Sans foi ni loi

Politics should not be personal but at least two councillors in Southend’s ruling Conservative administration are intent on making it so. This does beg the question as to why. However, I am not about to speculate as to what goes on in their craniums as their logic-defying recent stances make interpretation problematical at best.

Anyway, readers of this blog will be aware that this spat came about because of a recently proposed cruise event.

First, there is the issue of leaking internal emails. This was what really irritated me at first, because (perhaps naively) I had assumed that emails between councillors were not to be published unless permission had been sought. I have been comprehensively disabused of this idea.

Secondly, I committed the crime of limiting my comments to cruises in general, and not to this specific event. My silence has been interpreted as being a vote in favour of the specific cruise (an unusual take, can I make similar presumptions about the myriad topics that Cllr Cox passes no comment on?) when in reality I offered no view because I have no view. To take silence and re-construct this as a statement in favour of the event is to tell a lie.

I am in favour of cruise nights in general. Despite utterances about authorised cruises, my interpretation about the mostly Tory nay-sayers is that they remain somewhat po-faced at the thought of these events, and find all sorts of obstacles as to why they cannot go ahead.

I admit to knowing little about the recently proposed event. However, I cannot wonder that the Council has been somewhat heavy handed.

I have had just one person contact me about the cruise, and they were very disappointed it had not gone ahead. The responder owned a seafront business and was appalled by the loss of potential trade, especially in a cold February where other visitors are scarce.

I accept that the two Conservative councillors who also represent Milton ward may have had many contacts, all aghast at the thought of this event – I have no way of knowing one way or another. But, until I hear otherwise I can honestly state that I have neither received nor heard of any objections.

Neil Monnery gives his thoughts here in a clear and cogent way. I am not about to give the thumbs up to any individual event, not without some knowledge of what is proposed. I invite cruisers to contact me. However, in general I am prepared to back calls for events that, to my eyes anyway, seek to entertain and promote business.

Is it an irony that whilst seeing off car and motorcycle enthusiasts the Council wants a thriving Cliffs Museum in the same area – do they anticipate hushed voices and no traffic when it is eventually opened?