Opinion: EVEL Good – GVGP Better

Published on: 14 Jul, 2015
Updated on: 16 Jul, 2015

By Martin Giles

The barefaced cheek of the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) MPs in hijacking the vote on fox hunting is likely to annoy many of us south of the border, regardless of our views on blood sports.

It seems that the SNP justifies its tactic on the grounds that what we decide here is likely to influence what goes on in Scotland.

Well on those grounds, our MPs should have a vote in the Scottish Parliament and, come to think of it, in today’s globalised world, we should all demand to have votes in the American presidential election.

No. If Scots want more independence, fair enough. But they cannot have it both ways and the sooner the English Votes for English Laws (EVEL) arrangements are settled the better, in my book.

But what about GVGP? What’s that? I hear you ask. Well it’s Guildford Votes for Guildford Plans.

At the moment, those who want to try and preserve the green belt are all called NIMBYs.

The same pejorative term is even applied to those who don’t actually live in the green belt but value it as an amenity and want to see it preserved, rather than used up piece by piece to meet the inexorable demand that has resulted from 20 years of failed immigration and EU policies.

Central government seems mad keen on removing any obstacles to its developer chums and many on our council seem to have been persuaded that we must indeed plan for thousands of extra houses in our borough, regardless of the fact that it is 90% green belt, our roads are already choked and there is no room for more roads and extra infrastructure requirements in our confined gap town.

As we know, the consultation on the Draft Local Plan told the council that those thousands who responded were overwhelmingly against the idea of building on the green belt. Perhaps that is just an inconvenience they will choose to ignore.

It has even been argued that a silent majority are really in favour of green belt development. Does being elected give councillors the power to read minds, I wonder?

I would prefer to count the views of those who care enough to put pen to paper. That’s what we do in elections isn’t it, even if only half or less of us bother to vote?

But if I was a betting man I would still back the powerful establishment to bulldoze its way through. All this proclaimed “Localism” nonsense is a sham, especially while the planning inspectorate can overrule those democratically elected and while some of those who are elected pay lip service to properly representing the majority view of the electorate.

Before the election our local candidates were queueing up to express their commitment to the green belt. They must have all meant it mustn’t they? Surely they wouldn’t go back on their word. Would they?

If I missed something and any successful candidate actually said during the campaign that they were in favour of green belt development I would really like to see the evidence.

Of course, any such document would have quite a rarity value so I promise to return it for some future edition of Antiques Roadshow or perhaps the Ripley’s Believe It or Not exhibition.

Anyway, I say what is right for England is right for Guildford – let’s have Guildford Votes for Guildford Plans!

At least then when they muck it up we can chuck them out; if enough of us are awake at the polls that is.

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