Whatever! Southport is a SEASIDE resort, and it is the beach that tourists want to come to see - so why doesn't anyone of these councillors do anything about making that attractive - then the business sector will follow. Compared to St.Anne's beach, Southport's is a sh..hole!

Originally Posted by toffee man

It's seems he's been suspended by the national party for bringing it into disrepute.

Understandable. His behaviour at times in the Council Chamber and committee was at times appalling

Originally Posted by Disturbed

who is this Dave??

It's his real name, caused a bit of a kerfuffle when he went in as saddleworths "local candidate"

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....-chaos-1067498

Originally Posted by Username2016

It's his real name, caused a bit of a kerfuffle when he went in as saddleworths "local candidate"

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....-chaos-1067498

Could be that May 2005 transpires to have been his one shot at becoming an MP.

Personal disappointments often lead to knee-jerk bad decision making.

Originally Posted by toffee man

It's seems he's been suspended by the national party for bringing it into disrepute.

Understandable. His behaviour at times in the Council Chamber and committee was at times appalling

You must be confusing him with someone else, toffee man.

Dave / Tony has often commented, "I am disappointed at the emotionality that seems to have taken over some of these interchanges."

In times of over-heated debate, Dave's / Tony's signature cool voice of detached reason soars above the din from the grubby infighting of the hotheads.

Originally Posted by Desert Region

Could be that May 2005 transpires to have been his one shot at becoming an MP.

Personal disappointments often lead to knee-jerk bad decision making.

Re-reading his press release its utter tosh other than we would be better served with councillors not linked to party's as everything has to be "despite the other party"

It's funny that:

1) it's only now he calls for cross party working
2) the finger on the local pulse libs needed the national party to tell them
3) he has good links with cabinet members albeit on here bemoaning "bootle labour"who are the cabinet and root of all southports problems
4) wonder if there's significance in:

Originally Posted by roving-eye

"There are some excellent councillors representing Southport at this moment and no doubt others will be elected next May. people will be judged by their deeds, not their words.

Whether it's a reference to Cllr Maguire being up for re-election next May?

However the following is borderline offensive as a taxpayer that they weren't doing this anyway as they were elected for this not their rosette/ego polishing and it's only when it suits so let's put the whole lot of them up for election:

I see it, though, as an opportunity for councillors working more closely across Party - and particularly with residents and traders who have no particular party allegiance - for the good of Southport....

I would hope that all councillors of all persuasions and residents as a whole will want to buckle down together for the good of the town."
.

If you believe the champion then the suspension was over saying he didn't support Cllr Maguire....is that really a reason to suspend in a liberal and democratic way, if true makes them look silly as it's most likely disappointment at being the bridesmaid. Maybe they could put to bed once and for all whether Cherie and prasnee are councillors and bring some transparency to local politics or investigate why they're so hard to work with:

http://www.champnews.com/NewsDetail....GN4_ART_620497

Cllr Nigel Ashton, chair of the Southport Liberal Democrats, said: “We have received official notification from Liberal Democrat HQ that Tony Dawson’s membership of the Liberal Democrat party has been suspended pending the outcome of a disciplinary procedure into an allegation of bringing the Party into disrepute.

“As Councillor Dawson is not currently a member of the Liberal Democrat party his membership of the Liberal Democrat Group of Councillors on Sefton Council is also suspended pending the outcome of this disciplinary procedure.

“There will be no further statements until we have been notified of the outcome of this process. “

---

Does this mean that Liberal Democrat councillors will be under instruction not to discuss this matter in the public domain, until Southport Liberal Democrats have been notified of the outcome of the investigation into Dawson?

If so, does this have any bearing on the absence of certain posters from this thread?

Optimistic in the face of adversity - published 27 April [2005]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....t-news-1220032

"TONY Dawson insists a police investigation into the validity of his nomination forms has not damaged his electoral prospects in Oldham East and Saddleworth.

"But the Liberal Democrat candidate – standing in his party’s 11th target seat in the UK – has also conceded that a planned campaign-boosting visit from his party leader, Charles Kennedy, now appears “unlikely”.

...

"Dawson says that although his birth certificate gives his name as David Anthony, he did not know that when he was growing up and has always been known as Tony."

---

Growing up, never knowing your first name! Extraordinary. Anyone I've ever met who goes by their middle name, chooses to do so, obviously cognisant of their full name, but for whatever reason preferring their middle name to their first name.

As someone said to me yesterday, it is amazing that David A Dawson's father never mentioned to little David, while he was growing up, that his name was David.

