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[BOLD]I THINK THAT 3.95% (4% BASICALLY, WHO ARE THEY TRYING TO KID?)IS ALMOST [italic]DOUBLE[/italic] THE RATE OF INFLATION!!!!!!!!! I WATCH WITH BAITED BREATH TO SEE THE % INCREASE IN THE [italic]CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S[/italic] [italic]SALARY[/italic] AND OVERALL PACKAGE THIS YEAR, ALONG WITH THAT OF THE REST OF THE HIERARCHY THIS YEAR BECAUSE IF THEY GET INFLATION BUSTING PAY RISES IN LINE WITH [italic]THIS[/italic] RISE IN OUR COUNCIL TAX LIABILITY THEN IT WILL TALLY THAT THE COUNCIL TAX HAS BEEN INCREASED SIMPLY TO COVER THOSE SALARY INCREASES AND THE LEADER'S COMMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE-FOCUSED SERVICES WILL BE ANOTHER BOUT OF LIP SERVICE (BULLSH!T) WHILE DIPPING INTO OUR HARD EARNED CASH ONCE AGAIN TO REWARD PEOPLE THAT DO NOT GENERALLY DESERVE IT. **** I HOPE THERE ARE GOING TO BE CHANGES IN THE COMING ELECTIONS. THERE ARE A LOT OF ROTTEN APPLES IN THIS COUNTY AND THEY'RE NOT IN THE DALEK-LIKE COMPOST BINS THAT WERE FLY-TIPPED ONTO OUR FRONT GARDENS WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION, THEY'RE ALL IN [italic]CAMBRIA HOUSE[/italic] , OOPS, SORRY, THE MULTI-MILLION £ COSTING [italic]COUNTY HALL[/italic] AS IT IS NOW KNOWN, FULL OF PLUSH OFFICES AND SCORES OF SQUARE FEET OF UNUSED SPACE IN THE FRONT LOBBY ALONE. [italic]THAT'S[/italic] WHAT I THINK!!!!![/BOLD]

[bold][italic]"we are focused on ensuring we maintain both the high quality and the range of services to our customers"[/italic][/bold] WE ARE [bold]NOT[/bold] YOUR CUSTOMERS MR DAVIES. YOU AND YOUR CRONIES AT COUNTY HALL ARE OUR SERVANTS ALTHOUGH YOU BEHAVE AS IF YOU THINK YOU ARE OUR MASTERS!!!!!!! HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY ACTUALLY ELECTED YOU?????? A FEW DOZEN??? COUPLE OF HUNDRED AT MOST I SHOULD GUESS!!!!!! WHY CAN'T YOU PEOPLE JUST SPEAK IN PLAIN SIMPLE LANGUAGE!!!!!!! [bold]DON'T PATRONISE US!!!!!![/bold]

CUSTOMERS SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST DEAL AND CHOOSE TO PART WITH THEIR MONEY WHEN THEY FIND SOMETHING THAT THEY LIKE. YOU CAN BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR THAT IF MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY WERE YOUR CUSTOMERS, MOST OF YOU WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK TO FARMING AND THE OTHER INDUSTRIES THAT YOU COME FROM WHICH IN THE MOST PART OFFER NO FOUNDATION FOR CREDENTIALS TO BE A COMPETENET COUNCILLOR, LET ALONE [bold]LEADER[/bold] OF AN AUTHORITY. YOU WOULD BE A HIGH PRICE COMMODITY THAT ONLY THE RICH COULD AFFORD. AS IT IS, THE PRICES OF YOUR SERVICES, SALARIES AND EXPENSES (SOMETIMES PAID TWICE FOR THE SAME THING) ARE IMPOSED UPON US WITH A LOAD OF PATRONISING TWADDLE THAT YOU EXPECT THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTY TO SWALLOW. [bold]CUSTOMERS!!!! PAH! IT WOULD BE LAUGHABLE IF IT WEREN'T SO DOWNRIGHT BL00DY DISGRACEFUL!!!![/bold] WHY DON'T YOU COME OVER TO TESCO PEMBROKE DOCK ONE DAY, STAND OUTSIDE FOR AN HOUR AND SEE HOW PEOPLE REACT TO YOUR COMMENTS AND 'JUSTIFICATION' FOR SUCH A HUGE HIKE IN THEIR COUNCIL TAX RATES.

