(This is a long post because when it comes down to writing about the personalities and antics of our local Labour friends, you know I've always got a lot to say).

The Labour candidate for Dyffryn, 2017 election

It's been a long time coming but the Labour Party are going to contest the Dyffryn ward in next year's 2017 local council elections. Labour hasn't contested the seat since 2004.

So who's the person chosen to be the first Labour candidate for thirteen years? (Let's hope they're not superstitious)! Well it's going to be a woman named Mrs Debbie Harvey. At least Debbie lives in the ward, and according to a leaflet she has just posted around the area, has done so for 32 years. Debbie comes highly recommended. She has received endorsements from none other than the Labour MP for Neath - Christina Rees; the Labour AM for Neath - Jeremy Miles (look, don't blame me if you've never heard of him); and from Councillor Ali Thomas, who is the Council leader. Jeremy and Christina tell us Debbie is "committed to her community".

Jeremy even states "she will make a real difference as the councillor for Dyffryn". Will she now? I don't want to be rude to Mr Miles but just what would he know about the Dyffryn community? He's from Pontarddulais, worked in London and Swansea, but now lives in Alltwen. He retains houses in London and Swansea which are tenanted, according to his Register of Interests lodged with the Welsh Assembly. But it's not as if his property portfolio is in Longford, is it? Do Labour MPs and AMs collect second and third homes? Because one hell of a lot of them seem to have them.

Councillor Mike Harvey, Husband of Debbie

Debbie will doubtless be endorsed by her own husband, Mike Harvey, who by happy coincidence happens to be the existing NPT councillor for Coedffranc North, a seat he won in 2012. In the Councillors' Register of Interests he also lists his work as a Crime Prevention Design Advisor employed by South Wales Police.

It seems Mike's new job as a local councillor is what inspired Debbie to want to make a difference in people's lives - she says herself in that leaflet that's when she first became interested in politics. But since 2012, vacancies have arisen on Dyffryn Clydach Community Council so I'm really surprised Debbie didn't turn this newly discovered enthusiasm into action and aimed for a seat on the Community Council. I wonder why not?

One Councillor in house good, two Councillors better

But if Mike and Debbie are both elected to NPT it will continue a local Labour tradition of having two councillors in a household. At present we have two sets of couples on this council, Mr and Mrs Bebell and Mr and Mrs Miller. I personally have got a bee in my bonnet about one household receiving two sets of councillor salaries. I suppose lots of people are relaxed about it, and after all it's the electorate that speaks, but I think there ought to be a limit. I find the concept of these family dynasties particularly in Labour really uncomfortable, as it's a Party with a reputation for being rotten to the core with nepotism and cronyism. We certainly don't want to encourage it - Labour Party members can sniff out these opportunities more efficiently than a rat can find Gorgonzola!

 

Why no Labour candidate in 2012?

Something I keep asking myself though, is this. Debbie and Mike live in the Dyffryn ward. So when Mike decided in 2012 to try for a Council seat, then why didn't he stand in Dyffryn? After all, there was no other Labour candidate being put forward. In fact it was the only seat in the 2012 election that Labour did not put up a candidate. So why wouldn't you want to stand in your own neighbourhood, instead choosing to run in an adjoining ward? I know what I think. Dyffryn is very much a Plaid Cymru stronghold and has been for years. Plaid has held the community council there (Dyffryn Clydach) since 1979 and the County Borough seat has been held by well respected local man, Martyn Peters since 1999 - a man with a long, exemplary record of public service. So would I be right in thinking that Mike Harvey chose the easier and safer option in going for Coedffranc North? Especially as it was known at the time that support for the Lib Dems who held the seat had slipped considerably following them joining a coalition with the Tories in 2010.  Because that's what it definitely looks like to me. He wouldn't fight in his own backyard - but now his wife will.

But it's not just Mike Harvey that I'd point the finger at for not fighting the Dyffryn seat. Council leader Ali Thomas lives in the Dyffryn ward too and has done for a number of years. But Ali is the councillor for Onllwyn, way up the Dulais valley. One could say he's taken the easy option too, hanging on to a safe seat when the area in which he now lives has not had a Labour candidate all these years. A man whom one could say clearly leads by example then!

Debbie Harvey's Pitch for the Job

So what does Debbie bring to the table in terms of community involvement to date? Her leaflet sheds no light at all on that. There is no indication she has stood for or ever been a community councillor, which is a common background for people who eventually progress to County Borough level. She was a self-employed hairdresser according to the leaflet but she does not say if she is presently working doing something else. Is she? There is no mention of a background in working for the Third Sector, such as local charities. No mention of involvement with local volunteers involved in environmental work, or Neighbourhood Watch. No mention of involvement in the community litter picking which takes place on a regular basis in the ward. No mention of involvement in local schools such as being a parent governor at one time. But she has allied herself to a recent emerging project in the area, that of the proposed restoration of the Neath Abbey Ironworks. This is not mentioned in her leaflet but does Ali Thomas give us a clue when he says "I have no doubt she will lead on some excellent work locally"? This is a project which Labour Party bigwigs (including Jeremy Miles and Christina Rees - yet again) have suddenly taken a very keen interest in. A cynic (me) might well ask, "I wonder why?"