It's a shame that Dawson hasn't elaborated on the reasons for his knowledge gap, plus how and when he found out, as that would be interesting.

But anyway, this again highlights what a unique and special character Dave / Tony really is.

Fingers crossed that the investigation into Dave / Tony clears him. The Southport Liberal Democrats need elected representatives full of character(s) such as Dave / Tony. Doubtless, soon enough, he will be back in the local fold, where he and his colleagues can all get back pulling for each other, and working together, like one big happy family.

As I understand it, Councillor McGuire was chosen from an all woman list of candidates, not exactly a level playing field, more like a stacked deck. I don't say she condoned it in any way, but it did her selection opportunities no harm at all. What would have happened had they chosen from an all male list or some other limited group of people? There would have been hell to play.

I feel that Councillor Dawson has been shabbily treated. As a former Liberal councillor, I was part of a group that believed that a Councillor voted with his conscience and beliefs, not according to an imposed party whip.

Councillor Dawson may be being chastised for his honesty.

Originally Posted by Blue4ever

As I understand it, Councillor McGuire was chosen from an all woman list of candidates, not exactly a level playing field, more like a stacked deck. I don't say she condoned it in any way, but it did her selection opportunities no harm at all. What would have happened had they chosen from an all male list or some other limited group of people? There would have been hell to play.

I feel that Councillor Dawson has been shabbily treated. As a former Liberal councillor, I was part of a group that believed that a Councillor voted with his conscience and beliefs, not according to an imposed party whip.

Councillor Dawson may be being chastised for his honesty.

What probably needs to be established is the basis and reasoning behind Dawson’s honest opinion, alleged honest / open lack of endorsement and alleged honest / open lack of support.

Ollie Cowan reports,

http://www.champnews.com/NewsDetail....GN4_ART_620497

“Tony Dawson, a Dukes ward councillor, is currently serving as an independent after his membership of the Lib Dems was suspended following a post he made to his private social media page announcing that he would not support colleague Councillor Sue McGuire in the General Election.”

The other site (cue a subsequent row of asterisks) reports,

https://www.*******.co.uk/councillor...tion-fall-out/

“Cllr Dawson has been listed as an independent on the Sefton Council website after the local Lib Dem party suspended him for not supporting candidate Sue McGuire in the recent general election.

He has been suspended pending a hearing for ‘bringing the party into disrepute’ a source close to OTS understands but he has not stood down of his own volition.”

---

AWS has been a contested topic for the Liberal Democrats for many years. Councillor Dawson has clearly staked his consistent feelings and position,

http://www.libdemvoice.org/all-women...tes-35687.html

Tony Dawson 11th Aug '13 - 11:23am

@Simon Titley :

” these candidates then have to get elected”

Correct. Which is why this entire thread has an air of Titanic deck chair-arranging about it. We are heading into an election with a ‘strategy'(sic) of ‘bigging up’ the achievements of what most people believe to be a Conservative government (against whose candidates most of our own worrying defences will be fought) as well as handicapping ourselves with other ‘albatrosses’. It is almost like two people sitting in a sunset in the Serengeti discussing animatedly whether to play chess or draughts as a charging bull elephant races towards them..

Tony Dawson 11th Aug '13 - 11:40am

@Stuart Mitchell:

” unless they genuinely believe that men are over seven times more able and/or willing than women to be Lib Dem MPs”

WRONG question. Hence wrong argument and wrong solution.

Liberal Democrats with major caring responsibilities (overwhelmingly but not totally-female) in addition to their other job(s) are far less likely to be willing to put themselves and their families through the horrors of neglect and self-exploitation which is necessary to be an anywhere-near-winning Liberal Democrat CANDIDATE. With the exception of a few succession seats (even some of these have serious incumbent-following problems), that means issues of ‘being an MP’ are almost irrelevant here. Our party does not have either the resources or the skills to concentrate in any significant manner to (try to) make up the difference to any significant extent, even more so when it is fighting for its life having tossed half of its Councillors to the wolves..

Once upon a time, by-elections might have been an alternate route to correcting Gender-imbalance. Not presently an option. People need to ‘get real’ or start talking about something else they know a little more about.


http://www.libdemvoice.org/is-nick-c...020-36939.html

Tony Dawson 27th Oct '13 - 6:01pm

@Jo Christie-Smith

“Unless, of course, you are proposing that the reason why we have so few women and BAME parliamentarians is because they are not good enough?”

