A New World Order (well, just in Lewisham maybe?)

Well! The Council AGM was almost as scripted as ever when Labour was really in control (and everyone knew it!). Only the Labour Whip forgot his lines (for just a moment) - and was helped out (a bit too condescendingly) by Darren Johnson, leading Green but clearly destined to organise the Labour Party instead one day.

We all voted-for and applauded lovable-Tory Barrie to be Chair of the Council, and only one post actually went to a proper vote (Council representative on the Ladywell Day Centre Management Committee, I believe - a most strategic position). Even though this hadn't been previously agreed in Labour Group (shock! horror!) some of us (well, more than 11 of us) voted for the Green candidate for this key job, just to stop the LibDems bullying her (by having 11 more councillors than the Greens).

Mayor Steve gave a most statesman-like speech, and I'm actually naive enough to believe that we will have some sensible cooperation across party lines, and that even the strict party divisions between tables in The Ram might start to blur, after a few months of working together on committees.

Before the Council AGM I went in time for the 'confirmation hearings' for the Mayor's Cabinet appointees. A bit pointless, as He can appoint them whatever councillors vote. Rather predictably Labour members voted for all of them, opposition party members voted for nobody, except Peggy Fitzsimmons ('Champion of The Elderly'), whose speech about us all getting old obviously had cross-party appeal. As I'd been lobbied by the Y6 Action Group at Perrymount School, I got in a question that elicited a promise from Robert Massey ('Cabinet Member for Young People') that he would arrange to visit them to discuss better and safer play provision (instead of some rather derelict and misused park space) in Perry Vale.

(And thanks, Andrew Brown, for your supportive advice on who to tackle in the Lewisham IT hegemony. You say it's a little better than when I was previously a councillor... I'll let you know how little.)