P-Mike Bird RSS feed for the P-Mike Bird tag
found 21 stories.
Comment
Pheasey Park Farm Labour 14 Feb 11
It is good to hear from you on the issue of the library situation within Walsall yet at no point do you directly address the fear on Pheasey about the future of our library.
The review you propose does not address the funding gap that is clear to see in the Walsall budget documentation. It is clear that no Library is safe under a set of conditions you have set that some libraries will find impossible to meet.
Lets look at one example, you said (letter published in the Great Barr Observer) …
Comment
The Mushroom 23 Jan 11
Deflated hopes for Walsall schools
At a neighbour’s party for their youngest daughter I was parted with my money by an almost professional pair of entrepreneurs The birthday girl, then all of eight, and her equally young, ‘professional’, badgered me into paying 50p for a ‘can’t fail’ solution to all my troubles.
“Just blow into this balloon and as you do,” the young, would-be sales director told me, “all your troubles will fill up with it, and when you let it go, they will fly away.”
I didn’t believe a word of it, but to satisfy her on her birthday (and to get her to go away) I paid over my half a pound and blew up the balloon. She took it from my lips and let the air out. I did what I expected it to do, it whizzed around emitting a loud farting sound, climbed, at then fell…. right back at my feet!
Comment
Harry Phibbs Conservative Home 17 Jan 11
There have been suggestions recently of disquiet among Conservative councillors over funding cuts. However, I am assured that the mood at a meeting on Downing Street last week with a large number of Conservative council leaders was very upbeat with a warm welcome for the Localism Bill.
The Prime Minister David Cameron spoke as did Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.
Here are some photographs of the event…
Comment
The Plastic Hippo 5 Jan 11
“We are not concerned with the very poor. They are unthinkable, and only to be approached by the statistician or the poet.”
E M Forster (1879 – 1970)
If, against the odds, the current leader of Walsall council is in possession of an endearing quality, then it must surely be the ability to amuse by being ridiculous. Like the lucky citizens of London, we are fortunate enough to be represented by an utter buffoon.
Since becoming leader again in May 2009, Mike has delighted us with some crazy slapstick worthy of the Marx Brothers not including their Uncle Karl who we never mention. Within days of assuming power for the third time, a meeting of the full council descended into farce leading to calls for council meetings to be webcast in the name of accountability. Two of the more rational Conservative councillors who understand social media supported the idea. One did not last long in cabinet and the other posted his last blog in July 2009. The idea has been quietly forgotten…
Comment
The Mushroom 3 Dec 10
So it’s the fault of the 'others'
That’s the verdict of Mike Bird on electoral fraud by Conservative Party members in Walsall. Mike’s amazing conclusion was aired on the BBC WM’s Drivetime programme on Thursday.
Walsall council leader’s attempt to side step a Labour call for David Cameron to investigate a number of suspected, and actual, vote rigging cases lead to a claim that there was a problem.
But faced with the fact the Ali Munir, son of Conservative Councillor Mohammed Munir, had pleaded guilty to vote rigging Mike’s response was shift the blame onto an entire community…
Comment
BrownhillsBob 10 Nov 10
Something odd is happening at the moment. I’m not sure quite what’s going on, but it’s very interesting and I think it might be positive. It seems the Cabinet – those leading Walsall Council – have become aware of the adverse publicity they seem to be creating out here in cyberspace.
Normally exhibiting the sensitivity and tact of the Coventry Blitz, our esteemed senior councillors seem to be all about reversals at the moment. Firstly, not a month since they sternly announced that the lower orders would have to pay for their car parking on Remembrance Sunday (whilst dignitaries were to be provided with free parking), seemingly blind to the brouhaha of the year before, our benevolent burghers have relented and opted for a genuine freeforall instead…
Comment
The Plastic Hippo 7 Nov 10
What better way to enjoy Saturday morning brunch than to gather around the radio-gramme to benefit from the wise words of our avuncular council leader Mike Bird.
In difficult times it is reassuring to hear comforting oratory and determined leadership in the tradition of a Churchill speech or a Roosevelt fireside chat. Following the unfortunate destruction of the kitchen radio a couple of Sundays ago when listening to Little Michael Gove, hammers, shoes, cricket bats and other heavy objects were removed as a precaution…
Comment
The Mushroom 6 Nov 10
Listened to Radio WM this morning and had the pleasure of hearing Mike Bird eat crow over the pay rise to cabinet members he was so enthusiastically supporting last week.
Mike had to admit the proposal had been thrown out by his group at a closed meeting on Friday evening of Tory councillors…
Comment
Pheasey Park Farm Labour 6 Nov 10
On Adrian Goldberg’s BBC Radio WM show, Walsall Council leader Mike Bird confirmed that on Friday night the Tory group bowed to the obvious public pressure and delayed any decision on pay rises until next year.
He tried to make out this was due to their own thoughts and of course nothing to do with the Labour, public and blogsphere pressure. Tim Oliver, leader of the labour group was also on and laughed this off as the obvious typical Bird bluster it was…
Comment
The Mushroom 5 Nov 10
Mike Bird is to defend his proposed pay rise on Radio WM tomorrow morning (10am on Saturday I believe), a feat of back flips propelled by blasts of hot air.
I can hear it now ‘but everyone else is paid more than us, it’s not fair’ …