Camp Leader Paul Rowen - "has beens" and "toast"?

The comedy crew at Rochdale Lib Dems Drake Street HQ have made the news again with another ridiculous press release of Paul Rowen "demanding action".

Struck by a power cut, Team Rowen were forced to "Carry On...Camping".

Today's Manchester Evening News carries the full sorry tale.

swiftly followed, across the office floor, by the Rochdale Observer

and national infamy for their half baked bean exploits in The Independent.


So what is Paul Rowen publicly "demanding action" about?

Apparently, The Sultans of Spin "our office is open from 9am-5pm" were about to sneak off early at 2.30pm but the power cut meant the shutters couldn't go down on both 144 and 142a Drake Street (Landlords, and recipient of taxpayers' cash, to "both" office(s) is the Rochdale Reform Buildings Ltd).

Messers Swarbrick, Power, Hennigan and Rowen didn't appear happy campers. They had to wait 6 hours. No amount of Parliamentary expenses and allowances could make things better. The cupboard was bare of 40p taxpayers' bananas. They had to rough it round a camp stove, forced to eat a slap up meal... of beans on toast.

If those in the know at Drake Street spill the beans about certain scandals... there would be a huge stink. And that is not hot air!


Recent coverage of Paul Rowen has an increasing air of comedy about it.



The apt photo used by MEN is from a recent banana protest. Camp leader Paul Rowen's woggle looks a bit skewiff.

What else could possibly go wrong for the Drake Street Dream Team?

How to get a job with Paul Rowen MP. 'banana' intern and "Casework Ass"?

In the old TV series The Dukes of Hazard a fat politician called Boss Hogg ran a town with the help of his moronic family and friends.

Obviously the TV show was fiction. The very idea of overweight, bullying politicians throwing their weight around with the help of "local" born and inbred "good 'ol boys" who treat "coloured folk" and outsiders in a certain way would be an insult to democracy.

In the ficticious, moonshine drinking, Hazard County it was "who you knew" that helped get a job in politics.

Are there any similarities to TV's Hazard County in Paul Rowen MP's Rochdale?



Reading between the lines of his latest "Letter from Parliament" is most illuminating.

Firstly, there is no mention that Paul's letter isn't from Parliament.

Paul is in Keen-ya. Apparently sunning himself whilst doing charidee work at children's homes.

Does anyone picture portly Paul Rowen in a pith helmet whilst on a colonial verandah, G&T in hand? The Happy Valley of Kenya has a reputation for "fun and games". Were table tennis paddles packed in Paul's trunk? Or will Rochdale's current MP be too busy having slap up meals at various african Rotary clubs?

Will he be planning a trip to the bush? Is he popping over to Uganda to conduct some business in his second paid job working for a property company called Corinya?

At least if in east africa,
Paul Rowen isn't currently sipping his G&T
on a Rochdale Gravy Train.

But the biggest gaffe in Paul latest "Letter from Parliament" is the astonishing revelation of his admission policy for his Westminster interns. Just like Hazard County or Royston Vasey, it appears to be a very "local" matter:

BANANA INTERN



Paul is a bit tender on the intern issue after the revelation that his Parliamentary expenses included 40p for a banana. An 'unpaid intern' was immediately blamed for the fruity claim that was "within the rules".


So how do young Rochdale people become Parliamentary interns for Paul Rowen. Unlike Hazard County, surely this is not a "job for the boys"?

Paul explains:

"I've been very lucky over the last few months to have had a number of young people from Rochdale working as interns in both my London office and in Rochdale. These have included Natassa Malik whose father is a good friend of Sir Cyril Smith, Adam Barber who is the son of my GP and Tom Barlow who is studying A Levels at Oldham Six Form College".

So, it seems to help if daddy is a "good friend" of Cyril Smith or daddy holds Paul Rowen's confidential medical records?



"CASEWORK ASS"

But what about a paid job with Paul Rowen? A job that uses public money? A job that is even advertised for with public money?

Paul Rowen's Parliamentary Incidental Expenses Provision claims for 2008 show an invoice to MEN Media Ltd for £196.81. These were for taxpayer funded adverts in the Rochdale Observer (Saturday and Wednesday), Heywood Advertiser, Rochdale Express and Jobs North West.

(pages 1-3 0f 234 in the 2007/8 IEP pdf file)

The ad's catchline states"Paul Rowen MP Requires a Part Time Secretary/Casework Ass"

We presume the "Ass" is short for assistant rather than Rochdale's current MP being cheeky with public money to advertise for a part time american arse.

