What Happened In Ramsey?

24/07/2009 by Steve Tierney.

What Happened In Ramsey?
This is going to be the question which gets asked amongst strategists, particularly Conservative ones, over the next few weeks.  The By-Election held there yesterday delivered a “surprise” (I wasn’t particularly surprised, but I suspect others will be) at both District and County levels when UKIP stomped home with a double win. 

On paper, Ramsey should be a Conservative seat.  The Lib Dems have always provided a respectable opposition.  But times, as Mr. Dylan used to say, they are a-changin’.  The scary thing as far as I’m concerned is that far too few of my fellow Conservatives seem to appreciate just what this threat actually means and just how serious it is becoming.

The common thread among many Tories runs something like this: “UKIPpers are Conservatives casting a protest vote about Europe.  They are in the minority, they are a single-issue party and they are all looney-tunes anyway.”  It is generally assumed that they will come flooding back to the Conservatives come a general election and help us towards a dramatic win.

I’ve been challenging this received wisdom for a while, but my arguments fall on deaf ears.  It is true that many UKIP supporters’ natural home is the Conservative party and that some will vote with us at a general election.  The rest of the supposition is wishful thinking which belongs firmly in the “sticking head in sand” school of political discourse.

We Conservatives are collectively terrified of campaigning on an anti-Europe platform because when we tried this in years gone by it did us no good whatsoever.  I respectfully suggest that was then, this is now.  A mood change has washed over the British public in recent years.  At every level and in every area resentment at the meddling in our affairs is growing.  

Many people are horrified that we systematically give away authority over our proud sovereign nation to foreign  powers, throw immense amounts of money at a project that no British person has ever had the opportunity to vote for, and that we throw liberty and independence to the four winds and stick two fingers up at centuries of history. 

Conservative leaders hope that the rise of UKIP is a temporary phenomenon - that it will wither away over time.  I don’t believe that is the case.  The fact of the matter is that there is only one party who can overturn their relentless growth - the same party who is suffering as their core membership dissolves away. 

I do not believe that anything good can come of electing UKIP councillors in local areas.  I suspect the good folk of Ramsey will come to regret their decision and I feel dreadfully sorry for the excellent Conservative candidates who were denied the seats.

The reason I am a Conservative and not a ‘Kipper is that I believe in the core Conservative messages.  UKIP messages are not massively different actually, but they have put on our clothes without having the depth and scope of our ideas.  Nevertheless I have a great deal of sympathy with their stance on Europe (as, I believe, do the majority of Conservatives). 

The Conservatives could have put a stop to all of this months ago.  We could have taken both the Ramsey seats in a landslide.  Our UKIP cousins would (for the most part) love this to be the case.  Because it would mean we had spoken the words that the vast majority of Conservatives do actually believe.  We have had enough of the failing European project and we believe in British independence. 

In fact, wouldn’t we actually be Better Off Out?

Posted in UKIP, Ramsey, Cambs. County Council | No Comments »

In Council - July 2009 & Armed Robbery

22/07/2009 by Steve Tierney.

The Bramley Line
Today’s full county council meeting was a somewhat muted affair, thanks to the absence of Cllr Moss-Eccardt, everyone’s favourite procedural expert.  In fact, during the first few agenda items I began to wonder if the Liberal Democrat contingent had been suddenly struck dumb - so quiet were their ranks.  Not so!  When it came time to talk about the Bramley Line our colleagues on the opposite benches became highly animated.  You would almost be forgiven for thinking that this was a clever political machination.  They had clearly spent some time getting all their ducks in a row.

I should probably explain.  The Bramley Line is the disused railway track which runs from Wisbech to March.  To cut a long story short the people of Wisbech would quite like it opened again, the people of March (who already have a railway station and probably see no need to burden themselves with more rail traffic) aren’t so sure.  There is a very active and dedicated group of local enthusiasts who have been working for several years to get the line re-opened.  There are Conservative councillors like Cllr. Simon King who are part of that group and have been working alongside them towards this goal.  To the best of my knowledge nobody has really seen any Lib Dem councillors anywhere near the project - ever.  This could well be because Fen Folk prefer not to elect them anywhere in the region.  But even so… their sudden interest and support furrowed some brows.

Perhaps the Liberal Democrats had really grown a sudden fervent interest in the Fens traffic infrastructure?  If so, good. Any ideas and support are always welcome.  But there are some amongst us who think what actually happened is that they saw an opportunity for division.  The Bramley Line is a very interesting project, but it’s also a controversial one.  Not everybody feels the economic case has been made for it yet.  Some people prefer other options for improving transport in the area (like giving the A47 the dual-carriageway treatment all the way to Wisbech.)

So when Cllr D.Jenkins (leader of the Liberal Democrats) proposed that a new funding method called TIF be considered to assist in the re-opening of the Bramley Line some people questioned the motives.  I have to say I really don’t know if this was a machiaevellian move or not and I think I’m prepared to give the benefit of the doubt and presume that it was just an honest, well-meant idea.  What a shame then that the motion had to include a load of party-political swipes that devalued it and forced the Conservatives to table an amendment that stripped the unhealthy fat from the bone and left only the meat for consumption.

