RE-CONNECT

48 hours after the Glasgow East by-election debacle for Labour, and I remain of the same views:

1. Replacing Gordon Brown will serve no purpose whatsoever. We are a parliamentary democracy, not a presidential one;

2. Instead national Labour desperately needs to re-connect with its core vote, as I never stopped doing in my own small patch of the Isle of Wight. Unless we do we will be hammered at the next general election;

3. We are in the middle of a GLOBAL economic downturn, caused initially by the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market in the USA last year. How this is managed from a UK point of view is better off in the hands of people who have real economic understanding, instead of the policy-free Tories;

4. The by-election was no triumph for the south of England Tories.

QUICK THOUGHTS FROM CATCH UP TIME

Now back properly, to discover that last week's Full Council voted by just 21 votes to 2 to endorse the new Chief Executive appointment, with 2 abstentions. That means just 44% of the 48-member IW Council put their vote to this appointment. Hmmmmmmm.......

Also that the village of Carisbrooke is involved in some sort of land-grabbing after its failed bid to be a separate parish council to Newport. Road-users will now learn that the whole of Gunville is now part of Carisbrooke, after the erection of numerous 'Carisbrooke' signs......

My first night back on Tuesday saw me at the Planning Committee for the first time in 8 months for two Pan applications. I managed to help persuade the committee to reject the officers' recommendations for refusal of one application in rural Pan, but entirely failed to persuade them that the new community Multi Use Games Area for the rear of Downside School should be open to 9.30pm seven days per week. Instead it will have to close at 6pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. They obviously know better than the people who work with the community............

VIEW FROM A DISTANCE

Back to the Island for a few days before heading off again for another week. Part of me wished I'd stayed away !

Its not just the backlog of 300 emails and the 30 phone messages, not to mention the 3 foot pile of post high enough to help short people see over fences, but what this mad Council has been up to whilst I was away. Two weeks away makes you realise - as you hurriedly catch up - how surreal everything here is. In particular the continuing schools reorganisation saga.........

Makes me wonder if Alice Through the Looking Glass is some sort of template for some politicians.

Back properly next Tuesday......