Brickbats and Bouquets
Local Democracy Week is one of those annual events in the civic year that pass most people by. Our beleagured residents living under the yoke of a recidivist New Labour administration are no exception.
It was encouraging that our democracy-loving officers invited elected members from all parties to join in an event for young voters called, 'I'm a Councillor Get Me out of Here'. What a disappointment when, despite volunteering, I found that only Labour councillors were invited to participate.
So what better than to go the extra mile for a little more inclusiveness of my own. First of all, dear citizens, let me tell you, there is no 'dress code' needed to attend Conservative councillors' surgeries in Lambeth unlike in one Labour MP's advice centre in north east Lancashire. Indeed, Saturday morning's visitors included a deputation of the suited and booted worried about yobs breaking into their gardens, a Croatian young man in a track suit, plus single Mums and their buggies - all are welcome. As usual, the boys and girls from B&Q came and purchased the surplus cakes from the adjoining coffee morning and jumble sale.
So having chucked a couple of brickbats at the Comrades, let me hand out a bouquet. The Planning Committee's Labour Chairman handled the difficult decisions for elected members over the new secondary school for Lambeth with admirable fairness. He was patient and persuasive. At one point, I wondered why, if the councillors were doing all the heavy lifting, we had highly-paid education officers at all. The members knew their onions, but very few of the rest seemed to know what a vegetable was. After three hours of debate, some effective compromises began to emerge. Finally, it ended at just before midnight. One member of the public, a retired civil servant who played a blinder in the meeting, asked me: "John, have you got a bottle of whisky in your office?" I wish. So I replied: "If you'd asked me beforehand, I could have arranged it - but not of course on the rates!"
It was encouraging that our democracy-loving officers invited elected members from all parties to join in an event for young voters called, 'I'm a Councillor Get Me out of Here'. What a disappointment when, despite volunteering, I found that only Labour councillors were invited to participate.
So what better than to go the extra mile for a little more inclusiveness of my own. First of all, dear citizens, let me tell you, there is no 'dress code' needed to attend Conservative councillors' surgeries in Lambeth unlike in one Labour MP's advice centre in north east Lancashire. Indeed, Saturday morning's visitors included a deputation of the suited and booted worried about yobs breaking into their gardens, a Croatian young man in a track suit, plus single Mums and their buggies - all are welcome. As usual, the boys and girls from B&Q came and purchased the surplus cakes from the adjoining coffee morning and jumble sale.
So having chucked a couple of brickbats at the Comrades, let me hand out a bouquet. The Planning Committee's Labour Chairman handled the difficult decisions for elected members over the new secondary school for Lambeth with admirable fairness. He was patient and persuasive. At one point, I wondered why, if the councillors were doing all the heavy lifting, we had highly-paid education officers at all. The members knew their onions, but very few of the rest seemed to know what a vegetable was. After three hours of debate, some effective compromises began to emerge. Finally, it ended at just before midnight. One member of the public, a retired civil servant who played a blinder in the meeting, asked me: "John, have you got a bottle of whisky in your office?" I wish. So I replied: "If you'd asked me beforehand, I could have arranged it - but not of course on the rates!"
posted by Cllr John Whelan on Sunday, October 08, 2006
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home