Michael Mullaney condemns Tory plan to cancel Leicestershire County Council's elections

Michael Mullaney, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Leicestershire County Council, has condemned the Conservatives decision to seek government permission to cancel this years elections for the council.

He told Leicestershire Live:

"People have a right to go and vote in May’s elections. Cancelling them is just a way for the county council’s Conservative leadership to try and rush through their plans to see boroughs and districts abolished.

"To create a huge super authority, containing most of Leicestershire and possibly Rutland too, would see decision making taken further away from people’s lives. These plans are not about devolving power to local communities, they are about centralising power and making it more remote from people.

“It’s also about avoiding an election where the Conservatives were likely to lose a lot of seats and possibly the control of Leicestershire County Council.”

Abolishing the county's district councils was the ambition of the county council's former Toru leader Nick Rushton. (He is currently taking a back seat for health reasons - I wish him well.) But the plan was always vocally opposed by Leicestershire's Tory MPs.

This time we have heard nothing from them. Too few? Too insignificant? Too busy on social media?

If it's because the Tories are afraid of doing badly in May, this seems shortsighted - no party wins every round of local elections. Still, it's typical of our new government's adroitness that they have given their main opponents the chance to make that choice.

Oh, and what will happen to Rutland?

Lord Bonkers' Diary: "A haughty old boot"

You know, I sometimes suspect that relations between the Bonkers and the Dukes of Rutland fall some way short of cordiality.

Friday

Back in Rutland, we are still racking our brains to solve the problem of the blocked canal. Hard as we try, the transhipment docks behind Oakham Quay continue to fill and no solution emerges. 

Really, if it were not for the memoirs of a previous MP for this part of the world (I do not mean my own 20-volume work), I should despair. 

Fortunately, Alan Duncan has published Noises Off and given us all a Jolly Good Laugh. He details a row they had in The Falcon at Uppingham – a pleasant watering hole, but it’s not the Bonkers’ Arms –  with the Dowager Duchess of Rutland and describes her as “a haughty old boot”. Reader, I roared.

Lord Bonkers was Liberal MP for Rutland South West, 1906-10.

Earlier this week...

• His spaceport on the outskirts of Thurso
• I have no memory of their Landslide from 1906
• A party of well-meaning water voles
• One of the great sites of London

Rutland's MP quits "Muppet Show" parliament

Embed from Getty Images

Sir Alan Duncan, Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton since 1992, will not be defending his seat at December's general election.

He told the Leicester Mercury: "It’s time to put an end to the Muppet show."

I am puzzled by the way people use 'Muppet' as at term of abuse. Kermit and friends put together a variety show every week, often featuring an international star. That would certainly be beyond this Tory government.

Duncan may suggest he has had enough of parliament, but I suspect there is another explanation: the craving for Walker's crisps has become too much for him.

Now Rutland's newest councillor is arrested over Facebook posts

Life comes at you fast.

On Thursday Richard Alderman was elected to Rutland County Council by drawing of lots after he tied at the top of the poll with the Liberal Democrat candidate.

Yesterday he was reported to the council and the police after abusive posts on his Facebook account came to light.

Today he was arrested.

That Leicester Mercury report tells us it was Sir Alan Duncan, Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton, who tipped off the rozzers.

And on Twitter Rutland Ned pointed out that Alderman had been backed as a candidate by a group called Democracy Rutland.

He asked two important questions.

#Oakham "our Democracy Rutland Independent candidate – Richard J Alderman ..." https://t.co/wEv6jhS2FW
Did the persons behind Democracy Rutland not do the most basic checks about their candidate? Or did they not find his views objectionable?@Mercury1712 #Rutland

— RutlandNed (@RutlandNed) July 18, 2018

Leicestershire Tories at war over leader's bid to bin district councils

“I say to Coun Rushton – bin this, this week or you will find yourself in great personal difficulty.”

That was Sir Alan Duncan, Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton, speaking about Nick Rushton, the Conservative leader of Leicestershire County Council, and his plans to abolish the county's district councils.

I am not sure an MP should be speaking like that. Mind you, I would have more sympathy for Mr Rushton if he had not waited until county council meetings had ended for the summer and then called a press briefing.

People who want an easy ride seem to leak things to the BBC these days, and the parallel with Vote Leave is not the only echo of Brexit here. The Labour group on the county council supports Rushton's plans.

Thank goodness the Lib Dems and Tories are providing some opposition to him.

Two questions remain.

Why does the Leicester Mercury think "Coun" is the abbreviation for Councillor?*

When, oh when, will the person who hacked Nick Rushton's Twitter account be arrested?

* I am told this dates from the 1970s, but surely it should be "Coun." if they are determined to use it?

Rutland International Airport

It's a location that has been mentioned from time to time in Lord Bonkers' Diary. But now a Rutland county councillor wants to build it for real.

RAF Cottesmore is to close soon and Gene Plews, who sits for Oakham South East, thinks he knows what should be done with it. He told the Leicester Mercury:

"I believe it is ideally suited for a regional airport.

"It has all the ancillary services needed and can handle aircraft as large as a Boeing 757 and a Galaxy transporter.

"It is close to the A1, would service a local need, and could boost tourism. It has great links to London."

However, Lord Bonkers' current-day successor is not keen. Alan Duncan, MP for Rutland and Melton, says:

"It is a totally inappropriate site for a regional airport.

"The road links are inadequate."

Philippa Stroud to exorcise Alan Duncan in Oakham market place

Plans for Philippa Stroud to exorcise Alan Duncan at a ceremony in the market place at Oakham this afternoon have been condemned by Rutland's most celebrated fictional peer.

Lord Bonkers writes exclusively for this blog:

Though we still use the back foot LBW rule here in the Church of Rutland, we have no time for This Sort of Thing. Mrs Stroud should keep her hands off Mr Duncan, who is a considerable tourist attraction and has every right to lead his live as he chooses.

If she does arrive at Oakham, I have no doubt that the robust good sense of the people of the town will lead them to persuade her to catch the very next train back to Sutton and, indeed, Cheam.

Hearing of the plans for this ceremony convinces me all the more that David Cameron is no more than the plausible front man for a rabble of bad hats, snake oil salesmen and God botherers.

The answer is clear whether you live in Cheam, Rutland or anywhere else: Vote Liberal Democrat.

Besides, some of my best friends are ballet dancers.

The Week's Good Cause: Alan Duncan MP

Seen in a shop window in Oakham.

Heydon Prowse in The Secret Garden

Heydon Prowse and his Don't Panic website are in the news because of a secretly filmed interview in which Alan Duncan complained that MPs are "treated like shit" and "have to live on rations".

We may return to the ethics of this incident and what it tells us about Mr Duncan. For the time being, let me just point out that Prowse was a child actor in a 1993 film of The Secret Garden.

A wreath for Alan Duncan's political career

Things are hotting up in Rutland & Melton.

Oakham Artist Jo Goodliffe places a wreath outside the office of Alan Duncan MP in Melton Mowbray to mark the end of his political career.

Thanks to Martin Brookes.

Enjoy a free ride on Alan Duncan's lawnmower

Martin Brookes sends me this picture of Alan Duncan's constituency office in Melton Mowbray.

It shows the artist Jo Goodliffe handing tickets for a free ride on Duncan's lawnmower, which the Rutland & Melton MP attempted to buy through his Parliamentary expenses.