Wednesday 2 May 2012

Carmarthenshire Council Elections - a reminder

Just a reminder to the electors of Carmarthenshire to please pop out and vote tomorrow. I am, of course, standing for Cilycwm ward and will find out on Friday whether I shall be in the Chamber or back to being locked in the public gallery at the next council meeting. I do not think this is the time to air my opinions on the tactics of opposing candidates although I believe there has been something of a campaign by one of them, as a puppet of the ruling Independents, to keep me out of County Hall. There is plenty of time for all that though, after the results.

I shall be at the count on Friday and hope that the results will bring an end to the Meryl and Madge fiasco which has dominated Carmarthenshire Council for the past umpteen years. A fiasco which has led to a systematic erosion of democracy through their continual unquestioning lap-dog support of unelected senior officers, to put it bluntly.
The cabinet system is not conducive to healthy debate at the best of times, and the senior management of Carmarthenshire Council along with the Executive Board have manipulated this to the nth degree resulting in a virtual dictatorship. Even minority voices amongst the back-bench councillors have been subdued by the recent insistence that motions to full council are accompanied by seven seconders.  As for public opinion and opposition, it is (at best) completely ignored and at worst, vilified as 'unfortunate', 'misleading' or 'lacking common sense' to give just three recent examples. Carmarthenshire needs, a strong contingent of vociferous and determined back benchers, as well as a new Executive Board who's loyalties lie with the residents rather than the unelected officers and who, it has to be said, will welcome the observing public rather than locking them up.

As the council themselves were so fond of saying over the closure of Pantycelyn School; "the status quo is not an option" - please bear this general thought in mind when you vote tomorrow. Another five years of the same nonsense and old boy cronyism doesn't bear thinking about, it's time to move on.

9 comments:

Mrs Angry said...

Best of luck to you - and to Mrs Evans _ both of you will make a hugely important contribution to local politics, as you have done in citizen journalism.

Anonymous said...

good luck it is time for change

Cneifiwr said...

I look forward to peering down on you from the plebs' seats up in the gallery. Pob lwc!

EmlynUwchCych said...

Best wishes for tomorrow.

Which group will you be joining if elected?

caebrwyn said...

@Mrs Angry thank you from both of us, (Mrs Evans currently preoccupied making election potions)

@Cneifiwr Ha! you never know...I do hope you won't be filming..I would be most displeased and may have to call the police ;)

@EmlynUwchCych
Thank you. I will be joining the Monster Raving Loony Party of course, as long as founder members Meryl and Pam get re-elected that is...

Gaynor Jones said...

Hope to meet you at the count

caebrwyn said...

@Gaynor Jones
Hope to meet you too.

Anonymous said...

Here here ! Thank goodness you are back - Im guessing you have not been blogging due to canvassing etc.

Best of luck tomorrow and I look forward to at least a few more councillors (with balls ?) to shake things up in Couny Hall.

Huge luck to you - I think it will depend on turnout though !

Lesley said...

Jackie, I'm so looking forward to seeing you sitting IN the chamber, right under Mark James's nose. Best of luck.