Jerry Evans – Councillor and then some?

Haider Ali

17/2/10

Jerry Evans has been a councillor for nigh on two decades. An obese individual that perhaps only adds to his humble and down to earth demeanour. Upon meeting Jerry, I was actually applying an internship but in the process I was able to ask some very important questions about the Liberal Democrat party, his role within the party and where he saw them going in the next decade.

Aided by a very attractive secretary, I sat in the room feeling instantly at ease.

Questions ranged mainly on local issues, the most important to me being, what established good councillors from those who were just simply doing the job for a pay cheque. Jerry Evans stated “a man asked to represent his community, has to be of the community, from the community and most importantly a representative of the community” I couldn’t agree more. Without being direct he stated how some councillors were simply doing the job for the limelight and of course this was true. One such councillor was Salma Yaqoob, a councillor for the Sparkbrook ward and leader of the Respect Party. Salma has carved a niche of supporters for herself throughout the country via strong messages and protests about Britain’s support for the United States abroad in its wars against Afghanistan and Iraq. Particularly strong is the base of young Muslim women who identify with Salma over the rights of women within the Islamic religion. However I digress. Salma Yaqoob may be a heroine to some but others may accuse her of negligence of her own community. Recently Jerry and a few councillors amongst the Liberal Democrats took issue against her and other Respect party members for refusing to support the “kikit” campaign in Sparkbrook. The campaign was designed to help drug addicts detach themselves from hard rugs In order to help find suitable employment and accommodation for themselves, slowly assimilating themselves within society. Salma Yaqoobs refusal to help provide support has cast doubts within my own mind about her, considering she is a fellow Muslim and staunch anti war protestor. One must ask them self, is she really for the community as Jerry suggest councillors should be?

Jerry has helped shape local politics, albeit in a small way here in Birmingham. Not only has he managed to continually have himself re-elected, solely as a result as an excellent case worker for his constituency and a man that listens to the needs of his community but because of his constant ability to work with councillors of different parties, notably that of Labour and the Conservatives who dominate the Victoria Chamber in the heart of Birmingham, the area where meetings take place between all councillors to discuss policy and issues concerning their own constituents.

As our conversation drew to our close, I couldn’t help but admire the man.

Whilst being interviewed, his tie was loosened and his shirt was coming out of his pants, the complete opposite of what I thought I would expect form him considering that I’d never see the man before. But the sense of ease I felt was further enhanced when I got to know him. It was as if I was chatting to the neighbour next door to me, not a politician that had been media trained for two years and was told what to wear and say.

Jerry was the proverbial “geezer” I would love to have a good old natter with, how rare is that to say about your local councillor or MP?

When the interviewee becomes the interviewer: Lib Dem Lorely Burt

Haider Ali (16/11/09)

Within the political realms of reality, one must establish between various and differing degrees of politician. You have your “opportunists”, who will at any cost step over and trod down vicarious friends turned into foes (Foraying into the Gordon Brown and Tony Blair debacle prior to the introduction of Peter Mandleson), then you have your bumbling desolate, albeit outlandish and unflinching hair-styled Boris Johnson, not forgetting the peoples champion George Galloway and then you have your mediocre and lesser known talented politicians, Lorely Burt.

Setting off that evening for my interview for an internship placement, I rather looked forward to meeting her.  The woman had served as a Northern Ireland speaker, had been an MP for at least four years and was working for a diverse and culturally challenged suburban area of Birmingham in Solihull.

What unravelled was an interview likened to being entrapped in the depths of solitude with a noose waiting to be hanged around my neck. Like most Interviewee’s I had done my homework on the woman, she had overturned an eight thousand seat Conservative majority, was a staunch supporter of local jobs and was openly honest about her MP expenses, that was until I plunged a little deeper.

Skipping the formalities of why I wanted to intern for her and what I was hoping to gain, I was being taught a few political lessons. Lorely stated “Politics is a tricky business” and “you have to tread many egg-shells to survive in this business.” What I found completely shocking that she saw politics as a business. The mere fact that she had been elected to represent a constituency of people should have been justifying enough for the woman to appreciate the fortunate position that she was in, but to me it was as if she didn’t give an owl’s hoot. To serve your people is a esteemed honour yet she was willing to compromise her position to accommodate views that she didn’t necessarily share or have empathy for, primarily the closing down of the Jaguar car making factory in Solihull, which meant a loss of thousands of jobs for workers in her constituency. MS. Burt claimed to have done her utmost for the peple of Solihull, but did she? Did she campaign vigoriously? Did she exert pressure on the Jaguar Company? Did she use whatever little political clout and contacts she had within the Liberal Democrat Party? The answers are clearly, no, no and NO! It demonstrated ineptitude and what seemed to me to be what many back-benching, minutely known politicians suffer from “infamy-syndrome”.

As I encroached about her expenses, she took the defensive stance. I stated I wouldn’t work for a politician who was so care free with public monies. Bearing in mind that I was willing to work for free and even refused for the woman to reimburse my travelling expenses. Lorely continued to state that her position was she had been elected and was not doing anything wrong despite the vast amount of expenses she was spending, which could have come out of her own pocket, for instance tavelling expenses and stationary equipment. Two hundred and ninety three pounds spent in the third quarter of 2008 alone on stationary expenses. Talk about being a tighter then a snare drum for crying out loud, I’ll leave you with a link to her expenses account to cry over. (http://lorelyburt.org.uk/pages/expenses.html).

As the interview ended, I left with a sense of relief that whether or not I obtained an internship in order to experience first hand politics, I had at least taken the moron to task and had not compromised my own principles as a future politician by working for a person just for my own career gains. Lorely might see politics as a “business” but I don’t, power is a privilege that should be bestowed on us and used for good, not bestowed on us and used for our own gains, whether it be politically or financially.