Results tagged “council” from Birmingham Post - News Blog

Before I go...

You know about the fiasco concerning the Dudley Central Mosque and its relocation? The Muslim community want it; non-Muslims don't. There was even a petition against it signed by the wider community and local politicians.

Apparently, it's been going on for a number of years with the Council finally deciding that it needs the precious little spare land that it has for future business development. And that was that.

Until recently...

The exiting mosque committee and its congregation appealed to central government with the result being that Brown' administration has caved into the argument advanced by the committee. There will be a new mosque afterall and will be open to all sections of the community and hence it'll have the words 'community centre' within its title - as if that makes all the difference (see my post on the politics of council funding relating to religious organisation entitled 'The case for churches - for God and country').

I'm not sure - non-Muslims using a mosque? I can't see it myself but then, apparently I'm so Islamaphobic what would I know?

And, anyway, whatever happened to local democracy - wishes of the majority?

I don't know but the following words come to mind: 'appeasing' 'government' 'Muslims'.

I worry about myself sometimes. I mean, as a regional columnist I really put my neck on the line.

Whilst others might ponder on modest subjects like the permanently appalling state of our hospitals, the ineffectual Council, or the surmountable quantity of litter in our streets that might even disgrace a third world country, I tend to be drawn to the big universal questioning.

When is an election campaign not an election campaign?

The answer - when civil servants are called in to help.

The Prime Minister and Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, have been in Coventry this morning, launching Labour's local election campaign in the West Midlands.

They visit was organised by the Labour Party, and focused on plans to improve neighbourhood policing.

Meanwhile, Home Office Ministers have been out and about in a series of regional events.

Liam Byrne (Lab Hodge Hill) met police in Birmingham while Lord West was in Cambridge, Tony McNulty was in Watford, Meg Hillier was in Merseyside and Vernon Coaker was in Nottingham.

Once again, the visits were promoting plans to improve regional policing.

But instead of Labour Party officials doing the organising, these visits were arranged by civil servants.

The difference was that they were billed as Home Office events, and nothing to do with the election launch at all. Just a coincidence, presumably.