Tabism

#ThingsElliottSays has written another article for the Tab on Nottingham Unis Left Soc wanting Putin to invade Ukraine. These people are jolly nice arn't they. Reaction was overheard in Hallward to the article from other members of Left Soc. They said "Who the F*&k is Elliott Johnson". Looks like I'm on some socialist black list now.

As a little added bonus here is what Left Soc had to say about Venezuela and the terrible dictatorial regime of that socialist state.

But they do tell funny jokes.

ha ha ha ha ha.

The Tab article can be viewed here.

Back on the Tab, Comrades

After a fair break #ThingsElliottSays is back on the Tab this time reporting with Alex Page, from Kent University, about the Stalin posters used to advertise the Kent Union's officer elections. I wrote an article about this yesterday which can be seen here.

Late breaking news has come from the LGBT officer of Kent Union saying this:

"Recently Kent union published an image of Joseph Stalin as a way to engage and inform students of the upcoming leadership elections. Whilst we applaud new ways to engage students in the political process we regard this action as somewhat distasteful and odd.

Speaking purely as Representatives of the LGBT+ community we regard the use of Joseph Stalin as extremely distasteful. This is not only a man who killed and murdered millions of his own people; he also persecuted and killed thousands of people based on their sexuality.

We respectfully ask that Kent union removes the poster and we are informed on who agreed to promote such ridiculous promotion. The mistake of our union is fast reaching the national press. We ask for this embarrassment to stop before it damages to good work of those who volunteer and work for Kent union."
It seems like this story is slowly sliding its way into the national press. It has already been in the local news, the Tab previously, the MediaWire and the Huffington Post. Where will it go next? I'm sure there are red faces all around in Kent Union. Here is the Tab article (it has a great header).

Tab Time

My latest article for the Tab has been publish called 'Landlords to Take Council to Court Over Student Housing Policy'. The East Midlands Property Owners Ltd. is threatening to take the Labour City Council to court over its new policies on student houses. These policies are likely to end up with landlords being forced to either selling some of their houses or raising rents. Another policy from the Nottingham City Council aimed at pushing students out of Lenton. 

False Impressions From Impact

As you probably know Impact is the alternative, and SU backed newspaper, to the Tab, which I write for. The recent Impact news piece I saw on 'Government Austerity Cuts Challenged By Nottingham City Council' was I thought substandard and obviously biased so I thought it was best to counter it.

So what is impact arguing in it's news piece? Essentially the news article was reporting on how massive the cuts are for Nottingham City and how they're effecting front line services and leading to more than 750 job losses. This was done by presenting one fact on government cuts and by quoting the council leader of Nottingham City Council and Labour activists Impact. As an example of the argument the leader of Nottingham Council said to provide funding was essential for “those valuable services, but also stimulate our local economy, support businesses, create jobs and improve education, skills and training opportunities.”

Rumour has it Nottingham City Council wanted to sue me for using their logo, just to be safe I use this image now.

Firstly I doubt that the mix of only Labour voices on the idea of government cuts is a good idea for a news piece. It is especially important to note that Nottingham City Labour Council is one of the most Left wing in the country. Do you remember the fact that they refused, until they were forced to last year, to sign up to the government legislation declaring all council spending above £500 for transparency. Transparency and value for money was described as 'vexatious' by Nottingham City Council.

Do you also remember these posters around Nottingham last year (see below). Yes posters that seek to try and divide the well dressed people of Windsor to the plain clothed people of Nottingham. There is a reason why Nottingham is receiving more cuts per person than Windsor and that is because under the last government they unfairly had one of the highest budgets per person of any council in the UK. These posters were called in the Guardian "lazy, socialist propaganda".

But also on the point on money saving and cuts why is the City Council wasting money on getting people to complain about government cuts.  The cost of these posters were over £3,000 (not including the website to complain to); surely this money should by spent on you know looking after Nottingham people and protecting them from 'evil Tory' cuts. And this is not a one off poster either because campaigns like this have occurred since 2010 on cuts in general, welfare changes and the removal of the spare bedroom subsidy (which the City Council call 'the bedroom tax' despite it not being a tax).

More wasteful cuts posters.

