Forum Topic

a new mayor for ealing

i notice we have a new mayor of ealing who is not from southall. does anyone know anything about john gallagher other than he comes from acton? is he likely to continue with the southall car park madness or is he more likely to look after those living in ealing as a whole? is there any chance that he might resurrect ealings only day centre for the disabled, the albert dane centre, and ealings only day centre for the mentally ill? does he want the libraries want to stay open? in short is he a human being?

Moira Bourne ● 5429d18 Comments

I wouldn't dare touch the church. Church and state should always be kept apart.

Marc Races ● 5419d

The difference is that I can choose not to fund the Archbishops (Canterbury and York), who cost the state nothing, by not donating to the Church of England and thefore not allowing the precept to be taken which supports their offices. You could argue that the church receives tax breaks as a registered charity, but then then so do all major faiths and the British Humanist Association and a number of secular 'anti-faith' charities.I cannot choose (pardon the double negative) not to fund a local mayor.Actually, I am not too bothered by the nominal cost of a mayor rather the profligacy in other areas of this and previous Labour administrations.

Nigel Brooks ● 5419d

So once you get rid of the functions of the royal family we may as well concentrate on getting rid of the funding of the Archbishop.

George Knox ● 5419d

Actually, the Queen is not on my list and never has been. I am a suject of her Majesty. However, I think that the royal family should cease to be involved in the British government and we should become a republic once her reign is over. I have a great deal of respect for Queen Eliabeth, however I have none for Prince Charles and his progeny. What finished it off for me was his desire to be Defender of the Faiths (plural) i.e. all faiths rather than Defender of the Faith and spiritual head of the Church of England.The time for first citizens and appointed or hereditary government is over in this country - be it mayor or monarch.

Marc Races ● 5420d

Will the Queen next be on your list?

George Knox ● 5420d

It is not about fitness to be mayor it is about the expense of the mayor and mayor's office and lady mayor and deputy mayor. This is a completely unproductive and unnecessary role especially in these tough economic times.Better to have proper support for the ill and the disabled than a decorative mayor.

Marc Races ● 5420d

The mayor is the first citizen of the borough so the one who welcomes official visitors such as royalty and who represents us when at events outside the borough.The mayor chairs full council meetings , with impartiality,  like the speaker in the Commons.John Gallagher has served faithfully as an Acton councillor for over 20 years and it is fitting he enjoy the honour this year. For this year he is above party politics.At least two posters in this forum have also served as mayor.

Graham Weeks ● 5420d

Thanks for that.Anyone with a trace of memory (something I believe that we share) will be well aware of the total absence of reality each and every time that there is a Labour administration in Ealing. lest we forget the £millions wasted on 'Response'.  I can only urge vigilence, eased by the new reporting requirements, to ensure that the current administration do not dig another large budgetary hole in addition to cutting service to the vulnerable and closing vital resources.

Nigel Brooks ● 5422d

moiras good. i just dont understand the disconnect between reality and what these people are actually doing with their car parks and now the queens diamond jubilee. a diamond jubilee committee? council staff, a mayor, a lady mayor, a deputy mayor? and the closing of all these facilities for the vulnerable!

Moira Bourne ● 5422d

Moira (if I may).We can jump up and down and type all we like. The sad truth is that nothing will change until 2014 when Bell and his fantasists are voted out.I still cannot comprehend how the memories of the Ealing voters are so short that they voted this lot back in. I only hope that they do less damage in office than they did last time around when they left the residents of Ealing with a record deficit.

Nigel Brooks ● 5422d

in another piece in the ealing gazette mayor gallaghers undertakings involve organising the queen's diamond jubilee next year. it goes on to say that though he will not be mayor when it is held on the first weekend of june, he and his committee are beginning to draw up plans, including encouraging street parties and a central celebration in the borough. ye gods! does he and the labour party know no shame after mp vivendra sharmas efforts in organisaing dancing girls for an ethnic royal wedding in southall a few weeks ago. he would do better organising some volunteers to help run the libraries that are to be closed. who is this man? where does he come from? which world does he live in?    1

Moira Bourne ● 5422d

honestly, does the labour party in ealing know no shame? phil, if it is as you say, that the mayor's role is purely ornamental than i wonder how the labour council can justfy having a mayor and mayoress with a mayoral car or so i understand, offices, and support and administrative. worse how can a socialist allow him or herself put in this role when there are cuts being made to social and welfare services throughout ealing? how on earth can john gallagher have he balls to be seen in public in his robes after the closure of the albert dane centre and the links centre and the planned closure of the libraries?to quote marie antoinette: let them eat cake.honestly, it disgusts me.