Cue lots of long speeches by councillors on all sides which basically seemed to be saying the same things from slightly different perspectives.  Cllr. Alan Melton delivered one of the blistering verbal barrages for which he is so famous in support of better transport all over the Fens.  Cllr. Geoff Harper read a prepared speech full of deft lyrical flourishes in which he pointed out the many improvements that had already taken place - in order that proper perspective be maintained.  Speaking to the chamber myself, I took the opportunity to make it quite clear that Conservatives do not oppose rail, nor the Bramley Line (quite the opposite, as far as I’m concerned) and that our amendment unequivocally expressed that we felt this was a strong option that deserved serious consideration.  There’s no lip service there.  We do.  Because it is.

All’s well that ends well, the amended motion met the approval of all councillors and resulted in a (very rare) unanimous vote of “yes”.  Which doesn’t mean the Bramley Line is suddenly going to find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but does surely bring Wisbech one step closer to getting the rail link it wants so badly.

Armed Robbery
When I got home from the council meeting today I was surprised to find the Police in my shop and a member of my staff clearly badly shaken by something.  It turns out that we had been victim of a robbery.  Two young men had entered the shop and snatched a laptop from behind the counter (one made a distraction while the other snatched, then both ran.)  Dominic, who works for me part-time, gave chase!  Following the two men out of the shop he managed to grab one of them.  During the struggle a gun fell from inside the jacket of the criminal and landed on the pavement.  The man made a grab for the gun, Dominic (no doubt terrified of the consequences of this nutcase getting his hands on the weapon) kicked it across the street.  The man struggled free and both of them fled with the laptop - leaving the weapon behind. 

Now it appears that the gun was actually not a ‘real’ gun, but an airsoft weapon or something that looked very authentic.  At least, that’s what the police suggested before they bagged it up as evidence.  Even so, you wouldn’t want to be shot in the eye with something like that, nor meet the sort of person who carries it around.  The police officer was clear that somebody caught carrying one of these would expect prison time.

I’m a little torn about all this.  In the first instance I’m horrified that this sort of thing can have happened on my doorstep (quite literally), I’m angry that I wasn’t here to try and prevent the crime and I’m furious that they have (so far at least) apparently gotten away with it.   But I have got to give it to my staff member Dominic, who found himself in a dangerous and frightening situation and whose first instinct, against all common sense, was to come out fighting.  I suspect many people would have let the criminals go.  Why risk your safety for a part-time job and a single stolen item?  Even the police were keen to point out that they suggest people do not try and tackle criminals of this type.  What did Dominic do?  He chased two guys out onto the street, struggled with them and relieved them of a firearm.  

Where I come from they call that sort of person a hero.
  

Posted in Fenland District Council, Cambs. County Council, Wisbech, Conservatives | No Comments »

Who Ya’ Gonna Call, Pandemonium & More Blue Please

16/07/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Who Ya’ Gonna Call?
If you’ve been following the Ghost Passage shenanigans on this blog then there’s no need to read this or this, but if not those posts make a good preamble to this one.  This afternoon I attended a meeting which had managed to morph from the original small nucleus into a something more like a public gathering (there were more people there than there were at the last police panel meeting I attended…)  The purpose of the meeting was to clarify positions on all sides of the debate and try to agree some way forward.

The meeting was chaired very ably by Cllr. Simon King and featured Myself and Val Bolem (on behalf of the residents), Sgt. David Bax and two PCSOs (on behalf of the Police) and representatives from the Freemasons and The Spiritualist Church (which both adjoin the alley.) 

Now those who have read this blog will know I have not been a big fan of the whole idea of closure.  When I first shot off a couple of emails about it I suspected this might be a lonely position to take.  ‘Turns out that wasn’t the case.  In fact, almost everybody was opposed to the police plan - albeit to different degrees.

I wont go into the detail of what was quite a long meeting.  I found it very interesting but I strongly suspect the old adage “you had to be there” holds true for this and I have no wish to bore readers to sleep. Suffice to say the “compromise plan” involving only two gates did indeed meet with the approval of pretty much everyone.  The police position is that this was always the plan and that the idea of three gates was only put out there to “encourage discussion.”  Indeed.  Well - if that is the case then I’d say they achieved their goals.

I still stand by my original contention that the way to deal with trouble is not to wall it off and pretend it isn’t there.  But it was clear that the “people on the ground” including the two eloquent PCSOs were earnest in their belief that some closure was needed.  I think it would be incredibly arrogant to hold on to my ideological position with an iron grip while ignoring the people at the business end of the problems.   The compromise retains the passage as a public right of way while taking the pressure off the police and, more importantly, the residents who have been most harmed by the antisocial behaviour.

I did manage to get the police to make some important statements which went a long way towards allaying the concerns of many residents.  For the record, Sgt. David Bax committed to the following:-

a. There is no plan to keep the alley closed any longer than 3-6 months. 
b. There is no plan to close the oft-used passage between the Crescent and Love Lane.
c. There are no “other targets” in the form of alleys elsewhere in town to get the same treatment.

With these statements made I can support the new plan and believe that the other residents who protested will agree (although I will, of course, take the time to ask them.  Just to make sure.)

What started out as a worrying development which did nothing to enhance the reputation of the local police has turned out to do quite the opposite.  I cannot fault the way the police have responded to the issues we have raised.  Sgt. Dave Bax was exemplary in his engagement with us.  He was frank, fair and confident.  The PCSOs were a credit to the force too.  Residents were forthright and involved at all levels.  Meanwhile, Cllr King, who had initially been a little difficult on this issue was a vital ingredient in its resolution.  In short, all the cogs in the wheel worked just as they should and everybody came out of it looking reasonable and fair.  A breath of fresh air, all in all.