There is of course more waste that could be exposed about Nottingham City Council. I haven't mentioned the workplace parking levy which drives business (and rates money) from the city centre and loses money overall. I haven't mentioned the trams that lose millions of pounds a year. I haven't mentioned that Nottingham councillors get paid almost £11,500 in allowances when back in Cambridgeshire, where I am from, County Councillors only get £3,000. Everything Nottingham City Council seem to do is very wasteful. Perhaps they should start looking at these things before complaining they need to make cuts to front line services and the elderly. I think they would find a lot of money to pay for the front line if they made savings.

The Nottingham Tram has always lost millions of pounds and has falling passenger numbers. Should the money be spent elsewhere?

And this wastefulness is seen in the back office most of all. On the same day the council announced to axe school buses costing £1.69 million they planned to raise salaries of office staff (mostly at the upper middle to high level) by £1.36 million.

Also despite people more than 750 people probably being layed off next year Nottingham City Council seems to be on a recruitment offensive. The ruling Labour Party have said in recent election literature that 'Nottingham Labour helped 1500 people into jobs last year, created 400 Nottingham jobs funded placements and filled 500 apprenticeships'. This seems like the council actually being rather disingenuous as its actually employing more people than its getting rid of. Also with these 750 lost jobs, surely, if the people are still needed, stopping a wage increase would be better than making people redundant. Making people redundant when you're increasing wages for others in a council is wrong.

The ruling Labour Party are claiming to create jobs and not to be cutting them.

So there you are not a council stretched to the limit and unable to do basic things but a wasteful council that cuts the front line and is employing more people than ever. The facts are a bit different from the Impact story. The only way that the Impact story would make any sense is if you believed no cuts should ever take place. A position that is laughable to the public with all the economic problems we have. I do suggest Impact add more facts especially from the alternate side to their articles. You can take some from here if you like as an act of goodwill.

Update

Some basic errors have been made by Impact and they actually meant Nottinghamshire County Council rather than Nottingham City Council in their news piece. #Doh.

What a terrible error that has led to much confusion. Still at least it is sorted now, although I think views from the Opposition of Notts County Council would have made for a better news piece.

All my points still stand about how awful Nottingham City Council is. A wasteful and terribly bureaucratic monster which is cutting front line services but boosting the back office. As I say about the County Council I am not in the know enough to write a piece on them without massive research; but from what I have heard and the small amount of facts I do know Nottinghamshire Labour and Nottingham Labour are cut from similar cloth.

Tab-tastic

I have yet again written a news story for the Tab. This story follows up on one I wrote late last week about the Nottingham Labour Cllr who, despite representing students, thinks its a 'shame' they are allowed to live in the city (read the #ThingsElliottSays article here). I have followed this story up on the Tab as a news story so that other students get to read it http://nottingham.tab.co.uk/2013/10/15/nottingham-councillor-it-is-a-shame-that-students-allowed-to-live-in-lenton/. Enjoy.

TABs Away!

Remember back in the depths of mid June I said I would be writing for the TAB, Well here's my first article. This is a news article rather than debate, sorry for that, but it's still pretty good and about Students being warned not to go to University. Enjoy.

One Year Gone, Two More Years Left

Well that is one year gone at Nottingham University. I had a really great time with the NUCA chaps and the other political ventures. So let's sum up the major things of what went on.

My Room in Derby Hall is now empty, to be filled by another student next year.

The biggest thing that happened was of course the Port and Policies. I love the great and fun debate we have when and the highlight for me of this must be the 'Socialist Oppressors' and working class tone that I have taken to confuse the Left and defend the nation.

Me mid debate with very long sideburns.

The Dinners too have been great with NUCA. At Christmas we had a great feast where I was out eating and drinking for over 12 hours, a real great day. But more recently we have the end of year dinner with John Hayes which appeared on to Guido Fawkes.

Alex, Badger and  I caught after the Main Course at our excellent Christmas Dinner. 

But NUCA also took us out and about. We went to Brussels to eat lots of mussels and drinks lots of beer. Recently we turned up in London to meet Adam Afriyie, Mark Reckless and others. These were most enjoyable and the organisers in the committee deserve much thanks.

NUCA chaps with the great Emma McClarkin MEP.

