Suffolkated

I am invited to speak in Ipswich to launch a report on the state of social enterprise in Suffolk. I drive down from Bury St Eds with my friend and fellow West Suffolk separatist Mark Ereira Guyer.

Endevour House is one of those glass and steel monuments to municipal power which in place like this is the only such structure. Is the home of Suffolk County Council. The main endevour of its occupants is to impose a single tier 'One Suffolk' authority over all of us, removing all local democratic structures. A rival three unitary proposal was roundly rejected by the Boundary Commission. Apparently there are all sorts of creepy totalitarian things happening such as 'One Suffolk' staff groups to promote the idea beyond the council. When we get there it is clear that this is all that's going on. The place hums with it.

Into the gathering. Its the usual sleepy Suffolk mix of older charity types and deadbeat public sector lifers. The charitis feel social enterprise threatens their funding. The public sector worry about their jobs. That's about it really.

I decide to go on the offensive and declare myself a West Sufolk supporter and I got a few mock boos. That was as lively as it got.

I tried again and tld them to back winners and cut funding to nonperforming groups. Again, nothing.

All we had was this guy going on about why we don't publish every report in 17 languages, as though its 1986 and 7-7 never happened.

I leave before the end and head west, back to Bury.