We will give that one the benefit of the doubt.

So there we have it. All above board and within the expense rules. Paul Rowen claims money to advertise for a "Casework Ass". MEN Media get the cash, interviews ensue and the best man wins?

So just who got the job as a Paul Rowen MP "Casework Ass" ?

Surely it wasn't John Swarbrick- the "scruffy old man" seen with "agent" Adam Power photographing grafitti recently ?




John Swarbrick had been working for "mystery sheik" right-hand-man Cllr Elwyn Watkins.
Dubbed the 'Scartlet Pimple' because his Healey Ward residents seek him here, there and everywhere but Elwyn is often missing "in Saudi". It is rumoured that John Swarbrick fell out with Elwyn so he stopped working for the busy fella who is also Lib Dem PPC for Oldham.

Then John Swarbrick pops up in the Drake Street Rochdale Lib Dem HQ/Paul Rowen's constituency office, and as "Home Truths" on the Rochdale Online forum.

Is John Swarbrick a Paul Rowen part time "Caseworker Ass" ?

Were the £196.81 for MEN job adverts a waste of time?

Is this an example of "jobs for the boys" in Hazard County?

At last ! - some interest in Kingsway Business Park !!!

Kingsway Business Park.
The £350 million "field of dreams" that has become a failed muddy field of nightmares.


They built it, but no-one has really turned up. Until last week when about 60 travellers wanted to pitch their caravans on the cavernous white elephant part funded by European Regional Aid cash and shedloads of grant money trousered by the Rochdale Development (sic) Agency.


Tens of millions of cash spent on levelling hundreds of acres accessed by empty roads.

Take a visit to see where your money has gone. You will feel like you are on the film set of '28 Days Later' or 'Omega Man'. If you are lucky, you might even see an overpaid suited RDA zombie or PR Agent staggering around chanting about "exciting times".

..."This is where the hotel was going to be before they pulled out", "JD Sports are very interested -if the price is right (and the jobs can be moved from Heywood)"...

With tumbleweed blowing past the "Marketing Suite" it is no wonder Travelling Folk had a go at camping on the massive empty site. It is a lovely, very quiet site, just off the motorway.

In today's Rochdale Observer, poor PR Paul Rowen as current "Liberal" MP came out with a raft of kneejerk soundbites bordering on the racist about the "traveller invasion".

Hats off to the Ob for their private joke. Beside the article is a huge photo of a ruddy faced Rowen with the words:

" 'Disgrace' : Paul Rowen MP".

A disgrace indeed. Several months on, "Banana Boy" still hasn't explained where his double bubble Councillor expenses went to. And there remains a huge black hole in Rochdale Lib Dem Party income and expenditure.

The current Rochdale MP's soundbites are another example of a split personality desperate for votes: Devout and Pro-Palestine yet beer swilling "In-ger-land" stout pub defender. An apparent generous donor (with public council expenses) to "Catholic charities yet behind the scenes someone who is trying to get a local Parish Priest "moved on".

PR Paul really does try to bat for both sides.

Local "Born and Bred" politicians love a bit of Gypsy bashing.

Given his own celtic roots and his employment, at huge public expense, of Dave Hennigan, one would think Paul Rowen would be more understanding of itinerant folk, of Irish descent, with no accountable means of support and varied abode?



Leader of the council Alan Taylor braved the chilly weather to join Paul Rowen in "slamming" the "disgraceful" travellers and doing "everything possible to ensure they move on".



The travellers were seen on a number of empty "bombsites" in Rochdale.
There are now quite a few in the borough.

Rumour is the travellers have a copy of the glossy brouchure from gold plated turd polishers - the Rochdale Development Agency. The impressive tome is called the "Renaissance Masterplan". Although full of "exciting regeneration aspirations" the sites that the RDA have got involved in usually turn into expensive muddy fields.

It seems everything this hugely expensive qualgo touches turns to shite. Perhaps John Hudson and the other grossly overpaid executives who waste public money could do with is some lucky heather.

Or do we all need some clothes pegs? Because the waste and mismanagement of Rochdale Council strategic planners and the RDA is starting to stink.

So, if the Travellers know about the other failed projects that have been 'touched' by the RDA 'magic', watch out for caravans in: Rochdale Town Centre, the old Akzo Chimical Works, old Birch Hill hospital, the failed Artisan/Barrett social housing project on the old Dale Mill site off Albert Royds street, the old Whipp and Bourne site in Castleton...

