Croydon Council Meetings. An attempt at an impartial review.

Mob mentality is a big news story at the moment. What happens to so many people which makes them act in a manner which would be abhorrent to all but the most base of that group. Mob mentality is feared with good reason. You can't reason with a mob.

I've experienced it myself when watching football matches. Your player crudely takes out an opponent and your first reaction is to think "ooh, he meant that, that's not good". You feel ashamed that this player is representing you and 'your mob'. The ref whips out the red card and immediately you start to boo. Why? Is it because everyone else is doing it? Is it because you're afraid of appearing to be disloyal? Is it because your afraid of the consequences?

Well, yes it is. Hold that thought.

The last Council meeting I attending had a running Twitter football-esque commentary from a former MP. I quite enjoyed it, to be honest, although it may not have quite lived up to the standards of BBC neutrality. To continue the football analogy somewhat, it was clear that this game was not being played on a level field. One team had more players than the other and, irrespective of the efforts of every player, the outcome had already been decided. I understand this is based on election results but why bother having an opposition when no Conservative Councillor will ever vote against his party because of the mob mentality described above. I debated with myself over the merits of a secret ballot voting system but then we could never trust the word of a councillor [insert your own joke here] as we would never know if they had voted in line with their public position.

The vote on the 54 story Menta Tower catastrophe provides an excellent example of the problem. 11 members on the Committee, 6 Conservative and 5 Labour. This imbalance guaranteed the planning application would be passed despite impassioned pleas against it from the local Conservative MP and other prominent Conservative Councillors. My colleagues and I cynically disgust discussed the likelihood that, with the outcome predetermined, the Conservatives mentioned could appear to be on the side of the public opposition while still pandering to the business interest who are set to make a killing. Now, we may be wrong in our cynicism or we may be right but it does seem like a convenient truth.

Anyway, back to the meeting analysis. The next time I hear the phrase "...unlike the party opposite..." I may well scream. As for Councillors standing up to ask "Does the Leader of the Council agree with me that everything is better now that we're in charge?" What on earth is the point of that? It's just a waste of everyones' time. I may also point out that if the leader of the Conservatives slaps his Labour counterpart for huge percentage rises in council tax he must then undo those hikes to avoid looking like a hypocrite. For example, a Conservative 0% increases which comes the year after a 26% Labour increase is still 2 years of higher taxes for the public and extra expenditure for the Council. You can't have it both ways.

The follow up questions from the public gallery (to the Councillors answers of previously submitted written questions) are allotted about 15 Min's which is too short when you listen to the rubbish which arrives soon after (and I'm not just talking about the 'follow up' answers). Later, some questions from Councillors deserved some respectable discussion, but most were just trying to impress their own party leader. Even the debates usually have some valid arguments on both sides if you can stay awake to listen. Of course the debates are doomed to the fate of the predetermined vote which is another waste of time.

So what to do?

Well, I can only foresee two situations which would lead to a better Council make up. A couple/handful of single issue candidates or Resident Associations representatives would help clear some of frankly embarrassing exchanges which we are forced to endure.
The other option is one I've heard about from Brighton. Apparently each Green Party Councillor is allowed to vote on each issue as they see fit. How refreshing!
But then I would say that, wouldn't I?
I'm biased.

The riots were my fault.

I'm a Green Party activist. The riots were my fault. You see, I've been undermining the police and I'm feeling guilty about it. I have looked at the way they have behaved in many high profile cases over the last decade such as the Stockwell shooting, Ian Tomlinson, Fortnum & Masons, student kettling. Of course the police have a duty to protect people and property but it did look like they were picking and choosing which people and property they were protecting. It is easy to think that way. The police have done themselves no favours in this by (for example) their mistreatment of the Fortnum & Mason peaceful protesters who did no damage but were arrested on mass while black bloc anarchists were left to run riot. I bet the riot police this week were missing a bit of gentle UKuncut activity. However the bit I got wrong was to always presume the police are there only to protect the interests of big business. The recent riots were a stark reminder of their wider role. I'm guessing it was a reminder to the acting metropolitan police commissioner too. Pity for him that this has happened on his watch due to most of his colleagues leaving their posts for one reason or another. (That's another story).
I have faith in the majority of people to do the right thing. I believe that given the right opportunity people will reward you for putting your trust in them. This is central to my vision of how a more equal society will work in the future. I have argued long and hard that if you give people a greater sense of liberty their sense of self worth will be enhanced for the benefit of everyone. This liberty can only work if everyone feels a sense of belonging to the community. If they are left outside of society then they have nothing to lose if the society crumbles. We need to create a more equal society first before liberty for all becomes a free for all. While the wealth of the Nation remains in the tight fists of the few this can never happen. So, perhaps a little bit more reality in terms of responsible policing and responsible politics when talking about policing is in order. The police aren't all saints, but they are not all sinners either. I'll try to keep that in mind.