There was also the CF events with the East Midlands Conference to meeting Jeremy Hunt earlier this Semester. The same time was crucial with the CF elections, I think the new exec has done a really good job so far and that they should carry on. Colonel Cooper seems to be taking CF on a very good path and hopefully he can help win a majority for 2015.

A wide mix of the CF people I have got to know or know better over this year. 

YBF, the great campaigning school, was also great fun. Having been to the December conference I had to go to their rally early in 2013. I really enjoyed all the speakers they mustered. Some like Douglas Carswell and Robert Halfon are people I think are some of the 'SAS' (to quote the great Halfon) of Westminster Politics. Thanks goes to Donal Blaney and the Team.

At the YBF Rally. Can you see me and Rob at the back?

I've been out helping the cause too campaigning in Wisbech for the County Elections, in Eastleigh with Maria Hutchings, and in Broxtowe with Anna Soubry MP. Here I got to meet some of the great Trent lot and other famous Nottingham Conservatives. This included James Spencer who I helped in his campaign to be a councillor in Wollaton West which he sadly lost. Some good news from this though is that now I am on the 2015 campaign team for Rowena Holland. People of Nottingham South vote for Rowena.

Photo Opportunity for Maria Hutchings with me Nadim, Tom and James.

Campaigning also occurred on Campus. I joined the Big Picture radio show so I can broadcast the Conservative ideology to the world and make sure even more people vote for us in 2015. I really enjoyed working with everyone on the team I wish best of luck for Jonnie, Louis and Joe and can't wait for the next year. 

Kind listener to the Big Picture texted this in once. However, I doubt I would make a very good PM although thanks for the confidence. 

I also campaigned for freedom of speech and keeping the SU on track against the Pro Choice motion that did not succeeded at the ballot box. Although the Women's Network are still struggling to get this motion passed I think the voice of the people condemned their plans of internal politics, time will tell though.

With a Lapsed Pro Choice policy, Nottingham Uni is that little bit freer from restrictions on freedom of speech.

Sadly though there was a great loss. Baroness Thatcher died in April and I was there to pay my respects to her. I never met Baroness Thatcher, despite this though she has great influence upon me politically. I was pleased that so many people turned up and that after the procession so many people spoke in celebration of her life at an event run by the Bow Group and Freedom Association.

A nice photo of me with a huge photo of Baroness Thatcher.

And of course this has been big too. #ThingsElliottSays is going from strength to strength. I really enjoy writing this, I can be very open about what I feel on where we are going and what we should do next as a party and a nation. But I have got some small success too. We are almost at 20,000 hits for this blog and now I am writing for the TAB.

But the number one political event during my University life was the people. I believe a lot in people, they keep the country together for one thing. But I have made some genuine friends and built upon others (sorry if this is too cliché but it is genuinely true). I have met so many people through conference, NUCA, campaigning and even this Blog. All I can say is bring on two more years of micro political goings on. 

Friends for a long time to come.

Breaking News: #ThingsElliottSays Writes For The TAB

Well I'm happy to announce that I am now a columnist for the Nottingham TAB. I'll be adding my opinion to the happenings of Nottingham Uni SU, Nottingham Council and national politics that effects students. I'll be doing this bi-weekly and will probably get properly started next University year.

Thanks goes to the TAB team for selecting me.

Back on the TAB

The wonderful people at the TAB have given me another opportunity to voice my views in their newspaper. This time however, it is not politics but the election of the Derby Hall freshers' reps for this year. Congrats goes to the winners Niall, Polly, Amy and Fraser. Read the article here.

On Da TAB

Have you seen the TAB today. Well I wrote a piece about the aftermath of that pointless referendum as a sort of follow up from my recent blog post (see http://thingselliottsays.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/hollow-victory.html).

Here is the link to the TAB article itself. Enjoy. http://nottingham.tab.co.uk/2013/05/11/womens-network-refuse-to-accept-abortion-defeat/

Gone, but not for long

You may have noticed I have been away for a few days. This is because the real world has finally caught up with me so I have been oppressed by the tyranny of John Stuart Mill's Majority in an essay.

Meanwhile The TAB has posted an article I wrote about the Nottingham Abortion Referendum: http://nottingham.tab.co.uk/2013/02/19/pointless-su-abortion-referendum/