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September 30, 2006
The Conservative Party and public libraries
This is the weekend of the Conservative Party annual conference and, in the world of public libraries that event has been marked by the Shadow Minister for public libraries writing a letter to the Bookseller, which I shall quote in a moment.
Since January this year when Michael Fallon MP and former Minister sought views about and then criticised the Government for its inadequate response to Sir Gerald Kaufman's Select Committee report, the Conservatives have taken extraordinary pains to acquaint themselves with the subject.
They have learned, I think, that there are two quite unreconciled and different views: the first that "libraries are much more than about books" and the second that "restoration of the book collections is a priority". They are also see two quite different camps. one that "advocates for more money, for more partnerships and seeks to underline the impact of libraries on society" and the other that says simply "there is plenty of money, but it is managed badly, without clear leadership and direction". And most important of all they have seen the two quite separate analyses; firstly that "libraries are playing an excellent role in local communities and making a great contribution to reading and learning" and the other that "the public library service is in complete crisis and unless the problems are conceded and addressed its collapse is imminent".
In each case I believe the Conaervatives agree with the second view and not the first and in each of these statements the resolution of the problem requires decisive change from the depths of the roots of the service. It is no good pretending that somehow, by some magic massage, the current institutions departments, quangoes, agencies and professional bodies and management structures are, by themselves, by some review process, going to begin to put things right. They aren't
Last week Richard Charkin wrote this article.
This week Mark Field MP has responded as follows:
29 September 2006 Tories support Charkin
I agree with every word that Richard Charkin wrote ("Library vandals", 22nd September) especially his recommendations and his final comment that the government should stop pretending things are fine in the library service.
I have not yet met or conversed with Mr Charkin, but his global knowledge of the value of books, reading and libraries will surely far exceed my own and, I suggest, most of the government's advisers.
The British public is greatly concerned that our public book lending service is being cruelly damaged through this government's lack of vision and direction. The Conservative Party can and will battle to represent the library customer in this deepening crisis. We aim to encourage local councils to review their strategies and build on the historic value of our libraries rather than reducing book stocks and closing the smaller, local branches.
Mark Field MP
Shadow Minister for Culture
Posted by Tim Coates at September 30, 2006 7:22 PM
Comments
Hopefully Conservative Central Office will therefore issue an edict to *all* those County Councils which they control : "No library closures under *our* administration"
Don't expect it to happen : expect to read all the usual lame political excuses.
Pink, Blue or Orange : they are all professional paper shufflers. "On the one hand...on the other hand...waffle, waffle, waffle"
Posted by: Clive Keeble at October 1, 2006 6:43 PM
Clive
You are right and it is interesting to watch how things work/ don't work.. I've learned that tory councillors are are fiercely independent of their HQ as one reads about the constituency parties (same for labour-- same for national govt departments and local gov departments). There is no "command structure" and I do think that's right-- local govt ought to mean local. That's why MP's really have little way of influencing local councils.
However, that ought to mean that there is intelligent debate and people strive to come to "shared" policy. In other words, by discussion and proper information local councillors ought, reasonably, to come to the same conclusions about libraries that Mark Field and his colleagues have done. Mostly the people in Mark's office have been listening to the public view. But the discussion between central and local doesn't take place and neither does the pursuit of a sensible shared view. Local councillors only hear the view of their own professional advisers who have to protect their own interests and jobs. That's where it breaks down: there is plenty of potential for good democracy, but it is prevented within the structure by officers and civil servants... Tim
Posted by: Tim at October 2, 2006 10:54 AM