The Tory peasants are (allegedly) revolting in St Austell

Word reaches me that all is less than rosy among St Austell Conservatives in the light of last week's surprise by-election defeat to the Liberal Democrats. Apparently the unrest stems from the local party's treatment of Richard Stewart, the previous Cornwall Councillor for the area, who prompted the by-election by standing down in September. Mr Stewart had been a hugely popular local representative for a number of years and was that rare breed of Councillor who commanded strong support across voters (and other councillors) from all parties.

The suggestion among some Conservative supporters in St Austell was that, when he became ill, pressure was put on him to stand down almost immediately in order to trigger a by-election in the Tories third safest Cornwall Council seat. If this is true the rationale behind this would probably have been two-fold. Firstly, an easy win in St Austell Bay would have been trumpeted as a terrific boost for Caroline Righton, their parliamentary candidate, and secondly it was a golden opportunity to parachute the Cornwall Tories' election guru, Bob Davidson, into a safe seat thus putting him at the heart of the County Hall end of the General Election operation. Mr Davidson had missed out by a mere 19 votes when he had stood in the Bethel ward in June and it does rather seem that the Tories were determined to have him as part of their Cornwall Council team come hell or high water.

The trouble is voters don't particularly like being taken for granted, and it turns out there were mutterings from Tory supporters throughout the by-election campaign about the treatment of Richard Stewart with some making it clear they would "never forgive them for what they've done to Richard". All of this is pretty painful stuff for the Tories if it's true.

Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of this is the arrogance of the Tory high command in Cornwall. Alec Robertson, Leader of Cornwall Council, and his sidekick, the perma-furious Jim Currie apparently both rolled up to the election count ready for the coronation of 'Bob the Agent'. Reportedly magnanimity was thin on the ground as, when the result became clear, they all departed in disgust (Mr Davidson wasn't even a good enough sport to stay for the official declaration).

This rounds off a poor second half to the year for Caroline Righton. A botched attempt to boost morale by forcing a by-election follows hot on the heels of the "Dickhead" smear storm and, if there really is a divided local party in St Austell, it doesn't stand her in good stead for a General Election which is only six months away. The irony is that Bob Davidson was brought in to make sure a mess like this couldn't happen.

(MK blogger Zetetist has produced an excellent review of the St Austell Bay by-election and its repercussions here.)

Labour's Depressing Defeatism

Both nationally and here in Cornwall the Labour party appear to have accepted the seemingly inevitable and addressed themselves to the prospect of defeat in next year's General Election. At Westminster their greatest ambition now looks to be preventing the Conservatives from achieving an overall majority, while closer to home there seems to be little evidence that the party exists at all. There are no Labour members of Cornwall Council, the party ran no candidates in North Cornwall, and they could only manage a meagre 66 votes (5% of the poll) after their non-campaign in the recent St Austell Bay by-election.

Jude Robinson, the party's PPC for Camborne & Hayle, is usually an exception to Labour's Cornish anonymity rule, but even she has slipped into the trap of openly contemplating defeat by posting a hung parliament conspiracy theory on her website. The page includes the claim that the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, has offered a deal to support a minority Tory administration after the election. Aside from the fact that this is not actually true (you can read the real quote here) it strikes me that Labour and the Liberal Democrats should be trying to find some common ground nationally if they want to avoid another generation being lost to the Tories.

Yes, I know there's an election coming up and politicians of all parties have to get involved with a lot of pointless posturing between now and polling day, but I'm starting to form the impression that Labour (especially in Cornwall) has retreated so far into the bunker that it no longer has a clear view of the real world outside. Even with a punch-drunk Prime Minister, a supine media and Lord Ashcroft's millions to buy an election for them, the Tories are still struggling to climb above 40% in the opinion polls (Labour were registering nearer 50% in the run up to the 1997 election). There is still a natural majority of progressive, non-Tory voters out there, and if Labour and the Lib Dems are smart between now and March/May/June (i.e. not taking needless lumps out of each other) they may find themselves with the opportunity to deliver an electoral system which actually reflects the votes cast. This in turn will mean that any future government will have to govern by consensus - would that really be such a bad thing?

St Austell Bay - Where did it all go wrong for the Tories?

On Thursday the Conservatives lost their third safest seat on Cornwall Council in a surprise by-election result in St Austell Bay. The popular local Councillor Richard Stewart, who resigned from the council in October due to ill health, had won the seat for the Tories in June with a majority of 361 in what was considered to be largely 'blue' territory. How then did they come to suffer a 13% swing to the Liberal Democrats only six months later?

I think the first point to make is that Richard Stewart was a highly respected and popular local representative who had previously served the area for many years on Restormel Borough Council. Inevitably a large proportion of his majority in June was a personal vote, so this may go some way towards explaining the extent of the swing. Nevertheless, great chunks of the St Austell Bay ward should be strong Tory hunting grounds (particularly the Carlyon Bay area) and certainly enough to make this a safe seat.

