In message , Brian Watson
writes

wrote in message
m...

Can I make it clear that this was no power-hungry grab. It was a (totally
screwed up admittedly) attempt to deal with a problem that constituents
have complained about vehemently and repeatedly for many years.

I would never have met the ambulance driver if a constituent hadn't rung
me up and told me that the gate had been broken open. If he had correctly
reported that the gate had been left open by someone entitled to open it I
wouldn't even have gone to look. I'd just have called the council officers
and left them to it. That was where things went wrong and I lost it in
frustration for the failure of people to do their jobs as promised.

I'd say (as someone who doesn't actually live in the city and has no
political or personal beef with Colin) that that looks like a perfectly
reasonable statement about why he was there and why he did what he did.

He got it wrong, but was not fully-acquainted with the facts. It doesn't
excuse it but it explains it.

I am certainly not in a position to cast the first stone, having got things
wrong myself on several occasions and acted badly in consequence.

Everyone else here (especially those lining up to have a pop at him) so damn
spotless?

I;d go along with every word of Brian's contribution there and leave my
contributions and views as states and as they stand. I don't like
unelected watchdogs dictating to elected individuals. That's my job as
a voter.

As Andrew said a couple of posts back, "you of course may disagree".

:-))
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk