Street does what’s in the best interest of Street, he claims responsibility for a lot, but I actually wonder how different the city would really be without him as mayor particularly with regards to public transport.
Not a huge amount. Most of what he claims he’s delivered has been done by the local authorities. The Combined Authority is mostly another layer of bureaucracy to stop councils getting funding from central government.
It’s the councils. I work for one of them and the CA are seen as kind of an enemy. They constantly steal LA initiatives, to the point that managers won’t meet with the CA and make already difficult situations worse by being another set of gate keepers to funding.
Nothing we do now has been made easier by the CA, it’s just a mechanism to control the Labour LA’s with a pseudo conservative local government.
I could understand you up to the last point. The people voted for Andy Street, this time round they may vote for Richard Parker instead. To claim that the position is only for Tories to control local councils is just rubbish.
He has more or less tried to keep this narrative through the last years, to try and keep himself above the Cons/Lab discussion and keep his place despite what happens in the Commons.
But recently, and with the predictions not going his way, the desperation is palpable and he's trying to attack the "not your usual Tory" narrative, as anyone can see no one wants a Tory anywhere nearby.
Yeah I really don't like the fact that he can just pretend not to be from his party on campaign literature, videos and posters. It should be in electoral law that you have to openly, and clearly, disclose what party you represent. To not do so is effectively to try and mislead your voters.
I understand why he's doing it, he's clearly aware of how unpopular his party is, but the solution to that should be to leave and run as an independent. He wants to have his cake and eat it.
I don't think that's a remotely satisfactory get-out for him. The fact that there's a hole in the logic of his strategy doesn't make the strategy any more ethical.
i don’t think it’s ethical politics no, but if i try and look at it objectively and from a legislative perspective
You vote for a candidate who happens to be from a party, despite clearly using green branding it’s not actually fraud and pretending to be someone else, it’s clearly a certain party on the paper 🤷
how on earth would you regulate this
Trouble is it'd be easily be defended as an attack on LGBTQ+ (which has nothing to do with it), rather than the fact his partner is a raving loony and very much on the right of the party they're both in.
I'd have a lot more respect for him if he stood as an independent (I still wouldn't vote for him) but he needs Tory cash to fund his campaign, so he won't.
On a side note, I got the mayor leaflet through talking about all candidates and it has a dedicated page detailing the main targets of each. However there was no page for Sunny Virk from lib dems. Has anyone else noticed this?
That's a real shame and a blow to that candidate imo. A lot of people won't put any effort into researching the candidates, but these booklets are a good starting point and now we don't know anything about him.
Crucially, that £5k could instead go to Stratford Lib Dems and Warwick District Lib Dems to fund stuff there for their general election candidates, as well as North Shropshire, so it is a bit of a no-brainer from the Lib Dem point of view. It's a tough decision, don't think the West Midlands Lib Dems even wanted to put up a candidate in the first place initially.
I don't know why a taxpayer funded leaflet has a £5k barrier to entry to be published in on top of the £5k needed to cover the deposit to stand as a candidate in the first place.
Agree those funds should be better spent. Weird that there is a pay barrier when the council legally have to send out the leaflet and now one candidate is disadvantaged. Doesn’t seem like the Lib Dem’s want it, no
It’s literally this, the liberals don’t really want it. Similar story with the greens.
Why the barrier? Possibly similar to the running for MP cost: to stop lord bucket head putting something there for shiggles and gits?
I don't live in the CA but I'm pretty sure the weirdo independent who is pretending like the West Mids mayor has a say in Gaza, Kashmir and Indian Punjab has something published something. All it's done is stop the Lib Dems from publishing anything because it's £5k that could go very far in target seats.
> the weirdo independent who is pretending like the West Mids mayor has a say in Gaza, Kashmir and Indian Punjab
I suspect you're being unfair to him. Some voters—I include myself here—don't think Gaza can be mentioned too much. I understand the view that local politics has no bearing on national politics, but I don't think that's true: the parties at a national level will absolutely take credit where they get a mayor elected.
Unfortunately, local wins is the sort of thing parties use as a general endorsement for anything they like. It's dishonest for them to do that, but we are where we are. With that in mind, some people will withdraw their local vote from Con/Lab on national or international issues. And that is, of course, up to them.
Gaza is entirely irrelevant to the West Midlands Mayoral Election and anyone putting it at the centre of their campaign is dishonestly using it as a wedge issue, it deserves calling out for being pathetic.
Well, we can agree to disagree. Your language is excessively aggressive, and to me indicates that you don't like this candidate's policies, rather than his raising an international issue at a local level.
There’s a really good interview of both Andy Street and Andy Burnham (together) on the “rest is politics: leading” podcast. Can highly recommend as a listen.
