"Public Consultation" = Sham Democracy.

In a dictatorship the rulers sometimes try to legitimise themselves by organising a plebiscite. The result of which ends up with over 90% voting in favour of the government.

Democracies have another method its called public consultation.

The first round of cuts” in Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT)move closer to becoming a reality after the proposed g nursery and pre-nursery  children, youth services, libraries, day centres, and the meal on wheels service   were approved by councillors yesterday.

Cabinet members of one of South Wales' biggest councils met yesterday (Oct 21st) afternoon to discuss proposals to bridge the authority's £56m funding gap

Plaid opposition leader Coun Pauline Jarman said: “I urge you not to go to consultation on ending full-time education for three-year-olds.

“This already has a massive no vote from the public. If members take no notice of that then this consultation will be a sham. Reducing to half-time provision is a massive backward step.

“In the 1970s Margaret Thatcher was known as the milk snatcher, do you want to go down as the council that steals food out of the mouths of the children.”

The same can be made about the other cuts already there a position against the closure of my local Library at the local Post Office  and I suspect that the same will be true elsewhere.

Maybe RCT have a plan to consult people about the Library closures in areas not affected and then publish the results?

No. I don't rreally really think that but the idea of a public consultation which already has resulted in outrage to give legitimacy when you clearly have no intention of listening shows that the whole process is a farce.

What the council hope is that they meet with the public and blame it all on the Westminster government. 

But by choosing the targets they have, they will get short shrift I suspect.

However they may throw a few crumbs and save a Library or two.

But please when will our democratically elected representatives stop the pretence that through "Public Consultation" that this will somehow change what they intended in the first place.

This goes all the way up from RCT to Public consultation over Nuclear Power Plants and even Silk.

Its a sham democracy and an insult to our intelligence,