IT IS OFTEN said that one should not kick a man when he is down. Badger disagrees, readers: It seems to him that in the absence of a better opportunity, there is no better time to apply a touch of the boot. Of course, Jamie Adams isn’t down. Let’s face it, however, readers, if ever a man deserved a good shoeing it is him. And after last Thursday’s command performance. Badger is inclined to do just that. Badger wants to deal closely and with relish with the self-serving nature of Jamie Adams’ theatrical approach to council business. We start as we must, near the end. Watching the webcast of last Thursday’s council meeting was an interesting experience.

After what were apparently significant protests outside County Hall’s doors. Jamie Adams proposed a significant concession to guarantee the maintenance of secondary education in St Davit’s. Councillors were taken aback. It seemed as though Jamie had made policy if not on the hoof, then at the last minute. But no. readers. Not a bit of it. We turn to Cllr Ken Rowlands’ cominents at the end of the debate. Called because of his extensive teaching experience. Ken assured members that Jamie’s apparent change of heart was no last minute blink in the teeth of public protest No, readers. The Voice of Ken assured councillors and the watching public that those in the know had been discussing the matter for weeks and that the cognoscenti had determined to save Ysgol Dewi Sant. This was not “pulling a rabbit out of a hat”, as one councillor had opined, this was a sensible decision. We are, therefore, readers in a quandary. Ken must be telling the truth: Rather like George Washington, Ken is incapable of telling a lie.

Ask Sue Perkins about Ken’s bona fides. if you have any doubt on the matter. So, having got to near the conclusion of the debate with Ken telling everyone that this was not the !PPG chickening out when faced with probable defeat in the chamber and opprobrium everywhere, we need to pause and rewind back to the debate’s beginning. Jamie Adams is rather fond of laying about himself with casual smears and innuendos. Councillors should not. said Jamie. jump on the education bandwagon to score political points. Goodness knows who he meant. because when he was asked point blank by elk. Jacob Williams who he meant he was too embarrassed to answer. And embarrassed is precisely what he should have been. Badger has commented before about Cllr Adams awkward relationship with the English language and the meaning of words.

While he gives every impression of having carefully prepared on his brief. Badger suspects that the Leader is less aware of his words than he might be. Taking the voice of Kcn at his word, it is the Council Leader who was ‘playing politics’ and in a pretty hypocritical and pathetic way. to boot. Badger has had a look at the minutes of Cabinet, the minutes of committees. the public record. Nowhere is there any sign of the IPPG reconsidering its approach to schools reorganisation before Jamie Adams made his announcement at last week’s extraordinary meeting. In fact, if Ken’s words were true. it beggars belief that the Council’s monitoring flunkey had to scurry out of the meeting to Xerox sufficient copies of it to hand round to
councillors.

In those circumstances, readers, we am faced with what has to be one of the most appalling choices a human being has to make. Do you believe Ken? Or was JamieAdams hypocritically playing politics with education? After all, what on earth prevented Jamie from telling councillors the night before the meeting that unknown members meeting in secret had determined an alternative policy that flew in the face of officers’ advice? What on earth possessed Jamie to call an extraordinary council meeting to debate a policy which he must have known — if we believe Ken — was not going to go forward’?

Why whip up a storm of protest that attracted 300 people to the doors of County Hall and then mollify them? If what Ken said is true (and why would we doubt itt) there was no need for any of the above, other than a meeting to debate the policy proposal subsequently advanced. Badger has a suggestion: Watching the webcast at the time. Badger was struck by how keen the Leader was to demonstrate that Pembrokeshire was a ‘member-led’ authority and that this U-turn on Ysgol Dewi Sam was evidence of the same. It is possible the fact that senior officers have played the system and manipulated the council’s policies and procedures for years to suit themselves and their bulging. overpaid wallets for years, has finally penetrated the bullet skull containing the leader’s brain.

What better way, what more public forum, would there be to nail that canard? It is possible that Jamie Adams’ speech was no more than his way of  saying: “I’ve got no strings to hold me up. Look at me, I’m a real boy.” For the life of him, Badger can’t remember where that sentiment originates. What better way to demonstrate his political acumen, to show that Jamie is a man of the people, than by doing that which he claims others have done? Play politics with children’s education. Hypocrite is such an ugly word. Badger invites you, readers, to pick your own, shorter alternative. Harold Macmillan was described. not entirely kindly, as ‘the great actor! manager’.

Pulling the occasional funny face is the best the leader can do when following that less than grand tradition. It is possible. readers, that Badger is being unfair. That discussions had taken place over weeks about the approach to adopt. But even then, that does not get Jamie off the hook of the hypocrisy and cant he is so quick to detect in others. It is possible that Ken’s words were ill-chosen and that the IPPG leadership decided on a change of tack late in the day. But that would impugn Clir Rowlands’ credibility. Or perhaps the prospect of humiliating defeat in the chamber last Thursday and the prospect of electoral Gotterdammerung in 2016, rang alarm bells — or possibly cathedral ones — in Jamie’s brain. It is possible that Jamie backed down at the sound of those bells, afraid to ask for whom they were tolling. Badger has a hot tip for his favourite former yoghurt salesman. They toll for thee. Jamie. They toll for thee.