On the Free Press website yesterday a John Turner has made the following comment,
"Well done Labour for retaining control of the Council. Clearly the opposition could not agree to power sharing so labour showed them how it should be done. Hopefully this will give the Council some stability to get on with the job of governing and by those with experience and ability rather than by an unfocused rabble of an opposition."
I am guessing that this is former New Inn Councillor John Turner who was a respected member of the cabinet before the May election. Is he implying that labour would have been willing to share power? I am copying his words here to allow comment from others, and to ask a few questions of the current labour group/leadership and Mr Turner.
- Would they have been willing to share power with the opposition, ie in a coalition of all parties, with political balance on the cabinet?
- How small a majority would they have to have had before they might think that they should share power.?
- Due to reduced numbers all but one labour member has a position of extra responsibility. Does each and every one of those have the necessary dedication, experience and ability to perform those duties?
- Does Mr Turner consider all the opposition to be lacking the ability and experience to take a meaningful part in the government of Torfaen?
3 comments:
An unfocussed rabble? I think they may have been caught unawares, never expecting that they might be in power; they didn't know one another, many had never been to a council meeting. The longer standing independents, and the conservative(s) rarely speak in council.
I understand that the opposition have refused vice chairs, is this true? They need to bite the bullet, and take those vice chairs, sieze every opportunity to gain experience, to get organised and to get trained. Consider power sharing with the more enlightened labour members then see if the five rebels will come on board. If not then the famous five will be showing their true colours.
The opposition are concentrating more, led by Cllr Wildgust on finding ways of altering the way the council works rather than contributing to it, what happens if they get PR and a new structure and still don't like the result.
But it is they way the council works that has lead to a situation where the labour party say they are the only ones qualified to govern, in spite of the clear indications that the majority of the public do not want them.
Some form of power sharing would have allowed the more competent of the opposition to have gained experience, to the benefit of the people of Torfaen, and would have meant that some of the less able labour members would not be in positions that they are not up to.
Some form of power sharing might have given us a more accountable local government, better decisions might have been made and those decisions made in a more democratic way, instead of behind closed doors.
Am I right in thinking that at the present time it is basically one man who chooses who does what and who makes the decisions? Although theoretically that man can be deposed it does not happen in Torfaen. It this the best democracy we can achieve? I hope not.
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