DEAF EARS....

This week is election week here in the Garden of England. On Thursday, we have the elections for Kent County Council and the European Parliament and they come at an interesting time in the world of politics.

One evening last week, I had a visit from our present County Councillor, whom I had not seen or heard from during any of the past four years she has been `in office.` She smiled sweetly and assumed that she could rely on my support this time, couldn`t she? I`m afraid I had to disappoint her - nicely, of course - which seemed to come as a surprise to her. She immediately thought that my disenchantment was directly linked to the ongoing scandal of MPs expenses in Westminster, thus giving my intelligence a hurtful insult, which didn`t help her cause at all. No, my complaint is nothing to do with stuff about Westminster but all to do with the fact that KCC have squandered £zillions on self-promoting tv stations, brochures, leaflets and their own form of expenses which run into millions of taxpayers` money each year.

And all the while the holes in the road don`t get mended and other basic services don`t get seen to. The thing about KCC is that they may be wonderful at administration, but sadly woeful at management, otherwise they would have their priorities sorted out and they wouldn`t have a Chief Executive who is not only allowed to but activeley does take advantage of the fact that he can sell his untaken leave back to the Council for the princely sum of £20,000, on top of his £220,000 salary and his £30,000 `bonus.` I can`t imagine what the bonus might be for - setting a good and responsible example perchance?. So on Thursday, unless there is a Hole Mending candidate, I will scrutinise the ballot paper and choose anyone except the incumbent in the vain hope that something might just change.

I suppose the ultimate in political indolence will be reached when the politicians don`t listen to the voters any more and the voters can`t be bothered to listen to them either. It could come this Thursday.