I'm a former Labour Minister. The riots were my fault. We spent 17 years watching the Thatcher/Major governments dismantling society. We got our chance do make a change and we bottled it. We slipped straight into the shoes of our Conservative predecessors and found them strangely comfortable. I found I could make good friends in the City. We got on so well and at one point (before things went wrong) we were collecting 28% of the treasuries income from the City and all they wanted was to be left alone and cut some of the regulatory red tape. It seemed too good to be true. It doesn't look so good now. If we get another chance before another 17 years go by I hope we wont bottle it again. I'm not going to promise anything.

I'm a Conservative backbencher. The riots were my fault. It was hard to stomach watching the looters parade in front of the media with bravado as if to say "we're untouchable". It was hard to stomach because it reminded me of our frontbenchers who bragged, yes bragged, about the cuts we were going to inflict on the public. The cuts to the police force are currently the favoured topic of the press. Many other cuts (forestry sell-off, NHS reforms, Prison sentencing) were subject to what the looters are now seeing - a public backlash. Having second thoughts now, maybe we should start thinking of the destruction we cause. It's just as real. Just not so easy to show on TV.

I'm a Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister. The riots were my fault. The deal was pretty straight forward. I was to rein my coalition partners back from their policy of looking after their chums at the top of the social pyramid. I got caught up in the whirlwind of the media spotlight and while I was spinning I forgot about my election promises and tried to impress the big boys. It didn't take long for the public to spot the failure. Since then I've been busy keeping my fool mouth shut. The public wont let me get away with that either, I suspect. The people who voted for us to avoid a Conservative government certainly wont.

I'm a Public Relations supremo of the Police Force. The riots were my fault. The guys on the front lines make mistakes sometimes and when they do I seem to make the situation gets worse. When we got the wrong guy in Stockwell tube station, we told the press that Jean Charles de Menezes was a terrorist who leaped the ticket barrier to evade arrest. We lied. We were caught. When Ian Tomlinson died after being pushed by a police officer we denied it was anything to do with us. We were caught again by video evidence. Every time we try to hide the truth, public confidence is eroded. When Mark Duggan was shot in Tottenham our silence intensified the anger. When an outraged woman was pushed back by a policeman in front of an angry crowd, the touch paper was lit. After that, everything became too late very quickly. Well you know what? This is what you're vulnerable to when you cut the resources down to the bare bones. My opposite number at the Fire Brigade is saying the same thing. They were dismissed by the media as social pariahs when they had to go on strike to protect their working practises a few years ago. The cost of these cuts are taking their toll.

I'm a Green Party activist. I do what I think is best for everyone, and not just myself, in any given situation. I'm lucky my circumstances, education and moral compass mean I never have to stoop to looting. Some are not so lucky. We can work to eradicate inequality. For arsonists, and opportunist theft, we need a respected police force. For all that to happen, we need a Government with integrity. We haven't had one of those for a long, long time.
That is why I'm a Green Party activist.

Now, explain it to me

like I'm a 4 year old.

Denzel Washington's finest moment on the silver screen. I hope the character he was playing managed to stay in Philadelphia because if he moved to South London he could be waiting a long time for an answer.

The South London Waste Partnership [Incinerator] covers four boroughs. Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Kingston Upon Thames. The devastating health, environmental and financial implications have all been well documented on other blogs such as http://croydongreens.blogspot.com/search/label/incinerator or http://insidecroydon.com/2011/07/07/cancer-risks-from-1bn-croydon-incinerator-warn-greens/

However, what I can't help but notice is this...

CROYDON: Conservatives control the council and support the SLWP. Labour are in opposition and oppose it. 
SUTTON: Liberal Democrats control the council and support the SLWP. Conservatives are in opposition and oppose it.
MERTON: No Overall Control: Labour are the biggest party and support the SLWP. Conservatives are the smaller party and oppose it.
KINGSTON UPON THAMES: Liberal Democrats control the council and support the SLWP.  Conservatives are in opposition and oppose it.

STOP PRESS: Ok, so we are left wondering what the Lib Dems would do in opposition as they don't really have a presence outside of those two Councils they control. Well, the answer comes from oop North. The North London Waste Plan are lucky enough to have a Lib Dem Councillor in opposition to give us a flavour. You'll never guess what she says but... oh, you guessed it http://bit.ly/oITnjv

Why do all the Parties in control support the SLWP?

Why do all the Parties in opposition oppose the SLWP?

