Noble Ways by Roy Noble

Author:Roy Noble
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2010-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

PSSST … KNOW A COUNCILLOR?

“TRANSPARENCY”, NOW THERE’S AN “in” word these days. All official dealings and doings must be open to scrutiny, fully transparent.

Transparency isn’t new, of course. We knew it as a side-effect of many of the official “goings on” and decision-making years ago; in fact, it was sometimes so transparent, we could see right through it from miles away.

Take local authority appointments, where each application form had a line at the bottom of the first page stating “Canvassing of local authority members will disqualify the candidate”. What a load of fiction that was; in some counties, canvassing seemed second only to mixed farming or heavy industry output as a way of life.

Teaching appointments were an example of local authority members becoming “local squires” of influence. Indeed, headship appointments became minefields of uncertainty.

When Elaine and I were due to marry, we were both interviewed for teaching jobs in the Caerffili & Gelligaer Division of Glamorganshire. All was done alphabetically, so, in the list of candidates, Elaine, as an “Evans” was way higher than myself as a “Noble”. When it came to my turn, a benign, jocular councillor on the panel said, ‘Mr Chairman, remember now, if you appoint Noble, number twelve, you must appoint Evans, number five, because they are – romantically inclined.’

What a marvellous man, he knew that lust and liability can be comfortable bed-fellows. No canvassing had been done, yet we were both duly appointed.

My first headship interview was rather bizarre. It must have been market day in Brecon, for thirty councillors sat on the appointing panel in Breconshire County Hall. The ancient county of Breconshire was due to be amalgamated into the new county of Powys, so, as it transpired, Powys and I started together, me as a head, and Powys as a county.

As the candidates, myself included, waited in the designated room, the large appointing panel walked through into the interview chamber. Quite a few of them were nodding to two of the candidates, and I thought to myself, aye aye, two of those boys have been canvassing the councillors for this post. I’ve no chance. I’m here just as cannon fodder.

Interviews over, shock of shocks, I was recalled to the chamber and offered the post. Six months later, the sitting local authority member, for the area in which the school was situated, called to see me.

‘I’ve got to tell you,’ he said, ‘I didn’t vote for you at first, because you hadn’t been to see me. You hadn’t canvassed me, so I didn’t know who the hell you were. You did put up a good show in the council chamber, mind, but we had some trouble that day. Two of the other candidates had canvassed so heavily that we couldn’t get a majority for either, fifteen votes each, so we had a recount – fifteen each again. In the end, the Chairman suggested a compromise, so we all voted for you.’

My second headship appointment, some seven years after the first, involved a “long shortlist” and a “short shortlist” system.

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