Soap Box Sunday: Staying in the shadow

"A soapbox is a raised, improvised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. Alternately, the word may be used to describe the box that soap comes in." Wikipedia

I mentioned a few days ago of the City Councils plans for a new 'superbus' system in the early stages of planning to link The City centre, Plamstock and the planned new developments along that corridor. Well, I am broadly in favour of that so why mention here from my soapbox?

Well, try this quote from the original story on This is Plymouth:

But Cllr Kevin Wigens, shadow transport spokesman, said the plans were 'too
little, too late'.He said placing the 'superbus' system on former railway lines
was 'wasting an opportunity' where a monorail-style system could have been built
instead.

I am sorry, but if this is all they can come up with then its a good job he is the shadow transport spokesman. If you have been paying any attention to transport developments over the past year or so then you will realise that bus led schemes are all in favour and are actually attracting central government money in some places, whereas grand rail based schemes are very much out of favour, and therefore not being funded. As far as I know none of the other rejected schemes involved monorails either. Do they Conservatives really believe that a monorail system has any chance of being built at all?

Now before anyone accuses me of being a little bit too political here, just read back through my blog and you will see how little I think of the current labour administration of the council. Even one Labour councillor has defected from the party this week as he is so angry at how things are being done. Almost every week there is a new report saying that the council is failing, or doing well below average in the services it provides. We are continulally being promised lots and yet very little actually gets delivered. I would dearly love to see someone else come into power down here to sort things out. However, when the local conservatives come up with ideas like this then I am not sure I want them in power either. The local council has swung between Labour and Consverative several times and yet the result remains the same. It seems it not so much the politics of the councillors thats the issue - its the quallity of the councillors themselves thats the problem.

Whoever I vote for, the "council" always gets in.