Those who love our town are sick of hearing lame soundbites from dodgy politicians that dare not scrutinise or challenge the real damage done to Rochdale by the inept, unaccountable, vain and grossly costly failure of town planning and "regeneration" .

The last word about the failure of the RDA and Rochdale Council should go to an unnamed spokesman for the Travelling Community:

"Wherever they go they leave a mess.

It is the taxpayer who has to foot the bill for the shite they leave everywhere.

They cost this town a fortune.

There are supposed to be laws to control this lot.

Can't they just bugger off and do their criminal shenanighans in another local authority ?

Half-finished building projects before disappearing with huge wads of cash?

They are just leaches on society -and have you seen the vehicles they drive?!"

Rochdale - libel threats, sex scandals and brown envelopes...

Lessons from history...

On this day in 1987 Jeffery Archer won a libel case.


Several years later, Lord Archole went to jail for perjury relating to said libel victory.



What is the Rochdale connection and what can be learnt from this sorry tale?

The hubris of Jeffery, the litigious politician, regarded a "brown envelope" stuffed with cash paid to a prostitute from Rochdale called Monica Coglan.


The sum of £2000 now has the moniker of an "Archer".



(perhaps 40p will henceforth be known as a "Rowen" - in homage to overpriced Parliamentary soft fruit paid for by the taxpayer?)

Anyway,back to the 1980's. A time of bad hair and dodgy suits...


(Greg Couzens- NB still a tit but NOT linked to this sex scandal)

Sorry, we digress. Back to the future and 1980's sex scandals involving Rochdale folk...

Pedantic Archer thought he was on firm ground. He knew he hadn't had sex with Monica Coglan. There was a lot of talk of an intermediary, Michael Stacpoole, as being the chap handing the cash over in Mayfair's Shepherd Market on that fateful day. However the real story is more complicated- scurrullous rumour has it that Archer himself was the intermediary for, a then, very high ranking cabinet minister. The ambitious author-cum-politician must be congratulated for his loyalty, silence and vigour in "getting on his bike" to defend this mystery recipient of Ms Coglan's services.

The lesson from the Archer perjury case is clear. Being smart with pedantry regarding libel doesn't cut it with the courts. Anyone who threatens libel and wins a pyrrhic victory must be spotless in character regarding the issues litigated on.

That is probably why Cyril Smith NEVER sued Rochdale Alternative Press or Private Eye over the publication of sexual abuse allegations in 1979. The best defence against libel is the truth. The truth hurts, and can be expensive.

Cyril Smith had to eat his words several times in the 1970's after threats to sue R.A.P. for libel.

Can Rochdale's current MP Paul Rowen be so confident regarding his recent pyrrhic victory over the Guardian Media Group's easy capituation over the Rochdale Observer's article on his controversial Parliamentary expenses?

Has litigious Paul Rowen ever signed a statement of truth or made an oath regarding his libel threats? If conflicting facts emerge about his Parliamentary expenses and Rochdale Liberal Democrat party funding then are those who have had to pay out and "apologise" going to have their day in court?

Journalists and news editors who have been threatened and silenced have long memories.



Some say that Paul Rowen has bingo-ing bananas. Has he made a gamble too far?

Is he drinking, alone, in the last chance saloon?

Rowengate: Art imitates life

Who would have thought a 40p banana claimed by Paul Rowen MP could have caused so much trouble?

It seems, as they used to say on Dad's Army- "they don't like it up em".




The 40p banana was one of the reasons Rochdale's current MP threatened the Guardian Media Group with legal action over the Rochdale Observer's reporting of his claimed Parliamentary expenses. Who bankrolls Mr Rowen's lame legal threats? Is it ultimately the taxpayer? It is if the cash came from his Parliamentary salary, allowances, expesnses or petty cash?

Or would the cash for Paul Rowen to threaten libel actions come from his second job working for a Ugandan property company- Corinya- A company with very close links to a Rochdale based UK company that rents houses and offices in Rochdale Borough - including an office let to Rochdale Council. Was this sweet little property deal done when Paul Rowen was Leader of Rochdale Council? Top banana.

Chris Paul has some excellent photographs of a protest by young constituents who thought "million pound Paul" and his bunch were bananas.
Rather than see the funny side and engage with his electorate, the stout defender of free speech and liberalism wasted police time by demanding an escort from the Broadfield Hotel Chamber of Commerce "breakfast" meeting.


Food for throught indeed. The banana is mightier that the sword.





