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;
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
23 comments:
No doubt you'll all now be worrying about the new year election! Some of our councillors will be looking for new employment!
The present administration have been a disaster. All those years of awful LibDems, we all hoped for better eh. What a waste. I see they plan on going back on their manifesto commitment to oppose wind farms too. They have no shame.
As a working age person - a rarity at County Hall - I have never given up my day job entirely ! Not even when I had a special responsibility. I don't believe in full time councillors with little experience of real-life.
Many Islanders had indeed hoped for better back in 2005. What has happened here is a warning of what will happen to the UK if we let the Tories back. Just cast your mind back to the 18 miserable years of Thatcher/Major and the regular recessions and economic downturns. New Tories, same danger......
Wasn't it the current Labour government which introduced 'cabinet style' local government?
It was - though Island Labour had concerns at the consultative stage that it would be maliciously exploited by some Councils. Like it has been here.
And there are no Labour majority councils which have exploited it?
I've got fairies at the bottom of my garden, have you?
No I haven't, but it perhaps explains a lot about Tories......
Oh Geoff, any fule can see the present government are the walking dead. They all know the game is up, that's why the party won't oust Gordon. He's a broken man but they all know they'll sleepwalk into a massive election defeat once it's finally called whoever leads them.
Your man in waiting will lead you into the election after next, it's all so very predicable eh. By then Gord will be in a lifelong sulk living North of the Border and blaming it all on Tony!
Call me Dave Cameron will get his chance soon, the Tories will tidy up after Labour like they always do. Mind you that wont be easy, the country is in it's worst ever financial mess. The new Labour dream is over, it didn't work, just remember the old saying;
'AN END TO BOOM AND BUST'
Oh dear, what a plonker! Even 54% of Labour people want Brown gone. Our worst ever PM?
By comparison the local Tories can't really do too much damage in this little backwater eh? It's not this lot keeping people awake at night, unless they oppose school closures or wind farms of course.
What's a 'fule'?
Went along the Undercliff yesterday, couldn't help wondering what the wasted £1 million plus could have done for the Island. Free swimming lessons perhaps, or roads kept clean, there's a myriad of things which need attention.
Still, at least we haven't got any bin police here, yet. In fact top marks for rubbish collection (or whatever the PC title is these days).
Talking of rubbish......
"The country is in its worst ever financial mess"???????
Some people have the memory span of goldfish. Those of us who remember (Tory) Chancellor Anthony Barber, not to mention Norman Lamont, know who has had to clean up after whom, in this country's recent economic history. Which isn't to say I've a lot of sympathy with New Labour, but I've even less with old Tories.
PFI's! These things will bankrupt Britain for generations, as will state workers pensions.
I hear that the IoW Council's glorious leader Cllr. Pugh is not flavour of the month with Tory High Command in London. A friend's son works in the Central Office and says he is pretty much a laughing stock there. Why on earth don't they do something about it if they know he is unfit to hold public office?
Pugh has played fast and loose with the truth (let alone his own manifesto!) over schools and now the Cheverton proposals. Doesn't 'Call me Dave' Cameron have any control over the local parties?
Hmm, Some rumour if it's true and I'd bet it isn't.
It seems today an increasingly desperate Labour think that oaf John Prescott will save them. It beggars belief. This man was a total laughing stock. This government is dead, deceased. The only question is which day will it choose to die?
MILLIBAND LOOKED LIKE MR BEAN AT THE CONFERENCE YESTAERDAY. I HEARD SOMEONE COMPARE THIS CONFERENCE TO THE FOOTBALL MATCH THAT TOOK PLACE DURING WW2. IT JUST LASTED FOR A DAY. LABOUR ARE FINISHED, NORMAL HOSTILITIES WILL BE RESUMED IN DAYS!
The famous football match was on a Christmas day in WW1 not 2.
It seems that your knowledge of history is no better than your spelling, grammar, punctuation or use of the SHIFT key.
BUGG3R OFF!
That tells us all we need to know about you.
And you! You care only about punctuation and spelling? Pathetic. Do you need an A level in English to have an opinion? How pompous, you must be a politician.
Now, now children. That nice Mr Brown says we must all like each other so, if you don't want a detention, you had better behave.
Teacher.
Teacher: He was talking about menbers of the parliamentary Labour party.
Not when he was rattling on about a British Day etc. It's a fluffy bunny world you know, unless you happen to be a realist, in which case it's a nightmare world.
It just got worse. The boom gets louder!
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