onionbagblog

This piece was first published in Colchester 101 magazine. Copies are available for free around pubs, shops and other public places in the town.

“Don’t upset the ogre” was the advice that I was told ahead of an early morning meeting with Bob Russell, the LibDem MP for Colchester. “Bob has been representing this patch for fifteen years now - he knows his stuff and won’t take too kindly to a bright young thing coming in from the outside.”

…so then Mr Russell, I don’t technically live in your constituency, I’m a supporter of firstsite and I didn’t vote in a LibDem MP only to be turned over by the Coalition. I’m not from London, y’know!

Whoops.

I needn’t have worried. The late summer showers as I made by way up Hythe Hill to Bob’s hideout, hid away the sweat forming on my palms. A welcoming handshake from a man who can only hold Liberal tendencies, soon took care of any other excess water.

Not too firm, but not a limp wrist either. You gotta love the Love Me I’m a Liberal lot.

A brief tour of Bob’s constituency office followed. Pride is clearly taken in all the (registered) political gifts of goodwill - that includes the bonkers garden gnomes on the sideboard.

And then it was down to business - or rather the business of Colchester hopefully taking on more business in the bid to become a city. What does Bob make of the move for Britain’s Oldest Town to become a behemoth city?

“I think that it is a status thing. It will make little difference on day-to-day basis. We are a European country, and in Europe cities have a higher status. We are Britain’s Oldest Town, but I am advised that we are Britain’s first city. You only have to ask people in Ipswich what they think of Norwich being a city - it rankles them. By going for it then we can stop Chelmsford or Southend becoming a city.”

Ah, but what of the little people out in the little rural towns and villages that will be swallowed up overnight as a city? The good folk of Alresford aren’t going to like the idea of coming under a postcode of an urban sprawling mass:

“I know that some of the people living in the Borough outside of Colchester are not enthused. That’s fine – I’m not actually enthused that places outside of Colchester are in the Borough. I wouldn’t lose any sleep if we had another local government reorganisation and went back to the historic Borough of Colchester - which by happy coincidence is the borough of my Parliamentary constituency.”

And so send them back to the suburbs then. Best make sure that the roads are all working, and that Clingoe Hill isn’t clogged up. Can Colchester really call itself a city if it can’t deliver on the transport front?

“We don’t have the right infrastructure, but the city status bid is an irrelevance. Colchester is the fastest growing town in the UK. To my knowledge it is growing much too fast. I am trying to stop the development of the land to the west of Mile End. The infrastructure in Colchester is awful. I did try in the last Parliament to promote a tram system. We need a visionary government - we didn’t get it from Labour and we aren’t getting it from the Coalition.”

Cripes.

Which is what folk in Colchester have come to love about their MP: “Bob is Bob is Bob,” is another titbit I picked as I attempted to keep the sweaty palms at bay. He has Liberal tendencies, but thankfully not the tribal political type that sadly defines most of the careerist Coalition. Which probably explains why he is sitting here talking to me at the Hythe, rather than in some government bunker and getting into bed with the Tories.

“My role is to work with local authorities to try and raise the profile of Colchester in national government. Two cabinet ministers have come to Colchester recently. The name of Colchester is known in Parliament. I can’t do it on my own. Policy from the last government is making it difficult for Colchester to evolve.”

But for the town / city to evolve, we are still reliant upon being sixty miles away from the mass of London. Those sixty miles often feels like a million, given the complete failure of National Express East Anglia to deliver a reliable train service. What is the MP for the area going to do to keep control of the new franchise holder, whoever that might be?

“I’ve met representatives with two of the three bidders for the franchise. The whole privatisation of the railway industry was a total nonsense. There is a danger that the National Express farce will be repeated. Whoever gets the franchise, their prime objective is to make a profit for the investors. It is my view that in a civilised society, there are certain sections of society that should not be for profit. You need good public services in order for the private sector to flourish.”

This is the classic liberal view of the economy. Laissez faire, all the way down to Lexden.

“I have delivered a shopping list to the two bidders I have met so far. The bottom line is that we have no reduction in the service to London. We then build upon that. I want to see more trains and more capacity. I have suggested to the bidders that Colchester Hythe to be marketed as Colchester’s Second London station. Journeys can start at the Hythe. I also want to see the return of summer trains to Walton and Clacton out of St Botolph’s. We also need a dedicated Colchester to Cambridge route.”