I suspect that for the time being that’s the end of the tale in regards this particular haunted corner of Wisbech.  The issue of Ghost Passage is hopefully now well and truly exorcised.  So next time there’s something strange in your neighbourhood, who ya’ gonna call?

Pandemonium
As far as I can see there are several schools of thought on the Swine Flu Pandemic. 

There’s the: “I’m not scared of a glorified cold - In fact I’m going to a swine flu party to try to catch it.” 
This is all very well until you discover you’ve got some lurking underlying health condition.

There’s the paranoid: ” The Government / The Press / The Freemasons / The Twilight Zone (Circle One) are out to get us - government made this disease in a test tube” brigade who probably shouldn’t be allowed to play with sharp things.

There are people like my wife who are relaxed and quite fatalistic about it.  “We’re all going to get it sooner or later.   No point worrying about what you can’t prevent.”  (Very wise, my wife.  I should listen.)

And then there’s people like me, who don’t have a clue how bad it is, how bad it might get or what the consequences might be - and who find that lack of control over events nerve-wracking (primarily for our family’s sake.) 

The doctors are keen to tell us not to worry. “It’s no worse than seasonal flu” they say, “people die of that every year.” 
Yes, that’s true.  But we don’t see the government planning to ship in enough vaccine to cover the whole population at Christmas each year, do we?  When you treat something differently, people wonder what is different about it.  I suspect the doctors are quite right, but they really need to start sending their message more clearly.  A climate of fear is not a healthy climate to live in.  We aren’t there yet, but if the predicated 100,000 cases a day reaches fruition I suspect we may see a polarisation of public opinion.

Now I suspect that we’ll get through this just fine.  That many of us will get it, lay in bed for a few days, then get on with our lives.  But the press have done a good job of making people nervous on this one.  Or maybe its more than the press.  I’m not suggesting that we’re in Stephen King’s The Stand here.  There’s no need for a soundtrack of Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear The Reaper to rattle ominously in the background.  But we should pay attention to the progression of events.  This is a pandemic, after all and the virus itself is very new - almost unique - in its structure.  The way to keep people safe is to be vigilant - not complacent.  And please - if somebody invites you to a swine flu party, tell them where to get off.  Whatever else it is, this isn’t a game.

The Figures (according to Department of Health via The Times newspaper on 3rd July)

7,447 cases of H1N1 swine flu confirmed in Britain so far. Three 29 (update:16th July)  people infected with the virus have died
100,000 new cases predicted each day by the end of August
35 per cent of the population may become ill at the peak of the pandemic
£800m cost of antiviral drugs stockpiled to treat 80 per cent of the population
£155m cost of contracts for vaccines for the pandemic flu strain over four years
12,000 deaths annually due to seasonal flu, likely to be far exceeded in a pandemic

More Blue Please
I spent this evening in Ramsey campaigning on behalf of the Conservative candidates for District and County.  I was pleased to find that our vote seems to be holding up well, that our pledges remain secure and that the people of the area seem to know the colour they want to paint their politics.  I didn’t see much yellow on that canvas tonight. And not a drop of red.

Mostly, the opposition appears to be UKIP (very much as it was for my own campaign recently.)  Interestingly, the results of our canvassing seem to suggest that (for once) the UKIP vote is coming from the Lib Dem camp.  Everywhere I go people seem to be expressing their feelings for the European Union (and they aren’t feelings of love.)  I wouldn’t want to be canvassing on behalf of a pro-European party in this environment!

For the County election on July 23 our Conservative candidate is Susan Normington, a very nice local lady with bags of experience and dedication to spare.  Labour, The Lib Dems and UKIP are all fielding candidates. 

For the District election on the same day the Conservative is Angela Curtis, facing opposition in the form of the Lib Dems, UKIP and an Independent Candidate.

Now I know the people of Cambridgeshire have already blessed the county with that gorgeous blue in a very healthy majority and I have no right to ask any more of you, but I will anyway.  You have two excellent candidates in Susan and Angela.  Tick the right box.  More Blue Please. 
  

Posted in Ramsey, Swine Flu, Ghost Passage, Cambs. County Council, Wisbech | No Comments »

Black Spots & Misrepresentations Galore

10/07/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Black Spots
I was at my first committee meeting for the Fenland Traffic Management Area Joint Committee today in Fenland Hall, March.  On the agenda was an issue which I’ve blogged about before, namely the A1101 Blackspot.  The local action group were at the meeting to present a petition, with a presentation by one of their strong team - Virginia Bucknor. 

And what a presentation it was! 

I found the statistics chilling.  Even though I knew some of this information already, when you see it laid out before you so clearly and starkly I cannot see how anybody could not be ready to pay serious attention.  Which is precisely what the committee did, I’m pleased to report. 

I had my chance to speak on behalf of the people who elected me and I did my best, pointing out that all the residents really want is a speed camera, some clear signage and some trees removed.  It’s not rocket science and it doesn’t have to be too expensive. 

Among the statistics presented was the cost thus far over the last few years to the public purse of accidents on the black spot.  Twelve Million Pounds.  What is the cost to put in a speed camera?  Twenty thousand pounds.  Like I said, it’s not rocket science.  When you do the math you can see that six hundred cameras could be installed for the same amount as the current cost of this death trap to the taxpayer.  Or we could just install the ONE camera we need and save Eleven Million Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand pounds for other worthwhile projects.  (When I say ‘we’, I mean the nation rather than the council, of course.)

