Anti-fascist rally

I am still evaluating whether to continue this blog – but having been to the anti-fascist rally yesterday I felt I had to write something about it – not least following what I considered to be incorrect news reports.

It was a very good natured rally and demonstrated, if anyone was in any doubt, that the sort of politics propagated by the WDL (and their BNP friends) are not wanted in Swansea. The WDL claims not to be fascist or associated with the BNP. This rang a little hollow (and was not helped) when they started with the Nazi straight arm salute or when they were apparently given B&B by a BNP activist in Killay. There was certainly less than a hundred of them.

What I found particularly encouraging was the 'spread' of participants – it wasn't just the usual suspects, there were people of all ages and all classes.

There were lots of speeches (of course), drummers and singers. There were over 200 at about 1pm but this grew during the course of the afternoon to what must have been close on a 1,000. I understand that this was young people texting their mates to join them. This 'viral' messaging was very effective.

The overall intention was to occupy and hang onto Castle Square – for Swansea people to occupy their city from 'invaders' – to deny them the goal they wanted. In this they were very successful and victory went to the anti-fascists. In fact there were some young women – who were so exciting by the victory that they wanted to hug everyone – even old politicos like me. I had blogged earlier that this week should be renamed "Hug a Councillor" and so it proved. Hurrah!

What was curious was that both the BBC and Swansea Sound under-reported the attendance figures. The BBC web newsreport was rather one-sided and anti- protester. It said there were only 200 anti-fascists and 2-300 WDL! (The WDL fielded their greatest numbers in the middle of the afternoon when they tried to occupy Castle Square. They were held on the pavement opposite in Castle St. They only occupied the whole footway for the width of one window of the Sheep Shop and one window of Pizza Express – about 24ft. So certainly nothing like the numbers the press have claimed).

So double counting of the latter on the grand scale. Perhaps the reporters had been partaking of the liquid refreshments so freely indulged in by the WDL in Yates' Wine Bar! (why did Yates allow them in or serve them – is this a breach of licensing conditions?) Swansea Sound also tried to allege that it was a bit of a damp squib and was rather oversold. Well, there certainly wasn't any trouble, which perhaps some parts of the press found disappointing – apart from towards the end when the WDL half-heartedly tried to breach the Police lines. It was all very jolly – very noisy – but well behaved.

The organisers worked with the Police to avoid any confrontation – which there wasn't any real desire for from anyone anyway.

I must commend the Police's handling of the affair. It was very low key, light touch and there was a good relationship between the Police and the protesters. They allowed the two groups to address each other across Castle St. (not that anyone listed!) and ran a controlled stand-off. It was very well done including the 5pm dispersal. So full marks to Ch Supt. Mark Mathias and his officers. Full marks also to the protesters for their good behaviour.

I was asked to assist in passing on the arrangements agreed between the organisers and the Police for the end of the demo to some of the protesters. This got me into hot water with some. Anarchists I was told later, who told me that these were their streets and no-one was telling them to move, they asked "...wasn't I that £$%!!&" Labour Councillor..." and that I should be ashamed of myself for doing the Police's work for them, concluding that I was a "...stooge of the Capitalist supporting Pigs". So, so old fashioned! I think I'll have a badge made with this on.

I must also pay tribute to those who attended the silent protest outside the Friends Meeting House and the others who remained outside the YMCA.

Congratulations to all of them. I know that some were inconvenienced by the road closures and the diverting of the buses and that cannot have been popular. But I hope those inconvenienced will accept that it was necessary. Swansea should be proud of itself. I trust that the WDL and their cronies have now got the message – that Swansea is not the place for them and their like.

Day Five - Friday & Final

Late Night Final

My day started with a meeting of the Council’s Standards Committee. I had been asked to attend in my capacity as a Group Leader to give my views on the Standards Committee process and how it might develop. This is part of a series of meetings/discussions the Committee is having with the Chief Executive and other party leaders on the Council.

