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Charm offensive 'has work cut out'

2:02pm Friday 30th May 2008

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WELSH Labour has launched a national charm offensive to win back voters, kicking off in Cwmbran today.

The party's candidates for next year's European parliamentary elections will be unveiled in the town this afternoon, with a promise to "reconnect" the party with hardworking families across Wales.

But in Torfaen the party will have its work cut out.

The visit to Cwmbran comes amid local fury after Labour was controversially returned to power in Torfaen Council thanks to the support of three Plaid Cymru and two independent councillors.

The Torfaen People's Coalition, made up of independent, Conservative, People's Voice and Liberal Democrat councillors, is opposing the leadership.

And one independent councillor is looking into the possibility of a referendum to change the council's constitution so all parties are proportionally represented.

Today Labour's European candidates Eluned Morgan, Derek Vaughan, Lisa Stevens and Gareth Williams will launch Labour's new In touch: On the Ground campaign, a series of visits across the country.

They will visit the Savy youth skills project, based in the Cwmbran Centre for Young People, which has received £1.17m of European structural funds. Candidates will visit a series of community projects, hold public meetings, set up street stalls to bring senior politicians to people's doorsteps and launch a new web initiative so people can stay in touch online.

Mrs Morgan said the project was just one example of projects delivered by Labour with European cash helping to up-skill and regenerate Welsh communities.

She promised to engage in discussion and debate with ordinary people across Wales and show them that Labour is fighting for them.

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angry, Cwmbran says...
9:55am Sun 1 Jun 08

Bit late. Surely the Labour party in Torfaen realise how much people abhor them? Or are they so far up their own anal passages to see what us people want? The latter I think.
It makes me laugh that they knocked down a swimming baths in the middle of the night and after the shocking results at the local elections, they are now attempting to get it rebuilt. Its laughable!!!
As for this charm offensive....I suggest the Labour Party get rid of the 1 person that people despise the most.....BOB WELLINGTON. In every other part of the country, having lost nearly 50% of their seats, the Leader would have been forced to resign. Why was he not kicked out with the dirty water huh??

He is obviously running scared himself. He was driving around his ward yesterday with a loud hailer, telling people about his surgery! I laughed my head off. It has done nothing more than prove how scared his is.

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Cllr fred wildgust, pontypool says...
10:33am Sun 1 Jun 08

Is that really true about the loud hailer? If it is its so funny.

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angry, Cwmbran says...
11:43am Sun 1 Jun 08

It is very true. A friend in his ward told me.


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jodie, thornhill says...
12:03pm Sun 1 Jun 08

very true Cllr Wildgust, he had speaker phone driving around promoting his surgery.. NOONE WIL BOTHER USING IT MR WELLINGTON.. I will be contacting cllr lewis the independent, she is doing a home visit surgery. WHICH IS what i will be using.why should we come to your surgery mr wellington, when you have angered the people of Torfaen. Im just glad i have an independent to go to now. thank god she got in

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jodie, Thornhill says...
12:21pm Sun 1 Jun 08

Dnt think my prev posting worked..

Yes mr wildgust MR Wellington was driving around with speakers promoting his surgery. A DESPERATE MAN.
Nothing he says or does will undo the mess hes made and the slimey behaviour of those 5. Try as you will mr wellington, shout through those speakers- you are just making a fool of yourself. I will not be attending your surgey, i will be using cllr lewis home visit surgery. Thank god an independent got in up here. Lease i have someone genuine to turn to now.

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Mrs A N GRY, Pontypool says...
4:15pm Sun 1 Jun 08

Cllr John Cunningham was strutting around Pontypool town centre Friday pm looked very drunk, people were laughing. Glad to see nothing changes there them. I relished, scurillous jerk.

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Cllr fred wildgust, pontypool says...
8:48pm Sun 1 Jun 08

I cant believe it.... He must be utterly desperate.

Everyone should attend his surgery, it be the first time he has met real constituents in years...

He is the leader of the council he can cure your problems with a single phone call, use him!!!!

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Alan Warren, Abersychan says...
12:42pm Tue 3 Jun 08

I believe that EVERYONE should visit Bob Wellington at his surgery! Just express your concerns and make him realise the gravity of the situation. No need to be angry as that will just aggravate the situation. A steady drip of water will brekk the stone rather than a sudden angry rush of water!

Good luck with all this upsurge of interest and I sincerely hope that the council will reappraise the situation. If councillors really represented the community that elected them they would gracefully resign from their positions to allow true democracy to take place. At least then they can salvage some self respect from their communities.

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Poppy, Henllys says...
7:15pm Tue 3 Jun 08

Anyone who voted Labour in the local or any other elections should visit their local Mental Health Dept. A vote for Labour is a vote for the party who have an obsession with controlling and interfering in our lives, a mania for useless and costly legislation, and a total lack of moral direction. They are a spent force and the vacuity of everything they represent is now apparent. A vote for Labour was a vote in support of the ten wasted years in which our leaders have squandered a fortune on pointless and illegal wars which have virtually bankrupted the country, have helped the rich get richer and the poor poorer, whilst all the time conning us into believing things have never been so good. New Labour is the biggest con ever to have been played on the British people. We've fallen for it long enough. Now that they have finally run out of steam and haven't even got the energy to bother going on making their lies and deceit convincing, it is time for them all to go. A vote for Labour was a vote for a failed, morally bankrupt administration that has apparently lost the will to live. Should have voted for anyone, but not for this pack of sanctimonious, patronising and thoroughly deceitful hippocrites.
And the famous five think they voted for STABILITY! HA! Who are they kidding? It was power and money.

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harry, henllys says...
11:57pm Thu 19 Jun 08

Here's a reasonable thought that the TPO group leader Councillor Stuart Evans and the other Independants etc ought to consider, before offering support to the proposed march and thereby condeming themselves if it all goes wrong; in that: if, given his belief of the alleged mis-feeling within Torfaen as he states (and presumably Councillor Fred Wildgust is a man of principle who evidently feels so strongly and is so determined to make a real point) then why doesn't he take a leaf out of one of our members book, MP David Davies and do the same thing and resign, thereby generating a bi-election and then see if he still gets re-elected. This way he will prove to everyone and Labour that he's honourable and ultimately right, given the overwhelming vote that he will undoubtably get if he's right.

If he is so sure of his cause, all his supporters will come out and his exhaltation will be decisive, which is what he claims by the amount of correspondence he allegedly suggests he has got, as stated in tonights in tonights Argus.

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Mr Anonymous, cwmbran says...
3:42pm Tue 1 Jul 08

Maria Graham has done well for her self since her days as a waitress at the Zahair Hotel Abu Dhabi in 1991. She is the most immoral person I have known and only cares about one person numero uno and the people of Torfaen have been deceived in more ways that one. Met Jeff whats his name? a couple of times and got the impression he is a - what can you do for me - person, but i could be wrong.

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