Local politics - 5-year olds in a playground

It's the single site again - our district council spending around £10m on new premises, in these economic times, in order to save £500k a year (savings which only seem to top renovation savings over a 25-year period). For some reason people are still whining about it despite the fact it's been built and now occupied; it's done, nothing more can be done, and it can't be undone so why can't they let it rest?

I don't know, perhaps it's because it appears the majority of the district didn't want it. Perhaps because despite having a town known world-over as a carpet manufacturer the site's carpet tiles came from a out of district supplier. Or perhaps it's because Mr Martin (Labour) claims the savings may only be £80k? (with a fuller 'letter' here).


Ah hah time for a response from our glorious leader (Mr Campion, Conservative). This will set the record straight. Oh yes indeed it does.

Shall we start with the political dig that Mr Martin supported the proposal before joining the Labour party? Why not given that Mr Martin himself acknowledged his change of heart in his own letter; could Mr Campion be insinuating that Mr Martin has only changed his mind as a way of "harmonising" with his new party? Perhaps "insinuating" only in the same way as bricks through windows could be considered as being a subtle attention grabber.

At least we get down to the nitty gritty in that Mr Campion claims Mr Martin wrong in stating that the savings will be £80k rather than £500k; on the grounds that the savings will be £500k. Uh-huh a wonderful political turn of "Is!, Isn't!" that we've all sadly come to expect.

Oh but hey I'm not accusing anyone of being childish. It's not as if one of the letter-writers then takes a personal pot-shot at the other by accusing them of being "negative" or tries to score another cheap political hit by tying this negativity to a 'won't someone please think of the community' expression.

It's always fun to read our councillors' missives in the paper and then have a little cry over some of them due to the fact that these people are supposed to be our representatives.

Hopefully JC will read this and then accuse me of being an armchair sniper (snipist?) that'll make my day.