In just over a week’s time we play Swansea City at the Mem. The day will mean a lot for the short-term prospects of the visitors as they attempt to capture one of the three automatic promotion slots. There may not be much riding on the game for us that day, but it could mean a lot in terms of the long-term future of the club.

Why? Because four days later our application for the redevelopment of the Blackthorn End will be heard by Bristol City Council’s Development Control (North) Committee. The importance of that decision cannot be under-estimated – it is one of the most important days in the club’s history for many a year. As Geoff Dunford stated at the club’s recent AGM: "If we do not get planning permission for the new stand then the future of the club will be in doubt."

One of the other things Dunford said that night was also pertinent: "It will ultimately come down to a political decision”. By all accounts the Council’s planning officers have been giving us every assistance and there is also allegedly some form of agreement that both Bristol clubs would be given backing to redevelop their grounds following the failure to find a suitable site for a shared stadium. But all of that may count for very little when there is an election only days away.

And so the likelihood is that even if the Council’s officers back our cause then party politics may still prove a very major obstacle.

Given that, and the importance of the decision to Bristol’s oldest League club, isn’t about time that Rovers’ fans got political? Although they’ve been relatively quiet publicly, you can bet your bottom dollar that the RAGE lobby will be doing their utmost to quash the plans and will be well organised. But maybe it’s time that the politicians who may be listening to those views were reminded that Gasheads have votes too.

The Swansea game, just four days before the application is heard, provides an ideal opportunity to let the eleven Councillors who will decide our fate (six Labour members, four Lib Dems and two Tories) just how big a desire there is for a vote in favour.

Any form of protest/ show of feeling doesn’t have to be negative. In fact it should be quite the opposite. There is absolutely no mileage in slating the Councillors before they have made a decision and to do so would be completely counter-productive. But we could learn a lot from a place we visited back in August – the Withdean Stadium.

Take a look at these pictures and you’ll see just what a powerful message can be gotten across during the course of a game.

Brighton Protest

Thousands of people holding up placards in unison as the teams come out for the start of each half. Marching a banner around the pitch at half-time, stopping in front of the Blackthorn end at which point all the fans could hold their placards up. Ideal photo opportunities which would generate loads of column inches and no end of radio and TV coverage right up until the meeting itself. If you were a Councillor voting on a key issue just days before an election and you saw thousands of your potential voters actively campaigning in favour, would you vote no?

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