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Dragon Interview: Robin Horsley – Why He Believes You Should Not Vote for R4GV, GGG or Labour
Published on: 22 Apr, 2023
Updated on: 25 Apr, 2023
Robin Horsley
In a second interview with The Guildford Dragon NEWS Robin Horsley was asked:
What difference voting for candidates other than R4GV, GGG and now Labour, as he recommends would make to the North Street proposal which has already been refused?
Why did he meet with Lib Dem George Potter and Conservative Paul Spooner? What did they discuss? Why not publicise the meetings? Did he try to meet any other councillors?
Did he understand that some feel his featuring the career backgrounds of two councillors in his video is considered a below-the-belt tactic by some, even if they support his view on North Street?
Whether he feels anyone with career backgrounds in property development or finance should be allowed to be a councillor?
How he can afford to suspend his normal business activity while running the campaign?
Whether his father, a retiring R4GV councillor, is happy with his campaign?
And what will he do after the election?
Please watch…
Response from Joss Bigmore
Asked to comment on the references made by Horsley in the interview about his financial interests, Joss Bigmore said: “Mr Horsley’s apparent infatuation with R4GV, me, and now my wife is starting to get worrying.
“Unfortunately, he embarrasses himself yet again with wild conspiracy theories. For everybody’s information, my LinkedIn profile has not seen any activity in years until I literally just checked it.
“My description as ‘Leisure Investor’ for a company called ‘Big Leisure More Time’ was an attempt at humour, a play on my own surname combined with an acknowledgement that I had retired from my city career so would be investing more time in leisure pursuits.
“Therefore I am able to confirm that I have no interests in any business that would conflict me when debating anything to do with the future of the Spectrum!
“My wife and I own property both in and out of the borough, the notion that should somehow preclude me from being a councillor is absurd.
“The interviewer is correct that before every council meeting councillors have to declare any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests and remove themselves from debate where a conflict occurs.
“I have never participated in a debate or decision where I was conflicted and I have no reason to believe any councillor has abused this and risked the integrity of a decision.
“I really don’t know what we have done to deserve this attention, apart from the success of R4GV conflicting starkly with Mr Horsley’s own political career but enough is enough, there are very real issues that should be being debated and I have wasted enough time on this man and his nonsense.”
We apologise for the substandard video and sound quality, in places.
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Responses to Dragon Interview: Robin Horsley – Why He Believes You Should Not Vote for R4GV, GGG or Labour
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David Roberts
April 22, 2023 at 8:59 pm
Another half-hour of slippery evasiveness from an individual who is receiving far too much-unearned publicity.
This is not about North Street. It’s about influencing the elections. And since he obviously wants us all to vote Tory, why won’t he say so? Why undermine his own claims to political neutrality by selectively bad-mouthing just three of the six contending parties? This “Friend of the People”‘s public profiles show his own politics are not exactly neutral, or even moderate.
After working for many years on anti-corruption issues across the world, I find his double-speak in the name of council ethics particularly nauseating. In one breath he admits there is no evidence of corruption or improper conduct at GBC while insisting on vague conflicts of interest.
This is the politics of nudge and innuendo. He knows that mud often sticks when flung via social media.
Whether he is motivated by politics or self-regard is of no interest. His unpublicised meetings with “George” [Potter, LibDem] and “Paul” [Spooner, Con.] are only slightly less preposterous than the image of his encounter with Cameron Diaz.
It would be a mercy if he could now please leave us all alone and allow the candidates to fight the local elections out in a decent, open and above-board manner.
Jules Cranwell
April 23, 2023 at 7:17 am
Since when did Guildfordians listen to the ravings of a highly biased conspiracy theorist, when deciding for whom to vote?
Horsley seems be narrowing down, those parties we should be allowed to vote for.
He has had more than enough airtime, to make an himself increasingly foolish, and is best ignored. We will make up our own minds, based on the quality of the candidates, and their performance in office thank you.
Robin Horsley
April 23, 2023 at 9:01 am
The Tower Block attack dogs are out again – same guys as are all over social media.
Give it up chaps. I have made it very clear I have no evidence of corruption – to suggest otherwise is indeed a conspiracy theory.
The issue is ethical. Should people with current or historic interests, loyalties, social and business networks have executive power over planning policy, regeneration or planning decisions?
The answer in other councils is no. Conflicts of interest are best avoided except in exceptional circumstances under tight supervision. And best avoided in entirety if possible.
One of R4GV’s candidates with such historic interests has committed not to be on the planning committee. Which begs the question about the past and future. Why have others in similar situations been involved?
There is a very substantial amount of public money and public interest at stake here – to trivialise the issue and pretend it is a conspiracy theory is an insult to the intelligence of the people of the borough.
People are smart here – they can see through this.
Interesting to see Jonathan’s comments above. Let’s see how true they are shall we?
So far I have heard a lot of allegations made against me and zero evidence.
Editor’s note: Joss Bigmore, and John Rigg have deliberately never served on GBC’s Planning Committee a committee which decides on all planning applications referred to it. It cannot be overuled by the GBC Executive and represents proportionally the political make up of GBC.
Barry Williams
April 23, 2023 at 10:55 am
Thank you to Martin Giles for this interview and nailing this “Walter Mitty” down with his robust questioning. Boy oh boy did he wriggle. What Mr Horsley might call an “Epic Production”.
“Hoist with his own petard” (from Hamlet) means that a bomb-maker is blown (“hoisted”) off the ground by his own bomb (“petard”), and indicates an ironic reversal, or poetic justice. How true.
Sadly, I doubt we have heard the last of this fantasist.
Keith Francis
April 26, 2023 at 7:06 pm
Do I remember correctly that when I lived and worked in Guildford a high proportion of the councillors were local business people and shop owners, so did they influence the vote?
Richard Allan
April 27, 2023 at 2:19 pm
I don’t know Robin Horsley and I’ve no idea what motivates him. But he has performed a useful service in uncovering some of the facts behind the appalling development plan for North Street and the bewildering attempt by R4GV to steamroller it through.
The increasingly barmy attempts by R4GV “supporters” to undermine Horsley´s character (see previous posts) only serve to increase doubts about the rationale behind the North Street project and indeed the validity of R4GV as an independent free-thinking political movement.
Derek Payne
April 27, 2023 at 8:18 pm
Robin appears to criticize a lack of consultation re the North Street Regeneration Project. Maybe he should also comment on the (lack of) consultation re the London Road Active Travel Scheme being run by the Conservative led SCC, and which resulted in a huge public outcry at a meeting on 5th January this year.
He may also wish to ask questions about when and why the Lib Dems decided to vote against the North Street Regeneration Project.
As stated by Robin Horsley, the three main issues were the number of bus bays, affordable housing and building height. I’ve discussed this with the Guildford Lib Dem Chair expressing concern that surely proactive, “grown up” discussions and negotiations should have ironed out any such issues ahead of a vote.
It’s so sad to see “nothing” in this derelict area of Guildford for the past 20+ years