I must add that on principle I’m not a big fan of speed cameras.  I think they are a lazy way to avoid proper policing, do nothing whatsoever to combat careless driving (a more serious cause of accidents than speeding in many cases) and are often just a great way to sting the motorist for a few easy bucks.  But there are exceptions and this is certainly one.  As Cllr. Jonathan Farmer said at today’s meeting: “If the conditions necessary to install a speed camera are not found at this location then somebody needs to look seriously at those conditions - because they are wrong.”  He was right about that.  This junction’s problem is speed and overtaking.  Tackle those two things with a speed camera, some signs and ’no overtaking’ markings and lives can and will be saved.  It doesn’t get much simpler than that!

Sidenote: Regular readers (both of you) might be interested to know I met Cllr. Mark Archer today.  He seemed a very nice guy.  We shook hands.  He didn’t seem to be too upset about my occasional blog criticism of him.  In fact, all in all, I would say he seemed very reasonable.  I’ve said before I suspect he is a nice guy (or else why would so many friends rally around to defend him?)  Seems that was right.  It was nice to meet you, Mark.

Misrepresentations Galore
Val Bolem has given me an ear-bashing (a “virtual” ear-bashing, anyway) about my previous blog post Ghost Passage Revisited.  Val feels that when I used the word “misrepresented” regarding his comments to me about the police I was, in fact, misrepresenting him.  (Confused?  Yeah, me too!)  Since I have no wish whatsoever to do anything like that I immediately amended the blog as he advised and apologised if I had misunderstood our conversation. 

There followed a brief email debate about the dictionary meaning of the word “misrepresented” and the content of our original conversation.  I must point out that where I am quoting somebody verbatim I use “quotes” to show it.  Otherwise, what I write is my personal interpretation of something rather than a blow-by-blow account. 

It is true that Val never used the word “misrepresented” in our conversation, although I would add that I never said he did.  I felt (and this was purely my take on it) that the fact that the original plan Val told me about was different from the final plan the police put out was fairly clearly a misrepresentation as per the dictionary definition of the word.  Val doesn’t agree, which is entirely his right.  Since he doesn’t agree, I amended the blog post immediately rather than have Val unhappy with it.  I hope that seems a quick and reasonable response to Val and any other readers.  Bloggers have a reputation of being difficult and contrary, and while I don’t mind being branded a maverick at times I have no wish to offend anybody.

  

Posted in Mark Archer, A1101, Cambs. County Council, Leverington, Newton, Tydd St. Giles | 5 Comments »

A Little Sunshine

08/07/2009 by Steve Tierney.

A Little Sunshine
I’ve been getting all sorts of good news this week and I thought it would be fun to share a little of the sunshine. Surrounded as we are by recession and gloom so often it doesn’t hurt to highlight the places where things have gone well. First of all, perhaps blog readers will remember Lisa Goddard? She was the lady who featured on the front page of the local newspaper a couple of months ago, furious about the state of her road and the way vibrations and noise were affecting the quality of life for her and her neighbours. 

I took the case up, joining Lisa’s campaign and talking to the leader of the council, Jill Tuck, about the issue.  To her credit Jill took immediate action, bringing forward planned repairs to the road.  I kept on the case, nudging gentle reminders, but really there wasn’t a lot I needed to do.  The council roads team dealt with the matter swiftly and professionally. 

I’ve just spoken to Lisa Goddard on the phone who expressed her gratitude for all the assistance and support she had been given and was effusive in her praise of local government in this area.  She said that the road repairs were fantastic, that she was surprised by how quickly action was taken and expressed how happy she was to: “Finally get a good night’s sleep.”  Lisa is right, the council reacted very effectively in this case, but she must also take credit for the positive outcome.  She worked hard and was a powerful advocate for her case.  It’s an example of council and residents working together as a team and a brilliant one at that!

Interesting to note, though: When Lisa was unhappy about the state of her roads she got the front page of the local paper in short order.  When she phoned up to tell them how well the job had been done they apparently said they would “return her call”.  She’s still waiting.  Ho Hum.

Meanwhile, another well-known local resident Tony Kiddle has had an ongoing problem with his streetlights.   None of them were working and the council seemed to think the road was “unadopted”.  I took the case up on his behalf and I promised him I would make sure the lights were fixed.  And this week - guess what - the lights were fixed! Yay!  Tony is passionate about a number of local causes and I know I’ll be working with him again on other issues.  But here’s another case of something that needed doing and then got done, thanks to teamwork and a responsive council.

Finally, rumour has reached me that the PCSO’s in Wisbech have been visiting residents of The Crescent and telling them about this “new plan” the police have to avoid full closure of Ghost Passage and only use two gates instead of four.  It sounds very familiar to me.  But never mind.  The important thing is that they’ve listened and are rethinking the idea to meet the resident’s concerns. 

Some people have called me naive because I believe in “local people working together for the good of the community” as expressed in my council candidate leaflet before the elections.  I suppose it does look a little “apple pie and ice cream” if you want to be cynical.  But you’ve just read several cases of exactly that happening in the last month.  These may be small matters in the grand scheme of things, but they matter to people here and isn’t it nice to read good news once in a while?

Posted in A1101, Cambs. County Council, Wisbech, Leverington, Conservatives | No Comments »

Hard To Please

07/07/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Hard To Please
My council colleague from the Liberal Democrat side, Nichola Harrison, has written a new blog post: “Very good is not green enough.”  As usual it is well-written, interesting and cleanly-presented.  But its basic premise is that the council is not being ambitious enough with its ‘green’ agenda because it is planning to build a new school using an eco standard that is very good.  Not “poor”.  Not “lacking”.  Not even “could try harder.”  Very good.