Calm down, calm down. I think Mr Doe has some anger management issues. You're going to give yourself a heart attack old man.

Mr Doe is correct. We pay all this council tax but get little in return. Dimond Street is absolutely filthy, the rubbish hangs around there until the wind blows it away. And as for the rear entrance to St Govans shopping centre, the old railway lines in Gordon Street and Water street well...............I 'm lost for words.

RELAX GUYS---THE LOCAL ELECTIONS ARE COMING!!! LET US SEE WHAT THE "CUSTOMERS" SAY!!!!!

Clearly Mr Doe has all the answers, we can look forward to his success and wisdom at the May elections, if such a person exists.

I don't have all answers but that doesn't prohibit me from having an opinion when I feel that the people of this county are being taken for mugs by Mr Davies and his Cabinet Cronies. You might be willing to subsidise our Chief Exec's extortionate salary and vehicle allowance etc without questioning the value for money but I'm not. Opposition in politics is as important as government.

I assumed everyone knew that JOHN DOE was an American term they used for an unidentified male corpse, or an emergency room patient. I did a Wikipedia search and apparently the name was first used back in the reign of Edward III. I guess we can therefore assume John Doe of Pembroke Dock is a figment of his imagination and is hiding behind an assumed name. A bit like our Independent Political Group at County Hall, who hide their try political colours and say they are "Independent". That said, JD has no right to be so abusive towards John Davies and I treat those comments with the contempt they deserve.

The main cause for this increase can be found in Mr Davies comment "with only a 2% increase in our grant from the Welsh Assembly Government." The Welsh Assembly is a drain on us all the fat cats in Cardiff are growing fatter while the rest of us pay through the nose. How many of us got a 4% pay rise this year to enable us to pay this increase? Make sure you all vote at the forthcoming local elections and hit these local councillors where it hurts, by removing them from office and therefore losing there inflated expense accounts.

Andrew, John Doe is my REAL name, I live in Pennar a few hundred yards from Brian Hall and am known to most people around here. Check your facts BOYO! You treat my comments with as much contempt as you like, you will find more people in agreement with me than not, just check out the "Should Brian Hall Stand Down" article which is still riding high in the Western Telegraph 'most read' charts! And don't believe everything you read on Wikipedia, it's about as reliable as the IPG. We've got the wealthy in this county that can afford to build "farmworkers accommodation" on their land and do not need to worry about how high the council tax charges are. We've got low lifes that have never done a day's work in their lives, spend their benefits on fags and booze and never pay any council tax at all. Then in the middle we've got normal, hard working family folk that get taxed until the cows come home. And then people like you wonder why we get angry with the pigs from county hall with their snouts constantly in the trough??? Take a dose of reality pal. I guess it's a simple co-incidence that John Davies appointed himself the highest paying special duty available??? You're naive at best Andrew. Take a look at a few articles on Cllr Stoddart's website, that will give you the measure of some of the people involved in the decision making in this county! [bold]http://freespace.vir gin.net/oldgrumpy.mi ke/Rent.html[/bold]

John Doe, I used the word "assume" which allows for the possibility that the name was a pseudonym, so dont be abusive by telling me to check my fact. You say a lot of people know you. You call me naive, but I call you sad. I do read Mike Stoddart's web-site, but I dont treat it as Gospel. You seem to see the worst in everyone and NEVER any good. I am NOT standing up for Davies and the cabal, but I believe in seeing good in people and if all you see is bad, do something about it and stand in May's elections. You have a lot to say. Let the electorate say what they think of your preachings. As so many people know you, either they like you or they think you are a merchant .... I am sitting on the fence on this issue, as I wouldnt dare be abusive to someone I dont know as I believe in respect.

