deadly embrace with the notorious blacklisting company Carillion.

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Rotten Boroughs: Censoring News in Tameside?

We recently drew attention to the difficulty that some people were having in getting their letters published in Tameside's only weekly newspaper, the Tameside Reporter & Chroncile, that is owned by the registered social landlord New Charter Housing Trust, via 'Quest Media Network Ltd'. The CEO of New Charter Housing, Ian Hamilton Munro, is a Director of 'Quest' and was a Director, when it went under the name of 'Piccolo Communications Ltd', which had the same registered address as New Charter. The Trust, has very close links with the Labour controlled council in Tameside and also owns and controls Tameside Radio. 

There is evidence, that Tameside Council have been involved in censoring the local news.  In Autumn 2008, 'Private Eye', revealed that agents acting on behalf the council, had been holding regular meetings with local newspaper editors to suppress news stories.

The following (insert) was written for the document 'Guidance for local authorities on community cohesion contingency planning and tension monitoring' by the then Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in May 2008, and was written and signed-off, by the then assistant chief executive of the council, Steven Pleasant.

We are publishing below, in full, a letter that was sent to the newspaper from the trade union body, Tameside Trades Union Council, in August 2016, which wasn't published. We would be interested to hear from anyone who has experienced similar problems in getting letters published in this newspaper, as we are investigating what could amount to a potential conflict of interest and duty and are considering making a complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).


14th August 2016

The Editor,
Tameside Reporter,
Cavendish Mill,
Ashton-under-Lyne.

Dear Sir,

In last weeks Tameside Reporter, you reported upon the weekly protest that is taking place outside Ashton Jobcentre, which has just completed its second year.

We would wish to point out that this protest, which began in August 2014, was launched to highlight how benefit sanctions are being used in what many consider to be an unfair and unjust way by Jobcentre staff. We know from speaking to many claimants who use Ashton Jobcentre that people have been sanctioned for the most petty and trivial of reasons:

For example, a young jobseeker was told by Ashton Jobcentre that he would lose his benefits if he continued to protest with us, outside Ashton Jobcentre. Another was sanctioned for three months, when he arrived 2 minutes late for an interview, and a man was given a 3-month benefit sanction, by Ashton Jobcentre, for making a spelling mistake.

A nineteen-year-old lad from Ashton, recently told us that he'd been sanctioned for one-month, because he'd applied for too many jobs and hadn't received enough interviews. As a result, this young man lost his home and finished up on the streets.

In the case of Tameside Trades Council delegate, Charlotte Hughes, her 19-year-old daughter, had her benefit stopped by Ashton Jobcentre when she told a prospective employer - who was offering her an unpaid work placement - that she was 23-weeks pregnant. This case was the catalyst that led to this weekly protest outside Ashton Jobcentre.

Although the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP), claim that they are making work pay, some 40% of Jobcentre workers, according to their own trade union the PCS, qualify for the state benefit Universal Credit, because they are "fantastically low paid." Some Jobcentre staff that are in receipt of Universal Credit, are now signing-on, and are facing possible benefit sanctions, because of the requirement to satisfy "in-work conditionality" which is currently being piloted at Ashton Jobcentre as part of the roll-out of Universal Credit.

The Government deny that Jobcentre staff set people up for sanctioning or have national targets for sanctions. But this is refuted by the PCS union that represents Jobcentre workers. They say that staff come under pressure to sanction jobseekers or face disciplinary action. Alan Davis, a former Jobcentre worker from Leicester, told a recent Channel 4 'Dispatches Programme', broadcast on 2nd March 2015 -

"The pressure was enormous. I just felt what they were asking me to do, was totally wrong - they were asking me to 'hammer people' who in their own way were doing their best to get a job."

Yours faithfully
Brian Bamford,
Secretary Tameside TUC

Where's the free press in Tameside? What has happened to democracy?

Hail the Leader

A number of people have told us of their difficulty in getting letters published in the local newspaper, the Tameside Reporter & Chronicle. In September 2012, we revealed in an exclusive report that New Charter Housing Trust had bought the newspaper. Given New Charter's very close links with Tameside Council, we asked if this wasn't a sad day for democracy. At the time of the takeover, the Manchester Branch of the National Union of Journalists(NUJ), suggested that New Charter had acted as a 'proxy' for Tameside Council in buying the Reporter. Another commentator predicted that we would see "Lashings of corporate agenda and the banning of dissenting voices."

