| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:The telephone poll | |
| Posted by: | David Bradley | |
| Date/Time: | 10/08/10 12:20:00 |
| We seem to have some labour party activists lurking around this thread; a sort of breed of people who are able to make a resounded defeat into something a lot more positive. The democratic process is somewhat flawed in so much as the local elections don't necessarily reflect local issues but often the much wider issues. Some voters are effectively disenfranchised because it would take an unprecedented swing from one party to another to oust a Councillor and at other times it is necessary to cast your vote for someone who is truly awful as the rest of the bunch doesn't inspire any great confidence to represent you. Chris is right, some of us do have long memories of the past performances of local Councillors but there is often next to nothing that anyone can really do about it at election time. This doesn't make the first one past the post excellent unless you are wearing rose coloured spectacles. If anyone has the tenacity to suggest that WLT was the wrong solution for the Uxbridge Road corridor then they get labelled as "Petrol Heads", only intent in ensuring that they can continue to use their 4*4s without hindrance. Make any kind of suggestion that could actually be a better idea, then you become a complete nutter and regarded as a nuisance who has to be muted at all costs. If you feel that everything with public transport is just dandy then don't knock those that can say it could be better. You may not want a boarding point seat, protected from the elements, to wait for a bus [and know how long it will be before it arrives] but many would appreciate that "luxury". You may be prepared to have a pretty awful ride in a diesel bus but other passengers would appreciate a smoother ride in a vehicle with environmental credentials. Existing local shopping parades may not be perfect in every last detail but rebuilding them, or simply sweeping them away, using the label "progress" will inevitably mean the loss of treasured retail outlets to be replace with a carbon copy of any other high street up and down the UK. This thread essentially asks whether the WLT scheme should be reconsidered and placed back on the wish list for projects in the local area. The answer really has to be NO but at the same time not to shut the door on ideas and schemes that really would make a difference for everyone's benefit. How this can be achieved is another story. |