![Nice Work If You Can Get It]()
by Paul Scully | Jul 13, 2007 | News |
Despite the photo, I really hope that one day we can take the issue of payments for councillors outside the political arena. I find it faintly ridiculous that we have to vote on our own salaries.
An independent panel looking at London-wide allowances recommended a new allowance structure for London Councils. Implementing this in full here in Sutton would have cost over £200,000. Sensibly, this was not recommended. Instead various changes were put before the Executive for approval that would bring the pattern of allowances in line with the rest of London, if not the amounts with everyone getting a minimum of 50% of the recommended allowance.
However I have two main issues with the amounts approved. Firstly the new Local Committee chairs will receive £9,762 the same as at present. However, there are going to be two extra Local Committees, thus increasing the overall budget by £19,524. Far better to divide the existing budget for the current four chairmen between the six. This would avoid the anomaly of the Local Committee chairmen receiving a whopping 185% of the Independent Panel’s recommendation. The LibDems are pushed into a corner by their own backbenchers as they are not prepared to take a pay cut. To my mind, the allowance is recompense for time spent on the job, not a salary to maintain a particular lifestyle or top-up a pension.
My second issue is the retrospective payments proposed to be made to the two Deputy Leaders. We were lectured about the fact that the LibDems had a group meeting to appoint people within two days of the election. The one problem with this has come home to roost. There were several new councillors who had to vote for a Deputy Leader from a slate of people that they didn’t know very well. It ended in a dead-heat and rather than Scissors, Paper, Stone or even an arm wrestle, they decided to have two deputies. This year they have formalised the two roles and divided up the allowances such that it has no effect on the budget. However, they are due to be paid nearly £6000 each in a one-off payment to cover last year. Nice work if you can get it!
In a year where £5m of cuts fell on Council services, £12,000 payment paid out a whole year sends a dreadful message to taxpayers.
![Nice Work If You Can Get It]()
by Paul Scully | Jul 9, 2007 | News |
On the day that Alistair Campbell revealed that Tony Blair had to rescue Gordon Brown from inside a locked toilet, our new PM may be looking for another quick intervention.
There is only just over a week to go in the Ealing Southall by-election caused by the death of 82 year old MP, Piara Khabra. He had a majority of 11,440. Surely a comfortable election hold for the government?
The first barometer test for Gordon will be far closer than imagined for two reasons. The Conservative have chosen a local candidate, Tony Lit, who is proving popular in the constituency. Labour on the other hand, have had an almighty squabble over their candidate . Having seen a Hindi candidate imposed on the constituency, five Sikh councillors defected to the Conservatives praising Tony Lit and the Council that returned to Conservative control in 2006.
Whatever the result, it just goes to prove not to bet on by-elections. They invariably take on a life of their own despite the best intentions of seasoned campaigners trying to run the show. I’m sure there will be more fun and frolics before polling day.
![Nice Work If You Can Get It]()
by Paul Scully | Jul 9, 2007 | News |
An engineering company called Jacobs Babtie has told staff they must drive or use public transport during the working day.
Unremarkable, though somewhat dictatorial until you discover that Jacobs Babtie is paid by Transport for London to advise them how to encourage people to abandon their cars and travel by bike.
The memo from their Health & Safety manager explained “The reason is to protect our employees from other vehicles on the road.”
![Nice Work If You Can Get It]()
by Paul Scully | Jul 6, 2007 | News |
Former LibDem leader Charles Kennedy got into another spot of bother on Friday. Travelling on the train to Plymouth, he took umbrage at being told to put out his cigarette by the Train Manager. We don’t know much about the exchange of words although it was enough for the rail employee to call the police who duly met him at Plymouth Station.
Most trains have been smoke-free for years. I can’t remember the last time I saw someone with a cigarette on the train. However, Kennedy thought it was okay to smoke on trains if you puffed out of the window! Yes, but he should be liberal on such matters, shouldn’t he? You would have thought so, but he voted in Parliament for the smoking ban.
![Nice Work If You Can Get It]()
by Paul Scully | Jul 2, 2007 | News |
“The future has not been written. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. I wish I could believe that. My name is Hilary Benn, they tried to murder me before I was born, when I was 13 they tried again. Machines from the future. Terminators. All my life my father told me the storm was coming…”
What’s the point of fiction anyway. Just wait long enough and the real thing will turn up. The Terminator films were enjoyable romps around the edge of nuclear oblivion but then the story turns up in reality.
Just as Arnie returns to his Gubernatorial duties in California having finally ensured that Tony Blair’s Premiership was terminated, I read that the UK has co-developed unmanned gunships called Reapers to be controlled by a satellite network called Skynet.
The Skynet system in the film was also an IT system that was turned on and then controlled machines for battle. This led to the near destruction of the human race. The UK Skynet is a £3.6bn PFI project. Lord Drayson (not pictured, but a director of Powderject Ltd who donated £100k to Labour whilst succesfully bidding for a government vaccination project), the MoD Procurement Minister said “This important milestone is very good news for the Armed Forces.”
If fact continues to reflect fiction, it’ll make Blair’s legacy look appealing.
![Nice Work If You Can Get It]()
by Paul Scully | Jul 1, 2007 | News |
There’s a new truth in town. Whilst a whole generation of scientists blaming climate change on everything from industrial pollution to the gassy emanations of cattle, the Bishop of Carlisle has given us his own insight striking a blow at the very heart of academia.
The Rt. Rev. Graham Dow blames this week’s flooding on the introduction of pro-gay legislation. According to the Sunday Telegraph, he goes on to say “This is a strong and definite judgement because the world has been arrogant in going its own way. We are reaping the consequences of our moral degradation, as well as environmental damage.”
He doesn’t seem to continue his ridiculous thesis to surmise that if all homosexuals squeeze back into their closet, we might be able to squeeze back into our gas guzzlers. I don’t remember this being covered as a possible solution in the Kyoto Protocol. Faith is important to many people in an increasingly secular country. The Bishop does his Church no favours at all with such postulations.
Despite the photo, I really hope that one day we can take the issue of payments for councillors outside the political arena. I find it faintly ridiculous that we have to vote on our own salaries.