I would suggest that most women are far too sensible and considerate to their families to put themselves and their loved ones through the terrible strains required by the prolonged self-exploitation required to be a Lib Dem candidate in anything other than a ‘safe’ held succession seat. This doesn’t leave many seats for them to ‘go for’. Not all men are basically more selfish and inconsiderate but more than enough are.

If my experience of council candidates is anything to go by, it is unfortunate that some of those potential female candidates who may well perform best sometimes choose to not even put themselves forward.

As for BAME candidates, I think that we re still waiting for some of the better ones to actually work long enough to build up a seat to be ‘winnable’. The present national political environment for Lib Dems can hardly help this at the moment.

Candidates who pitch themselves around the country as possible MPs tend to fail at selection whatever their background unless they are in the top 0.5 per cent of ‘performers’, whatever their status/gender/origin.

---

That last post inspired this response from George Potter,

Monday, 28 October 2013

Sexism in the Lib Dems

http://thepotterblogger.blogspot.co....-lib-dems.html

--

Dawson’s notions seem quaint and contradicted by a political landscape including the Green Party’s co-leader, Caroline Lucas; Plaid Cymru's leader, Leanne Wood; SNP leader and Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon; Head of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson; Democratic Unionist Party leader, Arlene Foster, and a female PM.


In his defence, during the LibDemVoice thread, Dawson states,

Tony Dawson 28th Oct '13 - 12:46pm

@George Potter:

George, I would suggest ‘with respect ‘(sic) that you would not recognise sexism if it hit you in the face like a wet kipper.

“I have personally spent quite a bit of my life supporting a political candidate of the other main gender, during years which would have been advantageous to me to pursue a political career of my own had I chosen so to do at the time.”

---

His tone abruptly switches from strident to reflective and circumspect, in the flick of a paragraph.

It seems a potential tale of self-sacrifice - at first sight.

I wonder why he doesn't elaborate?

Quote Originally Posted by Username2016
It's funny that:

1) it's only now he calls for cross party working
2) the finger on the local pulse libs needed the national party to tell them
3) he has good links with cabinet members albeit on here bemoaning "bootle labour"who are the cabinet and root of all southports problems
4) wonder if there's significance in:

Quote Originally Posted by roving-eye
"There are some excellent councillors representing Southport at this moment and no doubt others will be elected next May. people will be judged by their deeds, not their words.

Quote Originally Posted by Username2016
Whether it's a reference to Cllr Maguire being up for re-election next May?

---------

1) it's only now he calls for cross party working

Now is a good a time as any!

2) the finger on the local pulse libs needed the national party to tell them

Maybe. Who informed the national party of the alleged “private social media page” announcement that “he [Councillor Dawson] would not support colleague Councillor Sue McGuire in the [then] General Election.”?

3) he has good links with cabinet members albeit on here bemoaning "bootle labour"who are the cabinet and root of all southports problems

Perhaps he does.

Maybe Labour councillors based in Bootle enjoy regular honest criticism from a Southport Lib Dem Councillor...

http://www.champnews.com/papers/pdf/S3213.pdf

Don’t use parking fees as a local tax

Town Centre Councillor Tony Dawson said: “Parking charges were first brought in 30 years ago to stop shop and office employees blocking shoppers by sitting in prime spaces day after day. But the council’s profit out of this activity has ratcheted up over the years. “I do get the feeling that the scale of rise being proposed represents an ‘easy hit’ on Southport by Labour councillors based in Bootle.”


Perhaps Labour councillors in Bootle also enjoy good links with John Pugh, again for the same regular reasons.

Here’s a story from 2 days ago...

http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/ne...enews-13293597

Former MP John Pugh renews call for Southport to leave Sefton

The former MP wants the borough to be divided into two.

He is proposing dividing Sefton into two separate authorities, one based in Southport and the other in Bootle.

[Quote Originally Posted by Username2016]
4) wonder if there's significance in:

Quote Originally Posted by roving-eye
"There are some excellent councillors representing Southport at this moment and no doubt others will be elected next May. people will be judged by their deeds, not their words.

Quote Originally Posted by Username2016
Whether it's a reference to Cllr Maguire being up for re-election next May?

I expect Councillor Dawson is a big fan of Councillor McGuire.

It’s sometimes true that “people will be judged by their deeds, not their words” – just as it can be sometimes true that people will be judged by their lack of deeds, not their lack of words. Sometimes people will be judged by all the above criteria.


---------

Maybe they could put to bed once and for all whether Cherie and prasnee are councillors and bring some transparency to local politics or investigate why they're so hard to work with

Just read a contribution from prasnee on another engaging thread (it happens to feature a nice bar chart) in this Online News section,

https://www.qlocal.co.uk/southport/ne...55022414-2.htm

Southport Now Target Seat for Labour

Originally Posted by mike1979
Where exactly are 'your' revenues being spent in Bootle ?

