Ushtey Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Mind you, I'll be impressed if anyone can top Declan's immortal election campaign slogan at Uni: "Never mind the bollocks, vote Declan" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 My old chestnut of an all island election manifesto, covering all candidates in all areas, dropping on all our doormats courtesy of the island's excellent postal services still seems to offer the best, most professional and least expensive (for all concerned) option to me. You say 'manifesto'. But isn't the significant business of government covered by the various policy documents which comprise the Government Plan. For example, the Business Plan 2005 - 2008 Would there be much left to write about in manifestos ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hboy Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Hi Declan, yes, I figured I'd had enough of bad government and decided to try and do something about it directly before my future and that of my kids is put in any more jeopardy. I see from the press article on you in the paper that you work for the Water Authority so how can you be so critical and allege that government is terrible and sqandering your childrens future when a. your happy to take a cheque from them and b. a big chunk of taxpayers money by way of capital projects has been on the water infrastructure which you are involved with. I appreciate your stance though - you must be sure of yourself as most government employees do, I believe, have to resign before the election because of their contract of employment. That takes some balls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 My old chestnut of an all island election manifesto, covering all candidates in all areas, dropping on all our doormats courtesy of the island's excellent postal services still seems to offer the best, most professional and least expensive (for all concerned) option to me. You say 'manifesto'. But isn't the significant business of government covered by the various policy documents which comprise the Government Plan. For example, the Business Plan 2005 - 2008 Would there be much left to write about in manifestos ? You have an excellent point there. Still it didn't stop the promises last time and it won't stop them this time Edited to add that they have RSS Feeds on http://www.iomelections.com/2006/index.html. Can these be linked to the local news section here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ushtey Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Hi Declan, yes, I figured I'd had enough of bad government and decided to try and do something about it directly before my future and that of my kids is put in any more jeopardy. I see from the press article on you in the paper that you work for the Water Authority so how can you be so critical and allege that government is terrible and sqandering your childrens future when a. your happy to take a cheque from them and b. a big chunk of taxpayers money by way of capital projects has been on the water infrastructure which you are involved with. I appreciate your stance though - you must be sure of yourself as most government employees do, I believe, have to resign before the election because of their contract of employment. That takes some balls. Without getting into a personal debate, I am not proposing that the Government as a concept is utterly terrible, in fact on my website I say it isn't all bad yet, simply that we have had too many examples of bad government (i.e. the wrong decisions or worse no decisions). What I have said is I believe that there are mistakes that have happened and could continue to happen without changes being made, mistakes that should not have happened so easily and without reproach. We are already paying for many of these and will continue to pay for in one way or another for some time. I do believe that the Government must be more accountable and be more open. As a civil servant, there is little any one person can do to change the system other than try to get elected to National Government and bring matters to a head in that way. I do work for the Water Authority, but only on a fixed term contract, hence I am probably more accountable for my performance than most, given that my future employment with anyone depends on my being able to prove the quality of my work on such a high profile and public scheme. As for securing the future for my kids, I believe that I can best work to that end by taking an active part in the decision making process of an organisation with a turnover of several hundred million pounds, rather than rely on those with little or no practical business experience who I don't believe have proven themselves overly capable to date. I don't have all the answers, but I think I can do a better job than some, hence why I put my name forward. You're right that there has been a large amount of money spent of the Island's water infrastructure, money that needs to be spent. My job is to help make sure that that money is spent to gain the best value possible and I am very proud of the fact the scheme is currently showing a completion ahead of schedule and hope to be under budget. How many capital schemes in any country can say that? Of the other capital schemes on the Island that have had similar or greater amounts spent on them, what performance are we seeing from them? Have we had value for money? When I discussed my decision to stand with my employers I made an agreement not to comment on my terms of employment or the Government regulations, although I am sure there are others in the Civil Service who can confirm or deny what the regulations state. Equally I have agreed not to use my position at work as an election issue, only to answer specific questions or comments. I don't believe it would be fair to use my position to give myself a public platform that others don't have similar access to. If anyone wants to ask me specific questions though, they are welcome to contact me directly stevebabb@manx.net or to look through my website http://www.babbfamily.co.uk/election2006.htm or to read my manifestos when they are published in Onchan. I'm grateful for your recognition of the risk I am taking though. I am by no means sure of success, but I am sure that I need to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dooahhdoo Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Thought I recognised the name as we were in the same years at Ballakermeen together, although I dont remember you with grey hair So, when you knock on my door in Onchan what questions do you NOT want me to ask? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hboy Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 [ quote name='Steve Babb' date='Jul 27 2006, 07:08 PM' post='174019]Without getting into a personal debate, I haven't said the Government is so terrible I'm sorry but .. Hi Declan, yes, I figured I'd had enough of bad government and decided to try and do something about it directly before my future and that of my kids is put in any more jeopardy. Is pretty unambiguous to me. I'm not getting on your case because I read your site and some of what you say makes sense. But you can't publicly post things like that and then say "Err that's not what I meant to say" particularly if you are fighting an election. Once you've gone public you've got to be straight with it. If you read some of John Shimmin's posts here he's straight down the line, no electioneering, no criticism, but happy to respond openly and factually on points that are wrong or require clarification. I'm grateful for your recognition of the risk I am taking though. I am by no means sure of success, but I am sure that I need to try. I meant it genuinely. Your taking a bigger risk than most if you play by the rules and that pretty ballsy in my book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 