Interesting Times

Here it is at last. Shropshire now has its new unitary council; a potent juggernaut staffed by professionals and driven by a democratically elected group of amateurs charged with the care and comfort of the county’s population.

The results of the election which put the new councillors in place must have come as a shock even to the most optimistic
Conservatives, as the party picked up 54 of the 74 seats on offer. The Tory ‘wish list’ target was 50, so this figure represents something of a dream ticket in terms of a majority in the council chamber. For many years the old Shropshire County Council operated on a power-sharing basis, with no single group holding full control until 2005, when the Conservatives gained the upper
hand by a slim margin of just two seats. But all that has changed radically since 4 June, and the party now has more or less a clear field to run the county virtually as it wishes. The handful of Lib Dem, Labour and Independent councillors who won seats will
face an uphill struggle when it comes to decisions that divide the authority along party lines.

And this of course is precisely the problem that our ‘first past the post’ electoral system poses. In parliament, Labour’s massive
majority allows the government to pass legislation unencumbered by opposition or amendments from the other side, unless a rare free vote is granted. On the other hand, the proportional representation system favoured by the Lib Dems, Greens and other minorities can result in the sort of chaos encountered in many European countries, when a tiny party representing a fraction of the whole electorate can hold the balance of power. Imagine the loathsome BNP being put into a position to decide issues of national importance!

So the majority rules, and that’s probably the safest, if not the most logical way to run a country or a council. If there is to be any
conflict in what amounts to a virtually one-party authority it will arise from the way that services and assets are allocated throughout the county and the areas where cutbacks are to be made.

Fortunately, as far as the Bridgnorth contingent is concerned, our representatives are seasoned campaigners who cut their teeth in the old Westgate chamber, and are all highly capable of fighting their corner when it comes to standing up for our district. Interesting times, indeed!

Peter Wooldridge
Editor