There is local paper coverage of the clearing of Preston Library yesterday here. It is puzzling that the campaigners are acting all surprised. It was obvious that the Council would seek to implement its policy once the legal obstructions had been removed. I understand that the Borough Solicitor told them what we planned to do before Christmas, so the attempt to pretend that they did not expect this is disingenuous.
It is also ironic that people who claim to be in favour of libraries are devoting all their energies to preventing the Council from making its book stock available to Brent residents for lending. After all, that is why the Council bought the books in the first place.
UPDATE:
I have tried to deal with some of the issues raised by comments here.
8 comments:
I for one have never agreed with the holding of hostage of books.
At the same time I don't agree with the Council dumping library assets as if they were rubbish. When are you going to get that sorted? It's unsightly and it's disgusting.
Would have been polite to have had dialogue with the campaigners rather than wade in mob handed with the police, who, no doubt will cry that they were only there to prevent a breach of the peace, which implies that the council felt they may meet resistance. Brent council treating it`s residents with contempt!
Perhaps you'd like to tell us how the book stock from the closed libraries is going to be divided up amongst those that remain open?
Without a serious investment in shelving and maybe an extension or two I doubt that many of these books will see the light of day for quite some time. Then it will conveniently be decided that as nobody is borrowing them they must be surplus to needs and sold off or destroyed. They may well stay on catalogue for a while and be available but thats hardly likely to appeal to a casual browser is it?
Constituents are puzzled that their representatives could undertake such a crass, short sighted destruction of a valuable asset and amazed that the council has the temerity to award its library "transformation" team a team of the year award.
Perhaps instead of publishing commments deriding people who fight for valuable community assets, something they believe in, you might try to come up with a way to represent the wishes of the people who voted you into post. They can just as easily vote you out.
This blog is just an example of how Brent labour council has no regard whatsoever for the views of local citizens. It is just full of arrogance and self justification.
I have alwayys voted labour, but will not be voting for the shower that are currently running Brent in the next local elections.
James, there are some things you just do not understand. Thing is, ignorance will not let you 'off the hook' as it were. Pride also is not a good thing. When you get your come uppance don't be too surprised, and it will surely come.
How can the stock of twelve libraries be crammed into six?
By closing my local library, you have denied me access to Brent's book stock.
I would like to disagree with the view made by Anonymous that "This blog is just an example of how Brent labour council has no regard whatsoever for the views of local citizens."
Had James Powney had no regard with the views of local citizens then:
1) He would not have met with library campaigners in person - but he did
2) He would not have attended the public meeting - but he did
3) He would not go to the effort of approving critical comments and publish them - he would just delete them.
Of all the blogs maintained by Brent councillors this has to be my favourite. Yes the content could be improved and sometimes it seems to be a tribute to Bolshevik propaganda, but at least it exists! It's better than 20 years ago where there'd be no blog and people would have less access to the thoughts and beliefs of those running their Council.
While I disagree with James Powney on the libraries issue, I do not agree with the attempts made by some to vilify the man and call him names.
Yes he is very wrong about some things. Yes some of the decisions that he has made himself and others which he has supported will result in the decline of many areas within this borough and cause irrevocable damage to not only our reputation as a borough but the lives of many generations of children to come, however I find it difficult to believe he got into politics to create this outcome. I find it difficult to believe that he's a bad or evil person as some would portray him as. We're all human, we all make mistakes, we can all find times in our lives where we've gone in the wrong direction. The true test of James Powney will be whether he's willing to admit those mistakes at some point in the future. Whether he's willing to seek rehabilitation and improve.
The world needs more love not more hate.
Brent needs more libraries not fewer.
Being dismissed as a 'small unrepresentative group' of people is pretty rich given that in the 2010 local elections in the Kensal Green Ward the Labour Party received 6018 votes and the combined votes of those who did not vote Labour totals 8655. So who is representative of the ward? In the recent Wembley Central bye-election 27.5% of those eligible voted. Is this representative?
Cllr Powney also seems not to know anything about what protest is about. It can start with one person, Cllr Powney and there are many examples throughout history where objections to rules/laws etc have started with one person.
Would he like to introduce some kind of test to make sure that those who disagree with him have a valid 'representative' description which allows them to protest?
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