They say New Yorkers have a no-nonsense attitude – and Oxfordshire county councillor Larry Sanders showed his Big Apple core as he gave an impassioned speech against plans for a waste incinerator near Ardley.

So much so, the Green Party councillor seemed to be returning to his roots as the speech progressed.

He referred to contract cash as “dollars and cents” and then, as the native New Yorker rolled back the decades, he talked about “comrades” in Eastern Europe. He finally threw up his hands and declared: “I have regressed. It all comes out when I am under pressure.”

You can take the man out of New York but you can't take New York out of the man, as they say.

David Nimmo-Smith, chairman of the county council’s growth and infrastructure scrutiny committee, had his hands full at the helm of the very same incinerator meeting, and he wasn’t helped by a failing speaker system at County Hall.

The lack of volume left a number of campaigners in the public gallery unable to hear the debate and added to an atmosphere of restlessness.

In a bid to both resolve the issue and ease the growing tension, Mr Nimmo-Smith stepped in.

Switching on his microphone, he said: “This might sound facetious, but who can’t hear me?”

Judging by the amount of groans it worked on both counts – the atmosphere lifted (if only slightly) and perhaps those in the cheap seats could hear the esteemed members a little better than they were letting on.

They certainly heard Tory councillor Nicholas Turner’s take on a fellow Conservative’s grasp of the issues.

Mr Turner was certain that Ian Hudspeth, the council’s cabinet member responsible for the incinerator plans, was on top of the complicated contractual arrangements. Or was he?

Mr Turner said: “I have no doubt he has read all of it night after night.”

A modest Mr Hudspeth acknowledged the remark, before Mr Turner added: “I would not expect him to understand it.”

The slip was well understood, and well received, by campaigners and committee members alike before Mr Turner could clarify with a line about the role of County Hall legal eagles.

Wantage MP Ed Vaizey – and minister for Britain’s digital media revolution – proved he was on the cutting edge this week when announced he had created some new-fangled Facebook page.

Unveiling the Ed Vaizey MP page via Titter (he really is living the portfolio), he appealed for fellow Facebookers to become his friend and follow his antics online.

But it was a definite “No, minister” from one tweeter who replied: “oh yeah! Sure thing! Join your facebook group and commit social suicide! LOL no thanks!”

Mr Vaizey re-tweeted the putdown, so he must have seen the funny side.