12th May, 2011
Morecambe and Wise
Sir – A part of me is secretly pleased that Keith Mitchell will remain as the redoubtable leader of the county council.His wicked and irreverent sense of humour never fails to entertain this member of the electorate. A lot of people are offended by his jibes, but I can see that his comments are meant to be taken satirically. Keith has even attempted to insult me in the press, but only succeeded in making me laugh.
Politics can be dull, but at least Keith Mitchell gives us a lot to laugh about. Another politician who provides a lot of entertainment is John Tanner.
Although positioned at diametrically the opposite end of the political spectrum, he is equally controversial and entertaining.
I think of Keith and John as being like the comic duo Morecambe & Wise. They cheerfully brighten up the political scene with their banter and they both work very hard.
Susan Thomas, Oxford
Not a humourous matter
10:00am Monday 16th May 2011
It is generous of Susan Thomas (Thursday’s ViewPoints, May 12) to cast Keith Mitchell as a wit and satirist, a modern-day Juvenal or Horace perhaps.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines satire as “the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues”.
Mr Mitchell certainly scores when it comes to ridiculing many of those he has been elected to represent.
He does, however, mostly rely on disdain, contempt and condescension; and as for wit, he rarely rises above the silly and the sneering.
As for the policies he promotes and applies, there is nothing remotely humourous about their consequences for the people of Oxfordshire.
No doubt Mr Mitchell does, as Susan Thomas declares, “work very hard”, as do his constituents across the county, many of whom will soon not have jobs at which to “work very hard”. No satire here!
Bruce Ross-Smith, Bowness Avenue, Headington, Oxford
Comments(3)
Victor Meldrew2, Oxford says...
10:11pm Mon 16 May 11
10:11pm Mon 16 May 11
Susan Thomas likened Mitchell & Hudspeth to Morcambe & Wise. I think the Muppet Show would be closer
11:48am Wed 18 May 11
The OED spelling is humorous!
COUNCILLOR Ian Hudspeth’s departure from Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet (yesterday’s Oxford Mail) needs explaining.
He landed Oxfordshire taxpayers with an expensive and unnecessary incinerator in the wrong place; he diverted scarce funds to the costly white elephant of the Cogges link road in Witney; and he completely failed to improve transport access to Oxford.
But he wasn’t booted out of his job for any of these reasons. His mistake was challenging Keith Mitchell for leadership of the Tory-run county council. Mr Mitchell’s vengeance was swift.
Mr Mitchell is playing a dangerous game and making more and more enemies among his own Conservative councillors.
Mr Hudspeth was one of the best cards in the lack-lustre Tory pack and would probably make a very good Conservative leader. I know many of his own side agree.
Ian’s replacement, as cabinet member for growth and infrastructure, is the the inexperienced Lorraine Lindsey-Gale, who represents Dorchester.
She faces huge challenges over lack of money, the need to reduce our carbon footprint and the slump in jobs locally.
The people of Oxfordshire can ill-afford to lose competent Cabinet members, even if they are Conservatives.
The increasingly authoritarian leadership of Mr Mitchell is in nobody’s interest. Growth and infrastructure are too important to be put at risk by Tory party squabbles.
John Tanner, Board Member for a Cleaner, Greener Oxford (Labour) Oxford city and Oxfordshire county councillor
Comments(6)
sarahmw, Oxford says...
1:41pm Fri 20 May 11
Sacking was a result of bid for leadership
10:00am Thursday 19th May 2011
COUNCILLOR Ian Hudspeth’s departure from Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet (yesterday’s Oxford Mail) needs explaining.
He landed Oxfordshire taxpayers with an expensive and unnecessary incinerator in the wrong place; he diverted scarce funds to the costly white elephant of the Cogges link road in Witney; and he completely failed to improve transport access to Oxford.
But he wasn’t booted out of his job for any of these reasons. His mistake was challenging Keith Mitchell for leadership of the Tory-run county council. Mr Mitchell’s vengeance was swift.
Mr Mitchell is playing a dangerous game and making more and more enemies among his own Conservative councillors.
Mr Hudspeth was one of the best cards in the lack-lustre Tory pack and would probably make a very good Conservative leader. I know many of his own side agree.
Ian’s replacement, as cabinet member for growth and infrastructure, is the the inexperienced Lorraine Lindsey-Gale, who represents Dorchester.
