What IOW voters need to know – 2021 local council elections

The Isle of Wight Council elections on Thursday 6th May 2021 will not be democratic. Two individuals are destroying the fair electoral system on the IOW, a system held dearly in the UK. These two individuals intend to control all aspects of island life including the media, using intimidation and force. They have  almost reached the pinnacle of their plan. 

Every four years, a certain amount of candidates contest local council ‘ward’ seats in the hope that they may represent their residents in the best and fair way possible. Some candidates take on this responsibility with honesty and integrity with good intentions, while others may have ulterior motivations of using the position purely to improve personal status and wealth. There are many good councillors on the IOW – there are also some disastrous ones. This situation is also found in the wider UK

However on the Isle of Wight, the democratic principles of an election are being thwarted by two top level politicians – the MP and his agent. His agent  became the Chair of the IOW Conservative Association in 2017 just after his friend Bob Seely became MP. He gained this position unelected as his only opponent mysteriously withdrew on the morning of the vote (details here). He is also the self imposed Chair of the IOW Conservative Selection Committee having complete autonomy of who gets awarded candidacy nominations. He is also the agent to all 39 of the Conservative candidates in the 2021 local elections. He has chosen the candidates through the process of interviewing each one personally, even though they may have been councillors for years or decades already. Some have been removed due to disagreeing with him – some get moved to wards that will be deemed impossible to win. An example of this click here.

Other evidence of unelected Pugh’s interference is outlined in red below.

 

The name is David Pugh – unelected in any capacity, but at present the most powerful politician on the island. Even more so than the MP.

In his unelected position, Pugh is unaccountable – having no obligation to explain his actions to the public. David Pugh used to be the Leader of the IOW Council between 2007 and 2013, until he lost his ward seat as councillor amid controversy over his lobbying connections with Cratus Consultancy. His Wikipedia page describes vote rigging etc. He has been desperate to regain control of the council ever since, but knowing he is unelectable, he has managed to manipulate his way into an even more powerful position via the ‘Back door’. 

Pugh operates a political lobbying / consultancy company called ‘David Pugh Associates Ltd’ formerly know as ‘Chine Consultancy’ of which clients are, or at least have definitely been recently IOW Ferry company Wightlink.  His company has clients seeking planning permissions, government grants, etc. His LinkedIn profile click here.

 

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
Political lobbying as a business (Cratus) caused scandal which lost him his seat as councillor nearly 10 years ago and therefore the leadership of the council. Desperate to return and knowing he is unelectable, David met Bob Seely who had just lost his bid to become an MP in Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire. They hatched a plan for Bob to become IOW MP. David organised the IOW Conservative party to have Bob become an IOW Councillor. They rented a converted garage to provide an address. David hated the existing MP Andrew Turner with a vengeance – he bode his time waiting for an opportunity to pounce with Seely in waiting. Pugh acted as Seely’s agent during the 2017 election after securing his nomination. Pugh had pushed Seely up the ladder… now it was time to repay by lifting Pugh up too. Seely assisted Pugh to become IOW Conservative Association Chair. This gave Pugh the power to hire and fire Conservative candidates and also rights to sit in council meetings or council delegations elsewhere. He became the ears of the council for Seely. Together they gradually forced their will on the Council, both having their own agendas to benefit David Pugh Associates Ltd clients.
Together they now totally control the Conservative led council to the detriment of transparency, representation for islanders, democracy and morality.
Only retiring Conservative councillors can expose this. Existing ones doing so will be removed by the chair of the Conservative Association selection committee – David Pugh.
David Pugh runs ‘David Pugh Associates Ltd’ which is a political lobbying and consultancy company dealing in planning permissions etc. Seely provides the contacts at Westminster for Pugh’s business operations. Pugh controls the Council which benefits his clients. Recently, Bob Seely has gone public in opposing certain housing development planning applications. He has given the impression that without his consent, the IOW Council will decline applications. Step in ‘David Pugh Associates Ltd’ which will organise the applications for its clients. It is unlikely that Pugh’s clients will find opposition from Bob Seely of whom Pugh is agent. Government grants for clients will be sourced through Bob Seely for Pugh’s clients. Client Wightlink have been awarded £millions of taxpayers money already for Ryde Pier renovations which Wightlink owns. Island-line has been awarded £millions of taxpayers money to maintain the line that is vital for Wightlink’s pier-head passenger route. £millions in grants to maintain Red Funnel and Wightlink during the pandemic even though the ferries ceased and both companies had made £millions previously.

 

HOW IS THE ELECTION BEING MANIPULATED IN PUGH’S FAVOUR?
1/ The choosing of candidates for specific reasons. Stuart Brown started a Facebook group attempting to sabotage the fixed link campaign by abusing supporters online, fabricating false allegations, creating false destructive Twitter / Facebook accounts etc. This truly awful individual was chosen specifically as a councillor to assist Pugh’s client Wightlink obstruct competition. Brown could not resist abusing others also on-line however. He had to stand down once eventually caught.

Read the full story click here.

2/ The selection of impressionable candidates who Pugh can later utilise easily.

Examples: Hand-picked teenage candidates subservient to Pugh. Just turned 18, Matt Ambrosini.

Cara Lock, 19.

3/ The removal of any candidates who object or disagree with Pugh. An example below – Michael Murwill:

For the full article, click here

4/ Pugh ordered all Conservative candidates to not attend any election Hustings. This absolute control over them including the ‘leader’ (in title only) means no ability for the ward residents to ask them questions. The campaigning is done only through highly manipulative misinformation on election leaflets. 

 

5/ Highly misleading information within each Conservative candidate’s election leaflet giving false impressions for voting choices.

For the full article click here

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP THIS?

Pugh can not be sacked. The only way to remove this unelected dictatorship over the Conservative Association and in turn the IOW Council, is not to facilitate a Conservative led council for the next four years. If Pugh’s Conservatives reach the milestone of 20 ward seats out of the 39, David Pugh gets to run the council.

Basically even if you are historically a staunch Tory, you must either not vote at all, or look at the alternative candidates to choose from. 

The ‘Independents’ (Our Island, IIN, or fully Independent such as Ian Dore above) Greens, Labour, Lib Dems are promising a working coalition … with self administering scrutiny overseen by each party. The island will once again have transparent and scrutinised policies and decisions. Corruption will be impossible. 

Let’s face it, if all 39 Conservative councillor candidates are instructed to refuse answering questions before the election, what are the chances of them answering questions transparently afterwards? The only things they’ll say, are the things David Pugh wants you to hear. Corruption of the system will have no hurdles to extend further.

YOUR CHOICE

As an islander born and bred, the island feels to me more than just home… it feels like family. When your home and family is being taken advantage of you fight it. If not, you’re just as bad as the perpetrators themselves. 

If you do vote, vote with your conscience on Thursday.