Huh? 

You might be forgiven for re-reading that and wondering if I had mis-typed.  “Surely a ‘Very Good’ Eco Standard is an achievement?” you might ask. 

If my young son came home from school with a report card that said he was “Very Good” my wife and I would be cracking open the champagne (he can be a little <ahem> naughty boisterous, you see.  But he’s a wilful four-year-old boy and you know what they are like!) 

If, having just cooked dinner for my family, I asked: “How was it?” and they rubbed their tummies and said: “Yum yum, very good” I think I’d consider it a job well done.

But not Cllr. Harrison.  Not a bit of it.  Nichola you are one very hard to please lady!  I suppose you could generously look at it as demanding higher standards.  As part of the opposition party that is her job.  But really, would it kill the Lib Dems to be positive once in a while?

Just imagine a young lad coming home to his mum after sports day and telling her he’d won a gold award for achievement after winning three out of his four events.  “Look at my trophy!” he says, brandishing it enthusiastically.
“Only three out of four?” Comes his mother’s stern reply.  “That’s not an achievement son, that’s failure in my book”. 
“But Mum, my gym teacher said it was Very Good?”
“But not excellent, boy.  Not outstanding.  Only very good!  Now to bed with you and no supper for a month!” *see note at bottom

Nichola’s argument, you see, is that although we went for the “Very Good” standard, there is a higher “Excellent” standard.  Apparently they have even now introduced another level “Outstanding”.  Presumably next year there might be “Astonishing”, “Super-Human” and “God-Like” for people who are prepared to build houses out of regurgitated straw and heat them with starlight and fairy-breath.

Now I accept I’m poking a little fun here.  Climate change is a real issue and one that concerns many people.  But so is the recession.  If it were cheaper and easier to reach high eco-levels then even the most difficult stuck-in-the-mud petrol-heads would do it.  But it isn’t, it’s generally more expensive in the short-term. 

Since we are in the middle of a deep recession there isn’t a lot of money floating about.  It doesn’t grow on trees (and even if it did the Lib Dems would certainly want to protect those trees).  Pay extra money for one project and you must take it from another.  It’s not our money we are spending, it is the taxpayer’s money, so we have to balance ’saving the world’ with paying for vital services and find some sensible middle ground.  No matter which way you look at it, upside-down, diagonally, or from behind, Very Good is Very Good.  It’d be nice to see that recognised, though I wont hold my breath.

*Note: For the record.  I do not condone or approve of withholding food as a means of punishment.   It was a metaphor for goodness sake.

Posted in Global Warming, Liberal Democrats, Cambs. County Council, Credit Crunch | No Comments »

In Council - June 2009

23/06/2009 by Steve Tierney.

In Council - June 2009
I attended my first Full County Council Meeting today and in the aftermath there are various things I’d like to talk about. Since it’s clear this is going to be a big part of why I blog I’ve decided to make it a regular feature. After each full council meeting I’ll have an ‘In Council’ post which features the things I found interesting, notable (or irritating) about it.

Today was the first meeting of the ‘new’ council too, comprised of returning councillors and a healthy bunch of brand new faces (like mine.) The elected council currently consists of forty-two Conservatives, twenty-three Liberal Democrats, two Labour(s) and one Green. Due to the sad death of one candidate - the election for the sixty-ninth seat has not yet been held and the seat remains vacant until it is.

For the most part this should have been a simple ‘by the book’ meeting since the agenda was mostly just voting on some of the officers and positions available, confirming people’s new committee posts, confirming the constitution and doing the necessary paperwork to get the new council term underway. Having read the agenda in advance I was expecting a fairly simply affair. Yeah right.

Policy Development Groups - To Be Private or Not To Be Private
During the early portion of the meeting the Lib Dems sat patiently in their chairs opposite, looking quietly self-satisfied. They proposed alternatives to various posts and - not being the majority party - lost. That didn’t matter though, I imagine they wanted to be seen to be doing and saying something and that’s fair enough. But then we got to the first sticky agenda item. The Lib Dems wanted to propose that Policy Development Groups (PDGs) be ‘public’ instead of ‘private’. More specifically, Councillor Rupert Moss-Eccardt wanted to amend the constitution to make this happen.

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Jargon-Smasher (Councillese Version)
For the uninitiated, a Policy Development Group is a committee which meets to discuss policy ideas for a specified area the council handles and then makes those ideas available to cabinet for possible implementation. The groups have members from all political parties on the council and are there to make sure that all councillors, regardless of their political colours, get a chance to have input on the direction of the council’s governance.

Jargon-Smasher (Plain English Version)
PDGs are a place for councillors to share and debate ideas about what we should be doing and then to suggest those ideas later to our cabinet leaders.

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The Lib Dems were saying that “openness” and “transparency” were something we should always try to achieve more of. That the public had a right to be present at all our deliberations and that making some meetings private was not sending out the right message. They used very flowery adjectives like “secret” and “hush-hush” and talked about “meetings in wood-panelled smoky rooms” a la David Cameron. It was all very imaginative and full of colourful invective.

Now on the face of it this seems like a great idea, right? Open! Transparent! What’s not to like? But just because somebody is able to dress an idea up in the current buzzwords and then pass it off with a smooth turn-of-phrase doesn’t necessarily mean the idea will stand up to scrutiny.