Originally Posted by prasnee
If you want one example it could be on the three libraries that there are still in Bootle compared to the one that Southport has now been left with - thanks to the Labour Party.

Originaly Posted by Mr. Brightside
Change the record.
Southport Library is part of the Atkinson - remind us how much was spent on the refurb?

---------

Quote Originally Posted by Username2016
Maybe they could put to bed once and for all whether Cherie and prasnee are councillors and bring some transparency to local politics or investigate why they're so hard to work with

You ask the long-standing questions about cherie brandie and prasnee and their councillor / non-councillor status, but I think you should also put in a mention for the infamous “Tonio.”

Whatever happened to her / him?

Originally Posted by Lamparilla

Seems a bit like those kids who wore Man Utd shirts - they wear Chelsea ones now.

I bet he has worn purple pyjamas with yellow trim for years.

Originally Posted by Hamble

I bet he has worn purple pyjamas with yellow trim for years.

Sounds like they're due a wash.

Purple for royalty and yellow for beams of sunshine, perhaps?

I see that interesting authored articles abound that include mentions of Southport.gb’s most colourful and controversial poster, including on this very website,

http://southport.qlocal.co.uk/southp...7-50380093.htm

Reported by: onthespot

CARES Update - December 2007

Coalition Against Removal of kids Emergency & other Services


There’s a few articles mentioning “Tonio” (and multiple mentions of donkeys?) on one of Pat Regan’s sites, including,

http://pat-regan.blogspot.co.uk/2013...-by-cares.html

Why CARES did not formally invite Southport’s MP John Pugh to their public meeting at KGV, held on 19th October 2005


...which includes a link to...

http://www.champnews.com/html/newsst...0#.WWQA9IjyvIV

By Natasha Robson

MP fury at aides attack on Tory rival



The over-riding takeaway from perusing all these long-published accusations is that all publicity is good publicity, in the hands of a master politician and PR magician – such as Councillor Dawson.

The man is clearly a presentational genius with an unrivalled facility for a delightfully manicured turn of phrase and bespoke rhetoric that can change the game more decisively than a shock checkmate, or that final, gingerly conducted winning move at Buckaroo.

Despite it all, the man is “Southport’s NHS watchdog” the Lib Dems local health spokesperson. Perceptions of NHS service provision are safe in his hands.

Despite it all, the man is a long-standing councillor for Dukes Ward, a stalwart and wise owl conducting oversight aplenty, replete with the sagacity of someone who has been doing stuff a long, long time.

Despite it all, the man has willingly been a “rubbish friend” to Sue McGuire and Pat Keith, happily getting down and dirty for their volunteer group, all for the good of the community. A selfless role-model adding substance to the style, happy to put his hands where his mouth is – ie, doing not just saying.


The man is the voice of reason, informed by unrivalled and unique experience, lending his wealth of knowledges and weight of expert opinions to intricate matters on libdemvoice.org. When he speaks, his peers listen.

The man is / had been Sefton Liberal Democrat deputy leader and long may that continue.

This man can turn his face and talents to near about anything.

This man, daresay this soldier of truth, daresay this squaddie of sincerity, is a political survivor.

Hell on earth! This man should be promoted, not suspended!

I think there is much to be said for Blue4ever’s idea that: “Councillor Dawson has been shabbily treated.” And I just know that people will be falling over themselves to say it.


Shame on the national party!

Shame on you!

Justice for the Dukes Ward one!

C.A.R.D.

(CAmpaign for the Reinstatement of Dawson)

Campaign aim: Justice for the “Dukes Ward one”

------

The one Lib Dem councillor for whom there has been a definite lack of support is none other than our Anthony. “Awesome Dawson” has cast his magic spells year in, year out, with Liberal Democrats happily reaping the rewards of the main man’s Merlin-like abilities. John Pugh’s former one-man Praetorian Guard has always put the furtherance of the party before his own petty advancement, or rather his advancement has seemed petty in comparison to the needs of his party.

Question: What has Tony done for the town of Southport?

C.A.R.D.’s answer: Ha! What hasn’t he done?

Or to answer a question with yet another question: as prasnee is given to pose: what did the Romans ever do for us?

To put it another way, Tony’s achievements for Southport are too legion to list, and anyway defy simple categorisation. If you could bottle his signature will-o'-the-wisp you would be a millionaire, of some description.

