It's all started to get a bit... well, "creepy" with Exeter's Tories.
You might recall that their opening salvo in this election campaign was a leaflet all about me, suggesting I was somehow "parachuted" into Exeter specifically for this campaign. (I have in fact been working in the city for over six years, and living here for over three.) I suppose that leaflet should have sounded warning bells for me that this lot were the political equivalent of a slightly obsessive new boy or girlfriend, more obsessed with me than with their own campaign.
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| Off all the houses in all the world... |
Next came the slightly unsettling tweeting of a photo of Cllr Thompson and her two little helpers out in Pinhoe on the campaign trail... it's just that out of all the locations in Pinhoe for their picture, they chose my home as the backdrop. Weird.
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| Me. (Looking fat.) |
Then earlier this week they had gone to the effort of tweeting the link to my homepage on Weymouth Council's website, to demonstrate that...er... I have been a councillor for 8 successful years. (I was a bit cross about that tweet to be honest. I HATE that photo on the webpage, I look fat in it.)
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| Cllr Pete Chapman (on the right - as ever) |
Anyway, last night was my last Full Council meeting at Weymouth & Portland. Before the meeting I went for a drink with my partner and a few friends, and that included the Conservative Briefholder for Finance and Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Pete Chapman. Pete and I disagree spectacularly on political philosophy, but I have a great deal of respect for him and cannot deny that he is dedicated, reasonable and knows his stuff. He's also a good laugh. Outside of meetings, we enjoy a bit of banter, and I count him as a friend. Pete is a Plymouthian originally, so he often takes an interest in how Devon is doing, and our conversation got round to how things are working out politically down here.
"That reminds me," said Pete, "you seem to have caused a stir down there."
"Have I?" I was a tad bemused.
"I had a call from our office," said Pete, referring to his Constituency Party, South Dorset Conservatives. "They had been contacted by Exeter Conservatives, apparently," he went on.
"Oh?"
"Yes, apparently they wanted to know if we knew 'any useful information' about you."
Unbelievable.
Pete went on to say that his answer is what I thought it would be.
"I just said you were a bloody good councillor and that we were friends," and then, grinning, "and that you are good for the odd full-blown political row."
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| My good friend and former Tory councillor Roger Allen |
Later we were joined by former Tory Councillor Roger Allen, another good friend.
"You'll be missed." he said. "You're one of the few Councillors who has a clue up here." Roger is well known for his forthright views, but on this occasion it was good to hear.
In the meeting, I asked the council leader, Tory Councillor Mike Goodman (who has championed housing issues very energetically for years) whether I could step down from Weymouth knowing that housing would remain a key priority for the Borough. "I am grateful to Cllr Bowkett for asking that, I know it is an issue he has fought hard on for many years. And I think he knows that so long as I am leader, housing will remain the key priority here." I disagree with Mike on a lot, but I respect him enormously, and applaud his stance on local housing issues.
It's very satisfying to know that my peers, including my political "adversaries", are happy to say that I am a good councillor, and have done a good job. It was with cross-party support that I took the Chair of the Audit committee for 4 years, was elected by a partnership of 9 local authorities to chair the regional South West Audit Partnership, and more latterly elected me to chair the Scrutiny & Performance committee. Knowing I had the confidence and goodwill of councillors of all groups, and of officers, I have been able to achieve much more than I could have done otherwise. I look forward to making a similar impact in Exeter for Pinhoe.
All of which makes me more bewildered at Exeter Tories' behaviour and wondering quite what they are up to? If they want to know "any useful information" about me, they could just ask me. Maybe they have a bored, recently unemployed News of the World journalist in their ranks? Will I have a "fake sheikh" showing up on my doorstep sometime soon? Should I be ensuring my voicemail messages are encrypted?
So, to save them any further efforts:
My middle name is Jonathan. My first pet was a dutch dwarf rabbit called Moppet. (After Moppet, I kept stick insects, but that got rather out of hand.) I don't have a favorite food as such, I like ALL food (except melon - long story.) I support Chelsea (yes, I know) but also try to watch a live football game in any country I visit. I read a lot, and particularly enjoy Ernest Hemingway or anything about the Spanish Civil War. Favorite movies include Mississippi Burning, Milk, Gainsburg, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. I have a scar on the little finger of my right hand from an accident while collecting amethyst from a Cornish cliff when I was 9. My youngest son, Eddie, is actually named "Edson" after Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele. My oldest son, Sennen, is named after my favorite surf beach. My shoe size is 11. And if you are trying to find guilty secrets, I confess - I have been a contestant on the Weakest Link (twice - another long story) and am a rather compulsive viewer of the AMC zombie series "The Walking Dead..."
Now if there's nothing else, I'm off to fit a lock to my dustbin...
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