10 June (Part 2) - Respect - and the lack thereof
Following
yesterday’s unveiling at the Bexleyheath Clocktower a councillor
asked me in a roundabout way how I was going to report the event. “Respectfully” I said, there is a time and a place for criticism and
ridicule and a quasi-Royal event is not one of them.
I was surprised at how few councillors had bothered to put in an appearance. I’m
sure some would have had long standing commitments elsewhere and family
responsibilities, but half of them? It seems a bit far fetched that so many were
occupied elsewhere but a council employee with whom I struck up a conversation
told me they were only expecting 30 to 35 to be there. My own photographs
clearly show only 26, there may have been a few more.
Whether
this shows a lack of respect cannot be judged without full knowledge of
the facts, but an absentee rate of 50% or more at such a prestigious event seems a little strange to me.
A reader has been having similar thoughts about the respect issue and sent me some photos
to illustrate his point. As you can see from the small selection here, councillors were
immaculately turned out. Colin Campbell instinctively knew that his aversion to
neckwear was not appropriate when meeting the Queen. Betting man Peter Craske was wearing
his Ascot Royal Enclosure suit while seeking out friends in the crowd and a well
tailored James Hunt was happily handing out song sheets for those who had
forgotten the words of the National Anthem; but standing there like a man dragged
unwillingly from his bed, was cabinet and GLA member Gareth Bacon. Tieless, open necked, blue
sports jacket, brown trousers and black shoes. Off with his bloody head!
As
my correspondent says; whatever was he thinking of?
Note: The photograph of James Hunt is my own. Remainder by Disgusted of Thamesmead
(AKA Brian Barnett.).