Are all those Parties the same?

I think I'll ask a 4 year old.

How I met the Green Party

I, (deep breath), I used to be a Labour voter, *applause from support group* primarily because they were not the Conservative Party. Don't give me that look, everyone was heartily sick of the Conservatives back in '97 and it was a huge relief when they were finally given the elbow. Fast Forward to the next election and I was getting concerned that the gap between rich and poor was still increasing but I still voted Labour because they still weren't the Conservatives (yes, I am now laughing at myself).

It was 2003 before I allowed myself to accept what I already knew. I marched with the "Stop The War" coalition which was such a massive statement of public will that no government could ignore it. The government ignored it. In the aftermath of that betrayal I began to understand that we needed good people inside Westminster and not just outside holding the placards. I decided that I had to reject the Labour Party. Well, they started it.

I began to vote Green and it was good, especially in the London Assembly and European Parliament elections where the system tolerated votes cast for the smaller parties. I found myself cheering them on from afar like a favourite sports team.

That's when it happened.

Autumn of 2009. My local Green Party Parliamentary candidate, Shasha Khan, knocked on my door to ask what I knew about plans for an incinerator in Croydon. Of course I hadn't a clue. Nobody had, (all part of the plan, see?) but I was impressed that the Green Party were taking such an active role to raise awareness outside of "election season". Here was someone who was getting off his backside and trying to make a difference in his own area. This was for me. I joined Shasha in his campaigning to stop the incinerator and, later, in the 2010 election campaigns.

Busy times, but just a taste. Since the Elections things have been getting busier. The campaign against the incinerator goes on. Victory against Veolia in Croydon.  Defending independant cinema, care homes, libraries and opposing skyscrapers amongst two-story victorian dwellings...

But that's another story.

The David Lean Cinema now showing more than meets the eye.

The poster for Croydon Council's new policy on art house cinema seems convincing enough at first.


Attack of the Killer Costs - Escape to Fairfield Halls.


It promises a thrilling ride where our councillors, faced with an onslaught of unstable balance sheets, come up with a brilliant scheme to rescue the cash flow and bring the prized movie reel back to the cheering crowds. Of course it's all a work of fiction.

The opening scenes show an elderly couple, bathed in sunshine, meeting up with friends to spend some time enjoying their retirement, well earned from a lifetime of honest endeavour. The purpose built theatre welcomes them in to a sanctuary well away from the smelly popcorn and unappealing blockbusters of the local VUE cinema which is aiming at a very different market. "Good job I don't want to see any of those films" remarks one "I'd never get up the steps!" But as they chuckle their way into the Clocktower the camera zooms in showing a sinister group watching bitterly in the wings.

"I want it for MYSELF!" screams Fairfield Hall director Jon Rouse as he slams his fist onto the table. "But Massster, you are the CEO of Croydon Council, you can do whatever you want. After all you have already shut nearly all the arts in the borough while swiping £1.5million of public money for us" his minions try to appease him. "Oh yes, haven't I just." The memory pleases him for a moment, but not for long." It's no good, those bloody bloggers are starting to smell a rat. You'll have to do it. Just wait till I'm gone." "Yes Massster" Sara's eyes turned hard. As cabinet member for customer services, culture and sport, she loved shutting down public services, even if it cost money instead of saving it. "This'll be just like the libraries, that was great fun and I'll get myself all over the papers again. No such thing as bad publicity. Voters usually vote for names they recognise, and they'll remember me for years. God, I love power." It had been another great day.

Sara's plans were soon in place to discourage visitors. Shut on Sundays, shut on Tuesday evenings, poor website, reduced advertising, reduced mailing lists. They could claim to be reducing costs even though the running of the Clocktower would still have to be paid despite the reduced income from shutting the cinema. David Lean - Croydon success story. Sara shuddered. "Hardly bears thinking about" she thought, "And now all these lovies coming out in support too. Ronnie Corbett. Julian Fellows. JULIAN BLOODY FELLOWS? A TORY LORD?. Still, I bet when push comes to shove he'll still vote for us rather than any of the others."

The only issue troubling Sara was the City Status bid. Who the hell would move into a city shutting down, or privatising, its art houses, libraries, care homes, etc. "I could say it was all for the Big Society" thought Sara, "that's the sort of meaningless drivel that can get you out of anything."

Just then the screen goes blank and our bemused pensioners are left sitting in the dark. Not for long, they are soon ushered outside. To a non-purposed built room, sometime in the future. "Trust us," says the Council, "we're doing this for your benefit. That's what we do here."

Always proud to serve. (Croydon Council motto)


Always proud to sever. (Croydon Council practice)