At 4:30pm, Mrs Mandla called me to find out whether she might see me tonight. I said there’s nothing going on this agenda, I sure I’ll see you for Dinner.

Then at 4:36pm come the important Lord Mayoral Minutes. Democracy in Action. Lord Mayor, you had all the information, you knew you’d have this Minute on Friday, even Thursday probably a week ago.

So it’s either debate cowardice or sloppiness. Either way it’s a reflection on the poor leadership of the City.

Our continuing reign as the Greater Sydney Council in exile continues. On minute we don’t want amalgamations and next minute we want to amalgamate with Western Sydney.

Today, we are offering a didactic and patronising lecture to the rest of Sydney about what’s good for them. Really we are just talking to ourselves.

What we are assuming is that the State Government just builds a Freeway for the fun of it and is incapable of undertaking its own research. I somehow highly doubt that. They seem to be doing a good job.

As Rod Stewart had in “Young Turks”, there is no point in talking when there is nobody listening. To present ourselves as the arbiters of what is good for greater Sydney might play well in this Chamber, but it’s not going to get a good reception out west and we have bigger problems closer to home. And it won’t help all those letters we post asking for the Premier and Ministers for help when we keep on with nonsense like this.

But there are words in this report and minute that are between the lines, and I will find them for you. After nearly 11 years this administration has produced mostly Consultants reports in the past and achieved little, is defensive about the present and has nothing to say about the future.

I would remind the Chamber that both Government and the Opposition committed to this project in one form or another and an overwhelming mandate was secured by way of a general election. That’s what the people want.

We think we should tell them what they need, when we think there may be some mileage in something not getting built. We have no such mandate and we look hypocritical telling people what to do in Western Sydney when we cannot deal with matters in our own back yard.

• Rubbish
• Rats
• Oxford Street
• Homelessness
• Southern Industrial Area LEP
• City Recital Hall
• Failed Trigeneration Projects
• Parking