There is an interesting story that the deputy political editor of the Evening Standard Paul Waugh has on his blog today.He has reported that Conservative Home are saying that Paul Bettison, leader of Bracknell Forest Borough Council has been excluded from the shortlist for the upcoming open primary.
There are suspicions that the reason why this may have happened could be partly due to criticism Bettison made of Conservative Party Chairman Eric Pickles' use of language around so called "bin taxes":
I wish Eric Pickles would stop calling them bin taxes. It is very galling. They are bin charges. They are not taxes at all. You pay for the service you get. The current system of invisible waste charges is much more like a tax. I know what it is like to be in opposition, but many of us Conservatives are in power in local authorities, trying to run waste services, and he is not helping us.(BBC News 26 November 2008)
Paul also reports criticisms Mr Bettison apparently made of Shadow Chancellor and key David Cameron ally George Osborne's plans to cut council tax.
I don't know the ins and outs of this but what I would say is that open primaries are supposed to be just that, open. If a successful and leading local Conservative politician has been excluded from the shortlist, whatever the reason then this does not say much for the democratic process that these primaries are supposed to embody.
I would be interested to hear what other local residents think about this.
Maybe Paul Bettison should get the picture. He has been turned down by every constituency he has applied for. Remember last year when he was not chosen by a nearby constituency? His petulent comments in the local press sounded like a pouting boy taking his ball back because he wasn't chosen as team captain. Mr Bettison may have been included in the conservative party broadcasts at the last general election but obviously there is some no-no now. He would be a disaster as MP for Bracknell but as the other conservative councillors on BFBC have followed him slavishly for many years how come they don't at least let him be on the short list. If the local party don't think him fit to be on the parliamentary shortlist what are his ward voters not being told?
ReplyDeleteI think the description 'successful' is very generous, this area is so Tory becoming a Tory Councillor is hardly a challenge, but when you take into account the consistent failure of the Council to get the town centre redevelopment started year after year after year, then I think Bettison is not going to be the right person. A younger candidate with more get up and go would be more apropriate.
ReplyDeleteI certainly would not vote for this obnoxious man.
ReplyDeleteWhy would he even consider being a Tory MP. He has spent his time in office with the Council pandering to the requests of the Labour party, without so much of a fight for the people of Bracknell Forest. He doesn't give a stuff about the community, he just wants to play with the 'big' boys!
ReplyDeleteI would not want the currenty council leader to run for the job anyway. Althought I do wonder if this will split the local party against whoever wins. Well will see I guess. Too me it looks like the Tory HQ has highjacked the list. But whatever happens the Conservative will win after all this is a safe seat.
ReplyDeleteSo Bettison is paying the price at last for covering us all in smelly green, brown and blue plastic. Whatever, Bracknell won't be a Tory safe seat after the general election. The next MP for Bracknell will be the UKIP man because Bracknell are fed up with the so-called Tory BFC councillors being lackeys to NuLiebour. BFC Tories have always enthusiastically implemented the socialists policies. Just a bit more visible reticance to and less enthusiasm for the government's demands and they would have a lot more credibility.
ReplyDeleteI get the feeling Mr Bettison is not Popular with my blog readers. But the point is really why is a local Councillor not included on the list. I guess these comments may speak for themselves
ReplyDeleteBettison is the Beeching of his day - in 40 years time when the nation come to look back at the disaster that is the Alternate Bin Collecting, it will be Councillor Bettison to shoulder the blame; in much the way we bemoan the loss of railways we will bemoan the lose of our streets to nasty plastic boxes!
ReplyDeleteI was never troubled by rodents until this man championed,and in my opinion pushed us into a two week refuse collection. He is full of his own importance, and obviously trying to use Bracknell Forest Council as a 'step up to higher things', but I'm afraid that he doesn't have the correct personna, or talent. The Bracknell electorate are wise to him, and will not forget that he is permanently labelled as 'the Tory who forced the Labour Party's 2 week refuse collection on Bracknell'. He can look forward to years in the wilderness.
ReplyDeletePaul Bettison is a dreadful man his attitude towards the developement in around the Bracknell area is blinkered, selfish and self serving, and this is being generous. He clearly cares little for the communities he should support. It is no wonder the conservative party want little to do with him. I am galled as a lifelong tory that this man is in anyway affiliated to the party I support.
ReplyDeleteWhat goes around comes around as far as I'm concerned.This is a man who closed one of his businesses about 8 years ago in order to avoid paying a CCJ against it!
ReplyDelete