Some will make the argument that the new Tory/Independent administration is already unpopular and that this result reflects public disgruntlement which will stop Tory gains in next year's General Election. I don't think this is true - yet. Much as there are many reasons to criticise the new rulers at County Hall, I don't really think that debate is yet taking place to any extent beyond those who watch Cornish local government closely (most people have better things to do, I suppose). There is perhaps a sense that it's probably someone else's turn to run the Council after the Liberal Democrat years and that the new administration should be allowed time to find their feet. There is also the fact that a Tory-led Council has a friendly, Daily Mail-owned print media and the odd aspiring (yet confused) shock-jock as its sole scrutineers in the outside world.

So what turned everything upside down in St Austell Bay?

The Tories would have started the campaign as frontrunners, so it was important they picked the right candidate to set the tone of the campaign. Bob 'The Agent' Davidson is a highly-rated political organiser for the Conservatives, and is the man in charge of their well-funded mission to challenge the Lib Dems in Cornwall at next year's General Election. He doesn't live in the ward.

By contrast the Lib Dems picked John Oxenham, a well-known local man with a reputation for hard work who does live in the ward. The battle lines pretty much draw themselves.

Add to that a couple of contentious planning issues and the usual committed local campaign from the local Lib Dems and you start to see how the gap was narrowed.

I can't honestly say I blame the voters of St Austell Bay for rejecting a party spin doctor who had only recently stood (and lost) in another ward. There was a hint of arrogance, hubris even, in the Tories taking the voters for granted and assuming they could give their agent a salary and a role at the heart of things without offering anything in return.

And that is probably the biggest lesson for the Tories. They are starting to display the same arrogance in the way they are running Cornwall Council, and if they don't stop to listen they may yet find that the voters across Cornwall will punish them a good deal sooner than they think.

The 'Cretin Forest' of Politics

For the first time in a long while I went to County Hall the other day and was struck by the fact that I didn't see anyone of any notoriety the whole time I was there. I don't mean notorious in the dastardly villain sense, rather the mildly notable is-that-the-bloke-I-sometimes-see-on-Spotlight sense. I may have just picked the wrong time to be wandering around the old carbuncle's gleaming 2001 style interiors, and I shouldn't be so superficial, but I was kind of hoping to bump into, say, a Bert Biscoe or a Pat Harvey or (for old time's sake) an Andrew Mitchell. I did see a lot of Members milling in and out of the mysterious wooden doors (I may have spied Jim Currie, but I wasn't sure he looked angry enough) but I'd be hard-pressed to put a name to any of them.

I know it's "early doors" and that I should hope that the, still relatively new, Cornwall Councillors are too busy cracking on with the job to worry about a media profile, but I honestly want politics at whatever level to have some sort of edge to it. Politics is full of desperately dull, on-message automatons (of all parties and no parties) scared to rock the boat in case they lose the trappings of power (such as they are). The likes of Dennis Skinner, Ken Clarke and Charles Kennedy seem to belong to a bygone, slightly more 'warts and all' era of politics and there doesn't seem to be any sign of a new generation to replace them when they shuffle off the the House of Lords (possibly not in Mr Skinner's case).

Similarly it doesn't seem that Cornwall Council has yet managed to find quality replacements for Steve Barnes, Armorel Carlyon, the aforementioned Mr Mitchell and many others. One or two from the new intake show a touch of promise - Ruth Lewarne for the Lib Dems, Andrew Wallis for the Indies and the stunningly bonkers Jim Flashman for the Tories - but by and large we're looking at a sea of mediocrity.

Perhaps my headline is a little harsh but prove me wrong, new guys!

Cornwall Council and Children's Services - How's that commitment to openness coming along?

Children's Services in Cornwall face government intervention as a result of the recent Ofsted report which highlighted safeguarding as a particular issue for Cornwall Council. This latest development in a depressing story was broken by the BBC and has already led to one Councillor asking why he had to learn the news from a broadcaster rather than from the local authority he is actually a member of.

Why indeed? A media obsession and a lack of basic communication with their own members seem to be early themes of the new administration, in spite of the Leader's commitment to "transparency and openness" as one of his top priorities in his opening address to Council back in June. Alex Folkes, on his 'A Lanson Boy' blog highlights a number of other major instances (new governance arrangements for Newquay Airport, the way 'Scrutiny' works and the Council's new Economic Green Paper) all of which demonstrate that, while the new Conservative administration likes to talk about openness, in the end Tories pretty much end up behaving like, well, Tories I suppose.

Cornwall Council and 10:10

Conservative Shadow Chancellor George Osborne writes in today's Independent about the need for the Treasury - perhaps more than any other central government department - to take ownership of the climate change agenda in the coming months and years. Within his article he makes a commitment for a future Tory government to require "government departments to cut their emissions by 10 per cent within 12 months of the election". Encouraging stuff, and not a million miles away from an amendment put before Cornwall Council in September asking the authority to sign up for the '10:10 Campaign', the aim of which is to commit organisations to a 10% reduction in carbon emissions by the end of 2010.