Then one fated day, a generous spirit rats out Tony for an alleged “unsupportive” social media post, probably tongue-in-cheek and entirely innocuous.

Lib Dem HQ comes down like a ton of bricks, taking a hammer to a molehill, as they order the suspension of “The Tone”...for what exactly? For perhaps striking the wrong, private minor note?

C.A.R.D. says: Storm in a thimble! Perhaps just an alleged example of nothing more than Tony’s banter, of “Dawson’s Crack / Craic”.

------

Many authored, published accusations have been made down the years about the identity of the one known as Tonio.

https://www.goodreads.com/author_blo...view---once-ag

C.A.R.D. says: Not only did Tony obviously devastate those rumours in the above link, but Tonio also thrust a rapier through those rumours, put those rumours to beddy-byes, years ago, on this very site!

http://southport.m.qlocal.co.uk/sout...usly-28261.htm

tonio says: [25/01/2004 03:43 PM]

Originally posted by gary lord
Tonio (AKA Tony Dawson) is a Liberal Democrat and works with legitimacy for a wage in the party's local office.

“Not so - I work in the office of John Pugh MP - which is downstairs from the Party office - as your on posting:
...

“Everybody on here for any time knows that I post in my own account and long ago made it obvious to whom I am
...

“I am not a paid politician. I do a professional job, helping hundreds of people each month with specialist advice.”

C.A.R.D. says: So there! And he is simply not prasnee, for sure!


------


Tony is fiercely independent, a modern-day warrior priest, and not afraid of criticising “upper hierarchies” / “senior management” / “the head of the national Party”.

http://www.libdemvoice.org/mike-hanc...ems-42472.html

Tony Dawson 19th Sep '14 - 9:18am

@Joshua Dixon:
“Shame on those who defended and covered for him too”

“Exactly the same can be said about those at the head of our national Party who relentlessly backed Chris Huhne
...

“Politicians are by nature clannish and should generally look to external independent advice on what to do in such circumstances rather than trusting their own gut instincts..
...

“Former Lib Dem Councillor Robert Bleakley in Wigan has also been very popular in his ward for many years but has taken unforgivable liberties which have also given him national prominence recently. It is all a matter of scale.”

C.A.R.D. says: Never underestimate the “Dawson Factor” when taking on the incestuous party machine. Tony is a strong advocate for both kinds of PR and is a fearless maverick, when push comes to shoving. And as D.A.D. (David Anthony Dawson) says: “It is all a matter of scale.” A chronological scale, and no doubt. And remember: DAD knows best!


------


David Anthony Dawson is devoted to politics and the common good. Of that, there can be no doubt. Personal sacrifice is his guiding principle.

Buried in the small print in the image of “The Rose” featured in this link...

http://pat-regan.blogspot.co.uk/2013...-by-cares.html

...just preceding (or above) the paragraph that runs...

The house is unfurnished, the walls are whitewashed. It has been derelict for years.
But the LibDem candidate says he is dossing there. Right on!

...there are lines that say...

And the reason no neighbour has ever seen him?
“I’m a single man and come and go.”

The line “I’m a single man and come and go” seems to be being attributed to David Anthony Dawson, as his quote, and more than that, as his answer, as his explanation.

As quoted earlier, DAD once heartily confessed,

“I have personally spent quite a bit of my life supporting a political candidate of the other main gender, during years which would have been advantageous to me to pursue a political career of my own had I chosen so to do at the time.”

C.A.R.D. says: On the quiet, DAD is a modest soul, who chooses not to elaborate on the nature and timings of his periods of self-sacrificing.

All told: keep the faith with Tony, rely on him to atone, and just put your trust in DAD!

C.A.R.D. Update - The month after June, 2017

C.A.R.D. offers: A clap-handed thank you to the keen reader who spotted that a provided link had somehow become subject to a redirection / misdirection.

The following link, with the accompanying preamble, should perform the trick.


------


Many authored, published accusations have been made down the years about the identity of the one known as Tonio.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.c...&ct=clnk&gl=uk

...


-----




C.A.R.D. says: Despite the author's attempts to state that Tony had just signed the SGB Black book as 'Tonio.', no doubt Tonio (and everyone's favourite tipple, cherie brandie) would be forked lightening quick in pointing out that it's signed as, Tonio!, rather than 'Tonio.' Plus, the book isn't Black! Case dismissed!

The ruggedness and charming roughness of this image are feather dusters in the cap for "Reality Dave".

Rough or smooth, early or post-modern, this master was always destined for the top of the heap!