For years, Paul Rowen has jumped on bandwagons with protests and campaigns. He swears he wants Parliamentary transparency and open governance. Yet he has a shadowy crew that have groomed many on the internet with lies, smears and innuendo. And it seems much of this crew are paid for out of taxpayer's cash. Parliamentary and Rochdale Council income - salaries, allowances and expenses? Cash into a slush fund paid in by certain local grateful or expectant "businessmen"?

Now the worm has turned. People are starting to question Rochdale Lib Dem tactics and actions. Constituents want Paul Rowen to come clean on his expenses, secondary wages and all the sources of his local party's income.

How does Mr Rowen react? With silence on the key questions. Or threats, spin and smears.

Rochdale Lib Dems love art. When Cyril Smith was in a spot of bother last year and calls were made in Parliament for him to be stripped of his knighthood, a 6 month old news story about a "new portrait" of Cyril was re-hashed to put the former Rochdale MP in a good light.

Cyril Smith is no oil painting and the unresolved issues about his time as a councillor and MP will not go away.

New street art might not be to the old spanker or his successor MP's taste but it makes a point.

A rat, with portcullis bling, grasping a 40p banana - done in the name of "Spanksy".

A homage to Banksy with a name that reflects the unresolved sexual abuse allegations about Cyril Smith and vulnerable young lads in a hostel?

(The serious claims published by RAP and Private Eye - who were never sued for libel?)

Portcullis bling? Has Paul Rowen used a Parliamentary design (with Crown) on the front of his (sic) Drake Street office in an inappropriate way?

Is the rat grasping the 40p banana on behalf of an unpaid intern?

Does the rat have a tear in his eye? Is is remorse or anger?

Do rats leave sinking ships?

Street banana art. Food for thought indeed.

Rowengate: Parliamentary expenses- the plot thickens...

On June 26th the Rochdale Observer ran a front page retraction and apology to Paul Rowen MP.

Although vague on the precise reasons why the Guardian Media Group did not stand by their original report on the current Rochdale MP's Parliamentary expenses, the Rochdale Observer front page and website on June 26th began:

"PAUL ROWEN has blasted ‘unsubstantiated and false’ accusations he used taxpayers’ money to fund party-political activity".

The rebuttal ended with a powerful statement in bold:

"THE Rochdale Observer would like to make it clear it has no information that Paul Rowen MP was using Parliamentary expenses to fund Liberal Democrat political activities and apologises if any reader got that impression."


Rochdale Liberal Democrat accounts are hard to come by. There is only one set available on the Electoral Commission website. This set of accounts related to the year ending 2005, the first year of Paul Rowen MP's tenure.

Signed off by local party Treasurer Cllr Mulgrew, Jimmy Cricket's son, they stop at 2005- there isn't any more.

The accounts speak for themself.

Click here for the the link to the published PDF on the Electoral Commission website.

Have any of Paul Rowen MP's Parliamentary expenses been used to fund Liberal Democrat political activities?

Rent- previously freely gifted but since 2005 claimed from Parliamentary expenses?

Printing- such as so-called "externally printed party newspapers". referred to in the June 26th rebuttal. But the Parliamentary expenses that have been published clearly show that the "Externally printed" Lib Dem party newspapers that Paul Rowen MP placed expensive adverts with were invoiced to an unincorporated organisation called the "Rochdale Liberal Democrat Printing Society"- based at...Rochdale Lib Dem HQ at Drake Street. Click here to see the invoice (at pages 12-14 of 34)

Salaries- the Rochdale Liberal Democrat 2005 accounts are crystal clear:

"...the local MP through his Parliamentary allowance now covers all such overheads."

Rowengate: MP and boy attack neighbouring parish priest

Recent gaffs and heavy-handed shenanigans show that the wheels are falling off Team Rowen.

40p bananas,



paid second job Ugandan shenanighans with links to Rochdale property speculators,

daft legal threats against the Rochdale Observer,

stampless "yoof" junk mail and Facebook mithering,

Feel Good Festival political hijacking,

all demonstrate the sort of weird goings-on from Rochdale's current MP that previously didn't get reported.

The nagging issues that dog Rochdale are very serious. They will not go away. The truth will emerge. One day.

Concerns over:

• Spin

• Corruption

• Cover-up
  

• Mismanagement

• Failed regeneration projects

and.... threats.

A few months ago, RAW reported on a late night attack of words Paul Rowen made against a Heywood Parish Priest. Writing on Rochdale Online's Forum at 2.06am, "devout"Roman Catholic Paul Rowen defended his "double bubble" expenses claiming when he was both an MP and Councillor.

