“Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results”
As Shropshire lumbers towards another local election, the ballot paper may have changed font, but the options remain comfortingly bleak. Once again, we’re treated to the familiar LibDem-Tory pantomime—each accusing the other of mismanagement, while quietly agreeing on how to continue it.
Earlier we introduced Reform UK’s plan for Shropshire—a council that might actually function—this week it’s time to survey the wreckage left by those who already had their turn at the wheel.
Team LibCon: The Coalition of Copy-Paste
Let’s be honest. Whether it’s LibDem yellow or Tory blue, the result for Shropshire residents has been indistinguishable: dithering, denial, and delivery vans full of consultants.
1. The Budget That Broke Itself
– Tories promised fiscal responsibility. What we got was a council overspending by tens of millions and sneaking in last-minute emergency budgets.
– LibDems, when briefly steering, happily nodded along with ‘balancing the books’—by closing libraries, axing community grants, and pretending car park charges were a growth strategy.
Meanwhile, Reform UK has proposed a publicly accountable budget framework with a 100-day audit, and quarterly financial reports via the DGEPA. Radical? Only if you’ve been conditioned to accept failure.
2. Housing: Boxes, Not Homes
– Conservatives greenlit speculative development on land no one asked for, often against the wishes of parish councils.
– LibDems enthusiastically waved through “sustainable housing” plans that somehow always ended up next to the sewage works or the bypass.
Reform UK offers a wild idea: build housing where people want to live and where services actually exist. It’s not Nimbyism—it’s Neighbourism.
3. Public Services: The Vanishing Trick
– Tories said they’d protect libraries and children’s centres. Then they did the exact opposite—while increasing senior management salaries.
– LibDems promised “community-led” services. They delivered consultations so buried in jargon you’d need a decoder ring to participate.
Reform’s position? Fund what works, bin what doesn’t, and give frontline workers the tools—not just a new “vision statement.”
4. Immigration: The Silent Collusion
While national parties argue semantics, LibDems actively campaign to scrap every viable deterrent—most recently, the Rwanda scheme. The Conservatives created it, then half-disowned it.
Reform UK? Clear: If illegal immigration is a problem, don’t enable it. Fix it. Locally, that means fighting for resources where population pressures have strained schools, housing, and health services.
5. Council Culture: The Pyjama Party Continues
Under both regimes:
– Remote working became default.
– Performance declined.
– Residents waited weeks for services while “working from home” was still labelled a wellbeing innovation.
Reform’s position: turn the lights on at Council HQ and show up. Radical stuff, apparently.
6. A Difference You Can Actually See
Policy Area | LibDems / Conservatives | Reform UK
Budget Oversight | Murky and unaccountable | Public audits and full reports
Housing Location | Developer-led | Resident-focused
Council Tax | Always rising | Frozen with cuts to waste
Libraries & Services | PR fodder | Protected in black-and-white
Transparency | Occasional lip-service | DGEPA with teeth
Immigration Impact | Ignored or excused | Acknowledged and resourced
Conclusion: Don’t Get Fooled Again
This election isn’t just about choosing who sits at the big wooden table—it’s about whether the table gets cleared of the same stale leftovers. The Tories and LibDems want to rerun the same script with a few different faces. Reform UK is offering a rewrite.
If you’re tired of managed decline, manufactured apologies, and manifestos that vanish by Tuesday lunchtime—perhaps it’s time to vote for the party that treats residents as stakeholders, not spectators.
This
or this
The Alternative Council 