Saturday 30 January 2010

Have Rochdale Lib Dems "airbrushed out" their most prominent BME muslim politician?

Has anyone seen this man recently?

Cllr Sharif

Mohammad Sharif seems to have disappeared from public view. It probably isn't anything sinister. Fear not dear reader, this isn't a manhunt. It's not as if we are suggesting the police want Cllr Sharif to help them with enquires or anything like that.

Mohammad Sharif is the political figurehead of Rochdale's regeneration. An important job and prominent role given there is talk of hundreds of millions of pounds of "exciting regeneration" promised for our town.

Or is that "exiting" regeneration? Rochdale Lib Dems keep losing their councillors and little helpers. Sacked, de-selected, "retired" or jumped ship to become independent.

Cllr Sharif's "Regeneration Cabinet portfolio" position seems to be a poisoned chalice. Is that why he is rarely seen in public to explain what has gone so wrong?

The wheels have clearly fallen off Rochdale's regeneration.

Following this week's front page news in the Rochdale Observer, today the BBC started to investigate the facts about Rochdale town centre.
What is Rochdale Council going to do RIGHT NOW about saving independent businesses in our town?

We don't need patronising promises of "jam tommorrow"
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1390/746233407_9265733366_o.jpg
BBC News came to Rochdale to investigate. So where was Cllr Mohammad Sharif- Portfolio holder for Regeneration?

Why has Mohammad been "airbrushed" out of the media spotlight?

Instead of Cllr Sharif, we were treated to the wisdom of "millionaire" hairdresser - Cllr Gregory Couzens.

http://www.hilariousheadlines.com/talk/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/zoolander.jpg


Why?

RAW might have the answer.
Have we discovered secret footage of disturbing media coaching techniques?
Is that really Roger Ellis in a curly white wig?
Is that diddy DJ Dave Hennigan on the decks?
Is this how Greg is 'briefed' on how to gush about Rochdale's future promise of "exciting regeneration"?

17 comments:

The bum's Rush said...

Is this the same Mohammad Sharif that Dave Hennigan described as "useless"?

Dave has form - he has also been heard describing Education boss Zulf Ali as "thick".

this folly should walk said...

were the Fire Brigade called out to Rochdale Town centre today?
From the interview I saw on BBC North West Tonight, Cllr Zoolander's pants were on fire.

Has this fool been lobotomised? Greg Couzen's answers were more twisted than a 1980's footballer's perm.

As false as the roman pillars outside his hairdressers.

Knock off Gucci type symbol said...

Wwelcolme to yor relaxation time...let this wonderful 80's classic sooth you."...

"obey my dog"...

and

"do what you have been trained to do..."

..."In your little blue suit and your spikey hair, you're a super hot ninja"

classic.

But the thought of shallow,image obsessed, brainwashed morons doing the bidding of sinister business interests is a little far fetched.

Isn't it?

Unknown said...

It seems disgraceful then to me that a Liberal Democrat controlled Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council are left dragging lamely behind the rest of the country once again by being totally out of step with this cross party political coalition to tackle street homelessness by 2010 with their frankly callous & ill conceived proposals to shut the only existing Street Homeless Day Centre in Middleton at Brentwood, Long Street...which requires a paltry £25,000 whilst at the very same time paying a £68,000 heating bill on empty Council properties whilst people freeze to death on the streets,alleyways & phoneboxes of Rochdale.

Citizen "Wolfie" Smith was right Power to the People! - these clowns in the Town Hall need to be up in court like those struggling on benefits are if they default on their council tax payments to a council that does not empty bins,grit the roads,deal with urban decline & economic blight - WHAT are we paying money to these fools for?

We'd be better off witholding the money and setting up co-operatives on a street by street basis.

Also is it appropriate that every time Couzens is in the paper he gets a free advert for his hairdressing business in The Walk ? - perhaps he'd like to mention one of the community centres or old folks homes his council is in the proces of shutting down as they clawback one hundred thousand pound they've wasted on financial missmanagement.

QUESTION : Where has all the money gone - and what have we got to show for it?

QUESTION : sixty eight thousand pounds utility bill on ONE empty council building.At least seven thousand empty properties in Rochdale alone - not all Council owned but - how much a year are our local tax payers forking out in Utility bills while the town centre crumbles into ruin?

With the regeneration of the town center and new council offices this bill will massively increase !...Answers please on the back of a Freedom of Information request form comrades!

Ugandan Bananas said...

One must understand that the first priority of the Council is to the Council itself.

There are about 11,000 employees and many tiers of management.

Pensions and wages are the first concern of the Council.

Things like folk getting old are just an inconvenience that spoils the balance sheets.

Useless councillors aiding and abetting just make matters worse.

mole said...

