31 May (Part 1) - He’s like a dog with a bone
It’s
my friend Elwyn Bryant who has the canine tendency as I shall explain.
Councillor Alex Sawyer
hit the newspaper headlines a couple of weeks ago for all the wrong
reasons. It was alleged that he was getting £25,000 a year for a couple of days
a week as office boy and tea maker in his wife’s office. Priti Patel who is (was?) the Minister
of State responsible for dishing out £12 billion a year to foreign pop singers
and miscellaneous despots world-wide.
As is often the case, Elwyn Bryant took a closer interest than I did in what he saw as an
excessive rate of pay and asked Alex some questions about what he termed ‘Three
Jobs Sawyer’, by email. If you’ve not met Elwyn you will not realise how cheeky he
can be with his questions especially by telephone. He won’t be fobbed off by
anyone and has unearthed a lot of good information as a result. In some respects
his detective work has outclassed what the police have achieved. But I digress…
Earlier this week and because of the inquisitive email, Alex Sawyer called in to see Elwyn at his home in Bexley,
probably he was out canvassing anyway, but he didn’t have to do it.
I don’t believe Elwyn learnt a lot and what he has shared with me I will not pass on without Alex’s
permission, but suffice to say he says there is more to the newspaper headlines than meets the eye and the
quoted rate of pay is a gross exaggeration.
Elwyn being Elwyn, will be sniffing out more information elsewhere but the point of
mentioning Alex’s 30 minute house call is that I think it was a nice gesture
even if the reason might have been self-defence.
I wish more Councillors would be as bold. When Mayor Pallen and
Leader O’Neill
ran away from my camera (and Elwyn’s) at the official opening of the new bridge
in Bexley Village, it was Alex Sawyer who came over to chat to us. No other Councillor did.
Conservative Councillors visiting vociferous critics is not absolutely unique,
I’ve had more than one visit me at home (would you believe it’s a greater number
than from Labour?) and they were all welcome. However in every case I was sworn
to secrecy so, even now, not even close friends know who they were.
Letting that cat out of the bag would ensure one or more fewer decent
Conservative Councillors in the borough come the next election. The last thing
Teresa O’Neill needs is honest Councillors; there is far too much to hide.