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Leamington Letters #85: wining and dining with the great and the good

22/10/2014

8 Comments

 
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The great and the good of the shire assembled in the Town Hall last week for the Mayor’s and Mayoress’s Civic Dinner; there to eat, drink, raise money for charity and listen to an after-dinner speech by Matthew Taylor. Jill and I were also present.

It was a glittering occasion. Mayoral bling was plentiful. Dinner jackets, lounge suits and “long evening and short cocktail dresses” were the order of the day. The food was fine; the red wine excellent. The company and generosity thereof outstanding.

But our fellow guests will forgive me for observing that the most interesting twenty minutes was the witty declamation of Matthew Taylor, the Chief Executive of the  RSA, the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. Back in 1992, he stood as parliamentary candidate for the Leamington and Warwick constituency, so his audience at the Town Hall consisted of many who had actively campaigned against him as well as his agent at that time and several who voted for him: “vote Labour with no illusions” was our rationale at the time. He also worked as Chief Advisor on Strategy to Tony Blair, a role which probably united the entire room in opposition to this aspect of his career, given that Blair’s strategy was to stay in power long enough to feather his nest for decades to come.

Matthew Taylor is, of course, the son of Laurie Taylor, the ubiquitous sociologist and broadcaster, a man whom I have met twice. The first time was at a Marxist seminar at the University of York sometime in the late ‘60s; the second was at a corporate convention – NCR I think – at which he was the keynote speaker and I had written every other presentation. I observed to him on the latter occasion that we had both travelled a long road in a short space of time, and he had the grace to smile ruefully. As did I.

Such a journey is common. Amongst soixante-huitards, it is the road well-travelled. Laurie Taylor is by no means the only one I have met along the way.

But as I encountered more and more councillors at the Town Hall,  many of whom had been in and out of their seats according to electoral responses to policies beyond their control, I felt just a tad humbled.

They have not sat at home bemoaning the state of the town, the country and the world. They have tested their opinions in the public domain and worked for what they believe. And for every councillor who was involved in the granting of the licence for a sexual entertainment club or for the closing of LAMP, there are many who have contributed positively to the town and who have, like the Mayor and Mayoress John and Jane Knight, raised awareness and funds for charities such as One World Link, Leamington Children’s Centres and Shopmobility. (£3700 was the total for the Civic Dinner.)

Maybe we – I mean I - should learn from their example.

Today from the everysmith vaults: 2014 is one of those rare years in which I have not seen Bob Dylan live and in concert, so I have been listening to some of the recent shows (notably those in Australia earlier in the year).  He has found his voice and his enthusiasm. Again. A remarkable late flowering. And the Complete Basement Tapes is only a couple of weeks away …

8 Comments
Allan
22/10/2014 03:12:48

A return to the hustings or the barricades? Good piece.

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Chris
22/10/2014 03:56:11

I think it is time that your generation gets involved. Politics has been taken over by careerists. It's too important to be left to the politicians. Some idealism from those with time on their hands will be welcomed by my generation.

Reply
Jon
22/10/2014 04:19:27

Maybe you should.

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GeoffL
23/10/2014 01:02:36

You may be correct that many local councillors are motivated by philanthropic urges. But even more are part of a self- serving cabal. At least in my part of the world. Treasure the good ones. Throw out the others.

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Tim
23/10/2014 01:07:04

It's a good point you make. Easy to categorise all politicians in the same way, but as you say, there are those worthy of support. We should provide it.

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CJ
23/10/2014 03:07:14

Agree with you re the 2014 stage of the NET. Stuff in the States right now even better. New Bootleg Series? We've got the complete Basement Tapes already, haven't we? The Italian 5CD set released a few years back.

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Michael
23/10/2014 05:30:34

The point is that at the same time as the Tories are posturing about local powers, they are removing them and increasingly centralising. Local councillors have little power and what they have they seldom exercise wisely but only in the interests of the tiny minority that turned out to vote them in !

Reply
Rick
9/11/2014 02:35:29

Attention: Read this blog and you will find light cast into places you haven't seen and feel better about the world in which you live.

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    Max Smith

    European writer, radical, restaurateur and Red Sox fan. 70-something husband, father, step-father, grandfather and son. Resident in Warwick, England.

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