Mo Sharif and Irene Davidson had no chance of getting in front of the TV camera even though Mo is head of Regeneration and Irene is Leader of the Council.

Roger Ellis and Paul Rowen wanted Greg to be leader. It is simple why- he will do as he is told.

So Greg was put forward to speak to the BBC. No disussion with the Lib Dem group - Roger wanted it so it happened.

Democracy eh?!

Focus on Rochdale said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
RAW - Rochdale's Alternative Website said...

Comment taken down "Focus on Rochdale" as some of the things said about Cllr Sharif went too far.

We have no truck with racism.

Anonymous said...

The reason why Mohammad Sharif didn't do the TV interview is because he can't string a coherent sentence together.

Sharif got the Regeneration portfolio as part of a deal to make him look good with the asian electorate (plus the odd deal, nudge nudge, wink wink).

The back scratching goes beyond a few kebab shops getting planning permission or a mosque car park getting tarmaced for free. having Sharif in post allows the RDA to do whatever it wants.

Anyone who has ever been in the same room as Mohammad Sharif knows he has had nothing to do with most of the press releases that have been prepared for him.

Hundreds of million of pounds planned for Rochdale? What overview and scrutiny happens when the department is being fronted by a moron who has does some exceedingly suspect things in the past few years?

But the most scandalous thing is that the dodgy things Sharif has done is just the thin end of the wedge.

The thick end of the wedge contains senior Lib Dems and officers.

WHERE HAS OUR MONEY GONE?

CITIZen SMITH said...

Power to the People!!

COMMUNIQUE from Wolfie,Ken,Tucker & Speed of the TPF

The Tooting Popular Front would like to send fraternal greetings & a message of solidarity to our brothers & sisters in Broadfield Park in their historic popular struggle against brain damadging Town Hall idiocy & fuck wittery of the highest order .

We wish our comrades well in this endeavour & hope our comrades do not weaken under the bombardment of moronic comments & hair gel [ probally tested on accountants] lobbed indescriminatley into the masses from the Masonic Junta of Gangsters & work-dodgers barricaded in the padded Bunker under the Esplanade.

La Lotte Continua Comrades !!

Nurse-P said...

I take it those fraternal greetings weren't from Citizen Cyril Smith or gormless Brother Norm !!!

with friend's like Greg who needs enemies said...

Will this quote come back to haunt Rochdale Lib Dems in 2010? ...

...Councillor Greg Couzens, holder of the Finance Porftfolio for Rochdale Council said:

“Failing to attend appointments to discuss allegations of fraud will not stop Rochdale Council from prosecuting the offender, or having them arrested. Anyone committing an offence against the honest taxpayers of Rochdale will be dealt with by due legal process”

The quote was about some random civilian who had been up in the dock.

Do Greg's stern warnings ring true for everyone in Rochdale?

Anonymous said...

So they are bringing out the tosser for the media or is that the newly created post of ambassador for the town centre! When I last looked at the definition of ambassador one of the meaning of the word was "an official agent with a special mission". Is that special mission to talk shit, deflect shit and keep Banana Man in Westminster?

Kurt W said...

No Ferrero Rocher for Greg the ambassador's party!

The 5 dozen ordered for the cancelled 'celebration' went off over christmas and were thrown away with the "Congratulations - New Leader of the Council" banner.

But bide your time Greg - Irene was only ever a stopgap - your day will come. You will one day stand on the balcony of the Town Hall with your adoring masses cheering you from below.

It is your destiny.

Anonymous said...

Nurse -P The Tooting Popular Front is scrupulous in its vetting process for membership all our members have to have IQ's in double figures - unlike the Normski Cyril[osis] Smith Clan who are interested in nothing but their own class & self intrests.

Even Speed is a collosus of intelectual endeavour compared to the likes of Comrade Couzens...he should be in a Siberian Salt Mine with a tootpick if there was any justice ?

We are sure come The Glorious day those responsible for our current calamity will be cleaning the trans-pennine rail link 24/7 ...WITHOUT...toothbrushes for crimes against the peopleof Rochdale ...Bop Bop Bop LOL!!

Power to the People Comrades

Yellow Pages said...

Does Mohammad Sharif still run that odd little insurance business? Does he still work as a security guard in Manchester too?

With a billion pounds of "exciting regeneration" on the cards you have to wonder where he gets all the time.

Does he have any other "little earners" on the side?

Anonymous said...

The knives are out for Mohammad.

That nice Irene Davidson and that Nice Jean Ashworth have just put the knive in his back.

£1 sale of council/RDA land for "asian" houses.

Is that the feint whiff of Lib Dem racism?

Is this the start of the Angie Coric/Paul Rowen attack on Mohammad Sharif?