The start of the Reformation
May. 29th, 2025 05:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shewhomustDurham's new Reform County Coucil held its first meeting last week: members of the public can attend, and durham_rambler did.
No-one really knows what to expect. The party's election platform had all been about national policy, stop the boats and culture wars, so how will this translate into local issues? There had been predictions that there would be a low turn-out, that Reform were interested in winning the Council, but not in running it. So far, that's not the case: almost all the new councillors turned up. (Reform have lost a councillor since the election, as one of the successful candidates works for the County Council, and had to choose whether to take up his seat or keep his job; but an Independent Coucillor has since joined Reform, so it all evens up). The only thingdurham_rambler thought worth reporting was that the new council had decided not to follow the convention whereby the chair of the Scrutiny Committee is not a member of the majority party: this, he thought, put them in a position to mark their own homework (he's not the only one who thinks that).
Despite the election rhetoric, in fact, they had not gone in all guns blazing. An interview with Andrew Husband, the new leader of the Council, confirms this. He says "Nigel is a fantastic public speaker and a really good forecaster; ultimately, what he says does happen eventually. But we could be talking four years before we shut down x number of net zero projects." I liked his explanation: "What Nigel says can be true, but he delivered it in a more dramatic way." Perhaps it can be, but is it?
Nothing to see here, then. But to keep the culture warriors happy, the flags flying at County Hall have been changed: the Ukrainian flag has been taken down, and the flag of St George raised (alongside the Union flag and the County arms). The rainbow flag has also gone, as did the banner advertising last weekend's Pride events. The Parish Clerk has been told that the County Council will not be supporting Pride next year (I don't know how much support they actually provide).
Not-all-that-interesting times, in fact.
durham_rambler did. No-one really knows what to expect. The party's election platform had all been about national policy, stop the boats and culture wars, so how will this translate into local issues? There had been predictions that there would be a low turn-out, that Reform were interested in winning the Council, but not in running it. So far, that's not the case: almost all the new councillors turned up. (Reform have lost a councillor since the election, as one of the successful candidates works for the County Council, and had to choose whether to take up his seat or keep his job; but an Independent Coucillor has since joined Reform, so it all evens up). The only thing
durham_rambler thought worth reporting was that the new council had decided not to follow the convention whereby the chair of the Scrutiny Committee is not a member of the majority party: this, he thought, put them in a position to mark their own homework (he's not the only one who thinks that).Despite the election rhetoric, in fact, they had not gone in all guns blazing. An interview with Andrew Husband, the new leader of the Council, confirms this. He says "Nigel is a fantastic public speaker and a really good forecaster; ultimately, what he says does happen eventually. But we could be talking four years before we shut down x number of net zero projects." I liked his explanation: "What Nigel says can be true, but he delivered it in a more dramatic way." Perhaps it can be, but is it?
Nothing to see here, then. But to keep the culture warriors happy, the flags flying at County Hall have been changed: the Ukrainian flag has been taken down, and the flag of St George raised (alongside the Union flag and the County arms). The rainbow flag has also gone, as did the banner advertising last weekend's Pride events. The Parish Clerk has been told that the County Council will not be supporting Pride next year (I don't know how much support they actually provide).
Not-all-that-interesting times, in fact.
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Date: 2025-05-30 08:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-31 12:54 pm (UTC)