New Portobello High School - PPAG Judicial Review

[Snow White]

[Porty]

[Snow White]

[Porty]

[Porty]

[Betty Windsor]

[Betty Windsor]

On second thoughts, given the level of hysteria at the meeting I am sure you probably could get people to agree with you.

[Porty]

I'm really keen to hear the third thoughts..........

[Pal of Porty]

[seashell]

[quote="Betty Windsor
I did not "attack" Seashell for using my real name. [/quote]

It felt like an attack. As did your incessant efforts to try to find out who I am, until Wangi put a stop to that. Of course, prior to my using your your real name you'd never had any problem with anyone else doing just that.
Maybe this is a special PPAG technique, trying to intimidate? oh no, that's what they accuse other people of doing, isn't it?

[storky]

[gillian]

[Franck]

[storky]

[Porty]

i have not seen the letter written by Malcolm Bett, which I believe was circulated around Park Avenue and the vicinity. I am however prepared to accept the synopsis he gave and his stated purpose, which as i understand it, was to enlist the help of neutral or pro-school on the parkers, to try and use gentle influence over neighbours who were either anti or neutral. He did mention names, which he culled from the public domain.

DC boasted the matter had been reported to the police- I have no way of knowing who did the reporting but if it wasn't DC herself, there's at least one more nutjob in the oppo camp.

[Snow White]

[Pal of Porty]

[Porty]

[gillian]

It's just that I was amazed at the way people conducted themselves, given that feelings were running so high and the fact that we were being treated like school children. At no time did I feel that people were getting hysterical. I will be interested what Betty has to say.

[seashell]

[Makaveli]

What sort of behaviour?

[Epykat]

[Makaveli]

What sort of clothes?

[seashell]

[seashell]

[rmolehusband]

[Betty Windsor]

[seanie]

You clearly missed what the person who spoke before Stephen Hawkins was saying.

Parson's Green didn't get the new heating system it was due to get because the money was diverted for essential repairs to PHS. There have indeed been large sums of money spent on PHS in the last few years but it hasn't gone on 'improvements' as you'd normally understand the term.

It's gone on essential works just to keep the school open.

[seanie]

As to being disrespectful, I thought he was shown far more than he deserves.

[Bob Jefferson]

It's true that the Council has spent a fortune in essential maintenance over the last few years. What choice did they have? And it's also true, sadly, that another fortune will be spent keeping it up to scratch due to the further delay caused by PPAG's actions. It's a bit like owning a car. The older it gets, the more expensive it becomes to keep it on the road and eventually you have to cut your losses. The money that will end up being wasted keeping PHS open would have gone a long way to re-building St John's. Stephen Hawkins' remarks just added insult to injury. He would have been better saying nothing.

I thought throughout that Ros and Diana were trying to play the sympathy card but no-one was buying it. Intimidated? Yeah, right.

[Puerto bella]

Re: Betty's comments above on SH at the meeting - hysterical - it was like a Mr Bean moment.
The chair opened the meeting and in that opening he talked about questions being directed to Roz and Tom. He did not openly invite questions for each of the others on the stage. At one point I found myself thinking - why is everyone else up there when he's directing questions at 2 people. So that explains why the questions were to Roz I think - plus they were always going to be asked of the head of the group so I dont see how tht is an issue. Has she not been the person who has done all the press too? Who is head now though?

[Bob Jefferson]

The other CC members were there to listen I suppose but they did look stupid up there. I bet most of them felt stupid too. I'm surprised they weren't gaffer-taped. Those members who support the school on the park were reportedly asked by the Chair to remove their 'Drop the Appeal' lapel stickers as they were supposed to be 'neutral'. To their credit, they ignored his advice.

[Rabigyin]

Given that the PCC could never try and stop PPAG because there are too many of PPAG on PCC.
According to Guidlines on Community Councils, they are meant to reflect "the majority" of their community.
How can they do that? there is a total conflict of interest here, one cannot be a member of both PCC and PPAG at the same time.

However the majority of parents and pupils who either attend or will shortly attend the school are without PCC's area.

Basically, the who problem is a mess. On one hand, there, in reality, is no other viable way of building a new school, safely and quickly. Building on the existing site or other brownfield sites are not up to the job. i can see the angst created by using parkland, but really, THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION AVAILABLE.

[gillian]

Ok Betty, so disrespectful and distasteful rather than hysterical..

As it happens I find the words, interrogated, baying and blood a little over the top, though I must admit a resignation or two would have been very welcome.

I think an independent observer would have detected passion, anger and frustration certainly, but hysteria, nah don't think so.

[seanie]