South Wales Evening Post - 24 March 2007
Once we were a city of artists' impressions. Now we are a city of strategies.
Swansea has a host of them, including separate (but hopefully joined-up) plans for the city centre, the riverside and the bay. It was the last of these that was back in the news this week.
The consultants who came up with the plan to develop the area from County Hall to Mumbles Pier will be trying to sell their vision of the future to council leaders next month.
After that, wait for it, the plans will go out for public consultation.
Announcing this, council leader Chris Holley said: "It (the plan) has got a lot of terrific ideas but it's important that everyone gets the chance to have their say on what's being suggested."
At the risk of finding myself the only person in step on parade, can I ask why we have to be consulted so much?
I have this old-fashioned idea of how democracy should work; we elect someone to govern; they get on with it, which includes making major decisions on our behalf; if we don't like what they do, we kick them out next time and give another lot the chance to do things better.
I don't want to be governed by a group of people who feel the need to keep asking for my approval for everything they do.
If Councillor Holley and his administration think the plans are so terrific, he should put them into action.
What happens if half the people consulted say the plan is wonderful, and the other half say it's a pile of pants?It's no way to run a ship.