Anybody who has spent any time in business will know that the best, most imaginative, most incredible ideas come out when people feel comfortable enough to speak freely. That’s why so many companies try and encourage their employees to “think outside the box” and have “brain-storming” sessions where anything goes. For every fifty zany, improbable, wacky ideas you throw out there, one of them may be an insightful new approach to a problem. The trouble is those ideas tend to be much less likely to come out when the cold light of public scrutiny is shining upon you. Suddenly the fear of looking (or sounding) stupid, of saying some too controversial, of being ‘on record’ as having had one of the fifty zany, improbable, wacky ideas which didn’t pan out becomes stifling and counterproductive.

The Lib Dems want to paint the idea that PDG’s are secretive because that sounds nefarious and suspicious. Of course, that’s pure political wordplay for their benefit. The fact is PDG’s don’t ’set’ policy at all. They are the ideas stage, the place for free debate over policy possibilities. Yes, let’s be “open” and “transparent”. God knows the public have had enough of political skullduggery lately on the national stage. But like any place where business is done, representatives have a private meeting to discuss ideas and thrash out the wheat from the chaff. Then, when there are some actual policies to put forward the openness and transparency is handled perfectly well at that stage. The alternative would be turn successful PDG meetings into a bizarre spectacle where real ideas and discussion where replaced by some parties parading like peacocks in front of their pocket audience just for the sake of proving to the world how very clever they are. Which parties? I couldn’t possibly say. But the feathers would be yellow, I suspect.

A Time And A Place
The next piece of ‘excitement’ (perhaps this is a new use of the word of which you were not previously aware, if so, you will not be alone in that) was another proposed amendment. While our good friend Cllr Moss-Eccardt did not make this proposal, it had all the hallmarks of being his plaything (it was utterly inane, he was sitting next to the young lady who made the proposal, she regularly turned to him for advice during the discussion and at one point he took over on her behalf.) This proposal was that councillors “be allowed to ask questions during the first meeting of a new council”.

I should point out that the first meeting is considered (as I said in the beginning of this lengthy blog post) as being for making certain necessary decisions; the new council chairman, the new council vice-chairman, approving the constitution, appointing the new council leader etc etc. It is a structured meeting conducted for certain business and that is why this one lone meeting in a full four-year term does not allow other questions. But it seems that today was the day for making pointless amendment proposals so ahead went another half an hour of argument over, basically, nothing.

Some time into this charade it appeared that Cllr Sarah Whitebread (the proposer) became uncomfortable with the Monster she had summoned and turned plaintively to Cllr Moss-Eccardt for assistance in somehow banishing it to the netherworld from whence it came. He, the grand puppet master, grinning like a cheshire cat and bouncing up and down like Winnie’s friend Tigger (with whom he equates himself on his home page) was enjoying the spectacle far too much to notice.

End result - no pointless change in the rules was agreed. A predictable and sensible result but that didn’t stop Cllr. Moss-Eccardt interrupting the chairman (again) with his erstwhile cry of: “I protest”. One too many coffees with his Weetabix, methinks.

What I Will Be Doing
During the course of the council meeting we were informed what our posts and committee memberships would be for the forthcoming council term. We’ve all recently had to fill in forms about our previous experience and interests so that the Powers That Be have information to hand and can make informed decisions. Now I’ve got to admit I wondered how effective this was going to be. Cllr. Jill Tuck (Leader of the Council) is clearly a smart lady and knows a thing or two about all this (a darn sight more than I do, to be sure) but I wasn’t sure how well she knew me. I couldn’t shake the idea that I’d end up poorly placed or stuffed uncomfortably into the wrong job, a square peg in a round hole as it were. As it turns out I’ve been given four’positions’:

Children & Young People - Policy Development Group
Growth & Environment - Policy Development Group
Traffic Management Area Joint Committee (Fenland)
Corporate Services - Scrutiny Committee

I’ll admit to being very pleasantly surprised. I expect, if I’d chosen the positions myself, my own selections wouldn’t have been far off these. It’s very encouraging for me to see that our county leadership, even with the little exposure they’ve had to me, seem to have understood my experience and strengths well. I just hope my colleagues don’t mind a little radical thinking. I’m a Conservative Libertarian and I strongly favour localism, as per the gospel of Mssrs. Hannan and Carswell. As such, I think I might be a little different to some of my more traditionally Conservative peers. From what I’ve seen so far, the Conservative Council are a broad church with very open minds. I hope, as somebody who hasn’t come up the “usual” path into County Council, I might have a fresh (or at least different) viewpoint to offer. In the end, I can only do my best for the people of my division and for the council as a whole. Let’s hope that’s enough!

Posted in Localism, Liberal Democrats, Libertarianism, Cambs. County Council | No Comments »

The Ultimate Spellchecker & Councillese

12/06/2009 by Steve Tierney.

The Ultimate Spellchecker
My English is not too bad, I hope.  I’ve done a fair bit of writing (some of it professional) in my life and I like to think that I can string a sentence together without being too terrified of the consequences.  That all changed this week when my friend “Samuel Brakespeare” in the Cambs Times column of the same name pointed out that I had spelt fete incorrectly as “fate”.  A blog reader had emailed this to me already so, as of publication, I had already amended the entry (and thought it had escaped other notice).  Just goes to show, the web is a devious mistress. 

