UPTHEPORT wrote:Local elections in couple years let's field candidates on single issue a new stadium

This thought had occurred to me before. Let's not forget that it was only the formation of the Valley Party (and its impact on local election candidates in Greenwich in May 1990) that saw Charlton Athletic eventually be able to return to their own home.

Off the top of my head, having been involved in local elections a few times over the years, doing something similar in Newport would require:

• - A clear articulation of what any "Amber Party" candidate would do if elected (or what you wanted incumbents to do if they wanted to not have an Amber Party candidate run against them. In other words, you'd need an ask which was clear, measurable and costed.
  
  - Enough candidates to stand in every ward of the city, who'd also need to be prepared to go out and get nominations from ten electors in each of those wards (a time-consuming job). Not to mention they'd also need to commit to 4-5 nights of canvassing every week for a couple of months so they could knock the doors of voters!
  
  - Money! You'd be talking the best part of £100k if you wanted to design and print leaflets and posters plus take out enough advertising space (in print, online and billboards etc) to actually put up a proper fight.
  
  - A full-time agent (ideally a volunteer) for the best part of six months to organise the whole thing - get the paperwork done, liaise with printers, design and post online advertising, oversee your voter database, meet with incumbents to get them to agree to any pledge etc.

All of the above is doable. But it's not cheap, and it's not easy. And if you do it badly, you actually end up WEAKENING your cause (because none of your candidates win, or because other parties can beat you without agreeing to your demands). So it needs careful thought.

But if anyone else as well as me and UTP is interested in the idea, I'd be very happy to sit in a pub for an evening with them and discuss it.

You could join the Newport Independent Party - that way your voice as a councilor would be better heard as you need to be in a Party to get some points across in the Council.

BertieB wrote:Thets Qeight all right old chap,! the eyesore,------- " is quite important to this area of Newport "!! --- Why is it so important?, and to what area of Newport are you referring. ?

Quite ..

Do you have to ask me why it’s so important ?
If you do, then a) the local jobs it provides b) the local economy? c) the area it’s actually situated in and d) the surrounding areas!

UPTHEPORT wrote:Local elections in couple years let's field candidates on single issue a new stadium

That's a very simplistic way of looking at it, but one elected councillor (which is highly unlikely in this part of the world as it is, seeing as Labour MPs could probably shit through peoples letterboxes every night and still be voted in) isn't going to make any difference. For me it would be far more effective to get a very vocal group of residents of the City asking hard questions and generally being a nuisance.

I appreciate I’m gonna get a roasting for actually stating this, hey ho I’m big and ugly enough, but atm I think the council has much bigger issues to address before new stadia.

Justanordinaryfan wrote:I appreciate I’m gonna get a roasting for actually stating this, hey ho I’m big and ugly enough, but atm I think the council has much bigger issues to address before new stadia.

I agree with you said before that more people in Newport couldn't give a flying one about sport in general than Newport County or egg chasing put together

Councils are having budgets cut the last priority for them is a new stadium for a small percentage of sports fans

I'm suggesting we run candidates in elections to move the priority up

That’s the issue whilst a shiny new stadium might be deemed a priority for us County fans, I think if you took a straw poll of the population of Newport (circa 150000), I think you’ll find it would not be - and it’s hard to argue with it atm - especially when you walk through the Town Centre ?

Yes, a stadium wouldn't be top priority.

But look around Newport at how crap everything is. Crap leisure centre, crap Council owned office space, crap entertainment for children, crap snooker facilities, crap restaurants for the most part, crap crazy golf celtic aside, nothing modern like a water park or a fun fair.

Anyone with an iota of common sense would incorporate these things into a modern, 21st century complex like many other cities in the UK have. It would put Newport on the map and no mistake. Better still its attainable if someone would just take the lead.

rncfc wrote:Yes, a stadium wouldn't be top priority.

