smokingboot

Councillor Ringroad must have thought he was facing the hordes of Hell. His wife was quiet, and other allies were judiciously absent, resigned or in one case, hidden in the building in glowering fashion leaving when the meeting started. Said case is quite the bravemouth online, and having taken it upon himself to call ringroad objectors 'muppets and moaners,' thought better of meeting them in person. There's a type isn't there? Not that he need have worried. As hordes go we were very polite, torches unlit, pitchforks stowed neatly under seats. The title of my post was one of the most direct comments I heard levelled at Councillor Ringroad, though the air was simmering. The petitioner, previously silenced by himself and his allies at the last disastrous community council meeting, now had her proper turn and the rest of the night belonged to the floor. It was a special meeting chaired by an independent from neighbouring Linlithgow, and he was impressed.

'We'd think ourselves very fortunate to have this turn out,' he said, smiling benignly at the full rows of seats in front of him. He may have changed his mind after nearly two hours trying to cool the vibe of an impromptu bonfire night.

Meanwhile, our Guy Fawkes at least had his moment - several moments in fact - where he repeated the same thing; he was delighted at this level of engagement, pleased with himself at having sparked a necessary discussion. That had always been his aim.
'Why then,' came the replying cry, 'if your proposal was created to spark discussion, it's worked, so now you can withdraw it.'
'Naw, naw,' with a shake of his head, 'there's good stuff in there.'
'Did you hold a public consultation on it?'
'Aye, I consulted.'
Every other councillor in the room cocked their heads at him; plain to see that none of them had been invited to any such meeting.
'Who did you consult?'
'A few people.'
'When?'
'A few years back.'
'Where?'
No answer.
'Any minutes, any records of that meeting?'
No answer.
Within seconds the phantom consultation was consigned to legend, having done him no good by lending credence to the sense of backroom deals and non-accountability. It was one mistake among many. I found myself staring at the man wondering; he doesn't seem like a fool, he's a pleasant fellow which would indicate social awareness. How could he not read the room? Local politicians of all stripes were quick to distance themselves from the debacle. Local Hero Labour Councillor called the plan 'an abomination' and roared that it should be THROWN IN THE BIN WHERE IT BELONGS!* DS who appears to be the living aeon of local government said he intends to introduce the motion that the committee should dismiss the proposal entirely. Most damning of all, our Member of Scottish Parliament said she was entirely against the proposal, that the government had no requirement to build more houses here, that it was all needless. Poor Councillor! If not fed to the flames, certainly thrown under the bus by his own party representative no less.

R asked the darling question of the night; 'How can we get involved?'
The room loved the question, and one of the local landowners shook R's hand.
'I knew there was something about you as soon as you stood up,' he said.
As a result of the discussion started by R's comment, there is to be a planning forum to attempt the creation of a local plan, and a few of us have signed up for it. Will it work? There's not much time,but it's better than silence and passivity. Though I can think of one poor roast who may disagree.

*My favourite quote regarding his performance was 'I see Harry's brought his rope.'