She faces huge challenges over lack of money, the need to reduce our carbon footprint and the slump in jobs locally.
The people of Oxfordshire can ill-afford to lose competent Cabinet members, even if they are Conservatives.
The increasingly authoritarian leadership of Mr Mitchell is in nobody’s interest. Growth and infrastructure are too important to be put at risk by Tory party squabbles.
John Tanner, Board Member for a Cleaner, Greener Oxford (Labour) Oxford city and Oxfordshire county councillor
Comments(6)
BigAlBiker555, Eynsham says...
12:07pm Thu 19 May 11
12:07pm Thu 19 May 11
Are they working for us or themselves?
Victor Meldrew2, Oxford says...
2:29pm Thu 19 May 11
2:29pm Thu 19 May 11
My feelings are 1 down 2 to go and those 2 are both mentioned in some part of this letter and not in the same party
Mick Heavey, Old Marston says...
8:27pm Thu 19 May 11
8:27pm Thu 19 May 11
..... John Tanner really is a pompous **** who really does not know ''...the inexperienced Lorraine Lindsay-Gale...'' at all. My own experience of the lady is that she responds to requests for help from members of the public with the necessary urgency & professionalism that not only makes them feel that they are being properly represented BUT she has a knack of being able to knock heads together within County Council Departments where departmental budgets & 'little empire building' would otherwise rule over commom sense & the 'bigger picture'... good luck to the lady & I am sure she'll do a far better job than her predecessor - I've forgotten his name already !... & John, if you really feel qualified to comment on the lady & her capabiliities, you would be more believable if you could spell her name correctly !!!.....
Esprit, Oxford says...
9:09pm Thu 19 May 11
9:09pm Thu 19 May 11
John Tanner says Ian Hudspeth would probably make a very good Conservative leader, yet he also says that Hudspeth "landed Oxfordshire taxpayers with an expensive and unnecessary incinerator in the wrong place; he diverted scarce funds to the costly white elephant of the Cogges link road in Witney; and he completely failed to improve transport access to Oxford"
Not very strong on logic, our Mr Tanner?
Not very strong on logic, our Mr Tanner?
Mick Heavey, Old Marston says...
9:28pm Thu 19 May 11
9:28pm Thu 19 May 11
..... & we still get stuck in horrendous traffic jams at Headingtons Green Road roundabout when travelling from Cowley... the only difference being that my Sat Nav no longer recognises it as a roundabout... it tells me to ''cross the square'' !!!.....
1:41pm Fri 20 May 11
John Tanner writes 'The increasingly authoritarian leadership of Mr Mitchell is in nobody’s interest.'
Well, John Tanner, the increasingly authoritarian leadership of the labour group of Oxford City council - is not in democracy's interest.
So why is the labour group removing the ability of local councillors to be involved in local issues. 'People of Oxford can ill-afford to lose competent councillors in Area committees, even if they are not Labour'.
Well, John Tanner, the increasingly authoritarian leadership of the labour group of Oxford City council - is not in democracy's interest.
So why is the labour group removing the ability of local councillors to be involved in local issues. 'People of Oxford can ill-afford to lose competent councillors in Area committees, even if they are not Labour'.
Full of lunatics
The spate of attacks on 4x4 vehicles (Oxford Mail, July 23) reminds me of the demonstration that took place a few years ago outside Oxford Brookes University.
Several elected councillors from the Green Party and their friends dressed up in Jeremy Clarkson jeans and silly wigs.
They looked really frightful.
When Mr Clarkson arrived to collect his honorary engineering degree, a woman called Agent Meringue stuffed a baked Alaska in his face. (Presumably, the baked Alaska had something to do with global warming in Alaska).
The irony is that I subsequently saw at least three Green Party councillors in a 4x4 vehicle.
To add insult to injury, I was nearly knocked over on the pavement outside my house by a car driven by a Green councillor on the eve of the city elections!
Therefore I don't think they are in any position to adopt the moral high ground and state that SUVs are causing global warming.
I'm inclined to think this stunt against 4x4s is gesture politics at its worst.
Our county council leader, Keith Mitchell, tried to undo the damage to Oxford's reputation by inviting Mr Clarkson to dinner.
Not surprisingly the offer was declined. Mr Clarkson probably thinks Oxford is full of lunatics!
