Another full day of voluntary activities, producing Focus advertising copy, councillor colleagues’ stationery sets and then an evening Southoe Parish Council meeting to consider a local police report before rushing over to St Neots to catch the tail end of the St Neots Town Council meeting.
Then a long session advising my LibDem Town Council colleagues in private over the aspects of Mayor-making and local politics with some success. After our experience with Della, Diana has been upset these last two days by two horrific local accidents on the A45 road to Kimbolton at Stonely, where cars were completely flattened on both days with probable loss of life.
Despite by best intentions with regard to sharing my time, I was dragged into another full day of voluntary activities. I produced the new FOCUS advertising rate sheets and accompanying letters in draft and also a new stationery set for each of the lead councillors around the St Neots area. Plenty of other letters and telephone calls as well. This evening, a meeting of Southoe Parish Council which was the first one I had managed to get to for some months. Listened to the new St Neots Police Inspector David Abbs again and then advised the parish on the range of issues that are affecting them these days. I was hoping to hear of a volunteer or two to deliver FOCUS around Southoe village but was disappointed. Diana says that we should deliver one more ourselves if nobody comes forward and include a slip saying this time that circulation in Southoe may have to be discontinued if we can get no help.
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On afterwards to catch the tail end of the St Neots Town Council meeting at the Priory Centre. I had not sat in on one for several months during which they had got themselves into all sorts of troubles, but they seem to be finding their feet more now. Even so, Michael was absent again - this time with another migraine. I went to the pub with several of my Town Council colleagues afterwards, particularly those who are hostile to the idea of allowing Independent Conservative Deputy Mayor, Graham Hunt, becoming Mayor when Michael retires. I put to them that the Liberal Democrats would still only have 9 out of 18 seats after May and that Michael would probably feel obliged to use his casting vote as outgoing Mayor to elect Graham if he had to.
If they were therefore not in a position to stop Graham, then our best strategy would be to propose him ourselves, having extracted his assurance that he would be "the same kind of impartial and non-political Mayor that Michael was, not using even his own vote to support his group, let alone a casting one". In my judgement, I told them, Graham would agree to this and would have to fulfil that type of Mayoral role and this, together with the natural tendency for mayors and chairmen to adopt an independent line and get carried away with the office as first citizens, that would essentially give the Liberal Democrats 9 votes to 8! Accepting that we would also insist on having all of the chairmanships, we would have more control that at the moment with Michael being independent in all things other than name.
We would also propose Sally as Deputy Mayor, which would give her two years to prepare for taking over this onerous task for which she could prepare, train and find her way after having to take the occasional meeting. When she would become Mayor, Derek would become her deputy. This would them allow John Davidson to become Town Council Group Leader and to try to instil a bit more discipline and organisation into the group with, perhaps, Ross McKay becoming deputy leader on the same principal as a headmaster would make the difficult pupil a prefect! I think that I might be able to persuade them of this course of action and that it could work to our advantage.
I was working on John Davidson to stand for the District and be our finance spokesman which would fit in with his interests. Also trying to get his friend, Phillip Graham-Claire, to stand for the Town Council seat vacated by Michael. Home very late but pleased that I am being able to guide them as they need help in playing strategic politics. Diana has been upset these last two days by two horrific accidents on the A45 road to Kimbolton at Stonely, where cars were completely flattened on both days with probable loss of life. Since Della's accident, she has been nervous of driving and thinks that it could soon be her car that is involved.