TOWN HALL MONEY GRAB

Lots of questions here that someone should be seeking answers to. Some are:

• Was this voted on in OPEN COUNCIL?
• IF SO who voted for this money grab?
• IF SO did any Councillors leave the room on the grounds that they were conflicted?
• IF this was decided in CLOSED COUNCIL when and why was it?
• IS this a good move for CBD business owners struggling to get back on their feet?
• Why would anyone shop in Launceston if the Council sees them as milch-cows?
• Is this an attempt to claw back more money from whoever to cover the city's losses?

Will these answers be asked by anyone in the press or indeed by anyone at all given that it seems that this Council does not answer questions about anything?

Luther Blissett Commentator@large Tunbridge

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OUTRAGEOUS FOOLISHNESS BY THE MAJORITY

When faced with the opportunity to give a developer a FREE KICK, just because he asked for it, you really do need to dredge the depths of inappropriateness to find the words.

Listen in to the recording of the meeting to have your mind well and truly blown. 

You can even read a good report in the EXAMINER but the majority on board the SHIP OF FOOLS somehow seem to be oblivious to the silliness they utter. Two on board spotted it but OH MY GOODNESS the majority voted to give one developer a $38K handout to:

• Put in a development application to build; a
• A facility that there is actually no real or burning need for;
• A facility that seeks to compete with and/or duplicate Council owned and State Govt funded cultural infrastructure; and
• A facility that will need $60Million to build with funds from as cash strapped government and apparently with not one RED CENT on the part of the developer; and
• A facility that will arguably, if successfully built, rob government coffers of funds required for medical infrastructure, social housing, etc. etc,; and
• A facility that will be built on TIDAL FLAT CUM FLOOD PLAIN when cultural facilities, in real time as they spoke, were being destroyed and/or compromised in like situations in Northern NSW and Queensland at enormous cost.

One Councillor quite rightly drew a comparison between this foolishness and the foolish gifting of 'public land' to UTas Launceston valued conservatively at $5Million. The point being that Launcestonians investment here was tiny and thus must be voted for. Another, compounded the folly by getting out a calculator and in doing so attempted to demonstrate the minisculeness of 'free kick' not so many dollars less than his council stipend. What was he actually saying?

The Mayor declared his position kind of saying that he was disinclined and possibly indicating how he might use his casting vote – who would know. 

Another councillor said the proposition to give this free kick was problematic but despite their 'green sensibilities' thought that they would vote for it in the end – AND DID SO!. Not a mention of the site being on a flood plain nor the drain on government funds IF this folly consumed one cent of public money.

“I found that the men most in repute were all but the most foolish; and that others less esteemed were really wiser and better.” ... Plato 

Luther Blissett Commentator@large Tunbridge         LUTHERLINK

UKRAINE FLAG

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

WOULDN'T it be wonderful if the City of Launceston flew the Ukrainian flag until the barbaric Russia got its just desserts and Ukraine was free? Not just our city, but all others across the state and our nation. 

Even better if as many citizens as possible wore a yellow and blue symbol to show sympathy and solidarity. Putin won't stop at Ukraine so be prepared. 

Glennis Sleurink, Launceston.

SADLY THUS FAR THE COUNCIL SAYS NO!

MORE RED TAPE THAN RUSSIA

Sadly, the British comedy surreptitiously referred to here is nothing but a rollicking romp that extracts urine from the British lad culture of its time. Before you can laugh at the raunchy antics it helps if you actually care about the characters. Quite dour and obviously uncomfortable, is a character very difficult to like. However, with the arrival of another there is a perfect double act, meaning that the series really hit its straps. But, even if the antics at Launceston’s council mimic this pair, and even seems a tad comedic in some way, actually it is just bloody awful stuff. 

It would be the makings of a not so comedic horror show for late night TV. The recordings of Launceston’s council meetings could also be mined for the script of out an of this world farse. Either way you would be insulting any possible audience if anyone were to lend any credibility at all to these shenanigans. They are an insult and an assault on anyone’s intelligence.

Since the publishing of Parkinson’s Law in the 50s we have had a reference that says something along the lines that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. It applies to the growth of bureaucracy and it is applicable to all forms of work. While this book speaks to the British Civil Service the book was most popular in Russia unsurprisingly as it talks about things like an official wanting to multiply subordinates, rather than rivals and officials making work for each other. The book even notes that the number employed in a bureaucracy increased by a certain per cent each year irrespective of any variation in the amount of work, if in fact there is any more at all. 

The Soviet Union fell apart because of the red tap it manufactured, ton upon ton of it, with internal critics complaining about the swollen and overblown self-serving bureaucracy. Mikhail Gorbachev is now famous for saying that Parkinson's law works everywhere and we all know what that led to and even its consequences right now in Ukraine. 

So when my bullshit detector’s bells ring so very loud whenever I am anywhere near Launceston’s Town Hall I scurry on for fear of being overwhelmed by the swirling river of red tape flowing from every opening. 

Commiserations Launceston, March 10 was a very good day to be halfway between Launceston and Hobart mowing grass and brushing off pesky hay seeds. 

Luther Blissett Commentator@large Tunbridge

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