I ask you, dear reader, if there is a more powerful spellchecker than the fear that the all-seeing eye of the press is watching your words as they appear with one eyebrow cocked and the glint of a schoolmaster eager for any slip of the keypad.  Now, as I look at the “publish” button on my blog software I can feel the dread creeping in.  Has a word escaped my notice?  Perhaps I have used a semi-colon where a period would be better?  Has an apostrophe been used to indicate a plural?  Have I misunderstood the difference between grammar and spelling? 

Of course, despite my wry excuses, Sam was right.  I did spell fate (sic) wrong.  The Cambs Times helped me get it right in the end.  I hope this is the start of a long and successful period of cooperation between that august publication and I.   All constructive criticism is actually very welcome.  I’ve got a lot to learn as a new county councillor.  Jokes aside, I appreciate the input very much. 

In the spirit of cooperation; in the Cambs Times Diary this week under the heading “Son thing of a problem” our erstwhile columnist might like to check paragraph 2.  “A thoroughly decent chap whom I met him last year” seems wrong to me.  I’m surprised the editor didn’t catch that. 

Councillese
I speak a little Spanish and a little French.  Enough to get by on vacations: “Hola, me llamo es Steve.  Dos cerveza por favour” and the like.  But I’m not one of these people that pick up new languages with great ease and so I was a little taken aback by my first training course at Cambs County Council this morning.  The (very nice, very helpful, I must stress) senior staff put on a seminar which included the obligatory powerpoint slide presentation and a “carousel” system (a bunch of important staff sitting at different tables that you meet and ask questions of as you mingle around the room.)  It was all very enlightening and a great deal of extremely useful information was fed to us newcomers.  But I was struck by the bizarre new language that all these council staff speak.  Let’s call it Councillese for sake of a more imaginative name.  Anybody who has sat on a committee, or been involved in the corporate scene will have heard this sort of thing before, but the strange world of County Council has its whole own diallect.  Everybody is interfacing with one another, attempting to engage and cooperate with partners, while streamlining their engagement with external bodies to maximise choice and facilitate improved outcomes.  Que?  After a while the words begin to wash into your brain and the sentences start to snap together and take recognisable shape.  It’s surprising how quickly you catch the bug.  When we took a break I even considered using a recepticle to incorporate a caffeinated beverage into my nutritional schedule.  But instead, I had a cup of tea.  Which was very welcome.
  
  

Posted in Cambs Times, Cambs. County Council | No Comments »

Induction Day, To Work & The Conservative Machine

11/06/2009 by Steve Tierney.

Induction Day
Last Saturday I proudly attended my ‘induction meeting’ at Shire Hall, Cambridge. Very earnest staff led a tour group of newbie councillors around the elegant building. Cue much “oohing and aahing” like starstruck tourists. No flash photography please, there are wild politicians around and we wouldn’t want to disturb their natural habitat. We had our photos taken (presumably so they can be stuck onto the County Council website to terrify unwary visitors who venture within.) Then we enjoyed a very pleasant buffet lunch, shook each other’s hands, and managed to ignore the fact that many of us would spend the next four years violently disagreeing across the council chamber. If I sound flippant then you should probably put it down to whistling in the dark. I now have the sober responsibility of representing thousands of people. It is a daunting idea but also a task that I am very much looking forward to. I think it’s going to be exciting and interesting and infuriating and challenging and lots of other adjectives. But you know what? I’m ready! Bring it on.

To Work
The first meeting I must attend at county is this Friday. This is not a council meeting per se, but a morning training course followed by the Conservative Group AGM (Annual General Meeting.) This will be the first time I (and a number of other new Conservative councillors) will be attending anything ‘official’ and as such I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll report in full here once its all over. By all accounts, it might be quite interesting. The rumour mill is certainly buzzing. More to follow…

The Conservative Machine
Following his healthy defeat by Cllr. Geoff Harper, independent county candidate for Forty Foot, Mark Archer was reported by the Cambs Times as saying:-

“I’m very encouraged by this. Cllr Harper knows he will have to pull his socks up because I will be standing next time.I don’t think I was beaten by Cllr Harper the candidate, more by the Conservative machine.”

I’m pretty sure Mr Archer had assumed he might win but if he says he feels: ”very encouraged” then fair enough, good for him.  He really misses the point when he talks about the “Conservative Machine”.  By using this sort of mechanical metaphor he is trying to convey a cold, calculating image which has no bearing on reality.  The Conservatives, Mr. Archer, are a team.  A solid, loyal, dedicated team.  While Mr Archer loudly proclaims his ‘lone wolf’ status (a status which I’m somewhat sceptical of) and derides the team that beat him, I would respectfully make the point that all the baseless accusations, local press coverage and political cynicism in the world can’t beat a strong, hard-working team and a great candidate.  If anybody should be “pulling their socks up”, district councillor Archer, it is you.  The Conservative team isn’t going anywhere either.  You know the old saying: “May the best man win?”   Well he did.  I am “very encouraged” by that.
   

  

Posted in Mark Archer, Fenland District Council, Election, Cambs. County Council, Conservatives | 5 Comments »

A New Blue Day

07/06/2009 by Steve Tierney.

A New Blue Day

Friday 5th June was ‘The Count’.  The day when I would find out, one way or the other, whether the long and arduous campaign I had just fought was going send me to Shire Hall as a county councillor or to the Cupboard Under The Stairs to lick my gratuitous wounds. 

