CONGRATULATIONS ALL ROUND

Wow..... first of all apologies for the delay in postings recently, I have working on a number of drafts but not  getting them finished, but I thought I would just post quickly to say well done to all of those who withdrew their labour today legitimately in a valid dispute with the government over pension rights and payments. How the government has got the neck to use the recession for their own warped political vendettas is beyond me. The whole deal sucks full stop, people pay in their money have an agreement and expect to be paid out on its fruition plain and simple, any attempt by the government to suggest anything other than the truth is unforgivable and the truth is equally plain and simple, they are asking public workers to pay 3% more in pension contributions in order to even work longer than agreed before they can then draw less pension  than they are currently entitled to! Its the equivalent in reverse of me going to my bank and saying "I know I agreed and signed to pay my mortgage over 25 years but I have had a rethink and now want to pay 3% less a month and reduce the number of years I pay it for and I expect you to give me a bit more on top" I wonder what my bank manager would say? As for Cameron's "Damp Squib" jibe, methinks that one may come back to haunt him.

Secondly my congratulations to Aidy Boothroyd for officially stepping into the hot seat at Sixfield's today, part of my recent downbeat mood has been due to the utter tripe being served up by the Cobblers this season by players who should be ashamed at the level of their under performance. Gary Johnson's time at the helm was a miserable period for all of us including him I guess but in the last few weeks the discipline of the players has been sadly lacking, they are not training at anything near full pelt and are far to laid back in their approach to both games and their professional responsibilities, I wish Aidy every success at the club and hope the players can prove themselves worthy once again of wearing the shirt.

And last but very much not least, congratulations to Cllr David Palethorpe for having the courage to up and leave the local Tory Party, I was surprised as I am sure many were by his Damascan like conversion over to the local Labour Party, but with Tory Councils at both the County and Town Hall's doing the bidding of a Tory government in an blatant attempt to destroy Local Government then the opposition needs as many hands as it can muster. I remember saying to an ex Labour colleague a few weeks back after the dramatic change of leadership that the Labour Group needed to put a motion down on a Unitary authority for Northampton at the next Council meeting to reveal the real tensions within the Conservative group and I wouldn't be surprised if this was not one of the reasons that David has taken his decision. Expect bitter times ahead between NBC and NCC as the cuts bite and the blame is levied.

I mentioned above that I have a few posts in draft so before I go here is a trailer, first of all I will be publishing a "Plain English" guide to explain the state we are in, and the economic difficulties we are now facing thanks to the failure of the banks, the current government and Gordon Brown's failed plan to hang onto power at any cost. I will also be updating you on the County Councils continued incompetence to deal with their unenforceable residents parking schemes and their attempts to drive local residents into bankruptcy rather than admit they are in the wrong.  BTW their appeal against my tribunal successes was dismissed as predicted because it was out of time and wasn't a proper appeal, the decisions were upheld and here I am three months later still waiting for them to write to me to inform me that the fixed penalty notices have been cancelled!

Also guess who has been reported to the Standards Board yet again? You guessed it, yours truly, it's the seventh complaint against me in 4 years! none of which have come to any where near a hearing. I am sorry I can't tell you what I have done this time to warrant such a allegation, as the letter as usual doesn't tell me what I am accused of, nor does it tell me who has made the complaint, but it does then go on to warn me not to discuss what they haven't told me with the complainant who they haven't named! Don't you just love the County Council! All this at a time that the government have scrapped the Standards Board for England and left Councils to decide themselves on how to punish wrongdoers! Maybe they will find me guilty this time and ban me from the Council for a month? but would I notice? Probably not, as they hardly ever meet and theirs more democracy on show in Cairo than their is at County Hall.

Speak soon, I have missed you

Tony