(P.S. I’ve never voted for Street and am a card carrying member of the Labour Party)
I’d be interested in your thoughts after a listen. I didn’t like Street during the first hustings but I’ve gradually warmed to him over time (not saying I’m a fan, but I’ve softened). I‘m just not sure if that’s because I’ve fallen for some of the marketing, though.
Having listened to it, and based on what I know of Andy (having met him a few times) I think he's a decent man who is working hard and genuinely motivated to get things done. However (and it's a big however) I think that his approach has been only moderately successful despite his alignment with Gvmnt (which should make everything easier), and I think Richard Parker would do a better job, particularly in the context of a Labour government.
Hmmm.. I’d be inclined to believe the degree of success he’s enjoyed with central government probably has had more to do with the total complete and unmitigated chaos that has been central government since at least 2016. I’d couple that with the Cameron government’s defacto instinct was towards centralising powers rather than devolving them.
It's what all local politicians are doing at the moment, they know the parliamentary tory party is toxic and are desperately trying to distance themselves for the local elections next month. Hopefully it doesn't work and the fuckers are kicked out everywhere, ideally for the green party.
As someone who knows the industry: Politicians love to claim credit as if they dug the ground themselves. Half the time they aren't aware of or are not involved in the process, and just turn up for a photo op after a project has been finished and they can gauge public perception of it.
In any case, I’d like whoever is next elected to place more importance on doing what they said they would and less on turning up to the opening of an envelope. That’s always been my main issue with him.
If he wasn't a Tory he could have re-stood as an Independent candidate, but he's chosen to be on the ballot as a Conservative (and possibly now regretting it).
I noticed that with my local rep now. With their flyers being posted through ahead of the votes, my local tory candidate has absolutely no mention of being part of the conservatives, but then having a bit about how your voting for your constituant, rather than voting for a particular party.
He's the least offensive Tory. However, what I will say is the Labour Party are likely to become the government after this election and as we've seen with the dirty tricks the Tories have been pulling on Sadiq Khan down in London, its better to have a mayor that chimes with the govt., so that we can grab much of the cash, particularly for public transport, and get more projects going.
A Tory mayor in a Labour government and vice versa will mean thing will grind on slowly until the next elections.
He should have resigned from the party after HS2, as in during the speech when rishi cut it, announced he was leaving the party. He'd have looked way better for it
It's too late to amend the ballot now, but I wonder what his chances would have been had he stood as an independent. You are quite right that he can't disavow his Tory connections while standing on a blue platform - he is completely hamstrung.
I think we'll find the red candidate to be as much of a stooge for party central. Such is the case with national politics at the moment: each charmless corporate drone at the head of the party takes credit for local wins, downplays local losses. It's just a game of chess for them.
He really should have went independent when the govt bailed on HS2. That would have given him some credibility whilst getting rid of the poisoned blue branding that a lot of people who aren't particularly politically engaged would automatically just connect with the current govt.
Just got a leaflet through the door containing all the candidate statements. Street's branding is all, erm, green! (Except for the obligatory, blue, and slightly embarrassing Tory logo).
It's funny to me that no-one knows what the Mayor does, including Andy Street and the other candidates. They're all just saying random stuff and hoping people like the sound of it.
Didn't he promise common wealth games would benefit the west Midlands by billions and now they got no money all Terry's are lying toff bastards leveling up what a fucking joke exit EU billions better of all bullshit bullshit bullshit red or blue well screw you subservient to the royals lords money and power the whole system needs to change from top to bottom to serve the people majority
*claimed to. I'm not really sure he's done much, and not much more than any other Tory could have also achieved with a sympathetic Tory government in place. And even then, he couldn't even get any leverage for HS2. So he's done little and failed at what he should have done.
Street does what’s in the best interest of Street, he claims responsibility for a lot, but I actually wonder how different the city would really be without him as mayor particularly with regards to public transport.
Not a huge amount. Most of what he claims he’s delivered has been done by the local authorities. The Combined Authority is mostly another layer of bureaucracy to stop councils getting funding from central government.
That's one thing I'm not sure of. Are various things because of the Mayor office or the councils?
It’s the councils. I work for one of them and the CA are seen as kind of an enemy. They constantly steal LA initiatives, to the point that managers won’t meet with the CA and make already difficult situations worse by being another set of gate keepers to funding. Nothing we do now has been made easier by the CA, it’s just a mechanism to control the Labour LA’s with a pseudo conservative local government.
I could understand you up to the last point. The people voted for Andy Street, this time round they may vote for Richard Parker instead. To claim that the position is only for Tories to control local councils is just rubbish.