There is a general agreement that the Standards Committee has a wider role beyond that of its ‘policing role – and that it should be taking the lead on the wider issue of standards and dissemination of best practice. And also that some of it decisions need greater explanation, particularly in comparison to others.

My own view is that the ‘policing’ role has got out of hand – not the fault of the Committee as they react to what is sent their way. The Welsh Councillors Code of Conduct is the most draconian in the UK and contains provisions that have been removed from the Codes in England, Scotland and N.Ireland. Indeed, I believe that the ‘policing’ role inhibits the Committee from exercising its wider functions, not least as they don’t have the time because of the petty and footling complaints that they have to deal with. This process arose from the, laudable, desire to prevent corruption. It was not intended to dealing with adults saying unkind things about each other. Interestingly however, the controls imposed on local government are far, far stricter than those for the Welsh Assembly or Parliament – and we know what has been recently reported as going in those institutions.

I consider that Standards - and the Ombudsman for that matter – have no role in adjudicating on what happens in Council meetings, that is clearly the job of the Chair/Presiding Officer. We certainly don’t want to get into what happens in Powys – where the ‘independent (i.e. external) members of Standards Committee attend Council meetings on rota – and provide judgements as the meeting goes on. Like some sort of super school monitor! I cannot conceive as to who thought that a good idea.

However, in truth, councillors need to get thicker skins; they need to recognise that the ‘rough and tumble’ of the Council meeting is not real life! And is not to be taken personally – and must not be taken outside the Council Chamber. (I consider that this arises from misunderstanding due to inexperience – especially the inexperience of independent councillors, who have no experience of political debate or, in some cases, of conduct in meetings. And I am making a general point here - not criticising colleagues on Swansea Council.) When we are through the door – that’s it’s over and normal service is resumed. In fact most councillors have the good sense to understand that. Some however, do not. Members of the public may be surprised if they observed two councillors recently knocking chunks out of each, 10 minutes later sitting down very companionably having a cup of tea together. And as I said in an earlier post – we need to stop taking ourselves so damned seriously!

As I also say above, I think that most of the stuff that results in complaints should be swallowed! Regrettably there will be, nonetheless, occasions when matters do go too far. However, in Wales there is no halfway house, no informal dispute resolution procedure. It’s either a full formal complaint to the Ombudsman or its nothing. So I do think that there is discussion to be had on some form of arbitration. For example, an informal ‘star chamber’ - but this should be operated by the political parties jointly – entirely separate from the formal process – thus leaving the Standards Committee and the Ombudsman free to concentrate on the Code of Conduct breaches that really matter.

My attendance at the Standards Committee (and a further external meeting that followed) both of which had been arranged ages ago, meant that I could not go to the Child Poverty Conference in Gorseinon, with which they clashed. This shows that conflicting prior appointments (which happens a lot) means that you cannot get to everything, even those things like this conference, that you consider important. I have asked to receive the outcomes of this conference, as it is an issue that concerns me, representing, as my colleagues and I do, one of the most deprived wards in Wales (and indeed the UK).

What time I had free I used to finally eradicate the email mountain – which I achieved about an hour and a half ago – and now there is another 20 in my Inbox awaiting attention. It never ends….

I have no further appointments today and have a free evening. Hurrah! So this is theoretically the end of my five days blogging experiment for Local Democracy Week. I’ll now check whether anyone read it, whether I’ve blown my credibility – and evaluate whether I’m going to continue. Watch this space…

Hasta la vista!

Day Four (Thursday)- evening the 'Melt'

My last appointment was to attend the “Melt” outside the Waterfront Museum. This was the melting and pouring of iron into sculpture molds. It was part of (or a corollary to) the sculpture exhibition currently running in the Mission Gallery in Gloucester Place. When we look at a painting for example, we understand how it was made (well broadly) paint was applied to a prepared canvas. But when we see a cast metal sculpture – how’s it done?

