Cllr Jenny Rynn, Reading's current Deputy Mayor, is a good friend of mine. Reading born and bred she has done nothing but good since her election in 2006. Jenny has served the Right Worshipful Mayor Cllr Gul Khan dutifully over the last year as his Deputy; however as Cllr Swaine has pointed out, Gul has accepted a financial incentive to do the dirty on her. So much for his words about being an "honourable man" and him supposedly respecting the mayoralty as being non-partisan!
Jenny has worked and supported Gul unfailingly: Her reward however will be him voting instead for his Labour Group's candidate Cllr Edwards. Ms Edwards has not served her apprenticeship as Deputy. Ms Edwards has brazenly leapt over Jenny into the mayoral chair. Don't ask me why, because for the life of me I can't get into her mindset.
Why should people be bothered by Khan & Edwards' behaviour? The office of mayor is all important for promoting and enhancing Reading - locally and beyond. As the public saw from the Royal Wedding, one of the many things our country excels at is pomp and circumstance. But with Reading's Labour and Greens turning their back on tradition here in Reading, together they're making a mockery of it.
At this point, why should anyone respect the mayoralty again? Simply put it will leave a bad taste in the mouths of anybody with a shred of integrity.
As for the Greens, Rob White - who omitted to tell his own party he'd already promised to support Jenny's natural elevation to the mayoralty - words fail me. I agree with Warren that the words on White's blog, namely: "fairness & integrity" are simply laughable.
White has shown his naivety in his dealings with Labour. Nothing tangible is in his Party's agreement to deliver a Labour minority administration. It looks like he values being able to sit on his (and his new colleague's) hands this coming year higher than finding a spine and delivering anything not already in the pipe-line for his Party's supporters.
Together, Labour & the Green's display is of politics at its very lowest. They haven't given a second's thought to Jenny's feelings.