QUOTE:

PaulRowen
Bronze Member


United Kingdom
138 Posts Posted - 23/05/2009 : 02:06:27

---

What I used my Councillors Allowances On

I've read with some interest the thread on MPs Allowances. Given what has been happening in Parliament in the last few weeks and the need for fundamental reform I'm disappointed at some of the comments.
in particular:

(a) Ian Duckworth - I appreciate that losing your Council seat to the Liberal Democrats TWICE is a personal disappointment and has nothing to do with the topic in this thread. If you cannot contribute positively to this discussion please shut up!

(b) HeywoodPP - as a Catholic Priest I am disappointed that you cast doubts on my honesty. I was a Councillor for twelve months when first elected an MP. I continued to Chair the committee that set up the IMPACT partnership. I played a full part in the running of the Council and attended Council meetings.

Crikey- so Paul Rowen is to blame for the seeting up of the Impact Partnership?! A "for-profit" organisation that has been screwing RMBC and Rochdale Council Tax payers to the tune of millions. (much more on that soon).


Back to the MP and boy attacking a parish priest...

Mr Rowen suggested that he was only doing both jobs for a year- until it was pointed out to him that he claimed the civic allowance for TWO years.

An extraordinary claim was then made by Rochdale's current MP at 2.06am Saturday morning . Late night internet typing that he seems to be now regretting:


QUOTE:

I made a voluntary decision to donate my allowance after tax to charities. I did not have to do this and my decision has nothing to do with council tax payers.

The bulk of these were Catholic based charities hence my disappointment at your carping critism. If you spent as much time ministering to souls as you should be doing I would have more respect for you.

However, in the interests of total transparency I will post up a full list of those charities over the weekend.

That was the last weekend in MAY. Almost a dozen weekends have come and gone yet Paul Rowen has posting nothing, zip, nada, about his "charidee" donations of the cash he received as a councillor whilst also claiming a salary, allowance and expenses as an MP (and a paid "consultant" to IDEA)...oh and a paid employee of the Ugandan arm of property company Corinya.

As fellow devout Rochdale Lib Dem Catholic family, the Mullgrew-Crickets might say..."there's more"...

It appears a boy (who definately doesn't work for Paul Rowen MP?) has been also interfering with the Man of the Cloth



Has Adam "The Machine" Power been using the t'internet at 142A/144 Drake Strett (sic) in botched attempt to get the parish preist of a neigbouring constituency "moved on"?

Paul Daly "Heywood Parish Priest" has alluded to the threats and political interference eminating from Drake Strett (sic). The sort of dirty shenanignas one would expect from a Banana Republic:

One such example, sent from a Rochdale Lib Dem email address, contained the lines:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have also been informed by two councillors that you have phoned them personally enquiring about my work.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

which is either an untruth by the two Lib Dem councillors, if they exist, or by the author of the email.

And

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
your behaviour is a disgrace to the Catholic Church and in my opinion you should seriously consider moving on.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

---

or the following text message sent by someone employed by Paul Rowen and paid for by the taxpayer:

quote:

---

One of the more abusive text messages I have received from local Lib Dems working out of Drake Street stated:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have kept a file on your behaviour over the last few years and will be sending it to your superiors as an example of breaking canon law and recommending that for the sake of your ever dwindling parish you make a fresh start.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The same Drake Street employee went on to say that I am an:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
unchristian attention seeking man with issues
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whilst "not working for Paul Rowen", Adam has form for using emails to interfer with the work of MP's in other constituencies. Its a good job he doesn't work for Rochdale's current MP - or else this would be a matter of parliamentary discipline.

So who does Adam Power work for and where does his wage come from?

Surely there is no cash from Rochdale Council allowances etc being used to pay this naughty boy's wage?

It is fair to say that the funding of Rochdale Lib Dems is a huge black hole.
Is that why Paul Rowen was so touchy with the Rochdale Observer on the matter?

The arrangements regarding:

• local, unaccountable cash donations- especially those "organised" via Cyril Smith,

• the rent arrangement between Paul Rowen's Constituency office and the local party,

• the inner workings of Rochdale Reform Buildings, Rochdale Liberal Democrat Printing Society and other shadowy unincorporated set-ups,

• the wages and employment arrangements of Dave Hennigan and Adam Power,

• the second (third+) wages and employment arangements of (Cllr) Paul Rowen MP,
  

• Paul Rowen's "charidee" involvement and payments.

all remain shrouded in mystery.


Perhaps a Priest should be called to exorcise the demons?