Well how it’s done is not only very interesting, technically challenging but damned exciting! All you need is a mobile gas-fired furnace, sand, moulds and lots of fire. Oh, and West Wales School of Art to operate it – that's a bit important! (Scroll down to VJ Ironpour 2007 and Press Play). I have also posted a couple of fine photos from last night’s pour, courtesy of Darragh Murphy. The Mission Gallery under the direction of Jane Phillips, is a great asset to Swansea and puts on some of the most challenging and original contemporary work. Those of you who saw me with my chef’s hat on in a recent edition of the Evening Post – that was for one of the Mission’s events. If they have me there performing and cooking food for 70 – they have got to be a good thing! (The National Waterfront under Steph Matsoris isn't bad either)

Day Four (Thursday)

I am posting Day 4 on Day 5 – because I didn’t have time to do it yesterday. I got home at just before midnight and frankly couldn’t face starting it then!

I note that the blog by the Leader of Council has been taken down. After four days of non-blogging I suppose it was inevitable. But why promise you’d do something, accept a commitment and then not do it? But then I’d say that was entirely of a piece with the failed promises of openness, transparency & democracy that Chris Holley so often promises but fails to deliver. So the public can know what the Lord Mayor, the Leaders of the Labour & Conservative parties and the sole Plaid councillor are up to – but not the Leader of Council. I for one would have it interesting to read what does. But we’ll never know.

I think that these blogs are a more appropriate activity for Local Democracy Week than the damnable and demeaning ‘I’m a Councillor get me out of here’ that the Authority ran previously. But is anyone actually reading them?

Well, I’ve now got the email total down to less than a hundred. Tomorrow, I’ll read the lot. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace…why answer do today what you can put off until tomorrow, especially if its an email!

A special Council Meeting has been called for this afternoon to discuss the Corporate Improvement Plan, I cannot attend that as I have pre-booked appointments that I have already postponed twice because of the interference of Council business and can’t do it again. Life goes on outside the Council Chamber. But I think that’s only the second Council meeting I’ve ever missed (other than being ill).

Electric Scooters

I spent a large amount of time today in dealing with the continuing saga of electric scooters in residential homes that I referred to in an earlier posting. The Authority now seems to have taken leave of its senses.

It has apparently commissioned a survey from the Fire Brigade and as a result is proposing to write to all tenants advising them that they cannot store electric scooters in common passageways and cannot charge them indoors etc etc. The result of this is that a great many tenants (including some long-term scooter users) will have to remove their scooters from their homes and (presumably) new or prospective tenants will not be allowed into these facilities if they are a scooter user. And what is the Authority proposing to do for these affected, mostly elderly and inform people? Well, they can be comforted by the knowledge that the Authority acknowledges that there is a problem and they are looking for a solution? But in the meantime…….

I guess that if this advice holds then it will apply right across the Mid & West Fire Authority area. I guess those tenants and residential homes will be really really grateful to the officers of the City & County of Swansea for bringing this issue to the fore. And all because one warden in one block wanted to stop two or three tenants from continuing to store or charge their scooters in the premises! Health & Safety is important but is supposed to be about managing risk – NOT an excuse for not doing something.

Day 3 additional

Well I got the email total down to just over 200 – so that was a pretty big dent. No doubt it will be back up again by tomorrow. And as I suspected I was able to delete most of them without having to do anything. Except read the damned things of course. Email is a very useful tool and is certainly a good way for constituents to get in touch ...but I don't know, the world has continued to turn and would have done so, without any of these having been written.

This evening I went to the monthly council Labour Party meeting. It's where I (as Party Group Leader) report back to the party members on activity on the Council, where we discus the future plans and develop policy. I enjoy these particular meetings - members are always very engaged and interested with lots of useful ideas and contributions. Being in politics can sometime feel like your in one of John Cleese's training films – there was called I think "Not Another Bloody Meeting". There's a meeting for this and meetings for that, committees here and sub-committees there and working groups somewhere else. Branch meetings, constituency, county, trade union, group – and that's just the internal stuff. But yes, I enjoy them, I like the debate, explaining what we are up to, listening to what others have to say...there has to be something wrong with me, I think! Well, I don't like all of them, all of the time. Obviously! I am not completely barking.

