Old Grumpy’s seismograph detects a political earthquake about to hit Pembrokeshire as the fault lines in the IPPG grind towards snapping point.
So far, there have been some minor tremors such as the sacking/resignation of Cllr David Simpson – the only Cabinet member with even a shred of credibility – leaving a uniform bunch of mediocrities whose ambitions have far outrun their abilities.
The chief executive, who has long conducted this tone deaf orchestra, is heading for the exit and, most important of all, the voters are beginning to wake up to what is really going on.
There are several factors at play here: the advent of the Pembrokeshire Herald; the webcasting of council meetings; an influx of bright new young (and not so young) members at the 2012 election and, keep this to yourselves, that other website.
So, after ploughing a lonely furrow for 15 or more years, I now find myself jostling for attention in a very crowded field.
Even the Western Telegraph, so long the county council’s house magazine, has been forced to get in on the act.
This week it managed to pluck up the courage to publish a story about the allegation that Mr Parry-Jones had referred to me as “The most evil bastard in Pembrokeshire” as part of what has been described as “an expletive-laden rant” during a meeting with Cllrs Mark Edwards and Peter Morgan who had, allegedly, earned his displeasure by voting the “wrong” way at the end of a debate on his unorthodox pension arrangements.
And there have been other changes which have weakened the IPPG’s grip on power, based as it is on nothing more than naked patronage.
First the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales removed the right of councils to pay Special Responsibility Allowances to vice-chairmen of committees removing, at a stroke, seven £4,000 a year well-appointed seats from the Leader’s gravy train.
Then the Welsh Government brought in an obscure piece of legislation – the Local Government Measure 2011 – which restricted the number of scrutiny committee chairs that could be held by “executive groups” (those with members in the Cabinet) with the result that the five £9,000 a year billets in the ruling group’s grubby mitts were reduced to two.
These two developments reduced the payroll vote by ten and seriously weakened the attractions of what Quill, a commenter on that other website, referred to as the IPPG’s “pyramid scheme”.
That said, the Leader of the ruling group still has a formidable armoury – 10 Cabinet seats, two scrutiny chairs, chairs of planning and licencing, chair and vice chair of council; seven seats on the National Park Authority and two on the fire authority – a war chest of some £250,000, all provided by the taxpayer.
However, that only adds up to 25 paid positions, not enough to ensure a majority.
The other inducement is the hint that membership of the ruling group will help to “get things done in your ward” with the unspoken promise that this will be of benefit come the next election.
And then there is the unattractive human trait which inspires certain types to bask in the reflected glory that comes from belonging to the dominant group.
As the Nobel prize-winning philosopher Frederik Hayek put it in his anti-fascist tract “The Road to Serfdom”: they enjoy “the pleasure of being part of a well-functioning and immensely powerful machine to which everything else must give way.”
Incidentally, that passage is to be found in a chapter entitled “Why the worst always get on top” which, had the book not been published in 1944, could easily have been written with the IPPG in mind.
Now there are rumours of a breakaway group led by Cllrs Brian Hall and recently sacked Cabinet member David Pugh, which, if it comes to fruition, will remove Cllr Adams’ majority.
If the other potential plotters are those whose names are freely bandied about in the members’ tea room, all I will say is that they deserve each other.
News is just in that Labour’s Cllr Alison Lee has joined the Cabinet with responsibility for housing.
The council has issued a press release which begs several questions.
“Councillor Adams said he looked forward to working constructively with a Member of the Opposition in the Cabinet.”
It is not clear whether the Leader anticipates that Cllr Lee will remain in the Labour group. There are several constitutional problems, if that is what he has in mind.
1. It is up to the Labour group to make that decision.
2. If she remains a member of the Labour Group, how does she vote when a Cabinet decision (collective Cabinet responsibility) is in direct conflict with Labour policy?
3. Labour will effectively become the IPPG’s coalition partner – they will both be classed as executive groups – without being asked.
“As a Labour Councillor, Alison has shown great commitment to her Council ward and to her constituents.”
Can it only be five months since Cllr Adams rallied the IPPG block vote (including her chum and mentor Cllr Sue Perkins) to thwart Cllr Lee’s bid to become chairman of the licencing committee – a rather less challenging post than Cabinet member for housing.
At that time he preferred the talents of the ultra-loyal IPPG member Cllr Daphne Bush. Why didn’t he promote Cllr Bush to the housing portfolio? Perhaps he knew he could rely on Daphne to put her hand up as and when appropriate without the added inducement of a Cabinet SRA.
“She also recognises that to operate effectively in Cabinet, one must put political considerations to one side and consider the wider picture for the greater benefit of the people of Pembrokeshire.”
Translation: She’ll have to get used to voting how I tell her.
“I hope that Council Members and the public will recognise the appointment as a sign of my determination to ensure that a cross-section of voices and opinions are heard in Cabinet.”
Translation: I’ve got away with it up to now, so insulting the electorate’s intelligence one more time can’t do any harm.