Some are proving adept with digital communication....

To briefly mention HS2....

I have sympathy for the proponents of HS2. Some people say why can't we have a high speed rail network like they have on the Continent, and then object to us building one.

I remember the row about the M25. When it was finally built, people then complained that there weren't any service stations/rest areas - what, on the same green belt you didn't want built on in the first place?

This deserves another thread.

Yes, you are quite right. But on the eve of an election, I just wanted to say that "public opinion" can sometimes be a little unreasonable too!

I meant to aid open governance. Have local people embraced modern technology for that?

I would suggest that that should start with the politicians stating what decisions have been taken, how they voted and their rational for doing so.

This could be here on some other forum.

The only person I can see getting anywhere near this is Ruwan.

Apart from JSH alias Blackdog of course

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera

Clearly you didn't know from my quote that it was your Lib Dem colleague (you are a Lib Dem yes?) in 2006, and they were in control of NTC at the time, who made that statement.

So please expand your complaint (that you can't understand why you are being pilloried now and your candidacy voted down) because I don't get it and I don't suppose that anyone else who has lived here for some time can either.


I think you are trying to re- politicise something that has been talked down by calmer and clearer heads than yours, that you know not of because you were not here.

That's not really being very fair is it? Why should we follow old ideas when they no longer work. What happened to the man who set this up, did he loose his seat?

?

CharlieF,

I rather enjoy you pre-election engagements, but no matter what I say you will choose yo make mileage out of the response for you too wish to be elected. I understand this, as does everyone else.

Regarding the rationale for the LibDem's ridiculously giving away political power to the Conservatives every other year, I have not only been aware of the reasons since becoming involved in local politics, but actually spoken with those involved, but I had not seen the minutes, so I thank you for this. In fact only this evening I was speaking with members of the Liberal Democrat Town Council Group that supported this silliness, and it was only done out of a sense of charity because the LibDem's felt sorry for the handful of Conservatives who were in opposition and had no hope of being Mayor unless it was offered to them by the LibDem Group.

As I have said before, times have changed, and the 'gentleman's' agreement has been abused by more Conservative Mayors than not. I will swiftly add that Cllr Pick's behaviour throughout his term as Mayor was as far as I am aware exemplary, but he did not get the support of his own group on many occasions throughout the year when he supported such things as the heritage of the town.

As to the reasons why the Conservative Group appear not to be overly pleased with me, you would have to ask them, but I suspect that it is predominantly because I constantly question whether they are really supportive Newbury when they appear as merely mouth pieces and apologists for District Council policies that negatively impact on the town.

CharlieF, I personally would love it if you were one day elected as you would bring some much needed spice to the Chamber, but I am not sure that the antagonism towards me personally is necessary for you to achieve this?

I wish you well in the future and would love to work on some issues with you.

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Newbury Town Council - Councillor for Victoria Ward & Deputy Chair.

I assume you mean Mike Rodger - though he voted against 'setting this up'. He was a Lib Dem on both councils - ended up falling out big time with the local Lib Dem leadership and became an Independent. Sadly he didn't stick around to fight an election as an Independent (I suspect he would have won) but his business was in trouble so he packed it in and moved to Carlisle.

I can see 'The Hatters' point. Arguably, here we are, arguing that we should follow what appears to go against majority democratic wishes because of precedent set by someone who gave up anyway! If you want an apolitical Mayor, you must have an apolitical council - it doesn't work otherwise.

Personally I am all for a non-political Mayor, but we would need to find a way of doing this outside of the current council structure, so if people have any suggestions I am more than happy to explore them.

Proposals that the Council itself becomes non-political are unrealistic given the length of time that it has been, and it is questionable whether even many of the so-called non-political Parish councils are really non-political. To me many of them appear pretty Conservative leaning.

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Newbury Town Council - Councillor for Victoria Ward & Deputy Leader

And there you have given your answer for the NWN journalist to the question you framed in the opening post.

You have articulated at least one very strong reason why they would vote against you.

The role of Town Mayor is not ‘power’ and should not be changed by some Johnny-come-lately to become one of power. It is a CIVIC role which quite rightly should remain apolitical. This is not some ‘silliness’ cooked up locally, any more than the apolitical position of Speaker of the Commons is some ‘silliness’.



Well now you have identified a reason. But frankly I don’t understand why the longer standing members of the Lib Dem group didn’t vote against you too, as I can’t imagine they are particularly flattered by your assertions of their ‘silliness’. But I’m not in a position to judge that – you’ll have to ask them.

If I recall right Mike resigned from the Lib Dems over some matter - I never knew what, but I can imagine there would be some very good reasons - and be became very unpopular with the Lib Dems for it. He moved away.

This is correct.



As far as the town council are concerned all they need to do is drop the role themselves, and I shown you the statutory provisions for doing that.

As for other organisations then providing a mayor themselves (shall we call it mayor self-management?) all the town council needs to do is vacate the niche, and nature will fill the vacuum.

The Newbury Society are the obvious candidate organisation because they are members of Civic Voice and have some legitimacy as the town's civic society. Other organisations might also want to get involved too, such as the BID, Newbury Round Table, Newbury Carnival Committee, Twin Town Association, any of the local pubs, etc.

But none of that needs to concern the town council, all it needs to do is leave the way clear for other "mayors" to come forward.


An aside: I was summoned to the town hall several years ago for a dressing down by one of your officers and a couple of councillors (then were demanding editorial control of the allotment society web site - the town council do not tolerate freedom of expression). Johnson didn't bother to turn up, but the Tory chap was there, keen-as-punch, and not a clue what he was doing, like Rab C. Nesbit. Before the meeting started I witnessed a sickening spectacle as the council officer massaged the councillors ego, telling him what a very good councillor he was - and telling him how one day he was sure to be mayor. Flattery is a powerful tool of control as the council know, and the prestige of the role of mayor can be corrupting desire for some councillors - perhaps we'll see who when the motion to revert to a parish council comes before the council at the next meeting.

But he didn't set it up - he took a stand against it being set up.

Newbury Borough Council was political from the day it was formed in the 1830s; the Town Council is less than 20 years old and has always been party political. Before the Liberals introduced party politics into local councils in the 1950s all the 'independents' had clear political leanings one way or the other and the grouping would be pretty obvious when it came to electing a council leader etc. But individual councillors voted whichever way they chose - I'm sure they would often choose to vote the same way as their mates - but not according to instructions handed out before the council even debated the issue.

I guess it's natural that many parish councillors are Conservative leaning - the parishes in general are Conservative leaning.

However, I don't mind a councillor leaning in one direction or the other, what I don't want is them folllowing instructions from some small cabal.

So in a nutshell you will need NTC disbanded then?