But its interesting times in the Labour Party at the moment what with the selection for the new Assembly member in Swansea East and the Assembly Leadership contest. Am I going to discuss these ... I think I'll keep my council for the moment. Discretion being the better part of valour and all that.

One thing I will say is that if you are anti-fascist/anti-Welsh Defence League/anti-BNP – after all they're really much the same thing (unless somebody - Cllr Robinson? - can tell me otherwise) – you can show your distaste for these sorts of politics on Saturday afternoon by joining the 'silent' gathering in Castle Square.

Day Three

I am really tired this morning. After having got to bed late, my mind was on overdrive and I couldn't settle. I tried reading – I am on the second of Steig Larssen's Millenium trilogy - big mistake, far too exciting. So I made a cup of fruit tea and switched to Simon Singh's account of the attempts to solve Fermat's Last Theorem. There's a bit of a cross-over as one of Larssen's characters spends her time trying to solve the theorem. Anyway, I thought a book of mathematical formulae would send me off. But no! Whilst I understood the story (unfortunately gripping like a murder mystery), I just got frustrated that I could neither head nor tail of the formulae. Probably due to the fact that I was tired, but I admit that I didn't 'get' algebra when I was at school. Perhaps I still don't. I've also just bought a copy of Logicomix (I read an amazing review), a graphic novel that explains Bertrand Russell's long pursuit of the foundation of mathematics (1+1=2 (the academic life can clearly be really exciting!)) and the development of his paradox about the state barber (no, nor me either!) The jacket blurb describes it as a book about "...ideas, passions, madness, and the fierce struggle between well-defined principle and the larger good". Sounds just like Swansea Council. This is a gift for our grand-nephew (I think that's what he is) who is a self-confessed 'maths genius'. Perhaps when he's read it he can explain it to me – although most teenagers he's taciturn to the point of incomprehensible grunting, until he wants to be fed!

So bog-eyed and grumpy!

I have a quiet day today – nothing until this evening, when I have a party meeting. So I had hoped to get an early start of the email mountain – which seems to have grown overnight! However, that's gone off the rails as I've been rather involved in regards to the anti-fascist, anti-BNP rallies this Saturday.

One question I have been asked is why I became a councillor. The answer is as a result of a challenge.

My family had always been political, my parents were Welsh/Cornish-Irish/Aberdonian, left-wing Daily Herald, News Chronicle Liberals, both from non-conformist (in the wider sense, certainly, at the least, unconventional non-conforming) backgrounds. Essentially caring socially committed, boys clubs, children's homes, looking after neighbours (but then everyone did then), doing what they thought was right, good people. The Labour Party was a bit too far out, the Liberals were more acceptable. Curiously although it was my father who had the stronger opinions, it was my mother who was the most active on the ground. It would be unfair to say that "He talked & she did", but certainly my mother was the sort of committed activist that politicians like – always delivering, canvassing, regular attender at meetings etc. She was often asked to stand for the City Council (this is in Liverpool – I am a scouser in case you didn't know) but she always said no, she was a 'behind the scenes' person. A great pity because I think she would have been a great councillor and an excellent ward councillor. However, politically, it was a bit too wet for me as a teenager. I wanted something a bit more red-blooded and I tried to join the Labour Party – but what happened there is one of my 'dinner' stories – sorry.

Anyway, in default I went with them to the Liberals – not least as most of the members seemed to have rather pretty daughters and they had very good parties. This was interrupted when I became a Customs/Waterguard Officer and spent many years wandering around the UK. I finally settled in Pembrokeshire. I recall that about a year after my arrival I was canvassed in an election by a long-sitting councillor who was complaining that in all his 30 years or whatever on the Council, this was the first election he had ever fought – he'd always been elected unopposed. I found this remarkable, as in Liverpool there were elections every year and they were hotly contested. He thought that his having to explain himself to the electorate was outrageous. He certainly didn't get it – needless to say I didn't vote for him. He got elected anyway!