I should stress that I enjoyed my campaign very much.  I canvassed 90% of my division and got to meet people from every corner of it; Tydd St. Giles, Gorefield, Leverington, Wisbech, Foul Anchor, Tydd Gote, Four Gotes and Newton.   I leafletted every house at least twice, some more often that that.  I went to every Parish Council meeting and to a great many fetes, quiz nights, events and functions.  (I intend to keep doing all these things.  Some people say they usually ‘only see a politician when an election is coming’.  It’s my intention to change that perception where it exists.)

The night before ‘The Count’ (each time I say that I have the urge to do a faux Dracula laugh, a la Sesame Street) I thought I would be unable to sleep, such was my nervous excitement.  But sleep I did.  Like the dead.  I’ve always been somebody who likes to work, but this was one of the toughest, most gruelling months of my life.  And the last week… that was the toughest of all.  So my head hit the pillow and that was all I knew until the alarm screamed me awake and I stumbled, bleary-eyed, into the Day Of Reckoning.  (You think I’m being dramatic?  Try standing for council!  It takes on a life of its own.)

Our ‘telling’ from the previous day suggested we were at 45% of the vote in my division.  You’d think this would have helped me relax, but no.  Quite the opposite.  You imagine you may have gotten it wrong.  That there may be some place where votes have been cast quite differently to what your canvassing suggested.  Labour and the Liberal Democrats had utterly collapsed in Fenland and that had become clear to us during the campaign (despite a puzzling Cambs Times online poll that suggested Labour were doing well, much to our bemusement.  Luckily that turned out to be a pretty duff poll.)  It was UKIP that made me nervous.  Which is a shame because (and this is a personal, not a party view) I am very much a Euro-Sceptic myself and agree that we would be Better Off Out.

On the day of ‘The Count’ (Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa) I stood at the table with my Wife (Marie Tierney), My Mum (Brenda Barber) and one of my Best Friends (Samantha Hoy) watching the drama unfold.  As far as I could see, in the entire building there were only two Labour people:  the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (whose ‘prospects’ are so limited I can’t even remember his name) and another man in a red tie who looked very grumpy indeed.  Looking around the hall, there weren’t a whole lot of Lib Dems either.  But the Schooling Brothers showed up for UKIP (and they were very nice guys.)  Andrew Hunt showed up for the Libertarian Party (and despite our differences, he was a really great guy too.)  Even independents like Mark Archer (who was trounced soundly by Geoff Harper, proving that the world is a just place after all, in my humble opinion) managed to get there.  Perhaps a message for the ‘opposition’ has been sent by impressive smaller parties and  independents : “Do some work, show some interest, or you’ll wither away.”

The final result was that every single seat in Fenland was won by a Conservative.  The whole area has remained that same wonderful blue and this is great news.  It’s great for Fenland because decent, hard-working honest councillors have been returned to continue doing their vital jobs.  It’s great for politics because it shows that even in the face of public scandal from high above and assault from opportunistic other interests all around the public here remain strongly conservative in heart and soul.  And it’s great for me because I have experienced colleagues to go to for advice and guidance as I begin my own new position as a County Councillor. 

Oh yeah… I won, by the way. Fifty-three percent of those who voted ticked the box next to ‘Steve Tierney’ on their ballot paper.  It’s a truly humbling experience and a great honour.  I’ve said it before.  I’ll say it again.  I won’t let you down.

Thank you, everybody.
  

Thanks

I have so many people to thank who were part of my team and who worked feverishly on my behalf and for the Conservative party.  I’ll get around to thanking them all properly, but in brief:-

Bonnie Drewry and Ann Balls plus their entire wonderful Tydd St Giles team.

Rosemary Peggs, Rachel Tranter, David Humphrey and the entire Gorefield Conservative branch and friends. 

Gavin, Paul, Adam, Laura, Tom, Saluwedin and the brilliant gang at Fens Conservative Future. 

Gary Tibbs, Lynny, Peter Tibbs and Jamie Edwards, who got involved purely because they are amazing friends and worked as hard as anyone (particularly Gary). 

My Dad, John Tierney, who drove up from Hemel Hempstead to canvas with me. 

Steve Barclay PPC, Cllr Nick Meekins, Lucy Heighton, Janet Stott, John Lewis and the many other Leverington and Peckover tellers.

My stepdad Tony Barber (and the whole Leverington team), who delivered more leaflets, canvassed more houses and walked more streets than I could have ever hoped for. 

Cllr Simon King for getting me involved in all this in the first place and for being the font of all knowledge and sage advice whenever I have needed it.

My wife Marie Tierney for putting up with my barely being in the house for a month and managing all the usual things we do together, plus taking great care of our Son while I was seldom around, with good humour and grace.

And most of all:-

Debbie Clark, almost certainly the most wonderful Organising Secretary any Conservative area could ever hope to have.  

Samantha Hoy  - My Right Hand Girl.  Who worked every bit as hard as I did and without whom I would have been lost.

Steve Brunton - Who put in so many hours of help I lost count and who deserves a medal for his dedication.

Brenda Barber - My Mum, who was the lynchpin of the entire campaign and who offered support, encouragement and almost all her free time in the same way she always has whenever i’ve needed her.
 
My victory belongs to all these people as much as, or more than, it does to me.

You guys were absolutely, mind-blowingly, awesome.  Thank you so much for everything.

Posted in Cambs. County Council, Family, Election, Victory, Gorefield, Wisbech, Tydd St. Giles, Newton, Leverington, Conservatives | No Comments »