Week ending 2nd October

Our Friday miscellany of the week's news and events
Wilting red rose ... We always thought that politics was not a place for the unduly sensitive - but Boston's prospective parliamentary Labour candidate Paul Kenny seems determined to prove us wrong. Not content with ousting Andrea Jenkyns as Conservative county councillor for Boston North West, he then silenced borough Tory councillor Myles Larrington's blog by formally complaining about an item he wrote. Now he's decided to take offence at remarks in another Conservative councillor's blog, and is again using the formal complaints procedure as his weapon of choice. The latest offender is Councillor Raymond Singleton-McGuire, who, we are happy to say, seems determined not to be intimidated. Fortunately, Boston Eye is immune to formal complaints procedures, so we can say how bemused we are at the way Paul Kenny alternates between being a Labour attack dog to criticise other politicians, but adopts the injured innocence of a wounded member of the public when his victims bite back. We would expect him to be bigger than this, and hope that Boston's Standards Committee will treat these frivolous complaints with the contempt they deserve.
Video nasty ... Is Councillor Ramonde (Major retired or not, depending) alone in thinking that his performance at Lincolnshire County Council a fortnight ago was disastrous, embarrassing and a classic example of how not to deliver a speech? Apparently. Rather than keeping quiet, we hear that he read out his epistle at the last Cabinet meeting, and started to do the same at last Monday's full council meeting. Fortunately, he was prevented from going on for too long, but not before he had told the council and members of the public how he was standing up for Boston and that you could view his speech on the County Council WebCam, giving details of where to find it etc ... Even the Mayor was forced to intervene …
First off the blocks ... Boston North West Conservative candidate Andrea Jenkyns e-mails to say that her blog is now in campaign mode, after our report that said the electronic hustings seemed lacklustre rater than lustrous. That's one step ahead of the opposition, but her main campaign site is still devoted to her resignation rather than anything more positive. Still, Lib Dem wannabe Mike Sheridan-Shinn continues to regale us with news from the party conference on 22nd September ... Lloyd George knew my father etc, etc ....
Insult-ans of spin ... What is it that Lincolnshire County Council has against Boston? A press release this week trumpets the delights of two new bus services between Boston and Lincoln, and Boston and Spalding. Among the benefits, the county's Principal Transport Officer Paul Harvey, says: “These new Sunday services will provide improved access for shopping, especially during Christmas and the sales ....." As ever, Boston Eye reads between the lines, and sees this as an invitation from a Lincoln-based council to the people of Boston to spend their money in Lincoln and Spalding in the run-up to Christmas. It's all we need, isn't it? Someone going to this amount of trouble to lure spenders out of town at such a critical time of year. Once again we can thank Brylaine Travel for providing the transport. It seems they're not simply content with ruining the ambiance of Strait Bargate. Now they want to help ruin any chance the town has for prosperity as well.
Here there be tygers ... An unexpected fall-out from Boston's decision not to merge services with South Holland and East Lindsey district councils has to be the question of where the new merged office will be located. South Holland is headquartered in Spalding, and East Lindsey at Manby. The distance between the two is almost 50 miles and a drive of well over an hour. Had Boston decided to play, the borough would have provided a convenient central point for a new merged office. We will be interested to see how this geographic handicap will be overcome. We fancy Stickney as the new hub!
Top of the cops ... Lincolnshire Police go from strength to strength in topping the league tables. Not long ago they headed the list of forces in whom the public felt least confidence. Now they have recorded the highest increase in complaint cases in the country. The Independent Police Complaints Commission revealed this week that the force considered 383 complaints in the last year - a rise of 46% on the previous year. The average increase in complaint cases across the country was 8%. A total of 722 allegations - 66% up on the previous year - were recorded against the force last year. Most of the allegations - 26% - related to neglect or failure in duty, with slightly less - 21% - about incivility, impoliteness and intolerance, and another 8% related to assault. Perhaps we were wrong to criticise our police for hiding in their offices, or holding "surgeries" in local supermarkets rather than "pounding the beat." It seems that we're a lot better off when they do!
Still counting ... another week goes by, and Borough Council's Dear Leader Richard "Papa Dick" Austin clings to the inaccurate claim on the Lincolnshire Independents' website that he represents Boston South on Lincolnshire County Council. It is now 17 weeks since 4th June, when he lost his former seat to Conservative Paul Skinner.

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