There is some god advice there IMO, not just for Steve but any prospective MHK. The forums can be a double edged sword and one of those edges is a helluva lot sharper than the other! What you said about John Shimmin is about spot on. Mhhh, he kinda put me straight big time on one particular matter . . . . . However - there's nought to stop any of our politicians signing on as a pseudonym and having a right good troll, is there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ushtey Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 [quote name='Steve Babb' date='Jul 27 2006, 07:08 PM' post='174019]Without getting into a personal debate, I haven't said the Government is so terrible I'm sorry but .. Hi Declan, yes, I figured I'd had enough of bad government and decided to try and do something about it directly before my future and that of my kids is put in any more jeopardy. Is pretty unambiguous to me. I'm not getting on your case because I read your site and some of what you say makes sense. But you can't publicly post things like that and then say "Err that's not what I meant to say" particularly if you are fighting an election. Once you've gone public you've got to be straight with it. If you read some of John Shimmin's posts here he's straight down the line, no electioneering, no criticism, but happy to respond openly and factually on points that are wrong or require clarification. I'm grateful for your recognition of the risk I am taking though. I am by no means sure of success, but I am sure that I need to try. I meant it genuinely. Your taking a bigger risk than most if you play by the rules and that pretty ballsy in my book. You are absolutely right, but I wasn't trying to retract what I said, simply clarify what I meant by government and the Government. I am tired of bad government, as in bad decisions and poor management and as I see it a number of failures to get good value for money, and without real accountability. I firmly believe that the form of Government we have on the Island can be effective though, I simply think there are some things that need to change to bring it up to date and to make it more accountable as well as some necessary personnel changes. I know there will be those who simply castigate the Government and denounce it for all sorts, but I'm not one of them. I should have been more clear about the distinction though, it's too easy to post and assume people understand the nuances of what you say, particularly when you reply to someone you know. After all, when you hear a phrase in your own head you may understand fully what you mean to say but you might not be able to pass that on as clearly. And it's all too easy to appear to be skirting the issue or trying to squirm out of things when you try to clarify it later. If nothing else, it will teach me not to post when I am in a hurry and to leave it until later when I have more time to be clear. It is a risk I'm taking, and if my wife and family hadn't supported me totally, I wouldn't have even considered putting my name forward. I think it's probably one of the reasons why there aren't more candidates of my age group, because it can be a very difficult time to try to do something like this. If I am successful though, I do want to look more closely at the regulations that require civil servants to resign when they announce. Personally I think we are shooting ourselves in the foot if we make it so difficult for those people with the most experience of Government to stand for a position where they can use that experience to improve it. I thought long and hard about using my real name on here, but I really do want to stick by the rules and be as open and honest as possible. I've also asked all my close friends and family not to post on here in blind support for me, I'd rather take any brickbats directly and hopefully learn from it all. I know that there will be people reading on here and possibly passing things to my opponents, but why not, I stand by what I have to say, and if I am getting something utterly wrong I'd prefer for someone to tell me. I've made a big deal about politicians talking to people and actually listening to what they have to say before acting, so I'd be a real hypocrite if I ignored my own words. If you or anyone thinks I have missed something, or want to clarify anything I say, I'd always welcome the input. I'm the first to say I don't have all the answers, I don't think anyone has, but that doesn't mean they can't speak to other people who might be able to give an opinion. If I don't win, then I hope those who are elected take the time to speak to their opponents about the issues they have raised, and take those valid points forward, I know I would. I certainly appreciate the advice though, and the ballsy comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojomonkey Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Good for you. I don't live in Onchan so wouldn't be voting for you anyway (and I don't know what your beliefs are in any case) but I've got to admire your spirit and courage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ushtey Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Good for you. I don't live in Onchan so wouldn't be voting for you anyway (and I don't know what your beliefs are in any case) but I've got to admire your spirit and courage. Cheers, I really appreciate that. And if you have any friends who do live in Onchan, feel free to mention it to them... I know it's off topic, but I think we should all pay attention to what the candidates are saying across the Island, after all, any one of those elected might be making decisions that directly affect us all. I know the suggestion of an all Island manifesto has been mentioned previously, which I'd support. If anyone wants to know what my beliefs are though, and this is a shameless plug I admit, I've posted them all at my website, including my election diary. http://www.babbfamily.co.uk/election2006.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 Do your policies go against anything which is in the Government Plan as per the IOM Govt Website? Are you proposing anything which contradicts the Government Plan? Do you support everything in the Government Plan - or is there anything which you are proposing which represents a different approach to what is contained in the Government Plan? The Government Plan seems to propose policy up to, at least, 2008. If you oppose anything in the plan then how do you propose to challenge it? If you oppose any part of the Government Plan up to 2008 then which bits do you intend to challenge? And how? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 However - there's nought to stop any of our politicians signing on as a pseudonym and having a right good troll, is there! Some do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 http://www.babbfamily.co.uk/election2006.htm Where 8/10 What 3/10 Why 3/10 When 1/10 Who 1/10 How 0/10 Sorry Steve - I find your website content very 'amatuerish' and lacking in real content. There are also some worrying statements there that could be interpreted as e.g. an open door on immigration for employers. The website says so much and yet so little, with tons of stuff people are not really interested in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahc Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 Steve, I think the most refreshing thing about your manifesto is that you're not going on about purely Onchan issues that I think are best left to the Commissioners. This is where many candidates fall down, IMO. I am sick of hearing about candidates telling me about the 'traffic problem' and things like that. If you were standing in my constituency I would be giving you serious thought! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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