Monday, August 06, 2012

Keeping the politics out of it

It makes me so angry when people complain about Council decisions or lack of action and then get all uptight that it shouldn’t be made ‘political.’
It happens a lot, and is perhaps a measure of how disengaged the public generally are with the democratic process.
The decision to renovate the Lido in Ynysangharad Park has been much to the forefront of the minds of RCT Welsh Lib Dems recently  - well certainly in the case of Cllr Mike Powell and myself.  The plans involve the removal of the current paddling pool and a lot of people have got hot under the collar about it.
We have put out no end of press comments and written letters and set up a petition and survey.  We have been trying to alert people to this for years and have opposed the plans all along.  Not to make a political point – our support came before the public outcry – but because we think the decision is wrong.
A number of Facebook groups have now sprung up in protest at the decision, which is good.  But the thing that amazes and annoys me is the number of people who claim it should be ‘non-political.’   How can it be non political?  This decision like almost every other decision which affects the area is made by politicians.
So people will instead gripe on Facebook, or down the pub, or maybe with the occasional letter to the press. They’ll stay away from ‘politics’ because that’s a dirty word isn’t it?  Then they will lie down and let the crap keep on coming.
What will it take for people to really get involved, take control, and really make this a democratic country?

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