10 March (Part 3) - Sense and sensibilities with a whole lot of nonsense mixed in
There were never going to be any pictures in this section but the threat of arrest
for the crime of carrying a Pentax with intent to leave it in its bag made it a
certainty. I’m not sure I can be bothered writing another long blog so I will
just say that some Conservative cabinet members blew their own trumpets, the
Labour people put forward an alternative strategy to cat-calls and jeering by the
Tories while the chairman looked bored (she really did!).
There was no debate,
the chairman forbade it, they took a vote which was a foregone conclusion and 85
minutes after the meeting started I was off down the pub with a couple of
friends. That’s it, no idea why they did it really, a total waste of time unless
you were a tattooed bouncer on a nice little earner. But I’m not being fair, a couple of
councillors put in a good performance, I almost said impressive but I didn’t, but
nevertheless they shouldn’t all be tarred with the same brush so I had
better do the decent thing.
The Mayor kicked off by saying she was going to kick
out any resident in the public gallery who might be sufficiently naive as to
believe government policy
carried any weight in Bexley and proceeded to ride rough-shod over a resident who gave her the good
advice that the minutes she was about to sign were false. This after she acknowledged that there
had been no time for anyone to read the minutes in advance, but she signed them anyway. Did I say
she was an
utter twit yesterday? I did? Good; saves me doing it again.
The encouraging start (the day they do things right I am out of a job) was
followed by the Council Leader
flinging insults at the Labour opposition and blowing her own trumpet loudly - well more of a
fog-horn than a trumpet really. The Labour councillors took it all
in their stride, they must be used to it by now. Teresa O’Neill
was followed by her deputy Simon Windle (Barnehurst, £27,048) which was a
welcome relief. He spoke calmly and eloquently with a degree of dignity that
O’Neill is incapable of showing. Not once did he insult the opposition and got
his message across clearly and quickly. Maybe when O’Neill is safely ensconced
in the arms of Boris (see below) and we no longer have to pay a parasite for swanning around London we can ask Simon to take her place. We
don’t want to hear her
saying she has consulted residents because she spoke to a whole “three people” in a library
nor do we want to hear her say again she is “smart” and imply the opposition isn’t.
When the Labour opposition was allowed to put forward its alternative budget strategy the mood
of the meeting instantly changed; from out of nowhere a baying mob appeared jeering and
thumping their desks. It was the Conservative councillors in full unruly flow. While councillor Malik (Thamesmead East, £9,543) was struggling to make himself
heard the cry of “tosser” rang out from the Conservative benches. The
God’s gift to chairmanship
mayor let it go unchallenged and needs a serious talking to by someone; but who? My after
meeting enquiries confirmed I wasn’t hallucinating and a number of fingers were
pointed in councillor Catterrall’s direction (Falconwood & Welling, £22,650). I
was at the back of the chamber so cannot myself be sure, perhaps if I am wrong the
councillor will let me know so that I can edit a few words.
Against the hubbub I detected that councillor Malik spoke passionately about the
plight of the poor he represented and called the Conservatives a ‘stealth tax
party’. As a Labour man he should know one when he sees one.
Brenda Langstead (North End, £12,114) said the budget consultation process was
not user-friendly. Anyone who attempted to visit the BexleyTalks website would know
exactly what she meant. She explained why the Roadshows were a disaster; no Brenda they
were a fraud. As you indicated, the schedule was kept a state secret and
Moneybags Tuckley
and O’Neill went out of their way to
dodge the Roadshows. Ask for a schedule and it didn’t exist.
Leader of the opposition, councillor Chris Ball (Erith, £22,750) was met with
jeers as soon as he stood up. He struck a chord with me by saying he was
comfortably off with a good income, lived in a relatively crime-free neighbourhood, had no children to support and the cuts were going to pass him by
while he benefitted from the tax freeze. Ouch Chris, have a heart, this old Tory
is still thinking about that.
Gareth Bacon (Longlands, £22,650) spoke in opposition to the Labour amendment and went through the
reasons why this country is in the financial hell hole it is. He mentioned
£120 million a day interest on our debts to cries of “what a load of rubbish”
from the audience and explained that value for money didn’t mean spending an
extra £300,000 for a miserly extra 5% of recycling. Not financially
justified. I have a personal problem in commenting on councillor Bacon’s speech.
If I had been in his position I would have been proud to have said exactly the
same. So now I am agreeing with Chris Ball and Gareth Bacon; does that make me a
bloody Liberal? But I have an idea. Make up a council of Simon, Gareth and
Chris, double their allowances and give the brainless amateurs the elbow starting
with Mayor Clark.
Speaking
of amateurs, councillor Chris Taylor stood up to make his maiden speech. Crikey! How long is it since he was elected?
Long enough to dream up an absolute beauty of an insult to the Labour
opposition; it’s so original that I shall savour it for minutes to come. He
accused Chris Ball of cobbling together his budget plans “on the back of a fag
packet”. Yeah I reckon little Chris really hurt poor old big Chris don’t
you? After that Taylor’s speech sort of withered and died, I didn’t notice him sit
down and I doubt anyone else did either. Do us a favour Chris, go back home and
stay there until you grow up.
Councillor Deadman (Labour, North End, £12,114) came up with something very weird
and I’m beginning to expect it from him. I’m pretty sure I heard him against the
din speaking up for high levels of top official’s pay. Don’t tell me he has taken
a fancy to the Teresa O’Neill too. Watch out Boris.
And that was pretty much it. Not so much a council meeting but a convention of
rubber-stamp merchants. Pub blog coming later, that’s where
all the real sense is spoken.