I wasn't impressed by him – nor by many of his colleagues to be frank. I used to moan to one of my elderly neighbours. He gave me short shrift, advising me that if I didn't like what they were doing and I thought I could do better then I should stand myself. And if I wasn't prepared to do that, I really should shut up! So after a couple of years of this, I did stand and was, surprisingly elected. And apart from a brief spell when I moved to Llandeilo (although even here I stood for Dyfed County Council – narrowly losing against the sitting candidate), I've been a councillor ever since, that getting on for 20 years (Do you know I'm not really sure, it certainly feels like it at times!). It does seem to get into your bloodstream.

Why do I do it? Well apart from wanting to make a difference (we all say that I know) I really enjoy it and I think I'm quite good at it (no doubt I'll now get disagreeable comments, but you cannot satisfy everyone and I recognise that I'm not everyone's 'cup of tea'). All my working life, my jobs have been to do with people in one shape or form (that's the jobs, not the people!) And I really get a kick out of helping and getting things done. I cannot speak for all of the 72 councillors on the Council but I believe that this is what motivates most of us. I am quite proud to be one of them, and I include the many dedicated officers in that as well (no doubt some readers will find this a bit naive or even pretentious, but it's what I feel). Whether its big things or the mundane, there is a definite 'kick' in making things better – although sometimes the 'kick' has to be a bit more physical. If there any of you who felt like I did – why not give it a try? You never know, you might win!

Day Two

I am posting late in the evening (well actually it's now well into tomorrow morning - I had to start this again as I had a major computer crash and lost the first version of this post) because this little man has had a busy day!

I got home about 8.30pm and after eating (chips – comfort 'I can't be bothered to cook' food, but still very very wrong!) I watched Criminal Justice on Catch-up. I missed it when it was on last week (evening commitments again) and have been trying to catch up with it ever since. But x*!?# Virgin had some national problem, twas ever thus, so now I have to watch several episodes at once before they take it down.

I couldn't get to the Area 2 Site Visits today – as it was an all day (well 10am-3.30pm) trip around the Gower – and I had lots of other prior appointments/meetings. There are a considerable number of site visits called for the Gower – I can't believe they are all necessary, as I can't that they all need to go to Committee. Still that's a matter for another place on another day.

This morning I dealt with a couple of phone calls from constituents and discussed these with my ward colleagues. (Although the Leader of the Labour Party I am still a ward councillor and have to carry my share of that workload as well). I also made another assault on my email mountain (a bit like climbing Crib Goch ridge in the rain, three steps up and four back; as fast I get rid of them they arrive) but I think I've made a dent in the backlog, inasmuch as the net total was smaller than when I started – even if by not much!.

After lunch (which I don't eat – leaves space for the chips later!) I had a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of the Metropolitan University. I always enjoy meeting Prof. Warner; he's such a live wire. I don't know how many cylinders he's got, but he's certainly firing on all of them. And he has such commitment to the University and to the city. I believe there's no doubt that he turned the Institute (as was) around and made it into the dynamic force that it is today. Amongst other things we were discussing the University's community commitment and how it might this might develop. Very stimulating.

After that it was straight back to County Hall for a briefing on 'self-evaluation' for the Children and Family Services Scrutiny Board. Most people will be aware that Swansea's Children Services were severely criticised and judged inadequate by Inspectors and an Intervention Board was appointed by the Assembly Government to oversee the delivery of an Improvement programme. The Children and Family Services Scrutiny Board was part of the Council's response to the Intervention. It has proved very effective, indeed it's one of the best performing Scrutiny Boards (and that's not just my opinion or to belittle the work of the others). Its effectiveness is a tribute to the commitment of the members from all political parties, and to the dynamic leadership of the Chair and vice-Chair, Cllrs Mark Child and Paxton Hood-Williams respectively. Nonetheless, this is a highly complex area and despite our best intentions we are in danger of information overload. This was a 'professional' guidance session on how to assess and make the best of the enormous amount of information that we are presented with, the sort of things that we should understand and the questions we should ask. Very informative and useful. That was immediately followed by a meeting of the Board itself and the approval of the reports our various working Groups had prepared on our respective investigations. The conclusions are too long to go into here – but are publicly available. I continue to be surprised at the depth of knowledge the Board members have and the considerable amount of time that they are prepared to put in to get this right. We hold many more meetings that the scheduled cycle – indeed 2 or three times as many. But everyone willingly accepts it, but I do find it difficult to get to all of them.

