10 minutes for Slugger Church 10 minutes for Binners and just three minutes from any of those in the audience lucky to get noticed?
This isn’t going to be a public debate, it will be a manipulated political theatre production planned and acted out by a very select few, indifferent to the views of the many and then acted out in front of a selected audience carefully picked out and invited mainly by the two parties themselves. It reminds me of the Alan Van De Hiede quote "Meetings are an addictive, highly self-indulgent activity that corporations and other organizations habitually engage in only because they cannot actually masturbate"
And so it was that on Friday night I received emails from the Lib Dems and the Tories informing me that of the 300 tickets available one is to be reserved for each councillor (47) which leaves at most 253 available to the public to be booked only via email at 2 tickets per applicant. Therefore if each party (and they had a head start on everyone else) simply gets 63 of their supporters to order their allowed 2 tickets each pronto then we will have a full house of friendly picked listeners.
Needless to say the email trees were out in full bloom Friday evening and I would be interested to find out exactly how many tickets were left for Joe Public by the time the event was advertised in the Chronicle and Echo the next day.
I spoke to Brian Binley on Saturday and he agreed with me on the unsuitability of the process, and we agreed that if the Council want a real debate, then let’s have all sides of the Council at the top table and let’s have an open door and an open mind policy.
From a personal point if view having discussed this very topic for the 6 years with 5 different Council Leaders 4 different Chief Executives and 3 different politically coloured administrations I too have more than a bit to say!
Let’s have a balanced panel asked and be forced to answer some real difficult questions on the future of our town rather than just giving the Tories and Lib Dems another pre election platform for their own previously failed ideas.I said recently in the Council chamber that the Planning Process should never be used for political purpose, and I also warned of the dangers of any politician becoming too entrenched in a particular view to the exclusion of any compromise and to the detriment of the town.
And just imagine what we could achieve if instead of a having a Town Centre First policy or a Sports Club First Policy, we had instead a NORTHAMPTON first policy where all potential development was carefully considered on balance and taking into account all of the issues involved, including the future of the town centre, impact on employment, the need for improved leisure provision and a planning policy that was owned and delivered by the Council rather than a blueprint handed down from Whitehall.
You pinched my idea young fella!!!
ReplyDeleteHave you been reading my blog again?
It'll be impressive because I haven't actually wrote that one yet.
I totally agree on the Northampton first policy.
I wish everyone felt that way, it would make things a lot easier wouldn't it?
On another note, you ALWAYS have more than a bit to say on matters of planning! And I wouldn't want it any other way!! You have fire and passion for this town, which is almost impossible to "fake."
I shall let you know if I get the tickets I asked for, bet I won't... they'll be too scared I might actually AGREE with you; or (worse still) find my backbone and speak up for my town!!!
Oh, one last thing my friend... Did you REALLY mean to put "masturbate" as that quote? Or is it me again?
Nicky, the Quote is as first spoken, it's to indicate that any organisation can only pleasure itself by basking in its own glory at needless meetings. That and also that the Council is run by a bunch of W*nkers!
ReplyDeleteWalthamtow's local paper reports that Clyde Loakes has thrown in the towel...
ReplyDeleteFORMER council leader Clyde Loakes has admitted he is merely a “paper candidate”, with no realistic prospect of winning the parliamentary seat of Northampton South for Labour.
He has now admitted he is unlikely to win the seat, which is currently held by the Conservatives with a 4,419 majority.
He said: “It is no longer classed as a marginal seat.
“I am doing this for the experience.”
The Guardian understands relations between Cllr Loakes and Northampton South constituency party activists have broken down amid anger at the amount of time Cllr Loakes has spent away from the area.
Cllr Loakes admitted there are "complex issues” with the constituency party."
Shucks, just been beaten to the draw by the above, an imposter calling himself by my name.
ReplyDeleteThis may have played a role in Loakes's assessment:
'When four Cabinet members of Labour-controlled Waltham Forest council learnt they would break the law by not following EU procurement rules when they awarded a three-year extension of a recycling contract, worth £2.5m, to private company ECT, they did what any upstanding public servants would do in their shoes - they went ahead, then hushed it up.
The four - Cllrs Liaquat Ali, Keith Rayner, Chris Robbins and Clyde Loakes - decided it would "not be in the public interest" to disclose the truth. Just fancy that! Loakes, former leader of the council, is Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Northampton South at the general election. Robbins is the council's leader.
An inquiry by the council's anti-fraud team observed that "a request for a bank loan of £20,000 would require more justification than this". Investigators also noted that "it is difficult to understand how LBWF expects [others] to uphold the law when its own Cabinet deliberately breaks it". Indeed'.
Private Eye, 19 March 2010, p.14
It must do wonders for local party morale when the candidate throws in the towel before any votes are counted - if they hadn't already been suspended, that is.
Greetings from Waltham Forest, where there are now two independent candidates standing for the next council election.
Best wishes, Anonymous
(No, I'M Anonymous! No, that's not true! I'M really Anonymous....)
No, you're Spartacus2008 - Cllr Varnsverry PPC IVA.
ReplyDelete