4 July 2025
Bedford Ian has been looking at recent goings on across Bedford Borough and tells us what he thinks of it all.
Mansplaining mansplained
It’s not every day you hear the phrase, “Mansplaining explained in council mansplaining complaint”.
But here we are.
Read: Mayor apologises for councillor’s ‘mansplaining’ misstep
This week, the Mayor had to apologise on behalf of a councillor after he was accused of mansplaining to a resident during a meeting.
No doubt the councillor felt he was just “being helpful,” as though that phrase hasn’t been the opening line of every mansplainer since time began. Although the resident felt he “did this for laughs, which members of his own party thought was funny”.
To be fair, the Mayor handled it with grace, apologising on behalf of the council and acknowledging that meetings should be respectful and professional.
But the whole exchange serves as a reminder that just because you’ve got the mic doesn’t mean everyone else needs your unsolicited explanation of their point.
For future reference, councillors (or anyone), if you feel the urge to explain someone’s own words or experience back to them, take a breath and ask yourself, is the situation really crying out for someone to let everyone know that you know what they know?
Just a heads up, it isn’t.
Image from Kim Goodwin.
Self-love
Some of life’s great mysteries have puzzled humankind for generations.
- What really happened to Amelia Earhart?
- Why was the Mary Celeste found adrift with no crew?
- Where do all those odd socks go?
And now, to that list, we can add:
- Why do Bedford & Kempston Conservatives keep liking their own Facebook posts?
Is it a strategy? Is it ego? Is it just a case of “if we don’t, who will?”
Hard to say. But few things scream “engaged grassroots movement” like a party page desperately patting itself on the back.
Maybe they think it tricks the algorithm. Perhaps it’s all part of a digital echo chamber experiment. Or maybe, just maybe, the person running the account genuinely believes it helps. Spoiler alert, it doesn’t
Whatever the reason, one thing’s clear: self-love might be admirable in theory, but in politics, it looks a bit… needy.
Still, in a world where the truth is out there and socks vanish into the abyss, I guess anything’s possible.
Thirst trap
Ah, summer in Bedford. Sun (sometimes), music, good vibes, and apparently, a beer so expensive you half expect it to be served by Elton John himself.
One concert down, and there’s already a backlash brewing on social media over drink prices at Bedford Summer Sessions, which is entirely understandable. £6.60 for a 330ml can of beer? Do the maths, and that’s basically £12 a pint.
For comparison, a pint at Wembley, arguably the least wallet-friendly venue in the country, is still “only” £7.80. So congratulations, Bedford, you’ve managed to out-Wembley Wembley.
Yes, tickets are cheaper than you’d pay in London, but it feels a bit rich to market the event as affordable while charging festival-goers top-shelf prices to stay hydrated.
Now, the organisers are pumping a lot of money back into the local economy, employing a lot of local people, and you don’t have to buy their drinks if you don’t want to.
Read: Bringing the £6million party to Bedford: Why top promoters are backing our town
Still, the Bedford Independent’s editorial team has asked the organisers about their pricing, and we’ll publish their response when it arrives.
See you soon, Bedford Ian.
PS: If you see anything Bedford Ian might find amusing, tell us at news@BedfordIndependent.co.uk.
