Never……............

The rumour mill is working overtime. Something about Conferences – all that politics and testosterone pushed together in Seaside Hotels. Tory MPs have formed a disorderly line gagging to join Gordon. Quentin Davies is apparently the tip of the iceberg.

But the prospect of Sutton Coldfield getting its first Labour MP is tasty indeed.

And looking at the hard evidence we find our initial scepticism melting away.

Our boys’s column in the Sutton Observer was undoubtedly his passport to greater things.

What did he go for this week.

Only the essence of the Governments programme. The fact that this was cloaked in a manifestly transparent coded message better to reassure the Neanderthals living locally only goes to reinforce the point. Here is an unhappy man unconvinced as much about scudding around the north pole in a sledge as hugging hoodies.

The Party, of course, will be generous. I see him serving out this parliament then taking a crash course in sensible politicking from Dr Rob. We will have to do something about the photograph fetish but I do not think that is insurmountable. Agreement could be struck somewhere around the two per week mark as long as we could say goodbye to the rather simpering full frontal jobs cheek by jowl with blue rinsed heavies.

Come the election, of course, which promises to be a hard struggle indeed, Andrew would be stepping down (we have chosen our candidate) – this nevertheless would give us the opportunity to have a serious look at his campaigning skills. His debating activities have thus far been confined to the leavers at Coppice Primary. Members have more exacting stardards. How, we would want to kmow, how would he mount the defence for Gordon’s decision to pack the prisons and institutionalise ‘Have a Go’ at the CLP meeting on a rainy night in early November. On these weighy matters do careers hang. Or are hung.

But seriously folks: we need more people like Andrew. His skills dovetail nicely with Gordon. Good finance background, Oxbridge educated, Thatcherite who strayed……..Mmmm, bit difficult that bit……doesn’t want to be leader. Much. Good potential I’d say.

Do it, Andrew, you won’t regret it. But you need to do it now. We will keep the berth warm, but we need a sign. Make a gesture, let us know you’re jumping ship.

Tell you what: - announce you have decided to hold a public meeting. That would do it. Doesn’t matter what subject, just indicate a passing interest in the affairs of the Town. Mere Green, perhaps, or Walmley Cricket Club, Jockey Road or the Post Office sorting site. Taking the Town forward. Try to move from bland vacuum to bland purposeful.

We’ll take it on board.

Hurry now.

We could be good together.


Nightwatchman

It gets stranger

It gets even stranger.

Local Hero Andrew Mitchell has taken part in a meeting with the Directors of Walmley Cricket Club and ‘insisted’ that there be no development at Walmleys ground.

In July Andrew had his picture taken with the Managing Director of Sports Partnership who ‘help sports club to relocate’ by buying and selling their grounds.

In August young Andrew wrote to the papers condemning a ‘vexatious’ local campaign run by Dr Rob Pocock advising residents the cricket ground might be developed.

Now, he’s got a bit vexatious himself.

Hooray!

Never mind the cricket, what does this say about the state of politics in one of the most bankable true blue constituencies in the country.

It says that Andrew hasn’t been doing his homework. Neither he nor his (forever) hard working councillors picked up on a flagrant attempt to cash in on an immensely valuable piece of green but 100 yards from the village centre. It says that Andrew’s extremely expensive office likewise failed to recognise Dr Pocock’s efforts as genuine and useful. It says that Andrews choice of words is dreadfully flawed. The suggestion that Dr Pocock was ‘spinnng’ the subject was particularly unfortunate.

There is a surprising and enduring froth which attends our MP. His endeavours to portray the dedicated constituency MP are becoming slightly tedious. He pursues meaningless column inches with a determination which in fact devalues his position.

The Town is maturing under his feet. It no longer hangs on every word of the Tory MP simply because he’s the MP. There is a detectable hunger for a more grown up perspective. The Town understands that there is a dynamic which attends the progress of the community and it regrets the refusal of the ruling party to engage with the subject. The Councillors and the MP betray a determined lack of leadership, a deep conviction that things will turn out alright.

The Cricket Club debacle is but a symptom. The disease needs a different order of commitment, enthusiasm and intellectual heavy lifting.

Is Andrew the man?

Nightwatchman.

Its not Cricket

He’s not the same as us.

Politicians tend not to be. But Andrew inhabits a parallel universe.

Leave aside the desperate weekly need to insert his photo into the local newspapers, leave aside his dedication to appear in front of the young and vulnerable non voters of the constituency, leave aside the three weekly pronouncements from Westminster. He’s still different.

Nothing symbolises la difference more than his abject performance over the Wyndley Cricket Club. Andrew has four filing cabinets in his office. The first one is labelled Andrew and Money. This is subtitled ‘Lazards and other Career Moves’. The second (and largest) is photographs for publication in the Sutton Observer. The third is Portfolios on offer when Cameron finally goes and Davis comes to power. And the fourth is Constituency (Sutton Coldfield).

Wyndley Cricket Club could be found within the fourth cabinet. Sounded from the first that this was a routine ‘Support and be seen to Support local worthies in search for Support’. So when Chair of Cricket Club suggested meeting ostensibly to discuss success of same and invited local cameraman as well, Andrew was happy to adopt trusty Concerned yet Responsible Face and issue appropriate statement endorsing success of Club and encouraging their removal to a new Greenfield site at Peddimore.

When it later turned out that property developers were also hanging around and the price of removal reflected the value of the green from third man to long on, Andrew was fingered by the Party. Andrew felt so exposed he needed to write to the paper.

He doesn’t often write to the paper, doesn’t Andrew, it’s a bit beneath him. Prefers the Olympian heights of ‘Letter from Westminster’. So when letter appears, it alarms the cognoscenti. Did he really write that or did someone in the office do it for him?

Turns out, according to Andrew’s recollection: ‘At no time was development of the Walmley site ever discussed’. Well, that’s a relief then.

Just a minute.

Resolute defender of every good cause he can lay his hands on in Sutton Coldfield goes to local cricket club sitting on absolutely prime value land abut 100 yards from the centre of Walmley; endorses decision to move down the road. But at no time evinces any curiosity as to what might happen to the land.

As Horatio Nelson himself might have said: ‘I see no skips.’

Where does Andrew go from here. Can he plausibly maintain his poker face. Did he really go to the meeting? Did he really compose the letter to the Editor of the Sutton News?

I, for one, am prepared to go on record to say that I am convinced that Andrew is not a rogue.

So what does that leave?


Nightwatchman