DAVID Diment (July 2) objects to my description of Oxford City Council as “Stalinist”.

Fair enough. My distaste for Labour overwhelms me occasionally but one jibe does not invalidate my argument or lessen the genuine concerns I expressed about the dearth of democracy in the city.

Nor has Oxford ceased to be a one-party state. Pluralism is dead. Labour’s favourite buzzword is ‘diversity’ but what about the diversity of Oxford voters? Why is it not reflected at the top table?

And how representative is Labour itself? The council is essentially run by a few past and present Brookes senior staff and a host of 30-something Oxford graduates.

Where are the proletarians, a few taxi drivers aside?

They are dismissive of public opinion. A staggering 15,000 signatories wanted Temple Cowley Pools retained but they were sacrificed (the pools, not the people) for the Blackbird Leys vanity project.

‘Consultation’ is a joke. Eighty-five per cent of respondents wanted area committees retained but they were axed anyway.

Labour has for too many councillors for the political good health of Oxford. Cowley voters in the coming city council by-election have a chance to reduce that number.

I don’t know the reasons for the councillor standing down and so soon after the local elections, one in which her colleague was replaced, but it should be noted that she is at least the fifth Labour councillor in the past eight years not to complete his/her term of office. Poor show, comrades.

JOHN GREEN
Risinghurst
Oxford

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