This week we have had illustrated to us all how bad the con artistry within Northumberland Conservatives has got and how those Conservatives with a slight sense of conscience have begun to rally against the Mussolini style propaganda framework that has been developed by a small gang from within the Tory ranks to feed their ‘victims’, the public of Northumberland a crumb or two in the expectation that they will believe they have had a glorious feast laid out before them.
Alfred Molina said “good cons are all based on the victim's need, and the successful con artist is the one, I guess, who can exploit that. I remember reading something about this, that one of the great traits of confidence tricksters is the level that they flatter their victim.”
The budget process of Northumberland County Council is underway with long term portfolio holder for finance, Councillor Oliver of Corbridge telling his victims that his version of flatlined budgets for a decade under a Tory Government are ‘not cuts’ and the removal of almost 33% of Council jobs through that period are ‘not cuts’, simply “efficiencies” and his description that cost and material inflation doesn’t affect the spend of Council placed his version of this years budget well and truly in the category of a poorly planned con.
Particularly when coupled with his view that his increased borrowing to deliver nothing of value on behalf of his victims was much less than someone else was going to borrow is conjecture somehow justified because his victims need the good news to know that he is emptying their pockets through a 3.74% increase in your Council Tax which he describes as 1.99%.
In order to back up his statements he said look at the wonderful Borderlands Deal and look at how well Government are treating this County and we will have this and that major project delivered to give you a glorious future etc., etc. His spin both forward and backwards was clarified with his short cover note of “borrowing may have to go up in future”.
His quotes on Borderlands, the Northumberland Line, A1 modernisations and a battery factory on the River Blyth estuary show that he doesn’t read the press items put out by his own Government who are now set against borrowing by Councils until Austerity 2 has paid back the new national debt accrued this year and that the Scottish Government is edging ever closer to bankruptcy. But as victims its nice to hear what you want to hear when your whole life has been turned around by events beyond your control but thats how Con artists work.
He then rambled through the suite of numbers which he hasn’t let Council Officers release to the public, possibly in the hope that victims don’t seek reparation or even ask questions why since May 2017 have the Councils accounts under his watch not passed the test for Best Value as set by auditors?. Why the Councils auditors and investigating Lawyers not reported back to the Council and the public on the allegations lying at his door? Why an internationally admired external auditor walked away from his clutches? Why is he trying to recruit his fifth Head of Finance in three years? and why have Councillors and not professional officers delivered the current message to his victims? Could that be because they don’t wish to be spun into his latest web?
But all’s not well in the Tory ranks as Councillor Oliver tried to pull a similar con at a planning meeting where his well practised art is covered off by national rules of engagement. And what an explosive engagement it was with the strict rule following planning chairperson Councillor Colin Horncastle exposing the bullying of officers and the twisting of the rules to get his own way by the artist Oliver who must have left his pallette of colours at home. His failure was pounced upon by the opposition and the Labour Party ran out a video clip which said it all.
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