Moira Bourne ● 5422d

I think you are missing the point here. The Labour Ealing Council decided to close down the borough's only two day centre facilities for the disabled (Albert Dane Centre) and the mentally ill (LINKS project). The users of these centres were re-assessed and many of them denied equivalent purchasing power for such services as part of this. For those left with an adequate personal care budget they had to find a service provider who would provide this sort of facility. As Ealing lacks this sort of capability the Ealing Centre for Independent Living (ECIL) stepped in and a lot for the disabled people with budgets joined its day centre scheme. The council, as Julian Bell our kind and generous (Not) Labour Council Leader pointed out provided insurance for the ECIL scheme (much as it did to our local MP's (Vivendra Sharma) dance troupes at the alternative royal wedding celebration in Southall.Such Labour largesse aside, ECIL is left picking up the pieces left by Labour's social euality (not) and inclusiveness (not) and trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together again one might have expected the new Labour mayor, John Gallagher, to support ECIL as one of his charities however a boat rescue service on the Thames which is not in Ealing, the RNLI, becomes one of his named charities. Bearing in mind that John Gallager is also cha9rman of the West London Trade Union clud in Acton whose mission statement is to provide a safe and inclusive place for people to meet and socialise regard of gender, race, and disbaility this all seems rather hypocriticial. Furthermore, it is odd that he has not put forward the facilities of the Trade Union Club to fill the lack of disabled facilities created by the Ealing Labour Group if he is such an inclusive and socially-egalitarian individual?

Marc Races ● 5427d

ECIL provides an excellent service, has a CEO who has been awarded an OBE and is highly respected in her field. Her organisation is highly deserving of your contribution so that it can be added to the funding – partly from the state – which goes to this charity.The RNLI gets nothing from the state. Their staff however rescue people in the most terrifying of circumstances and at huge risk to their own safety. Like firemen they are heroes. Without public subscription thousands by now would have died.You say “I would put him in the category of "not a human being". Utter rubbish.

George Knox ● 5428d

Moira,The mayor is merely a ceremonial figurehead in our council.  A mini-queen for Ealing if you will.  The mayor changes every year in May at the annual council or "mayor making" as some call it.  The council leader, Labour's Julian Bell, is Ealing's mini-PM.  It is Bell's face you will see most of in Around Ealing.  Some councils in London have an executive mayor but not Ealing.  The large decisions are made by the Labour cabinet which is Ealing's own mini-cabinet with "portfolio holders" rather than ministers.  The best way to keep in touch with what the council is doing is to keep an eye on the cabinet agenda, here:http://www2.ealing.gov.uk/services/council/committees/agendas_minutes_reports/cabinet/24may2011-15may2012.htmlThe upshot is that the Labour leadership has not changed and nothing much will change at Ealing council until the next local elections in May 2014.  Then it is up to you.

Phil Taylor ● 5428d

They do seem strange choices bearing in mind that it is the Ecil (Ealing Centre for Independent Living) charity that is saddled with the massive task of providing a day centre facility for Ealing's disabled since Council Gallagher and his cronies closed that Albert Dane centre. On the basis of his grpoup's actions and the fact that he is not officially supporting ECIL but rather the RNLI instead I would put him in the category of "not a human being".

Marc Races ● 5428d

Councillor Gallagher announced that his official mayoral charities will be the Chiswick branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), which provides a rescue boat on the Thames;His other two charities which he has chosen to support are Ealing based.Not being the Mayor of Ealing I do support RNLI myself, but what do you think of his choice?

George Knox ● 5428d

He's a Labour councillor, what do you think?

Nigel Brooks ● 5429d