The Three Cons: confidence, Conservatives and conflict control

Spring is very much in the Hadleigh air. The hours of daylight are lengthening, we've had sufficiently warm days that snowdrops, crocuses and even daffodils are breaking from their winter cover and some especially keen folks have started mowing their lawns (in February: dear Lord have mercy on their souls!)

Along the town's high street, Easter bunny decorations are now beginning to outnumber the abandoned Christmas trees. In fact, as the various festivals bunch up, why not combine the two and hang the rabbits from the trees, alongside the reputations of the few remaining Hadleigh Town Councillors who haven't threatened to shoot anyone?

Oh, and the regular bird population has ramped up the acoustic volume to tinnitus-triggering levels, whilst some migratory species have been spotted, even by the sober, including, it is said, a Great Egret along the River Brett.

And alongside Nature's normal, triumphant reprise, there is the thunderingly successful roll-out of the COVID19 vaccine, which offers everyone a tangible sense of hope for better, if not quite normal days, and a confidence that, to quote Tony Blair's 1997 election jingle, 'things can only get better'.

Mention of the erstwhile prime minister and indeed the whole issue of confidence, brings me onto the slightly bizarre tale of Babergh's Labour Group lack of that emotion in 'Generalissimo' John Ward, leader of the council.

Smarting from their inability to persuade the cabinet of the virtues of their own spending priorities, including over the issue of reductions in free car parking, Keir Starmer's little local helpers decided to place a motion of no confidence in Generalissimo.

Straightaway, they were accused of playing party politics: not an objection I have much time for as that is what an opposition should be doing, even one from an organisation that is spending most of its time nationally trying to be a politics-lite alternative to Johnson's mob.

My concern about this was its utter futility. Employing the financial acumen of John McDonnell, the pink comrades had totally failed to do their sums and reach across the aisle to more than the usual open-toed sandal brigades ensconced among the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.

The Independents (perhaps that should read 'Condependents') nestled lovingly on Generalissimo's lap with their grace and favour cabinet positions, ignored the temptation to hold the administration to account, not least as they are part of the same administration.

The motion was lost 10-20 with two dithering souls so conflicted as to whether Generalissimo was a good or bad thing that they sat on their digital hands and abstained. All of John Ward's blues backed their leader.

The result of this no-confidence motion is that Generalissimo has been given a much-needed boost and the opposition parties look dimmer than a depressed LED light on Midsummer's Day.

Inevitably, therefore, Generalissimo's real opposition comes from within the wider Conservative Party. His mishandling of the car parking consultation and especially the miserable communications surrounding the proposals (nearly as useless as the lack of updates over the delayed bin collections during the snowy weather) have clearly discomforted some of the party's panjandrums.

Outgoing Hadleigh county councillor, Mick Fraser, appeared as much in the dark as the rest of us, whilst his prospective replacement 'Bolter' Alan Ferguson has pointedly not supported Generalissimo publicly on this or any other issue.

Indeed, there are allegations that Bolter and a sitting Hadleigh-based Babergh councillor were part of the 'convoy of love' that drove to Generalissimo's house in Boxford to remonstrate with him over the said parking proposals.

It could be that they'd set off separately in all innocence to drop off some jam or chutney and just got caught up in the resulting fracas? The Reverend would love to see Bolter put the record straight.

"Foot-in-the-doorgate' remains a clear warning about the perils of a lack of conflict control. On 8 March, we will begin the first of the four steps to exiting the current national lockdown.

Aside from the re-opening of schools to all pupils, next week's step is the most modest of the lot, with outdoor sports facilities such as tennis and basketball courts reopening and frankly not much else.

But with most folks sick and tired of being stuck indoors or confined to fifty laps of the River Walk each day, there is the understandable possibility that everyone will go a little crazy in savouring the modest extensions in their liberties.

I'm not suggesting they'll be games of British Bulldog at the Pykenham Way recreation ground between vaccine-pumped up octagenarians on the one side and sullen teenagers on the other for mastery of the concrete surfaces.

But I do hope that the slow return of our liberties will be marked by respect for others and not a selfish and individualistic response. We've fought back against the worst of the pandemic together here in Hadleigh and so should, hopefully, come out of it together and stronger.

*Despite false claims to the contrary - Rowland Taylor's column is written by a Hadleigh resident who is NOT employed by Nub News and is entirely their opinion.

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