But look around Newport at how crap everything is. Crap leisure centre, crap Council owned office space, crap entertainment for children, crap snooker facilities, crap restaurants for the most part, crap crazy golf celtic aside, nothing modern like a water park or a fun fair.

Anyone with an iota of common sense would incorporate these things into a modern, 21st century complex like many other cities in the UK have. It would put Newport on the map and no mistake. Better still its attainable if someone would just take the lead.

Possible good idea for the Rodney Parade estate. A huge leisure park with new fun pool, snooker, crazy golf etc....

Nice to see my preferred (Queens) site getting a discussion, (it would need a bunch of caveats about parking etc like Withdean had for Brighton) but since the housing plan I'd assumed it wasn't going to be a runner.

Would be a great central site, I think digging up the Transport depot and relocating the primary school are the only other realistic central sites without ruining a park.

UPTHEPORT wrote:

Justanordinaryfan wrote:I appreciate I’m gonna get a roasting for actually stating this, hey ho I’m big and ugly enough, but atm I think the council has much bigger issues to address before new stadia.

I agree with you said before that more people in Newport couldn't give a flying one about sport in general than Newport County or egg chasing put together

Councils are having budgets cut the last priority for them is a new stadium for a small percentage of sports fans

I'm suggesting we run candidates in elections to move the priority up

It's no different anywhere else, the secret is to make it a community facility that brings jobs on non-match days and has areas used by the locals during the week. Also bolting on a load of profit-making things that give the council or developers money is usually a good idea too.

SJG99 wrote:

UPTHEPORT wrote:

Justanordinaryfan wrote:I appreciate I’m gonna get a roasting for actually stating this, hey ho I’m big and ugly enough, but atm I think the council has much bigger issues to address before new stadia.

I agree with you said before that more people in Newport couldn't give a flying one about sport in general than Newport County or egg chasing put together

Councils are having budgets cut the last priority for them is a new stadium for a small percentage of sports fans

I'm suggesting we run candidates in elections to move the priority up

It's no different anywhere else, the secret is to make it a community facility that brings jobs on non-match days and has areas used by the locals during the week. Also bolting on a load of profit-making things that give the council or developers money is usually a good idea too.

I agree. Although as for the bolting on I'd say bars, restaurants, hotel, sports centre yes. Athletics track, NO!

rncfc wrote:Yes, a stadium wouldn't be top priority.

But look around Newport at how crap everything is. Crap leisure centre, crap Council owned office space, crap entertainment for children, crap snooker facilities, crap restaurants for the most part, crap crazy golf celtic aside, nothing modern like a water park or a fun fair.

Anyone with an iota of common sense would incorporate these things into a modern, 21st century complex like many other cities in the UK have. It would put Newport on the map and no mistake. Better still its attainable if someone would just take the lead.

Everything in Newport has always been done on the cheap. The lack of confidence that the people of Newport have in themselves is heartbreaking. If you read down the pages on this board it is there to be seen. Far too many posts telling us why things can't be done.

UPTHEPORT wrote:

Justanordinaryfan wrote:I appreciate I’m gonna get a roasting for actually stating this, hey ho I’m big and ugly enough, but atm I think the council has much bigger issues to address before new stadia.

I agree with you said before that more people in Newport couldn't give a flying one about sport in general than Newport County or egg chasing put together

Councils are having budgets cut the last priority for them is a new stadium for a small percentage of sports fans

I'm suggesting we run candidates in elections to move the priority up

Think this through. Council elections attract few voters. Find a ward in Newport where there is a low turnout and a lot of County supporters. Bettws springs to mind. Put all our efforts into one ward. Fight the election not just on County issues but pointing out that the city of Newport deserves a facility which will create jobs, and provide leisure opportunities for all.

If we do that we might make a difference.

Reading the Wrexham message board they are extremely optimistic that the WAG are going to fund a new ground for them. If it comes to fruition, and it’s all speculation at the moment, it could prove to be an interesting precedent.