Then straight onto an Association of Governors Body meeting (which was to have a presentation of dealing with the more gifted pupils. Unfortunately, I had to leave early as I had to go to meet some constituents to discuss a problem.

Amongst the problems that my Castle ward colleagues and I are currently dealing with is the issue of the use and storage of mobility scooters in residential complexes. I won't say which complexes, but we do think that the Authority (through some of its officers) is being entirely unreasonable in its response to its tenants. Electric Scooters have transformed the lives of infirm people, who previously would have had to rely of someone pushing them around in a wheelchair. Now they have regained a considerable element of freedom and re-asserted control over their lives. Nonetheless, I do acknowledge that some of the Authority's facilities were not designed to accommodate these vehicles and that that poses problems. However, they are now a fact of life and the Authority should really be being more pro-active in finding a solution. Instead of being (as it often seems) the Authority that finds reasons to say 'NO', it should be finding the ways to say 'Yes'. My colleagues & I have pushed the matter a bit higher up the tree and we are hopeful that a solution will be found.

I think that tomorrow (or today) is scheduled to be quieter – let's see how that works out!

Local Democracy week

Well....
Here I am writing a blog. Not something that I ever thought I’d do! I have often been exhorted to get myself into the blogosphere, “...this is the modern way to reach the electorate...” etc., but I’ve never been convinced. I’m still not, if the truth be told. I know that many of my political colleagues do it, some of them exhaustingly! (Where do they find the time?) But are people really interested in every utterance, opinion, social occasion, when I have a cup of tea or visit the ‘loo (or is that Twitter? I can’t really tell the difference, Rene Kinzett and Peter Black could probably tell me). I know that I am a very interesting person, with a life jam-packed with incident and fascination (I wish), but do you really care? I rather think you don’t – and that’s not simply my innate modesty!
I believe that we politicians tend to take ourselves rather too seriously, we think we’re important (no, we are important, dammit), so you should too! The truth is that we are generally, quite ordinary, normal people doing an extraordinary and unusual job (some more ordinary or extraordinary than others). I suppose that it’s true to say that we don’t feel very loved most of the time. Perhaps that should be the theme of Local Democracy Week – Hug a Councillor! Perhaps by the end of this week – I’ll either be bitten by the blogger bug or I’ll stop doing it to the relief of a grateful nation.
[It really is quite easy to witter on]
This week is quite quiet in meeting terms, so is not especially representative. I have (as at this afternoon) 16 council related appointments this week – and over half of those tomorrow. Generally, it’s nearer twice that. I recently completed a survey on the amount of hours I work as a councillor/Leader of the Labour Party and it was well over 60 a week on average. I am not asking for your sympathy (I do this voluntarily) – but that’s the reality. So I’ve got a week of Planning meetings, tenants associations, Scrutiny Board, Training, school governor meetings, special Council Meeting and the Standards Committee (to talk about democracy!) So I suppose that gives me some time to complete this blog.
Email takes up a lot of time – I get over 50 a day. And the time taken to deal with all of them is considerable – and mostly uncounted. I am still trying to catch up on the backlog that developed from my recent holiday. I’ve got it down to just over 500, but that’s still a long way to go. Are all of these emails necessary – well, no they’re not – but I still have to respond to them. I do think that email can also be quite tyrannical – correspondents have now come to expect instant replies that they wouldn’t with a proper old-fashioned letter. [Erm...I knew that I’d eventually start to sound like an High Court judge or a correspondent to the Daily Telegraph!]
I don’t know whether these blogs can be opened up to contributions – if they can I think I will do it. Besides liking a good argument (in the academic sense), it will give me something to write about/respond to. If it goes well enough, I could get you all (if there is anybody out there) to write it for me!