Checkpoint Charlie, Worthing-style

So. I ran into a friend yesterday, who has a lot of friends among Worthing Conservatives, who gives me interesting info occasionally.

Now, I'm not sure how much I credit this, but my friend claims that one of the leading Worthing Tories - both a borough AND a county councillor, mark you - has fallen out very badly with his party; so badly, in fact, that he might not make it to re-selection for next year's County Council elections, and has even talked to one of the LibDems about defecting.

Now, I for one would be very unhappy if Worthing's LibDems took this one on board. I can't conceive of a party that could include my LibDem friends and this person - but it would be a huge scalp, and I mean huge, if this person crossed the floor, so we'll see how the LibDems balance this one out - principle or party interest?

Council Doings (and Don'ts)

Speaking to Councillor Bunbury (Independent, Seafront Shelter) earlier this week, I hear that Worthing Conservatives' policy of gradually doing away with meetings and debate has caught up with them in an unexpected, and slightly funny way.

They've suddenly realised that, as Cabinet members no longer have individual meetings, they don't have a platform to tell us how wonderfully they've done recently, or what bounties they are about to bestow on the people of Worthing. The answer...?

Well, the answer according to the Conservatives is to turn the paltry 20 minutes of debate allowed in Council meetings (of which there are only 6 a year!) into a pale copy of PMQs in Westminster, with questions being handed out (literally - written down and handed out before the meeting) to backbench councillors to give cabinet members the feed lines to puff themselves. So, according to Cllr Bunbury, we had the wonderful spectacle of Carol Molineux asking the cabinet member for leisure what delights he would be bringing to the seafront this summer (miniature pony rides, no less!), followed by Ann Sayers asking Keith Mercer, the Leader of the Council, if he could tell the council how awful the Labour government were and how much better the Tories would be.

One tip, ladies, from Bunbury: rehearse the question first, as tripping over the words does give the game away; and there are councillors in the chamber who I'm sure could help with the dramatic delivery.

The Drugs Don't Work

Speaking of dramatic (non) delivery - we had been waiting with bated breath to hear news of Cllr Bryan Turner (Con, MPharmS) and his ongoing sale of part of his pharmacy empire. The news is in and sadly it's, well, sad.

The seven-figure sum that Bryan was hoping for hasn't materialised; in fact the whole deal has fallen through; so it's back behind the counter for Bryan and his better half, Val - perhaps they'll have time to tidy up the South Farm Road outlet, now, eh?

Still, what to do for Worthing's LibDems? Rejoice that Bryan doesn't have pots of cash to lob at the local Conservatives? Or grieve that Bryan won't be retiring wherever old chemists go, and leaving the council in peace? Let's hope someone else comes in with a bid - perhaps for the whole sprawling commercial octopus that is Turner Pharmacies this time.

Separated at Birth?

Alarming political auguries on billboards, part 1. There is a large billboard just by Worthing station advertising Goring Hall Hospital, a local private hospital. The happy, smiling gent on the poster, if Jack's eyes don't deceive him, could well be Billy Bragg, the well-known left-wing singer. Could Billy have seen the Cameronian light and realised that private medicine is the opium of the masses? See what you think:





Brings a whole new meaning to Operation Red Wedge, doesn't it?