Unlike the 9:23 out of the old North Station, Bob was now on a roll. It takes a brave man to take him on with transport issues. Seeing Bob travel the last train on a nightly basis, commuting back and forth from Liverpool Street to his constituency, is a well-known site for anyone riding the Chunder Wagon.

“As for the bus station, the proposed station at Osborne Street should be as well as, and not instead of the current bus station. We need a dedicated area where tourist busses can go. What better place than the VAF for tourist busses to go to? The notion that a bus station is purely for locals, is ignorant. We want to promote tourism in Colchester. The Cowdray Crescent proposal is a betrayal of what is a War Memorial.”

Huh. Huh - he mentioned the VAF. The Visual Arts Facility. The Downfall of Modern Civilisation in Colchester, should you subscribe to the view of firstsite, as pronounced by the town’s MP.

Um… Will you be attending the opening of firstsite, Mr Rrrr-ussell?

“I believe I’ve been invited. I sense that if I were there, that would be a distraction. It’s their big day. It’s been said that I want the project to fail – NO I don’t want the project to fail. The last thing I want is for this to be an even bigger burden on the people of Colchester.

I knew before the first brick was laid - this was not financially viable. And this was when the economy was better than it was now. And what I couldn’t understand is why so many people who are far more intelligent than I am, were completely blinded by this nonsense.”

Ah - a fool and their money: easily parted, especially when it comes to the arts.

“They asked me how I can get onside with them. I said simple - get rid of those blocks on Queen Street and build upwards. Ah - they said - but we need a contemporary artistic design. Fine - build around the bus station I said. Rather than have England’s 300th publicly funded art gallery, you could have England’s first bus station art gallery. Are you telling me that people who use bus stations aren’t worthy of visiting art galleries? Had they listened to me, the VAF would have been on time and on budget, and we would have Britain’s leading bus station.”

But think back to heady days of Nu Labour - Champagne Socialism, Cool Britannia, arts grants for balancing a pencil on your nose. The money was always there, ring-fenced for the arts in the East of England.

“I would have been delighted if this millstone had gone somewhere else. The Council want to shut an old people’s day centre. The lack of money is almost petty cash for what is going through the VAF. The blinkers went on from day one - the only person opposed from day one was myself. Don’t let Labour tell you they were against the VAF. They were signed up for it. I have my finger on the public opinion of Colchester. This is a financial disaster for Colchester - I don’t want it to be an even bigger disaster.”

“If they really want my support, I would only offer this if they do things that are sensible. This will only work if there is a bus station there. The original concept was that it would be a landmark building. It is so iconic that you can’t actually see it. You can only see it if you fly in over Clacton. That is hardly going to get people to parachute out of their planes.”

You get the impression that the only way to get Bob to the VAF would be for a double-decker bus to park ‘n ride the MP right up on the doorstep. He would probably want a return ticket, and make double sure what time the last bus departs.

Infrastructure over arts?

“The notion that I am an arts philistine is quite insulting. I love buskers and I wish that we had more in Colchester. There is so much talent amongst the people of Colchester - especially the young people. We have the two leading accordion orchestras in the UK based here in Colchester!

What does concern me is that there is an elitist strand, that even at this moment, cannot grasp the fact that they are so unpopular. They could retrieve part of the situation by saying, well actually, it would help us to get people through the door if tourist coaches can deposit them outside our door. Let’s go out into the community. But they won’t.”

Bob is clearly man with his morals and principles. The MP is not for turning. Which must be difficult for a liberal man to reason with the not very Liberal Democratic policies that his party is currently letting the Conservatives get away with:

“David Cameron feels more at home working with some of the LibDem MP’s than he does working with some of his right wing head banging Tory MP’s – of which there are several right wing head banging Tory MP’s in Essex.”

And for how long can Colchester’s finest keep banging his head? (in a metaphorical promotion of Colchester, you understand…)

“I’m sixty-five, I shall be sixty-nine at the next general election. I think we’ve got to see what happens. It’s a question of maintaining that enthusiasm and belief that I can do the job. I enjoy representing my hometown in Parliament. However long that goes on for, Mother Nature will decide.”

And the electorate, Bob. And the electorate…