The Group Meeting (revised)

One of the cardinal principles that I adopted for this on line diary was that I wouldn't edit posts. It would stand or fall by what I felt at the time. I have kept to this with one exception so why revise yesterdays post on a Group meeting. Well firstly for non Lib Dem readers I didn't explain what I ment by a group meeting. The purpose of the blog was to try and explain how certain systems work. Secondly I'm not sure I really did justice to the theme I was trying to tease out, the conflict between individuality and collectiveness in politics, a difficult theme for any one in community politics or a liberal.

The City's 22 Liberal Democrat Councillors form a Group. We pool our office allowances to provide research, secretarial and case work support. We take common positions on things and use our combined bargining power to achieve goals. The most obvious example would be our power sharing agreement with the Conservative Group by which we "run" the City.

My initial thoughts last night were about the launch of the Leeds Left Bank project at the former St Margarets Church on Cardigan Road. Not quite to my tastes but a listed building and art deco. Its been empty for years and a local coopertaive is going to reopen it and use it as an Arts and Community Centre with the odd bit of worship thrown in. I really wanted to go but didn't. It would have been a really good use of my time as a Councillor but one of the first things that you have to grapple with is the competing demans on your diary. Nothing appeals to my anarco - liberalism more than small community group, eshewing state funding taking something derelict and making it new, living and breathing again.

But to quote Jed Barlett " Decisions are taken by those that show up " and decisions were taken at last nights group meeting. As last nights post hinted at I was was rather dispairing about the meetings focus on small bits and pieces r ather than the bigger picture. However this is hypocracy on my part as all through the meeting I was craving the purity of "bits and pieces" in the form of wine and nibbles in a restored Church Building while critiquing the ambiguity of the big decisions.

You'd have to ask someone that went whether I effected the out comes of the meeting. But by having gone I get to complain about the result and St Margarets will be open an other day.