Surely Not?- Stories from Portobello Community Council

[Porty]

My spies tell me that at Monday's meeting of the PCC there was a presentation from two professional Mediums who are offering their services free to Portobello and perhaps other Community Councils. From what I gather PCC are taking them up on their offer. I believe the first meeting is scheduled for early August and volunteers are being recruited from PCC.

It seems a tad unconventional to me, almost incredulous, will the meeting take the form of a sort of seance and how will outcomes be reported?

[allaboardtheskylark]

Adding new classrooms without the necessary play area's, dining area's and specialist classrooms and support. Surely not.

Is this not built in overcrowding.

[Porty]

Things are definitely getting weirder by the day around here.

[Puerto bella]

[Bob Jefferson]

[Lambie]

[Porty]

[foxy]

[allaboardtheskylark]

[allaboardtheskylark]

[Porty]

[Pal of Porty]

[Bob Jefferson]

[allaboardtheskylark]

Just a thought.

What should be mediated. The PHS planning application will go ahead. All very exciting I know. The site is chosen, the pre-planning consultation is nearing completion and the design is nearly ready.

Good mediation is about finding common ground to enable two or more parties to negotiate a solution. Both "sides" maintain a new school is desirable (though one side appears to be working toward it and one seems to have been oblivious to the problems of the current building). One "side" wants to use the Park, the other does not. So where is the mediation required when the site is already chosen.

One "side" seems to be nearing their goal while the other, quite frankly, is being creamed. So what is being mediated.

It is not the school issue, it is the failure to deal with an issue that is to be mediated. So why mediation now?

Imagine a divorce. The husband asks for mediation. Thw lawyer for the wife replies, we got the house, we got the kids, we got an income and we got the pension funds.

Now you want to mediate?


Try meditation!

[Bob Jefferson]

Try medication!

[allaboardtheskylark]

You missed the hidden pun Bob but you may be right about the medication.

[wangi]

[Porty]

[Porty]

I believe this is Mediation week at the PCC, what's going to happen?

I can envisgae a half a dozen people gathered together in the baptist hall or maybe the library. All of them thinking -" why on earth are we here?"

I would start by making the attendees read out loud some of the paragraphs from the Council's Guidance notes:

"As a member of your community council it is important you recognise from the outset your role. This means not simply offering your own views and opinions on local issues, or taking decsions that are based on your own self-interest."

"At some point it may be that you will find some conflict between your own personal views and interests and those of the community that you are representing. if such a situation does arise, try to make sure that the views of the community take precedence."

"Experience shows that if the views of the indivduals on the council are allowed to take precedence then the community will very quickly lose confidence in the council and its work may subsequently be devalued"

Based on their conduct, I find it hard to believe that some who hold important positions in the CC have taken time to read and understand the guidelines.

[allaboardtheskylark]

[Porty]

[Bob Jefferson]

[Porty]