Nearly six years ago my local council set up area assemblies, and I went along to the first one for my area.
Because parking in my street and the neighbouring ones was in critical condition, I hoped to get that included in the five priorities we had to set at that first meeting, but unfortunately it came 6th.
But I stuck with it, and joined the co-ordinating committee and got to know the councillors for the area (we call these divisions "wards"), some newly-elected and hard-working Greens.
Since then I have attended at least four co-ordinators' meetings and four assemblies a year, each lasting up to 3 hours, and I've also gone to several other meetings at the Town Hall about matters of local interest.
Meanwhile, two years ago, our Greens were ousted in a new election, and I found the changeover to a new party difficult. They are nowhere near as hard-working as the Greens, but we rub along successfully together, and I have stuck with it.
Here's part of the current co-ordinating committee:
Last night, at the latest meeting, parking was not on the agenda. Those of us who desperately needed it and fought hard achieved it 18 months ago.
Sadly, the streets who put the kybosh on our first attempt several years before, and condemned us to the misery of regularly having to park several streets away from our homes, have found that the people who plagued us by parking near the two railway stations, bus and light railway stations, and shops, now plague them, as they are just a few streets further away. They had thought we should continue to suffer so that they didn't have to, so really, tough luck maties.
But they got an emergency debate last year, and won a review which was took place 6-8 months ago. But some of the streets didn't get their ducks in a row, and lost out in the review.
So last night they crashed our meeting - which did not have parking on the agenda - and screamed about democracy (ie. their right to do nothing except when it affects their comfort, and then insist that everyone act for them no matter what other subject was up for discussion).
I was on the receiving end of a rude comment about "me and my cronies", which referred to the fact that the councillor in the chair called me by name. Well, if they'd attended so many meetings over such a long period, perhaps he would know their names too. But they wanted only to follow their own agenda, not our actual democratically chosen one, and acted in such a way that they lost everyone else's sympathy for their cause.
They spat out their dummies and stormed out, continuing to have a long, loud argument in the foyer. Empathy for their position led me to go and offer some advice. I told them how, when the consultation forms were delivered, I put a leaflet through every door in the street to remind people to vote.
"We did that, but someone else not even from the area put out leaflets that told lies and we lost the vote." "Anyway, we don't all have time to come to these assemblies and join the co-ordinating groups, like you, if you're retired"...Red mist. Fucking rude bastards. Grey hair means you are retired and have time on your hands. I left them to their doom.
I told the councillor about their comments, and given what he'd already heard, he was minded to recommend to the Mayor that they get no special consideration.
Democracy isn't just about turning out when you have an interest to defend (or push forward) and if you don't take part when the chance presents itself, don't expect everyone else suddenly to jump up and help you. And if your only recourse is to abuse, expect a bloodied nose, perhaps metaphorically, perhaps in reality.
Oh, how I would love to bloody a nose or two among that group.
