How to set ‘example of high standards’

No wonder many of us support issues and not parties.

‘As councillors of the Royal Borough we should be setting an example of ‘high standards’– words from Cllr Gurpreet Bhangra in last week’s Viewpoint (March 25), taking the moral high ground pretending a public letter will fix the issue of unprofessional councillor behaviour, which I agree should be repremanded.

In business behavioural situations with colleagues, you confront issues one on one, listen and understand reasons to create change.

Does the much-outdated partisan politics disable this effective approach and perpetuate ‘cheap shots’ in public without any resolution?

Look for root causes.

Council YouTube recordings show passionate frustration, leading to outbursts, has been caused by blatant abuse of power and destruction of the basic democratic process.

It is that, I as a resident, ‘look on in dismay’.

Take for example where the Conservative whip (a concept of course which puts party before the people and should be outlawed) interjected, with a ‘closure motion’ to stop an opposition councillor about to speak on critical constitutional change with what seemed a sound democratic request.

I wanted to hear that view and the council leader’s reasoning.

The whip didn’t even understand the process and wouldn’t retract his motion to which even the clerk blurted out an instinctive ‘what?’

Find that unbelievable? Look on YouTube, 2hr 19 mins into the RBWM council meeting June 23 last year.

Might I suggest Cllr Bhangra has a quiet, one-on-one, word behind closed doors with the party whip explaining quashing alternative views and disrespecting the democratic process is damaging to the bedrock of our society and the lack of transparency causes resident distrust, leads to outbursts, undermines the council in general and is the antithesis of ‘high standards’.

He can find the whip’s details on the web; his name is Cllr Bhangra.

PAUL STRZELECKI

Cookham