It is common practice for political groups on a district council to meet as a group prior to a meeting of the full council to hammer out common group policy. This saves council time, generally avoids splits within the party, and determines each party’s policy on specific issues.
The Conservative group on Fenland District Council follow this practice of group meetings. As the Conservatives hold 39 out of 40 of the seats, quite why they do this is unclear. It can’t be to form a united front against the opposition - there isn’t an official opposition. Perhaps it is to form a united front against the alleged real power brokers - the Officers of the Council, or it could be to bully the back benchers into toeing the leadership’s line.
Word is that the last meeting of the Con. group was dominated by angry discussion on two subjects - the ever growing number of wind turbines in Fenland, and this blog ! Advice may be being sought !
This raises two intriguing questions:
1) are councillors really considering paying for legal advice over whether they can reverse their own decisions to grant planning permission to a reported 35 turbines within the district ? I’ll save them some money and explain: “no you can’t bend over backwards encouraging turbines, and then challenge your own decisions. It would make you look ridiculous !”
2) As to this blog, the author is truly complimented to learn that it compulsive reading to our august body of conservative district councillors. She also wonders what chortles of amusement and hoots of derision will emanate from the chambers of the lawyers tasked with studying it. However she will continue to sleep easy at night, even with the Democlean sword of legal action hovering over her head. A statement can’t be considered defamatory if it is true. This blogger has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the content, and through the comments facility continues to invite any one to challenge the veracity of anything said.
Any message from this sad little story ? Is this how our senior councillors spend their time, trying to reverse the own decisions and quash freedom of speech ? I have borrowed from Chaucer for the title of this blog, but perhaps should have quoted Shakespeare - “a comedy of errors” or “much ado about nothing”?
Walter Burnett is a pen name.
Literary note: the title of this blog - “Parliament of Foules” is a reference to a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer (1343?-1400) (also known as the "Parliament of Fowls" "Assembly of Fowls" or "Assemble of Foules").The word ‘parliament’ is derived from the french verb ‘parlez’ - to talk. Any inferance that a conservative district council group meeting might be described as a ‘parliament of foules’ - ‘the talk of idiots’ is not intended.
Wednesday 8 August 2007
THE MYSTERY OF THE SOUTH FENS BUSINESS CENTRE
The South Fens Business Centre was heralded as the proof of FDC’s commitment to Chatteris. We’ve been told that this shining beacon has allegedly 95% occupancy and is a real asset to the community. Is it ?
Rooms were to be available for hire for public events or meetings, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who has ever succeeded in hiring one, because the centre is closed in the evenings after 6.00 p.m. and at weekends - the very times one might want to book it.
Does it contribute to the local economy ? Unlikely - it doesn’t have reasonable pedestrian access to the pubs or tea room in Chatteris for a convivial working lunch.
Does it contribute to local employment ? It appears not. I include an e-mail from a local Chatteris job seeker passed to me :
“Speaking of the SFBC, what is with that place?!? I thought I'd be a bit pro-active and go see if I could find out what jobs there might be. I almost expected the receptionist to force me to sign the official secrets act just for asking what the companies do! As it was, she wouldn't tell me!
Then when I asked if there was somewhere they all advertised their vacancies I was directed to the leaflet wall and told I'd have to ask them directly. I enquired (very tentatively now, as it was like talking to the Gestapo) whether there was an intra-net where the companies in the SFBC might advertise all their vacancies, and was told no, they did not have that either, and NO I can't go round each of them unless I have an appointment! So I have to ask directly, but not directly, only by phone. Hmmm......?
You still can't see who's in there on their website! Makes me wonder more what they're all up to!!! Is the place likely to get bombed?? If so what's the likely blast radius, you and I might need to move!?!
So yeah, that's how I feel about those things, and you can quote me (as a "Chatteris Resident") if you feel it will help.”
The Ordnance Survey include “Secret Nuclear Bunkers” on their maps. This is an apparent oxymoron (a self - contradiction). What can we find out about the South Fens Business Centre? Their web site is so slow as to be useless. The FDC planning interactive map has crashed so I can’t check planning restraints there, and nowhere (that I can find) do they even publish a post code. The local authority generally refer to the clearly signed ‘Fenton Way’ as ‘Dock Road’ a problem which regularly results in an assortment of HGV’s pirouetting in central Chatteris !
So is the South Fens Business Centre therefor “more secret” than a ‘secret nuclear bunker’? Yes !
Walter Burnett is a mouse name.
Rooms were to be available for hire for public events or meetings, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who has ever succeeded in hiring one, because the centre is closed in the evenings after 6.00 p.m. and at weekends - the very times one might want to book it.
Does it contribute to the local economy ? Unlikely - it doesn’t have reasonable pedestrian access to the pubs or tea room in Chatteris for a convivial working lunch.
Does it contribute to local employment ? It appears not. I include an e-mail from a local Chatteris job seeker passed to me :
“Speaking of the SFBC, what is with that place?!? I thought I'd be a bit pro-active and go see if I could find out what jobs there might be. I almost expected the receptionist to force me to sign the official secrets act just for asking what the companies do! As it was, she wouldn't tell me!
Then when I asked if there was somewhere they all advertised their vacancies I was directed to the leaflet wall and told I'd have to ask them directly. I enquired (very tentatively now, as it was like talking to the Gestapo) whether there was an intra-net where the companies in the SFBC might advertise all their vacancies, and was told no, they did not have that either, and NO I can't go round each of them unless I have an appointment! So I have to ask directly, but not directly, only by phone. Hmmm......?
You still can't see who's in there on their website! Makes me wonder more what they're all up to!!! Is the place likely to get bombed?? If so what's the likely blast radius, you and I might need to move!?!
So yeah, that's how I feel about those things, and you can quote me (as a "Chatteris Resident") if you feel it will help.”
The Ordnance Survey include “Secret Nuclear Bunkers” on their maps. This is an apparent oxymoron (a self - contradiction). What can we find out about the South Fens Business Centre? Their web site is so slow as to be useless. The FDC planning interactive map has crashed so I can’t check planning restraints there, and nowhere (that I can find) do they even publish a post code. The local authority generally refer to the clearly signed ‘Fenton Way’ as ‘Dock Road’ a problem which regularly results in an assortment of HGV’s pirouetting in central Chatteris !
So is the South Fens Business Centre therefor “more secret” than a ‘secret nuclear bunker’? Yes !
Walter Burnett is a mouse name.
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