The latest copy of the Rugby Observer featured two stories about play areas on page 9.
One was a story about a group of youngsters who have organised a petition to call for improvements to the play area in Rokeby, on the corner of Southbrook Road and Belmont Road. This was encouraged by the Hillside and Rokeby Community Association (HARCA).The petition was handed it to Sue Roodhouse, a local Liberal Democrat councillor and also a member of HARCA. She is shown posing for a photo opportunity with the kids.
The second story is about how Government cuts announced this week will mean that existing schemes to improve the provision of play areas in Rugby have been scrapped – including a project at Parkfield Road in Newbold.
Local Lib Dems are going to have to be a bit careful nowadays. It’s easy to whip up a little local campaign, but it doesn’t look so good when it’s doomed to failure by the same party’s coalition government, does it?
The middle of the line 
August 12, 2010 at 21:56
While you are correct that on the face of it there is a contradiction the reality is probably slightly different. Liberal Democrat Councillors are usually community driven and offer a decent public service. They are so far detached from the higher echelons of the Coalition that the link is tenuous at best.
This is in stark contrast to the Town’s Tories who seem hell bent on installing an unelected dictator and embarking on a libertarian experiment in Rugby. I prefer Caldecott Councillors being yellow to being blue any day of the week.
I draw your attention to the letters page in the same issue of the Observer. Here the the Tories have written an effusive letter in praise of their leader. The group doth protest too much methinks!
August 12, 2010 at 22:03
On Humphreys and his coterie, I am brewing up another post for later. I’ve had a lot of info from all over and the latest edition of the Observer has added more. I just need to condense it all a bit.
On the Lib Dems, I agree. They are at a local level all about campaigning for local provision and so on. When in opposition, it’s easy – if they get what they ask for it’s a ‘Victory’, if they don’t they can blame the incumbents.
However, power in Westminster gives them a new problem – that if the reason that the local campaign that worthy and dedicated members and councillors are working on will fail is that the government of which their national party is a key part, they can’t make much out of it.
Labour and Tory politicians should be aware of the pitfalls of being a party based solely on campaigning at a local level, having been in power and opposition. But local Lib Dem organisers will need to be a bit more circumspect than they have been before.
August 12, 2010 at 22:09
I look forward to your next post. Although you must be warned that no facts or inuendo about the nature of the Humphrey regime will shock or surprise me anymore!