Clover Moore's reign over Christmas in Sydney
Is Clover Moore the Christmas Grinch? Or maybe just the Sydney City Grinch, in general. Speaking as a resident of Sydney City, Clover Moore is getting what she deserves from the Telegraph over the "Christmas debacle". OK the Christmas thing is very trivial and spiteful on the part of the Tele, and typical of their petty and vindictive style.
However in substantial areas Clover's thus far short reign as Emperor, I mean Mayor of Sydney is failing in many ways.
Since gaining power in the council she has ruled as an autocrat, the 'non-caucusing' community independents continually caucus and use their numbers to shut down debate on the Council's affairs, especially the financial situation. Although I suppose this is fairly standard fair this sort of behaviour was the exact thing she was always criticising the major parties for doing.
Amost her first act as Mayor was to waste money on a court case to prevent the diseased figs in the domain from being chopped down; when clearly the city council didn't have the authority to do anything about it. It was a PR stunt (and she still won't tell us how much legal fees have been spent). But when figs where found to be diseased in Hyde Park, part of her authority, secrecy rules. Up went the fences, down came the trees. Almost overnight.
Clover used the phrase 'commercial in confidence' to kill off dissent about design of the Oxford St cycleway project, which is dangerous for cyclists. Any attempts to get the council to re-look at the design were stonewalled by Clover's 'independent' team, which by way if you ask them doesn't caucus, but still manages to hold party meetings off to the side of the council and then vote en bloc.
But far worse than any of this has been the asset stripping the city council has performed south of Cleveland St. South of Cleveland St., for people who don't know, is the undesirable part of the city, Waterloo and Alexandria having large tracts of public housing, industrial estate, and low income housing. This area the city inherited, as well as the more desirable areas of Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills etc, from the forced merger with the old South Sydney City council. The City gots millions of dollars of assets and income from South Sydney, but unlike the previous council, hasn't spent a dime south of Cleveland St. Instead clover pork barrels her NIMBY constituency in the affluent areas and the poor people can just go rot (you see, they don't tend to vote for Clover down there).
Any noise you hear from Clover's part about the State Government taking control of the Redfern-Airport corridor is purely about her outrage over parts of her dominion being excised from her control. It is not borne from any concern for the residents of Redfern, Waterloo and Alexandria. Any concerns expressed about those residents by Clover or her team is perfectly new, and tactical, only designed to make Saint Clover look like she really does care for the teaming masses who until now, were perfectly ignored and left to rot.
Maybe I should try complaining to my local member of State Parliament - Clover Moore MLC, Member for Bligh.