You carry on as you like Andrew. Why don't you list all of the GOOD things about the Leader? And when people get bored, they can read another of Cllr Stoddart's articles: http://freespace.vir gin.net/oldgrumpy.mi ke/Luke.html That gives an insight into how some of our politicians (ab)use the public purse. This article was opened to comments, I did not request you to comment on me personally, which you have done. Telling you to check your facts is not abusive, calling you an IMBECILE would be abusive but I'd never lower myself. I would believe anything on Stoddart's site, his FACTS are always backed up with EVIDENCE. I've no aspirations to hold public office at my time of life, been there, done that years ago. Luckily though, we live in a country which allows free speech, even to the point of threatening to break people's limbs and kill them, oh hang on, that rings a bell.

If John Doe is who he says he is in Pennar, I take it he will be equally critical of the labour group on the council including his mate Anthony Wilcox who voted for the rise. Will the real Mr Doe come forward ? - I doubt it very much.

yes. this rise is unacceptable to the public and all who voted for it need to be accountable. increases in fuel costs, energy costs, tax costs, food costs, they're bleeding the working classes dry. when the governement is advocating pay rises should be limited to the rate of inflation, rises in the cost of such utilities should also be limited by law.

The cabinet HA HA was promoted by government to speed up decision making by the council but in fact it means the offices make the decisions and the cabinet rubber stamps.The majority of councillors who are supposed to represent you have no say. A complete change of councillors attitude is required perhaps the electorate may make the change on their behalf. I am afraid I will not be standing anymore.

As Michael Winner would say, 'Calm down gentlemen, calm down'. Things could be worse, just think if the ruling party had called themselves the 'Democratic Independent Political Party' - what a joke that would have been. In a past life they must have all been bus drivers as they,ve certainly taken us all for a ride this last few years!

Bus Drivers. Ha, that's almost a Freudian slip Reg because I know a few county councillors personally and their vocational background and qualifications and level of logic and intelligence and awareness of what is important to normal people truly frightens me. (no offence intended to bus drivers) Barrie Woolmer is right to a degree. But what is needed is not just a massive change in personnel,but more importantly a change in the system that they adopt. Maybe IPG should have called themselves the [bold]D[/bold]emocratic [bold]I[/bold]ndependent [bold]C[/bold]ouncil [bold]K[/bold]lan. I appreciate that it's an extremelely difficult job and that there are councillors that truly do the job for highly commendable reasons, but a regular read of Cllr Stoddart's column will show you that there are MANY that hold the public in total contempt with their words and actions. I also agree with the comment about the WAG. I'm a very proud Welshman but independence is nonsense. We've enough overpaid fools in London running the country. The WAG is just another drain on resources at the end of the day. One of their great claims to fame is introducing 'free prescriptions'. THEY'RE NOT [bold]FREE!!![/bold] We just don't pay directly at the point of pickup anymore. But with hikes in Council Tax at twice the rate of inflation because of supposedly lowly budgets handed down from Cardiff to the local authority, you can bet your bottom dollar (if you have any left) that we [bold]ARE[/bold] indeed paying. John Davies would have been better off saying this: [bold]"The bottom line is folks, the funding from Cardiff is quite meagre this year to say the least. I'm sorry that we've had to increase the council tax by nearly 4% but I promise that it is required. To offset the shock somewhat I shall be ordering a full audit of councillors travelling and subsistence expenses to ensure that the council is run to the highest ethical standards, as I promised when I took office. I shall also be foregoing a pay rise this year, as I accept I am already very highly paid for the job that I do, have a very high annual disposable income and I call on my fellow councillors to show dedication to the people of Pembrokeshire to follow my lead and do the same, including Bryn the Chief Exec. I hope that this will show people that I and other county councillors do indeed have the best interests of the people of this county at the top of our priorities and we're not just a 'jobs for the boys' gang."[/bold] People would have said, d.a.m.n. this fellow is genuine after all. Instead of that, we get patronised by getting called [bold]CUSTOMERS.[/bold] So, forgive me if I appear angry, but the likes of Andrew Lye and others like him using the same rehtoric as the people he is actually complaining about achieve nothing. These people respond only to firm pressure and straight talking. Just look at Brian Hall's fall from grace. You think that would have happended without the constant pressure applied over time by Cllr Stoddart? I think not. A council full of honest and forthright people like Stoddart would make for a much better system. [bold]Nobody's perfect, but some are a lot further from it than others!!!!![/bold]