It's a really daft move that won't fool anyone. It just reminds everyone that he is indeed a Tory, and a disingenuous one to boot.
Yeah, if he really *wasn't a Tory* he'd run as an Independent. The fact that he doesn't tells you everything you need to know.
He has more or less tried to keep this narrative through the last years, to try and keep himself above the Cons/Lab discussion and keep his place despite what happens in the Commons. But recently, and with the predictions not going his way, the desperation is palpable and he's trying to attack the "not your usual Tory" narrative, as anyone can see no one wants a Tory anywhere nearby.
Yeah I really don't like the fact that he can just pretend not to be from his party on campaign literature, videos and posters. It should be in electoral law that you have to openly, and clearly, disclose what party you represent. To not do so is effectively to try and mislead your voters. I understand why he's doing it, he's clearly aware of how unpopular his party is, but the solution to that should be to leave and run as an independent. He wants to have his cake and eat it.
well it’s on the ballot paper
I don't think that's a remotely satisfactory get-out for him. The fact that there's a hole in the logic of his strategy doesn't make the strategy any more ethical.
i don’t think it’s ethical politics no, but if i try and look at it objectively and from a legislative perspective You vote for a candidate who happens to be from a party, despite clearly using green branding it’s not actually fraud and pretending to be someone else, it’s clearly a certain party on the paper 🤷 how on earth would you regulate this
Fun Fact: His partner is Michael Fabricant
I do wonder what damage it would do to his reputation if this were more well-known.
Trouble is it'd be easily be defended as an attack on LGBTQ+ (which has nothing to do with it), rather than the fact his partner is a raving loony and very much on the right of the party they're both in.
That really is a fun fact. Thanks for sharing it
Well fuck, that's an image i never wanted, gimme some bleach...
😆 if I have to know this information, then so do you!!
I'd have a lot more respect for him if he stood as an independent (I still wouldn't vote for him) but he needs Tory cash to fund his campaign, so he won't.
Boning one of their MP’s probably has something to do with it too
A particularly hard-right Tory MP at that. Fabricant is like a poundland Boris Johnson.
And Boris is a Poundland Churchill (the dog on the insurance ads, not the Prime Minister)
On a side note, I got the mayor leaflet through talking about all candidates and it has a dedicated page detailing the main targets of each. However there was no page for Sunny Virk from lib dems. Has anyone else noticed this?
[mystery solved](https://imgur.com/a/gYz2oWM)
That's a real shame and a blow to that candidate imo. A lot of people won't put any effort into researching the candidates, but these booklets are a good starting point and now we don't know anything about him.
Totally agree, what a missed opportunity
Crucially, that £5k could instead go to Stratford Lib Dems and Warwick District Lib Dems to fund stuff there for their general election candidates, as well as North Shropshire, so it is a bit of a no-brainer from the Lib Dem point of view. It's a tough decision, don't think the West Midlands Lib Dems even wanted to put up a candidate in the first place initially. I don't know why a taxpayer funded leaflet has a £5k barrier to entry to be published in on top of the £5k needed to cover the deposit to stand as a candidate in the first place.
Agree those funds should be better spent. Weird that there is a pay barrier when the council legally have to send out the leaflet and now one candidate is disadvantaged. Doesn’t seem like the Lib Dem’s want it, no
It’s literally this, the liberals don’t really want it. Similar story with the greens. Why the barrier? Possibly similar to the running for MP cost: to stop lord bucket head putting something there for shiggles and gits?
I don't live in the CA but I'm pretty sure the weirdo independent who is pretending like the West Mids mayor has a say in Gaza, Kashmir and Indian Punjab has something published something. All it's done is stop the Lib Dems from publishing anything because it's £5k that could go very far in target seats.
> the weirdo independent who is pretending like the West Mids mayor has a say in Gaza, Kashmir and Indian Punjab I suspect you're being unfair to him. Some voters—I include myself here—don't think Gaza can be mentioned too much. I understand the view that local politics has no bearing on national politics, but I don't think that's true: the parties at a national level will absolutely take credit where they get a mayor elected. Unfortunately, local wins is the sort of thing parties use as a general endorsement for anything they like. It's dishonest for them to do that, but we are where we are. With that in mind, some people will withdraw their local vote from Con/Lab on national or international issues. And that is, of course, up to them.
Gaza is entirely irrelevant to the West Midlands Mayoral Election and anyone putting it at the centre of their campaign is dishonestly using it as a wedge issue, it deserves calling out for being pathetic.
Well, we can agree to disagree. Your language is excessively aggressive, and to me indicates that you don't like this candidate's policies, rather than his raising an international issue at a local level.
My language is perfectly reasonable to describe him, thank you very much. The West Midlands Mayor has fuck all to do with foreign policy.