SUSAN THOMAS Magdalen Road Oxford
FOOLISH ADVENTURE
THE foreign secretary, William Hague, is wasting £300m on a war with Libya and a lot of people are questioning his judgement, including senior naval and military commanders.
I feel that he embarked on this foolish war purely to save face and to bolster his ego.
Many politicians have hugely bombastic tendencies.
The reason for this deduction is as follows: Mr Hague sent a rescue mission to the rebels before the war to assist.
The unit was told to go away by the rebels and Mr Hague felt sheepish and foolish.
Mr Hague then persuaded representatives of NATO to back him in deposing Gaddafi.
NATO then embarked on this foolish mission at a time of great financial crisis in Europe. Indeed Italy has already pulled out. Gaddafi was not posing a threat to us and bridges had been made between Great Britain and Libya. Gaddafi’s followers are more Westernised than many of the rebels and speak English.
Frankly, Mr Hague has probably backed the wrong horse.
What our country really needs and desires is a parsimonious, penny-pinching foreign secretary and a generous home secretary.
Instead we have the exact reverse; an extravagant Foreign Office spending a fortune and Home Secretary Theresa May cutting the police force budget.
If the expenditure of the Foreign Office were diverted inland, many austerity measures could be softened.
I feel really sorry for the Justice Secretary Ken Clark. He has been handed a poisoned chalice. He needs to make savings, yet he cannot appear soft on crime.
He is in an impossible situation and looks as though he might be heading for a breakdown.
Mr Hague should trade places with Mr Clark and see how much fun that role is.
SUSAN THOMAS, Magdalen Road, Oxford
The spate of attacks on 4x4 vehicles (Oxford Mail, July 23) reminds me of the demonstration that took place a few years ago outside Oxford Brookes University.
Several elected councillors from the Green Party and their friends dressed up in Jeremy Clarkson jeans and silly wigs.
They looked really frightful.
When Mr Clarkson arrived to collect his honorary engineering degree, a woman called Agent Meringue stuffed a baked Alaska in his face. (Presumably, the baked Alaska had something to do with global warming in Alaska).
The irony is that I subsequently saw at least three Green Party councillors in a 4x4 vehicle.
To add insult to injury, I was nearly knocked over on the pavement outside my house by a car driven by a Green councillor on the eve of the city elections!
Therefore I don't think they are in any position to adopt the moral high ground and state that SUVs are causing global warming.
I'm inclined to think this stunt against 4x4s is gesture politics at its worst.
Our county council leader, Keith Mitchell, tried to undo the damage to Oxford's reputation by inviting Mr Clarkson to dinner.
Not surprisingly the offer was declined. Mr Clarkson probably thinks Oxford is full of lunatics!
SUSAN THOMAS Magdalen Road Oxford
FOOLISH ADVENTURE
THE foreign secretary, William Hague, is wasting £300m on a war with Libya and a lot of people are questioning his judgement, including senior naval and military commanders.
I feel that he embarked on this foolish war purely to save face and to bolster his ego.
Many politicians have hugely bombastic tendencies.
The reason for this deduction is as follows: Mr Hague sent a rescue mission to the rebels before the war to assist.
The unit was told to go away by the rebels and Mr Hague felt sheepish and foolish.
Mr Hague then persuaded representatives of NATO to back him in deposing Gaddafi.
NATO then embarked on this foolish mission at a time of great financial crisis in Europe. Indeed Italy has already pulled out. Gaddafi was not posing a threat to us and bridges had been made between Great Britain and Libya. Gaddafi’s followers are more Westernised than many of the rebels and speak English.
Frankly, Mr Hague has probably backed the wrong horse.
What our country really needs and desires is a parsimonious, penny-pinching foreign secretary and a generous home secretary.
Instead we have the exact reverse; an extravagant Foreign Office spending a fortune and Home Secretary Theresa May cutting the police force budget.
If the expenditure of the Foreign Office were diverted inland, many austerity measures could be softened.
I feel really sorry for the Justice Secretary Ken Clark. He has been handed a poisoned chalice. He needs to make savings, yet he cannot appear soft on crime.
He is in an impossible situation and looks as though he might be heading for a breakdown.
Mr Hague should trade places with Mr Clark and see how much fun that role is.
SUSAN THOMAS, Magdalen Road, Oxford
7:38pm Mon 16 May 11