Letter to Myself

Letter to Myself

Why do you put yourself through this madness – challenging the status quo?  Is Reading politics within the Borough Council truly as corrupt as you believe?  What does the body of evidence which you have now gathered suggest – conspiracies, cover-up or commonplace incompetence?  It is obvious for all to see that Councillors are unwilling to explain away outrageously bad policy and misinformation?  How can you therefore accept such bad practice as incompetence, when you do not think it is?  Surely the arrogance of the ruling Labour party is merely the cut and thrust of democracy, as is constantly suggested to you?  And yes those suggestions emanate, of course, from those who are the guardians of the status quo.  I guess your understanding of what has transpired within the town over a decade and a half has informed your opinion and views, and, as a result, you know a little bit better than most that the Council has crossed the line.  You have demonstrated the same time and time again.

The madness of your task now is to make change, but that presupposes that you have all the answers. That is not you and that cannot be the case; you firmly believe in the “Court of Public Opinion” and value social justice: surely that is why you write? It was why you took the Council to task on the one-way IDR, their determination to externalize leisure, adult education, the Shinfield Road and a great many other issues. How popular you are. Lol.  Indeed.

Fundamentally, I guess, recent events indicate that the line has been crossed such that to err on the side of doubt no longer is judicial.  After all, it’s been well over a year since you came out with your position that the town has been tipped into a black hole and its soul sold to developers. Do you go as far as political backers as a contributory factor or include the rise of career politicians and lobbyists? The logical conclusion, in all conscience, is abuse of power rather than ignorance and misjudgement, bullying rather than free-will, and the complacency of the people that democracy prevails.  Whilst Councillors are reluctant to be held to account and to be transparent in their dealings, and, yes, in limited committees that defy the principle of joined up thinking, it is difficult to conclude otherwise.

Reading has been led on a path of self-destruction, don’t you think?  If your foundations are not sound, you simply do not build until they are.  I note you date the start of Reading’s decline as far back as the conception of The Oracle. By the way, will you ever find the brains behind the new world plan set in motion then?  Definitely not conceived by anyone with the vision of a Christopher Wren or for the people?  You need developers to be reasonable both in the practical and for the sake of the town’s economics at the very least. You would think that is the task of planners? Social integration demands developers demonstrate that they value our community and not merely the profits from aiding pollution of the town.  The buildings may operate in an environmentally friendly way, but they sure do not represent that in the destruction of the old or the build of the new.   What they demand of our infrastructure turns the indigenous population into victims.  Do you doubt the taxpayer has been paying heavily for this unwarranted and unsustainable revolution?

Now I’ve exposed your thinking, where do you go from here?  I say let your task begin.