Tuesday 29 September 2009

victory for Kings Meadow Campaign

or so it seems - this time the fact that His Master's Voice reports the decision last night by the Reading boys to give two-year exclusivity to the Kings Meadow Campaign to do something about the baths as a U-turn gives the story more credibility rather than less, given the Post's usual craven stance. A U-turn is how those who messaged, texted and emailed me last night saw it too. The question is why? Cllr Graeme Hoskin, the Man Who Wasn't There, said last night that he objected to Askett Hawke's demand for a 250-year lease and did not believe they would guarantee public access to the pool. But RBC itself has denied public access to the pool for many years. Former leader of the council Dictatorship Dave "moronic members of the public" Sutton told me in 2004 with a complacent grin that there was "no likelihood" of the pool being open to the public in the foreseeable future. Any politician in Reading who said last night that they wanted KMC to have a chance to come up with viable proposals for public access for this listed building and for a public leisure facility is likely to have thrown back at them at election time their previous diehard opposition to public use of this facility. I remember chairing a meeting at Reading Town Hall on this very issue, to which the parliamentary candidates for the 2005 election in Reading were invited (I remember that Cllr Tony Page, the then Labour candidate for Reading East, failed to attend but sent a message opposing the work of the Kings Meadow Campaign) and hearing support for the baths as a public facility only from the Tories, LibDems and Greens. Not from Labour. I remember too that Cllr Sutton tried to stop the town hall being booked, causing embarrassment to the staff there. Remember all this when it is time to vote. Don't get fooled again.

Good luck to the campaign, and if I can help you in any way I will.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well the irony of Graeme Hoskins being Labour's mouth piece for their U-turn wasn't lost on me...It was his wife Catherine Wilton who'd bleeted Labour's line against KMC originally. She tackled her portfolio so badly she was removed swiftly.

Labour's U-turn does scream out desparation. If they'd ploughed ahead with Askett Hawk even more of them would have been certain to lose their jobs come May

Was said...

I presume you mean Labour or Tory politician?

It was only myself and Peter Beard who voted for KMC at the Scrutiny Panel in April. Labour voted against en-bloc. The Tories were split, either voting against or abstaining.