Camden Town Hall

• I WAS interested to note, in a recent communiqué with my local councillor Tom Simon, his insistence that we follow a bureaucratic “process” if we are to get anything done by the council. This led me to reviewing his and others’ election material.

Lots of stuff about “fighting cuts” and “making Camden safer” but at no stage do any of them say: “If you elect me I will cravenly accede to wilfully obstructive, contradictory and ultimately terminal procedures designed to ensure the bureaucrats of Camden, the true rulers of the borough, have to do nothing or the bare minimum about any problem.

“Furthermore I will also quickly capitulate if they decide to add layers of bureaucracy ad hoc should there actually be a danger of progress on said problem.”

It would appear that the only things our so-called representatives can do is write begging letters on our behalf appealing to the bureaucrats’ goodwill (?) and rubber stamp budgets. I can write such letters as can a social worker.

Budget oversight could be done by a couple of accountants which begs the question: do we still need local councillors? Let’s face it, when Brexit finally goes through we’ll rid ourselves of a host of largely unknown MEPs so why stop there?

Most of us don’t know our ward councillors until we’ve reached a desperate situation. After that few of us have a positive experience when the expectation of a lion that roars at the bureaucrats quickly becomes the reality of the mouse that squeaks.

If we are to suffer the dominion of unelected civil servants then why don’t we save money on the cost of a representative chamber that has no ability to represent? After all, would the borough really miss dozens of MP wannabes/never-will-bes with PPE degrees draining a portion of the coffers?

I’m sure there are some local politicians who will cry foul at such a suggestion but instead of anger maybe they should feel a deep sense of shame for letting the bureaucrats stage a coup.

After all, if they actually followed the will of the electorate instead of the ranks of costly middle managers then Camden might be known for something other than crime, anti-social behaviour, high taxes and fly-tipping by those living outside the capital.

JOHN LAWSON
Adelaide Road, NW3