One of the reasons politicians dislike the blogosphere is because bad news just won’t go away. A critical story in a newspaper is in the recycling box a week later and soon forgotten. But thanks to the tireless efforts of bloggers, there is no longer a hiding place for anyone found behaving badly.
Take the picture below, for example, which shows the car belonging to husband and wife councillors Andreas and Joanna Tambourides parked on the pavement.
Don’t Call Me Dave first posted this picture on 5th July in a blog entitled: “One law for us. One law for them.” Cllr Joanna Tambourides is the Assistant Cabinet Member for Transport and sources advise that she was not very happy when this picture was published. A few comments were posted by readers at the time.
Roll the clock forward twelve weeks and a new comment has just been posted by someone called Drew, who says:
“In Cllr A Tambourides Brunswick Park ward we have a situation that in one street residents are allowed to park on the pavements whereas in an adjoining road the residents are banned from parking on one side of the road. This is nothing to do with improving the quality of residents lives but simply put these are measures to allow vehicles a high speed 'plain sail' through the neighbourhood. The result of this disrespectful & treacherous policy = Rat Runs. The Tambourides are obstacles in the way of civilised progess and the residents of my road are slowly realising they have been duped by these people and suffice too say I will be mobilising the forces in time for the local May elections next year.”Perhaps this is just a highly localised issue which will have no electoral consequences for Andreas Tambourides. Or maybe it signifies the beginning of the end for the councillor nicknamed ‘Tambourgreedies’ because of his propensity to stack up allowances. Only time will tell.
But the timing of Drew’s comment serves as an important lesson for all politicians: however hard you try to forget or ignore the past, the blogosphere ensures that your previous conduct and any misdemeanours will forever remain in the public spotlight.
4 comments:
DCMD - may I say how pleased I am at your happy failure to reduce this blog to a weekly bulletin. Please keep it coming sir.
:)
Not just parked on the pavement, but from the road markings it would seem that their car was facing the wrong way.
Thanks so much for mentioning my post. I think what is so infuriating is that the local Cllrs in the Brunswick Park ward are simply not interested in helping the local residents nor in improving their quality of life. This local issue of 'rat run' traffic (which road or street in Barnet is not a 'rat run' these days) merely highlights the lack of empathy that Cllr Tambourides and his colleagues have for local residents. They are, to my view, merely picking up the money and it is a scandal. Why go into local politics if you are not going to defend, serve and help the local people? I cannot understand it.
Drew, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Chipping Barnet Conservatives select their Councillors on a fixed 4 year term. After that, they have to reapply from scratch for the job.
Now is the time for any Conservatives you know to go to 163 High Street, or contact the local Chairman Don Goodman, and sign up and apply to be a Councillor. It is shocking that two of the three 'local Councillors' don't live in the Ward. It is more shocking that one of them lives in Finchley!
The Conservatives will soon choose their candidates for 2010 and the local members will get to vote on who goes forward. So get involved and find the best people to represent you on the Council.
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