NEW TORIES, STILL NOT TRUSTED

Lets throw the gang of Tory, but anonymous, blog parasites (one pictured left) who lurk on my open comments facility a little more red meat !

In the Independent today they report the following from an opinion poll they commissioned,

'Gordon Brown is seen as the "best in a crisis" of the two main party leaders by 43 per cent of people, with 33 per cent opting for David Cameron. Mr Brown (43 per cent) is more trusted on the economy, while 33 per cent trust Mr Cameron most.'

ISLAND TORIES, FACING DANGER

I went along to the Standards Not Tiers public meeting on Monday night. It was a very interesting meeting and confirmed that the Council decision of 19 March on schools reorganisation won't be left unchallenged. I won't go into all the details, but SNT are preparing a serious legal challenge to the planned reorganisation - and if that fails are planning to contest the elections to the IW Council next May/June with more than 20 supporting candidates claimed so far.

Given that they are likely to stand primarily against local Tories who reneged on their election promises of 2005, it could be that just at the time the British people may be having collective amnesia about the dangers of Tories at a national election, the good people of the Isle of Wight could be kicking the Tories out here for being what they always are - dishonest b***ds !

NEW TORIES, SAME DANGER

The Tories tactics of marginalising Full Council continues unabated. By not putting any significant decisions on the agenda the Tories have effectively neutered real debate at Full Council. Consequently the Full Council tonight was again very light on attendance with one-third of councillors missing, and all wrapped up after 90 minutes. Real decision-making now takes place at Cabinet, though only Labour seems to have realised that over the last year or so, which is why I am usually the only opposition councillor at their meetings.

As for tonight's agenda - well presentation of the annual Public Health Report is hardly likely to stimulate debate. Everyone thinks it is a wonderful report and only so many people can reasonably say so without it getting very boring. Indeed the two Liberals in the public gallery obviously found it so as they slipped off very early after asking their opportunist questions about traffic in Newport and free swimming. Two issues already pretty much flogged to death by myself.....

We then saw a loyal Tory given an extra job 'championing children' after supporting the planned closure of his local primary school.

After that it was questions to Cabinet members. This was roughly a balance between:

my asking distinctly unfriendly questions about-

• the imperilled budget delivery, with £10m less reserves to raid
• continuing planning process failures
• and persistent non-delivery of affordable housing over the last 3 years;
  

one 'Independent' asking a mixture of friendly and neutral questions;

and Tories standing up and saying "Will the Cabinet Member agree with me that everything in the Tory Island garden is as Eden before man's fall", or something similar.

I can assure them it is not and hopefully they will learn that lesson next Spring. One thing we are seeing on the Island is that it may all be 'new Cameron, new Tories' at a national level, but here we see the reality:

new Tories, same danger

RETURN OF THE 'MIDNIGHT RUNNER' !

or, SEARCHING FOR THE YOUNG LIBERAL REBEL:

Back in the 1993 IW County Council elections, the current IW councillor for Carisbrooke West Barbara Foster (standing for the last time as a Tory) was beaten at the elections by a Liberal Democrat.

This Liberal then spent 2 years as the County Councillor most notable for his absences from County Hall and became known as Dixcey's Midnight Runner. After 2 years of mainly inattendance he dropped out at the 1995 unitary IW Council elections, allowing Barbara to re-claim the ward as an 'Independent'.

So it was to much jollity and astonishment that we today learnt that this same ex-Liberal is to be the Conservative candidate at the upcoming Mount Joy by-election. No wonder there was a major fall-out amongst Newport Tories last week (see County Press, 5.9.08) if this was the candidate that some preferred. Its like holding up the white flag and saying, "but chaps, Roger won't hang around beyond next May even if by some miracle he does win".

And as we in Labour always say - there's no such thing as a Liberal with principles. More evidence here if it was needed.......

CAN I SUPPORT PAN DEVELOPMENT ?

So the IWC Cabinet last night agreed the Financial Agreement with Miller Homes for the Pan Development. No surprise there then.

However, I have a number of continuing worries that I raised at the meeting:

1. There is no guarantee that there will be the additional affordable homes to bring the % on the development up to the 30% the Council leadership claims to aspire to - which in itself isn't enough. They remain fixed on 24%;

2. There is no written guarantee that a future IW Council will maintain the £1 million for community provision on Pan from the capital receipts they will receive for selling this land;

3. There is no written guarantee that the developer's £3.7m for Highways works will be spent by the Council on Newport roads.

I did NOT get any satisfactory responses from the Cabinet to these concerns. Until I do, I do not feel that I can support the development. However, I am hopeful they will be forthcoming.......

ARROGANT & RUDE

I see the IW Council is now issuing press releases about my ward without at least giving me the courtesy of having what I think ruled out as unacceptable !

http://www.iwight.com/home/pressReleases/frmView.aspx?prId=369

I suppose that at least they are saving time arguing with me.......

Anyway what I think about their Financial Agreement with Miller Homes for the Pan Development will be posted here after tomorrow night's Cabinet meeting.

COUNCIL TO REJECT £200K GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR FREE SWIMMING

In just about the most churlish Cabinet paper it has been my misfortune to read over the last 3 years, next week's Council Cabinet is planning to reject nearly £200,000 of Government funding under its new free swimming programme for the over 60s and under 16s.

The Government is offering a mix of revenue support and capital monies, but taking up the offer would cost the Council an estimated £110,000 per annum. The Cabinet paper considers this to be too much - and this from a Council leadership that has happily lined the pockets of solicitors and outside consultants to a quite obscene level in the last 3 years. Instead they go on about their One Card, which they claim has a 'hugely popular' takeup of 4000. Just 3% of the Island's population. Most people have never heard of it.

This Council should be ashamed of itself if it approves this nasty and niggardly paper next week.