The Council's Independent Environment Cabinet Member, Julian German, was happy to agree to the amendment until the Leader, Tory Alec Robertson, intervened to put a stop to all this tree-hugging nonsense. 'We don't know what our carbon footprint is, we can't be bothered to find out and it might cost money' was the essence of his complaint. After moments earlier nodding in agreement with the amendment, the Tory backbench sheep quickly fell into line and voted this horrible left-wing conspiracy down, thereby achieving - well, not very much actually.

It does seem odd that George Osborne (hardly the most progressive face on the Tory front bench) seems able to make such a firm commitment for an institution as large as the national government when the Conservative-led administration in Cornwall still views any attempt to tackle climate change as a subversive plot to change (their) English way of life.

Would it be unfair of me to speculate that the Conservatives say one thing nationally in pursuit of votes, while on the ground the Tories who actually exercise power paint a quite different picture?

Cornwall Council - The State of the Union

The Brave New World of Cornwall Council is six months old - how have they been doing?

Well, they kicked off with an eyebrow-raising alliance between the Conservatives (initially led by Jim Currie until the national party took his toys away) and the Independents, who chose Neil Burden to replace Pam Lyne as their leader. The Lib Dems, under Doris Ansari, decided against making up the numbers in a rainbow coalition, while Dick Cole's Mebyon Kernow just seemed really happy to be there. (Labour were left without a single councillor.)

It has quickly become clear that perhaps the greatest challenge is that faced by Neil Burden (pictured left), who heads a collection of Independents who organise as a single political grouping (an interesting concept) but who nevertheless can vote however they please if the going gets tough. Some Independent councillors (most notably Bert Biscoe) are already openly critical of the administration and others mutter that they are being pulled along by the Tories with no real input of their own. Indeed the rumours are that there is already serious unrest among the Indies with talk of fractious group meetings and open claims that Councillor Burden is not up to the job. (Slightly unfair in my opinion, since the poor chap has just got over a nasty spell in hospital, but I suppose 'politics is politics'.)

The make or break time for the coalition looks as though it's going to be Budget time next February, with some Independents believing this will be their last chance to raise Council Tax before the next government (whoever they are) puts the inevitable squeeze on public spending. The Tories, on the other hand, know there's a General Election on the way and they are desperate to show they can keep Council Tax down, regardless of the effect on public services in Cornwall. If the Tories can't cut taxes there doesn't seem to be much point having them around. An interesting few months ahead.

From an outside perspective it's going to be fascinating to see if this alliance holds together under sustained attack from the Lib Dems, who seem to be relishing the role of gamekeepers turned poachers. Many have been critical of their decision not to take part in the new administration but at least they, along with the impressive Dick Cole, are in a position to ask the awkward questions and keep the Cabinet on its toes.

In terms of what the new administration has achieved in the first six months the answer would appear to be 'very little so far'. It is, of course, very early on but the signs are that the Tory leadership is having to keep one eye on the volatility of its coalition partner and another on making sure they don't rock the boat for their parliamentary candidates next year. All of which plays splendidly into the hands of the highly ambitious Chief Executive, Kevin Lavery, who appears to be the 'de facto' Leader of the Council in the absence of any kind of policy framework from the Cabinet. Perhaps Cornwall Council is safer in his hands rather than anyone else's, but it's not really democracy, is it?

The New Cornwall Council - in their own words

Here is an extract from the minutes of Cornwall Council's Annual Meeting held in June:

Report of Leader

To receive details of the Leader’s appointments to the Cabinet including the allocation of Portfolios

Minutes:

The Leader congratulated Councillor Ansari for the ability and dignity that she had shown in her role as Chairman.

In thanking Members for his election, Councillor Robertson (the Leader) stated that he hoped that party politics would be put to one side so that all Members and officers could work together for the benefit of Cornwall. He advised that an agreement for working together had been achieved with the Independent and Mebyon Kernow groups; however, he was disappointed that the Liberal Democrat group had given notice that they would become the Opposition.

The Leader said that his main priorities were: priority support for vital front line expenditure; removal of wasteful expenditure; and transparency and openness.

He added that he had appointed the Cabinet as follows:-

Corporate Support - Councillor Currie;

Economy and Regeneration – Councillor Rule;

Highways, Transport and Planning – Councillor Hicks;

Housing- Councillor Kaczmarek;

Strong Communities – Councillor Kennedy;

Children’s – Councillor Bain;

Adults – Councillor Toms;

Health and Well-being – Councillor Burden; and

Waste and Environment – Councillor German.


The Leader had asked the Chief Executive to organise an internal audit of the Council’s expenditure, the report of which would be made public.

In respect of planning, there were concerns with the current arrangements and a cross-party working group had been established to consider and report to Council regarding local knowledge and accountability.

In response to concerns expressed by Members, the Monitoring Officer advised that the Deputy Leader could be appointed at a later date and confirmed, therefore, that the appointments to Cabinet were valid.

Councillor Ansari, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, advised that her group would not be in opposition in respect of all issues and that they would ensure that public services were supported. The Liberal Democrat Group had asked for the Leader’s detailed plans to be made available so that it could be ensured that they were in accordance with the wishes of the people of Cornwall. It was also requested that officers should provide the Liberal Democrat Group with separate briefings.

I post this because I suspect I may well be referring to it over the coming months and years.