What Debbie has been doing a lot of the last few years, at least according to her Twitter pages, is promoting the Labour Party and its candidates. She is seen in lots of photos posted in the campaigns for the elections of Christina Rees in 2015 and Jeremy Miles in 2016.

 

You remember those campaigns, don't you, when "Team Neath" as they call themselves come knocking on doors to get those lazy bloody Labour donkeys out to vote for them. You know, the people they ignore or take for granted year on year, only to fall over themselves once every four or five years and promise the earth if they'll just put a "X" by their names.

Does anyone recognise the Labour "minder" standing next to Mike Harvey (Mike is second from left if you're confused) in that photo above? I'll give you a clue. Just like Rob James was an invisible councillor in Bryncoch, well this bloke was from Bryncoch and an invisible councillor in Merton, London. Time's up - it's a chap named Leighton Veale, who apparently is still around these parts. I wonder if he'll be up for a seat in next year's elections or aiming higher for a future MP post as he's done in the past?

Debbie visited the House of Commons earlier this year where she had a photo of her and Christina together.

And if you followed Debbie's Twitter account you'd see that much of it is devoted to re-tweets of what Christina Rees and Jeremy Miles have posted. https://twitter.com/debbieh62352463 There seems to be a classic quid pro quo going on here. Debbie giving her time promoting Christina and Jeremy. They in turn giving her their full backing for her Dyffryn bid.
 

Straight in with the crachach

I have to say that considering the Harveys have only been in local politics for 5 minutes, they certainly seem to be rubbing shoulders with the great and the good. Take a look at this picture below of them following the Mayor's Service this July with Jeremy Miles AM and Christina Rees MP (again!!) - and Neath's "first couple", Mr and Mrs Alan and Jan Lockyer. You won't be surprised to hear that Alan is a Labour councillor on NPT. And as Chair of one of the Committees gets paid about £22K. Jan is a former Mayor (or Mayoress) of Neath Town Council. 'Struth - I feel humbled just writing these people's names! And don't you think the Harveys are a perfect fit with this crowd? To the manor born, I'd say.

(From left: Jeremy Miles, Alan Lockyer, Jan Lockyer, Mike Harvey, Christina Rees, Debbie Harvey)

Back in July 2016 a coffee afternoon was held in Longford Memorial Hall. Those attending included Debbie -  and Christina Rees and Jeremy Miles (FFS -not again?!). It was announced as an opportunity to meet Debbie, Labour's prospective candidate - but I don't think it was made 100% clear at that stage that Debbie was standing in Dyffryn (see image below). Were options still being kept open at that stage? And I'd love to know how many cups of tea were handed out!

Then a fundraising evening for something called Neath Abbey Labour was organised by Mike and Debbie on 17 October 2016. Just for once it's not obvious that Christina and Jeremy were able to make it but Councillor Anthony Taylor of Taibach did, along with David Rees, the Aberavon AM. Taylor is a Cabinet member on NPT council and will pull in about £29K salary for that this year - one of the hierarchy there then, and also works as a researcher for Derek Vaughan MEP according to the Councillors' Register of Interests on NPT's website. And in the finest tradition of Labour nepotism, David Rees has employed his daughter on a part time basis since February 2013. The curry evening was held in the Cinnamon Kitchen, Aberavon. Just why a local hostelry in Skewen or Neath wasn't used, you tell me. I'm sure many could have done with the business. Maybe they wanted to keep a low profile locally. But someone else that went along was another NPT councillor who represents Port Talbot, Saifur Rahaman. And yes, you're catching on by now, the Cinnamon Kitchen is run by a relative of Saifur!

The evidence is clear that Debbie has the personal backing of those at the very top in local Labour politics. She is clearly the "Establishment" candidate. That may open doors and get favours for her from those already in power but I doubt it will do much for her where it really counts - on the streets and in the houses of Dyffryn ward.

And I ask myself - do all new prospective Labour candidates in NPT - and there'll be a few from what I hear - get this level of personal backing from the MP and AM? I bet they don't, you know. So what's Debbie got that they haven't? Maybe it's a Shih Tzu - but be careful how you say that!

