Propaganda is a form of communication, often biased or misleading in nature, aimed at influencing an - Friday 22 September 2017

By Putting Hartlepool First

Propaganda is a form of communication, often biased or misleading in nature, aimed at influencing and altering the attitude of a population toward some cause, position or political agenda in an effort to form a consensus to a standard set of belief patterns. The following is a message from Putting Hartlepool First Councillor David Riddle. Please take 5 minutes of your time to read it. Thanks. In the last 4 weeks, three members of the Labour group have asked me individually why Im so off message as a councillor. Theres no short answer to a question like that. But there is an expansive detailed answer which Im more than happy to share. Allow me to elaborate. Its now ten years since Hartlepool Borough Council rubber stamped plans for the Victoria Harbour development. At the time of approval we were told because of the scheme, residents can look forward to 3,500 new houses, a new school, a coastal walkway and an innovative pedestrian cycle bridge linking the Headland with Hartlepool Marina. In total we were assured Hartlepool would benefit to the tune of 500 million worth of investment. The scheme was announced 3 months prior to the election of 2006 but was later paused, apparently due to the looming economic crisis. Coincidentally, the scheme was promoted again with the message This will happen, splashed across The Hartlepool Mail in April 2009, once again shortly before the local election. This time, despite still being caught up in the fallout from the biggest global economic crisis in modern history, we were told the investment for Hartlepool now stood at a cool BILLION pounds. Yes, the proposed investment had literally doubled in value DURING the economic collapse. We were also now told it would now lead to 6,500 jobs, more than enough to eradicate unemployment in Hartlepool completely. The development itself barely got beyond the computer generated consultants graphics. More good news for Hartlepool came in 2008 when residents were promised they would benefit from a 660 bed, 300 million pound super hospital. Labour councillors, much to the frustration of most of the town who were perfectly content with Hartlepools existing hospital, supported the proposal. Designs were commissioned, promises were made, politicians posed for photos and a site was chosen at Wynyard. Nearly a decade went by, before our Labour MP finally accepted what many had predicted all along. The development itself, in real terms, barely got beyond the stage of a plastic model. Also in 2008, in what looked set to be a good year for Health and Social Care in Hartlepool, we were told in May The future of a oncegrand building, Tunstall Court, could be secured, via plans to create a multimillion pound care home. Promises of jobs, state of the art facilities, regeneration and investment were made. Fast forward 7 years and the plans have since been replaced by wrecking balls and bulldozers. The future of the once grand building is no longer secure. It no longer exists. It was also 2008 when we heard about what remains possibly Hartlepool Councils most extravagant claim to date. As part of the paused Victoria Harbour development first put forward 2 years earlier, meat was added to the bones of a bridge which would connect the Headland to the Marina. World renowned artist Anish Kapoor had reportedly designed the 520 foot 15 million structure specifically for Hartlepool. It would rival a similar one hed designed for Chicago no less. We were told it would boost Hartlepools tourism in the way Anthony Gormleys Angel of the North had benefitted Tyneside. Perhaps in a candid Freudian slip, hinting at its likelihood, the then Mayor Stuart Drummond admitted I saw a brief sketch on a piece of paper a couple of years ago. As the months ticked by, that brief sketch was as far as the project got before it reared its head again in 2009 as part of the revisited 1 billion harbour project. In addition 2009 saw the promise of a floating hotel which would bring 2030 jobs as well as more mutlimillion investment in the marina area. This particular announcement was made in February. Just a few short months later Labours Mayoral election candidate Chris Simmons finished a humiliating third behind Ian Cameron and the by now 3 time triumphant Stuart Drummond. From that point, the plans for the floating hotel, much like Simmonds wider political ambitions, metaphorically sank without trace. Moving forward to 2011, the possibility off 1000 jobs was dutifully announced in The Hartlepool Mail as we were told the town looked set to become the heart of the countries wind farm industry. The 125 million pound super deal was within touching distance of Hartlepool and could have transformed the employment opportunities of a generation of workers. Perhaps not surprisingly, it didnt happen and Hartlepool lost out to Leith in Edinburgh. Iain Wright expressed his disappointment and got the train back to London. So to summarize the situation Ive outlined so far, between 2006 and 2011, the residents of Hartlepool were tantalized by the imminent possibility of a 1 billion harbour development , a 300 million super hospital, a multimillion care home, a floating hotel, a 15 million bridge and a total of around 8,000 new jobs, literally none of which came to fruition. So what happened next? What did 2012 bring? In a nutshell it brought more of the same. The Millhouse Master plan launched in 2012 promised an economic boost to the town to the tune of 90 million. Houses, jobs, leisure facilities this master plan had it all, except of course for the most vital ingredient needed the money to make it happen. As with many previous plans and visions, drawings were done, press releases were dutifully printed in the local paper and as yet, nothing of substance has happened. Then came 2014 and a plan and a series of promises to surpass everything which had gone before it. It was a beast of a plan, a behemouth which promised to pull all of the strings of the numerous previous plans together. In 2014, in January as it happens, a few months before the election, we witnessed the launch of the Hartlepool Vision. It had everything, tens of millions of pounds of projected investment, thousands of jobs, tourism, social and economic prosperity, hell, it even had the red arrows and a giant ferris wheel. The only thing seemingly lacking, was the money to actually make it happen. Money, the exact same sticking point which had put paid to the 1 billion pound Victoria Harbour development, the 300 hospital, the 90 Millhouse master plan, the 15 million footbridge and the multimillion pound floating hotel. Hartlepools outgoing CEO, possibly reading off the same script as his counterpart back in 2009 promised This will happen. He then promptly retired. Still, all is not lost. Prior to this Mays election, another press release has been issued by HBC and faithfully splashed all over The Hartlepool Mail. Weve been promised in 2016 were getting a STEM centre. Call me a cynic, but I wont be holding my breath. For generations, spin, false dawns, broken promises, lies and propaganda have spewed out of Hartlepool Borough Council. All the while our town has gone backwards as a result and now Hartlepool is politically and economically teetering on the edge of an abyss. We need change in 2016 and I for one will be doing my bit to try to facilitate it. So in terms of a shorter answer to the question why am I so off message as a councilor?, to put it as concisely and as clearly as I can I dont believe the message. No amount of propaganda is going to convince me the AkersBelchers, their mam, a few unemployable waifs and strays and Kevin bloody Cranney are the answer to Hartlepools problems. But will it convince YOU, the voting public of Hartlepool? It has before. Will it convince you to vote for them again? Well find out in May. Ten years worth of SPIN from HBC httpwww.hartlepoolmail.co.uknewslocalfloatinghotelisgiventhegoahead11035755 httpwww.hartlepoolmail.co.uknewslocal16315mbridgegiantstep11029333 httpwww.hartlepoolmail.co.uknewslocal163500mharbourplangetsgoahead11007100 httpwww.hartlepoolmail.co.uknewslocalcarehomeplanfortunstallcourt11028001 httpwww.hartlepoolmail.co.uknewslocal1631bschemewillgoahead11036957 httpwww.hartlepoolmail.co.uknewslocaltakealookatvisionforhartlepool16380909 httpwww.hartlepoolmail.co.uknewslocalworldclassmillhousemasterplanworth90mtotowneconomy14664816 httpwww.hartlepoolmail.co.uknewslocalambitiousnewplansforeyesorelongscarcentreinseatoncarew16511638 httpwww.hartlepoolmail.co.uknewslocalwindpowerboostforhartlepool14031953 httpwww.hartlepoolmail.co.uknewshealthtimelineofthehartlepoolwynyardhospitalfiasco16930715

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