Shame on you, Councillor Roberts

10:45am Friday 12th October 2007

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ABSOLUTELY disgusting!

That is the only way to describe the behaviour of deputy mayor Cllr John Roberts at the Milford Haven Town Council meeting on Monday.

Cllr Roberts authoritatively told fellow members that the Mercury was winding down its campaign to support the Torch Theatre because it had not got the public support it had hoped for.

Nobody was more surprised at the newspaper's sudden U-turn than its news editor sitting on the press bench.

The Mercury is not winding down its campaign and it is not lacking support.

Does Cllr Roberts even know how many people have signed the petition?

It would appear Cllr Roberts is not a man to let the truth stand in the way of winning an argument.

Or perhaps he actually believes he can channel Mercury editorial policy through some kind of telepathy and this has enabled him to read the minds of local people and say that few in the town are bothered by the council's decision to cut funding and put a huge Arts Council of Wales grant in jeopardy.

Members of the public who feel strongly about the Torch should sign up to the campaign as soon as possible if they don't want Cllr Roberts to claim everyone agrees with him.

Cllr Roberts seems to be unable to distinguish the difference between his opinion and the truth'.

As such any view that differs from his must be wrong and supported by nobody.

The public reaction against the town council for the short-sighted decision to slash the Torch's funding has been immensely embarrassing for its members.

But Cllr Roberts would rather bury his head in the sand and mislead his colleagues than actually consider the possibility that the decision may have been wrong.

He knew full well he was talking nonsense at Monday's meeting, but saw nothing wrong in misinforming fellow town councillors.

It was also highly unprofessional for Cllr Roberts to use the meeting to indulge in a bit of press-bashing.

Many councillors abuse this forum as it gives them the opportunity to vent their spleen in an environment where the reporter is unable to speak and, as in this case, easily disprove empty claims.

Is this really the way a town councillor should behave?

The Mercury doesn't think so.