Many of the senior managers at New Charter Housing Trust, including Ian Munro, Group Chief Executive, were former Tameside Council employees. Similarly, a number of Tameside Councillor's are on the Boards of New Charter including 'proudly pro-business', Kieran Quinn, the Labour leader of the council. The housing trust also run three 'Academy' schools in the borough and own Tameside Radio, the local radio station. The council also used New Charter as an agency to run the 'Troubled Families' initiative, a failed government scheme that targeted families who were considered to have social problems.  Each agency was paid a £1,000 fee and an £800 result fee. The work was not put out to tender by the council and no other agency was invited to  apply. The council argued at the time that they were under no legal obligation to do so, as special rules applied. In August, it was reported that nationally, the £1.3bn scheme, had had "no discernable impact" on employment, truancy, or criminality.

Given the level of cronyism and nepotism which is a characteristic of the incestuous nature of Labour politics in Tameside, it is arguable whether there is any free press in this part of Greater Manchester. Politically, the borough is effectively a one party state. In 2013, the Electoral Reform Society (ERS), said that Labour dominated councils like Manchester, Salford and Tameside, were at risk of becoming the equivalent of 'one-party states' like North Korea, China or Cuba. In the Autumn of 2008, 'Private Eye', disclosed that agents of the council, were holding regular meetings with local newspaper editors, to suppress 'sensationalist' reporting.

One third of Tameside Council is comprised of married couples, couples, or people who are related to one another. Both the leader of the council, and his wife, Susan Quinn, are Droylsden councillors. The wife of Roy Oldham, a Freemason, and previous Labour leader of the council,  was also a Tameside Councillor. During 2011-12, the Quinn family, pulled- in between them, £111,314.96 from their political appointments as Labour councillors.

Needless to say, you're not likely to read about any of this in the Tameside Reporter & Chronicle, which nowadays, struggles to give the newspaper away free. You certainly won't find a word of criticism in the newspaper today, regarding either the council, or New Charter Housing. Is it any wonder that newspapers are going out of business when they no longer hold the powerful to account which is a hallmark of a properly functioning democracy. Since 2008, 150 local newspapers have closed in England and it's hardly surprising. How a housing company with such close links to the council, have been allowed to control a radio station and a local newspaper, beggars belief. What we have here, is Tammany politics in Tameside.

NEW CHARTER 'REPORTER' NEWSPAPER RE-LAUNCHED TODAY!

After ceasing publication on 13th September, due to financial difficulties, the Tameside Reporter is to be re-launched today (Thursday) following a buy-out by the housing company, New Charter Housing Trust Ltd.  In a joint statement issued by both the newspaper and New Charter, both organisations have stated that as from tomorrow, 15,000 newspapers are to be delivered free and a further 10,000 are to go on sale to the public at a cost of 45p.

Although all previous staff were made redundant, Nigel Skinner the Editor, is to remain in charge of both the Tameside Reporter and the Glossop Chronicle with David Jones remaining as news editor for the Chronicle. The newspaper is also to recruit two new trainee reporters.

Although New Charter and the Tameside Reporter, say the newspaper will remain 'entirely independent' with its own editorial staff and will be 'community focused', this has been brought into question due to the intimate links that exist between New Charter and Tameside Council.  The Manchester and Salford branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), have even suggested that there is 'suspicion' that New Charter could  be acting as a 'proxy' for Tameside Council in buying the newspaper.

There are currently five Tameside Councillors who have declared their employment with New Charter in the register of council members interests. The Executive Leader of the council, Kieran Quinn, is listed as a Director of the New Charter Building Company. Cllr. Jim Middleton, is also a Director with the company as well as Cllr. Gerald Cooney, who is the Chairman of New Charter Housing. Cllr. Maria Bailey, is a board member of the New Charter Housing Trust and Cllr. Vincent Ricci, is a board member of the New Charter Building Company.

Apart from now owning a Tameside newspaper, New Charter also owns Tameside Community Radio Ltd and sponsors three Academy schools in Tameside - New Charter Academy (formerly Hartshead school), Silver Springs (formerly Ridgehill school), and Copley school in Stalybridge. In addition the C.E.O. of New Charter, Ian Munro - a former Tameside Council employee - sits on the board of school governors of Tameside College, New Charter Academy, Silver Springs, and the Tameside Sports Trust, that runs recreational facilities on behalf of Tameside Council.

Time will tell whether the Tameside Reporter continues to exercise editorial independence under its new owners. But will the paper be happy to print articles and readers letters that criticise the local council, New Charter or their various other business interests? Some poeople think not! One person who recently reponded to the Roy Greenslade, Guardian media blog, had this to say about the New Charter buy-out:

'We are in for lashings of corporate agenda and the banning of dissenting voices.'  If this is the future for local democracy in Tameside, then God help us!