Does Gibson support a referendum on Unitary?

In trying to explain away the confusion over his stance on the Norwich Unitary bid in the Evening News, Dr Gibson concludes by saying that “I await to see if a referendum is called.”

As it was the Conservatives who first put down a motion to call a public vote on Unitary, opposed by Labour and the LibDems, I welcome his tacit support for a referendum. However, I might have thought that one of our City MPs might be a bit more up to date because the government has specifically ruled out a vote on the issue. In the same way that Gordon Brown refuses the people of the UK a vote on the proposed EU Constitution, his government refuses us a vote on how we should be governed locally.

The refusal of the Labour Government to allow local people a say before their local Council is considered for abolition is a denial of democracy. On the 5th July, the Conservatives in the House of Lords put down an amendment to require a binding referendum before any new Unitary Councils are created. The Government said, “where a democratically elected Council takes a decision it should be validated in the normal way through a local election, the most significant referendum of all. In our representative democracy, it is surely up to a democratically elected Council to make a decision that the electorate can always contradict at the ballot box."

So local people are to be denied a voice again by Dr Gibson’s government, although I am sure that they will take the government’s advice and take the opportunity at any future general election to elect an MP who has consistently opposed Unitary for Norwich.

Labour MP Ian Gibson's Unitary bid hypocrisy

What do you make of these two quotes from Ian Gibson regarding the Norwich Unitary bid?

“They probably think for some reason I am seen to be on the city's side. I am not. I am listening to my constituents and what they want.” (EDP, 18th June 2007)

“I both welcome and support the bid for a Unitary Norwich.” Dr Ian Gibson MP quoted in the City Council’s Unitary bid (p.76)

There are two explanations for this. Either this is a cynical U-turn by Dr Gibson or the City Council have lied in their Unitary bid.

I would be horrified if the unitary bid sought to misrepresent the views of a local politician. If it did, then the Leader of the Council would have to seriously consider his position after a blunder like that.

However, what I think is more likely is that Dr Gibson has cynically changed his mind when he realized that local people were dead against Labour’s expensive and dangerous local government reorganization.

He rushed to back Labour but didn’t stop to think what the people he represented might think. In Thorpe St Andrew, Sprowston and Hellesdon – as well as large numbers of people in the City – have seen straight through Labour’s power grab.

I, of course, welcome Dr Gibson’s conversion to the anti-unitary cause. But people will conclude this is a cynical and hypocritical vote grab. The Conservatives opposed this from the start – Dr Gibson is bandwagon jumping again.

I note that people can now electronically tag where Dr Gibson is in the UK – it’s a pity we cannot track his ever-changing views.

Ian Gibson won't stand down

The not-very-surprising news that Labour MP Ian Gibson will contest the next General Election would not normally be note-worthy. But the comments of a close colleague and Norwich North resident bear thinking about. She is a Labour voter and big fan of Mr Gibson and yet on hearing the news declared "great, so we get an old, ill MP whose just hanging around to saddle us with the cost of a by-election."

Nice, but with phrases like "going out with my boots on" it shouldn't surprise him!