When Debbie met Harry

No self-respecting politician would be complete without a lapdog at their side, would they?  Debbie has Harry the Shih Tzu. (Debbie - Harry. Blondie fan??) Harry has his own Twitter account, and has 77 followers. https://twitter.com/shiz_harry (Or at least he did have a Twitter account - things have a habit of disappearing these days once old Stan has revealed them to the world). This is 21 more followers than Debbie herself so maybe the Labour Party should have stuck a red rosette on Harry and put him forward as their candidate. Harry posts regularly and supported Owen Smith in the recent leadership contest.

Harry - I am disappointed in you, backing that loser. But in fairness to Harry he was probably only mimicking owner Mike, who was one of the NPT councillors who signed a national letter of 1,000 councillors supporting Oily Smith. That action should make some of what I call "proper" Labour people sit up and take note of where Mike's particular brand of socialism lies. There were six in NPT in total, the others being Cllrs Andrew Jenkins, Anthony Taylor, Edward Jones, John Warman and Kristine Lloyd.

http://labourlist.org/2016/08/500-labour-councillors-why-we-are-backing-owen-smith-to-continue-the-fight-against-austerity/

Debbie also supported Oily Smith. Just as well or Mike would never have got a free haircut again.

It would be remiss of me if I failed to mention that Christina Rees and Jeremy Miles were also staunch supporters of the would-be assassin, Smith. Debbie had better hope they are shrewder judges of potential local councillors than of Labour Party leaders because it was pretty obvious to anyone with half a brain cell that Oily was nowhere near cutting the mustard as someone to deliver the Labour Party out of its  slump.

Debbie's leaflet disappoints

I'm not very impressed with Debbie's promotional leaflet. She doesn't identify a solitary local issue, instead asking for people's views as to what is important. If she had a finger on the pulse of the community there's surely something she could have found to hang her red beret on to? The leaflet makes anodyne, woolly statements like "I am standing as candidate for the County Borough Council so I too can help the people of Dyffryn to have a better place to live and a place they can be proud of." Exactly how she will make the place better, Debbie doesn't say, and it would be wrong for her to assume the people who live there aren't proud of their community now. She gives us nothing in regard to past achievements, special skillsets or anything else that might make her stand out as the best person for the job. All we get is someone who recently became turned on politically and wants to make a difference. In her leaflet, no CV related to work she has done in the Dyffryn community and no manifesto for what she might do there if elected. Perhaps it's just the first leaflet of several.

I don't want to pour cold water on that spark of enthusiasm and the desire to help people that Debbie has found in the last few years. I actually think it's admirable. But I believe her ambition to aim for a County Borough Council seat so soon after developing this interest is a step too far. I also think Labour should contest all the seats in NPT so it's good they have found someone with the balls (metaphorical, obviously) to contest Dyffryn - isn't it, Ali and Mike? It's good that voters get a choice, that's the healthy democracy we want to see. Equally Labour should not be allowed ANY uncontested seats in this coming election. They were gifted four in 2012 due to them being uncontested. That is not good for local democracy even if in those seats the donkey vote was almost certain to prevail. But I am surprised, given the scale of the task for Labour to seize Dyffryn, that they've pushed Debbie forward. Dyffryn is no place for a novice. And by her own admission Debbie is new to this game. But that's only my opinion. The people will decide in the end.

My gut feeling is the Labour Party and Debbie know that the task to take Dyffryn will be mammoth and very unlikely to succeed. But I also think that Debbie will be looked after when it's over, by being found some other future position be it a candidate in a safer slot should one arise, or maybe even offered a job, who knows. While we're on this subject Jeremy Miles has a vacancy for an office manager right now. No point in me putting in an application, I suppose?

And back to No. 39 - again

Just one final thing before I end this long, but hopefully illuminating post, and it's still about Debbie's leaflet. It's signed off as "Printed and promoted by Eifion Jenkins on behalf of Debbie Harvey, both at 39, Windsor Road, Neath, SA11 1NB". We all know that address is Christina Rees' office, rented off the Neath Constituency Labour Party, and paid for by us - the rent, the rates, the phone, the electricity, the gas, the nice big TV they've got in there that they (we!) bought for £284 in May 2016 (don't worry, it's licensed - we pay for that too), etc. etc. So I do hope that these leaflets haven't been printed on the photocopier or printer WE pay for in Ms Rees' office. Or the copying paper we pay for. But even if Neath Constituency Labour Party have a completely separate facility in that office - what's the copier powered by, because for damned sure it's us picking up the electricity bills!

It's about time this mutually beneficial relationship between our MP and Neath CLP was exposed for the sham it is and the loopholes closed once and for all! Because rest assured, the Neath CLP have been doing very, very nicely for many, many years from this arrangement. And if they want to take me head on about this, notwithstanding they have a valuer's report for the rent that's paid there - do so - I'd love you to!

And so it ends - or does it?

That's all for now. But do keep an eye out for Mr and Mrs Harvey, because as far as the local Labour Party and NPT Council are concerned, you know, I think they are going places - but just not in Dyffryn in 2017!