By Carole Dennett
Looking for a masterclass in maturity? Best steer clear of the latest YouTube hit — “Wednesday’s IW Council meltdown.”
It was more pantomime than parliament, as our elected representatives have clearly forgotten their January pledge for ‘debate not hate’, transforming the council chamber into the scene of a playground scrap.
In this unforgettable episode, Cllrs Clare Mosdell and Julie Jones-Evans could be heard loudly battling it out across the chamber, while council chairman, Cllr Claire Critchison, was left waving her gavel at a sea of indifference and saying she didn’t care if she was called a shambles. And just when you thought things couldn’t get more chaotic, Cllr Geoff Brodie teased a one-man show on how badly behaved a councillor could be, with a supporting act of Cllr Peter Spink shouting at the officer advising on the constitutional rules. The cherry on top was a couple of councillors making a dramatic exit mid-vote, perhaps hurrying to wash off the shame of the evening’s events.
The heart of the scuffle was a debate on whether to give the council’s decision-making system a dramatic makeover – by going back to how it used to be. A committee system to replace the current cabinet model was said to involve more councillors in decision-making. On this performance they’d better get their private health subscriptions up to date. In an intriguing plot twist, Cllr Karl Love’s suggestion – to ask Islanders for their views – was shot down faster than you can say “democracy”, with a 20-12 split against the obviously ludicrous idea.
Earlier in the evening, the council also managed to spend a precious 15 minutes lamenting over a withdrawn document (meaning they didn’t have to discuss it at all) and kicking the Draft Island Plan into the long grass – again. It’s already cost £660,000, which will all be wasted if they don’t pass it soon.
Despite concerns over missing financial information, unrealistic timelines, and dubious public benefit, the council resolved to hold an extraordinary meeting on May 1st to make the final call on the committee proposals — if they can agree on anything, that is.
Supporters claim the cost of the new system will not be more than the current one. Let’s hope they include the price tag of two external consultants (cost unknown), legal advice (£10,000 so far), the extra council meeting (£2,270) and numerous officers’ hours spent investigating this naval-gazing exercise. Cllr Paul Fuller hinted at a bargain-basement committee system being done “on the cheap”. No fears on that score Cllr Fuller.
In a delightful irony, Cllr Vanessa Churchman lamented the public’s lack of interest in local politics — perhaps failing to see the entertainment value in their own performances. A word of advice to any councillor seeking to engage the public: a mirror might just be your best ally. After all, who doesn’t love a good punch-up?
Anybody who wants to spend three hours watching our elected representatives at work could head over to iw.observer/punchup1 (with a particular emphasis on the last 10 minutes) and iw.observer/punchup2 – but I really wouldn’t recommend it.
