Councillor calls for share of ^30billion for Plymouth.

[whole diary]

[Plymboi]

I wonder what some of these councillor s think they can achieve. There calling for money from HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) to go to plymouth devonand Cornwall.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Councillors-calls-30billion-cash-boost-Plymouth-s/story-18754563-detail/story.html#axzz2K6YDdmZb

[Chris from Nailsea]

Oh, no - it's that completely irrelevant stock picture again:



On that basis alone, I therefore cannot take that article seriously.

[bobm]

Just as an aside, it looks like that grid is damaged at the end nearest the camera isn't it?

[Chris from Nailsea]

It is indeed, bobm! 

For details of the original appearance (back in July 2010) of that now much-used stock picture, see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=7170.0 

[TonyK]

I loved this quote:

"It is scandalous that the railway line to the country's 15th biggest city rests on a bank of pebbles which wash away when it rains too much," Cllr Dr David Salter said.

Not much different to the 14 bigger ones, then.


Edit note: Quote marks fixed. bignosemac

[JayMac]

Also, Plymouth is much further down the list in terms of population when towns are added. Around a dozen towns are larger than Plymouth.

Those towns and their railways can also be affected by heavy rainfall. 

And Plymouth only places 16th if you are talking of England and ignoring Greater London which doesn't have city status.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Ah, but any councillor worthy of their salt wouldn't want mere facts to get in the way of scoring their particular point, would they ... ?

[TonyK]

Ah, but any councillor worthy of their salt wouldn't want mere facts to get in the way of scoring their particular point, would they ... ?

Good God, No!!

Councillors are there because no-one else fancies doing anything to improve the lot of their constituents, or for that matter, listening to anybody who takes the trouble to contact them. On another thread, we read of a lady who has so upset her democratically-elected representatives, by the simple expedient of asking questions, that they have declared her personna non grata, and will no longer write answers to her outrageous demands. At the same time, they will bemoan the lack of any opinion from the less demented of their flock, until, as in Bristol, they come up with a crap idea to build the World's Most Expensive Bus Lane, in the face of open hostility, to show that they know what they are doing.

I apologise in advance and without reservation to those Councillors amongst you who act selflessly, even eschewing the odd junket to the twin-town where one is addressed in faultless English by the Mayor, only to address his citizens as "Urinals and Water Closets", before telling the gathered audience that "I desire the people of this country carnally". (Which happened to a Tory MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post - a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London, depending on context) whose name eludes me, and who had looked up "Ladies and Gentlemen" in a phrase book prior to a speech where he had intended to impress his Russian audience, and to US President Jimmy Carter who had taken someone who studied classical Polish, yet still got a translating job after the Fall of Communism)

[grahame]

Ah, but any councillor worthy of their salt wouldn't want mere facts to get in the way of scoring their particular point, would they ... ?

Good God, No!!

Councillors are there because no-one else fancies doing anything to improve the lot of their constituents, or for that matter, listening to anybody who takes the trouble to contact them. On another thread, we read of a lady who has so upset her democratically-elected representatives, by the simple expedient of asking questions, that they have declared her personna non grata ....

Where I live in Wiltshire, there are many parishes from Bedwyn in the east through to Melksham Without (where I live) in the west where there's more places available than candidates in the current elections.  Meaning that anyone who wants to can get on.   Many / most are good and well intentioned, but there's almost a desparation at times from existing members to seek and persuade new people who may not have an appropriate wideranging depth of knowledge, patience or time to do a good job.  And if strange suggestions / poor decisions are made, then perhaps it falls to the community as a whole (and those people who would have been good candidates, but actually do nothing for their communities) to look at themselves and say "I have only myself to blame if I don't like the decisions taken, as I chose not to get involved".

I would love to be able to vote for a local (Parish) councillor on 2nd May;  I rejoice that I will be able to help select my unitary councillor.  I know two of the candidates better than most, and have a great respect for both of them.

[Kernow Otter]

Very much the same situation here in Lostwithiel.  Of the 16 councillor vacancies for our town council, only 14 nominations were received, so no election and doubtless we will have to co-opt people later in the year.  One of the mainstream parties has had difficulties in filling the Cornwall Council nomination for the Lostwithiel seat, to the extent that their suggested candidate lives significantly East of here.