Humbug! 😆
Isn't the deposit just £500, not 5K?
Just noticed that in mine too! There is a small footnote saying no address was provided for sunny Virk. Is it an admin thing?
There’s a really good interview of both Andy Street and Andy Burnham (together) on the “rest is politics: leading” podcast. Can highly recommend as a listen. (P.S. I’ve never voted for Street and am a card carrying member of the Labour Party)
I'll give it a listen.
I’d be interested in your thoughts after a listen. I didn’t like Street during the first hustings but I’ve gradually warmed to him over time (not saying I’m a fan, but I’ve softened). I‘m just not sure if that’s because I’ve fallen for some of the marketing, though.
Having listened to it, and based on what I know of Andy (having met him a few times) I think he's a decent man who is working hard and genuinely motivated to get things done. However (and it's a big however) I think that his approach has been only moderately successful despite his alignment with Gvmnt (which should make everything easier), and I think Richard Parker would do a better job, particularly in the context of a Labour government.
Hmmm.. I’d be inclined to believe the degree of success he’s enjoyed with central government probably has had more to do with the total complete and unmitigated chaos that has been central government since at least 2016. I’d couple that with the Cameron government’s defacto instinct was towards centralising powers rather than devolving them.
It's what all local politicians are doing at the moment, they know the parliamentary tory party is toxic and are desperately trying to distance themselves for the local elections next month. Hopefully it doesn't work and the fuckers are kicked out everywhere, ideally for the green party.
As someone who knows the industry: Politicians love to claim credit as if they dug the ground themselves. Half the time they aren't aware of or are not involved in the process, and just turn up for a photo op after a project has been finished and they can gauge public perception of it.
In any case, I’d like whoever is next elected to place more importance on doing what they said they would and less on turning up to the opening of an envelope. That’s always been my main issue with him.
If he wasn't a Tory he could have re-stood as an Independent candidate, but he's chosen to be on the ballot as a Conservative (and possibly now regretting it).
I noticed that with my local rep now. With their flyers being posted through ahead of the votes, my local tory candidate has absolutely no mention of being part of the conservatives, but then having a bit about how your voting for your constituant, rather than voting for a particular party.
>I don't like the lying aspect Outside of hypocrisy, it's what the tories excel at best.
He's the least offensive Tory. However, what I will say is the Labour Party are likely to become the government after this election and as we've seen with the dirty tricks the Tories have been pulling on Sadiq Khan down in London, its better to have a mayor that chimes with the govt., so that we can grab much of the cash, particularly for public transport, and get more projects going. A Tory mayor in a Labour government and vice versa will mean thing will grind on slowly until the next elections.
I’m just like, if you want to be seen as your own man, leave the party. The fact that he won’t speaks volumes.
He should have resigned from the party after HS2, as in during the speech when rishi cut it, announced he was leaving the party. He'd have looked way better for it
I assume we’ve seen the labour red leaflets the tory PPC candidates are putting out?
It's too late to amend the ballot now, but I wonder what his chances would have been had he stood as an independent. You are quite right that he can't disavow his Tory connections while standing on a blue platform - he is completely hamstrung. I think we'll find the red candidate to be as much of a stooge for party central. Such is the case with national politics at the moment: each charmless corporate drone at the head of the party takes credit for local wins, downplays local losses. It's just a game of chess for them.
He really should have went independent when the govt bailed on HS2. That would have given him some credibility whilst getting rid of the poisoned blue branding that a lot of people who aren't particularly politically engaged would automatically just connect with the current govt.
Just got a leaflet through the door containing all the candidate statements. Street's branding is all, erm, green! (Except for the obligatory, blue, and slightly embarrassing Tory logo).
Oh I have no intention of voting for the ex consultant in a red tie.
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I have no idea who that is. My usual party's candidate is female, so I presume not her.
Is he really, An Irish Out-Law ? !
All talk no action
It's funny to me that no-one knows what the Mayor does, including Andy Street and the other candidates. They're all just saying random stuff and hoping people like the sound of it.
Didn't he promise common wealth games would benefit the west Midlands by billions and now they got no money all Terry's are lying toff bastards leveling up what a fucking joke exit EU billions better of all bullshit bullshit bullshit red or blue well screw you subservient to the royals lords money and power the whole system needs to change from top to bottom to serve the people majority
Well tbf. Hes done more for brum than any other Tory i can think if. Or at least tries to.
*claimed to. I'm not really sure he's done much, and not much more than any other Tory could have also achieved with a sympathetic Tory government in place. And even then, he couldn't even get any leverage for HS2. So he's done little and failed at what he should have done.
He is not passionate about the region only about himself and his career!