John Doe - you are a liar. No two ways about it. It is a pseudonym that you adopted when you were slating Brian Hall. Be a grown up and be honest.

john doe your brillant

and they called ME childish :-)

You lot in Pembrokeshire do not know the half of it, living in whitland where I am paying a £1016 compared to your £780, I would say to the ungrateful John Doe and co be thankful that you don't live in Carmarthenshire or any other county in Wales for that matter.

That's no reason for us to be thankful Mike, just for you to be even less thankful than us for your authority!

It seems rather open ended there would have been a rise in council tax, what is debatable is the standard of help/ services the host local authority can offer to substantiate it as the lady in Pembroke Dock pointed out. Mr Doe is to me jolly good at shooting from the hip, god hundreds of years ago people were cursing the taxes upon them, now someone who speaks up in much the same way has to take almost a sanctuary practically, why? County Council Leader John Davies has merely chartered on the rise chanted by the WAG's a dog and tail so to speak, but the main bark comes from central government, they are only as strong as we let them. I don't agree with the vast complex of the County Council offices, outside it reminds me of a souped up version of dracula's castle and has anyone ever been in the typing pools upstairs? a sitting room of hornets springs to mind, serving the county poor people. Mr Davies called the people of his pembrokeshire 'customers' alas it has come to that but we shouldn't stand for it, it is indeed a quite silly remark not at all productive. If "The life of Brian" is politically over for Mr Hall, it isn't any use in staying with that tune so please vote next time very carefully or we might be burdened with another type of a 'bickus dickus' we shall see.

well said John Doe,perhaps you can pop up to my neck of the woods and give my councillors a good talking too,originally from Pembroke(Monkton) i wouldnt mind my ransom demand,ooops i mean council tax set at the level you got,just over the grand here now,not the highest but Pembroke sounding nicer place to go back too

Thank you Chris. For every criticism, friends, family and fellow Masons come out of the woodwork in defense of their own. You'd be a relation to Steven Drugan then :-)

Correct John Doe,small world isn't it.My thanks to the staff at Western telegraph,for keeping the likes of me updated with news from home.

Correct John Doe,small world isn't it.My thanks to the staff at Western telegraph,for keeping the likes of me updated with news from home.

I would like to make it very clear that John Doe is absolutely [bold]no[/bold] relation of mine whatsoever. I am using my correct name. He is making his up.

Actually Sue, we [bold]are[/bold] related by marriage although you may not be aware of it and John Doe actually IS my real name as Mr Drugan's brother would confirm.

Sue????

Now we know why the tax has been increased, Welsh Assembly members voted themselves an 8.5% rise today. Thurs 6/3/08 source BBC Wales News. The fat cats get fatter on our backs....

Now we know why the tax has been increased, Welsh Assembly members voted themselves an 8.5% rise today. Thurs 6/3/08 source BBC Wales News. The fat cats get fatter on our backs....

I rest my case..........let's wait and see what our Chief Exec, Illustrious Leader and Foot Soldiers award themselves also.... Can't wait to see how this is defended.....

http://news.bbc.co.u k/1/hi/wales/7281993 .stm There you go, an "increased workload". They apparently have attempted to avoid some of the flak by saying they need to look at allowances claims........not bad for a governmental system just a few years old, got it wrong at the outset. Bad enough being sucked dry by the English without having our own Welsh scumsuckers. Absolute travesty it really is. This world will soon implode.

Sadly we appear to be stuck with this lot. By all means give them there rise but cut the amount of them by half. Same goes for pembs/county council there is no way we require sixty especially in the rural north of the county

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