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News and Comment September 2020

Index: 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024

22 September (Part 1) - Nothing much changes

In odd moments I have been restoring old blogs. For technical reasons it makes sense to start on the oldest first and I am now up to November 2010. Some of the old stuff looks to be very trivial in retrospect but probably no worse than today’s. Councillors back then were always prepared to bend the truth if they could get away with words carefully chosen to deceive.

For example, the Council hired Parsons Brinkerhoff to advise them on road design and paid them around £4 million. What did we get from that? Nothing discernible.

However at a Council meeting Councillor Craske denied there was a £4 million contract and on that basis refused to answer questions about it claiming that there was no such contract.

The truth was that there was more than one contract and the total cost was £4 million. So no single £4 million contract. Clever, devious or dishonest? Untrustworthy certainly.

A similar device was employed yesterday by Councillor John Davey (Conservative West Heath). I enjoy reading John’s Tweets, usually amusing, frequently putting the boot into Sadiq Khan and recently making mincemeat of a would-be Labour MP. But then he engaged with someone who was advocating taking Bexley back to the 1950s when cars were few and far between. John said he was happy to use his car for which he was accused of listening to black cab drivers at the Conservative Club. John replied that he was not a member. Why would the master Tweeter do that?

But he can claim it is true because he is Chairman of the Association, not a Club.
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Yesterday TfL sent me an email to inform me that today is Car Free Day. I think I might celebrate by driving to Sainsbury’s instead of walking. London will not survive on pedal power and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. There’s a contradiction if ever there was one. They cause gridlock and are a massive blow to the economy.

 

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