Featured image: Devizes Guardians’ Cllr Sarah Bridewell and former Devizes East Ward councillor, the late Jane Burton, committed campaigners on dog fouling.
It was always going to happen. When national politics steps into local issues, it all turns to poop….
Without a shred of science or research, just desperation to retain their depleting seats at Devizes Town Council, the Conservative by-election campaign leaflets apparently claim the Devizes Guardians “ignore the issue of dog fouling.” At least that’s what the Devizes Guardians say, and they set out to prove them wrong. Now, this is a scoop (see what I did there?!)
“Did the Conservative spinners pay attention to the factual recorded proposals that were agreed in Council?” the Guardians asked… and answered themselves, “unfortunately, they didn’t. The opportunity of political spin and misleading comments was more important.”
What we do know is shit has hit the fan now Conservative councillor Iain Wallis posted a poll on his biased Facebook group, where you get banned for disagreeing with him, asking if the public think dog fouling has gone up or down, without any time frame, and voted on it himself! Now, that’s how you deal with public opinion.
One genius Facebook commenter summarised the audacity; “Imagine being that sad and reflective that a certain former Wiltshire councillor has to run a poll to pump back up his ego and even votes on it himself to make his post look like it’s the most popular opinion!” You, sir, win the internet today!
Honestly, despite knowing which way I’d vote in the by-election if I was Eastward in the Vizes, I didn’t know which way to vote in his far more important poll, which isn’t in any way political pointscoring. I mean, if the time frame runs from 1973, I’d argue it’s better, but if it’s inclusive of the poop spewing from the mouths of the Devizes Conservatives, it’s increased dramatically and is a bigger problem then we might give credit for; a danger to shipping, one could add.
Devizes Guardians say “it’s time to separate the doggie doo-doo from the political hoo-ha.” I say, I’m the scatologist here, I do the shit jokes; thank you all the same. But as councillors, as they tend to do, they continued…to prove it….
“In 2022, Cllr Iain Wallis’s Conservative proposal was to set up yet another working group to discuss the poop, blah blah blah.
However, Devizes Guardian, Cllr Chris Gay was all about practical action.
Plenty of bins, regular emptying, and targeted awareness campaigns. One plan was more talk about the doo-doo. The other plan was to actually tackle the…” and herewith that they inserted appropriate poo-poo emojis; naughty!
The Guardians point out that the Town Council maintains over 150 bins, so there is no shortage of disposal points, resulting in an increase in council collections, which has decreased dog fouling. Though they rightfully say it’s progress, they continue to suggest the problem isn’t fully solved, but what difference can either party make when it’s a social problem caused by the irresponsible minority of dog owners who refuse to pick up after their dogs?
Ask yourself, are Devizes Conservatives going to arm themselves with poop scoops and patrol throughout the night, or do you smell the whiff of another conservative political stink? I’d fairly wager those fouling dogs might fair better competition for the Guardians in this forthcoming by-election!
Devizes Guardians didn’t ignore dog fouling. They delivered a practical plan.
I did suggest, elsewhere, that things are going to get dirty. In what is only a town council by-election, the Conservatives are eager to treat it like a battleground, weaponising petty bickering and stooping to misinformation; that’s shameful and should be remembered come the by-election.
Let’s look at how the Conservative candidate Laura Ayling pulled Conservative PCC Wilko into the Market Place for a photo opportunity, and to waffle about antisocial behaviour, a case for which was already put in motion by Devizes Guardians. The role of the PCC is completely sinecure anyway, and when they use their position for stunts to political pointscore, as Wilko clearly does, as he is seen here doing it, the role is performative politics rather than proactive policing.
Take his salary (Wilko’s salary: £73,300. Average police officer’s salary: £32,225) out of the equation, and you’ve got two and a half more bobbies on the beat. We don’t need muck spreading or misinformation from suits. We need community engagement.
The Guardians say their candidate, Rosemary McDonald “talks about what she’s about, her priorities, with facts and positivity.” I’m due to meet Rosemary for a cuppa and a chat on Friday, of which I’ll gladly report my findings, because I firmly believe we must keep national political parties out of local governance, and this mucky doo-dah proves why….jeez, whatever next? Watch this space!!
