Questions at Council Democracy Shutdown

[akarjl]

Interesting question- silent protest? If they object to a placard, what about t shirts with a bold message- given Cwissies and Mad dogs attire there can't possibly be a chamber "dress code".

If members of public simply sat there with t shorts on saying something like "We want questions AND answers?" they would look really stupid across the net if they took notice and tried physically removing someone.( then again the SCABS look stupid across the net every day)

If the "chamber police" take umbrage and try to eject you...actually taking hold of you, surely that would be a section 42 common assault? Has a precedent been set anywhere?

[Inspector Knacker]

all Mike Hill has to do is disassociate himself from them and pledge to hold an inquiry into local labour.

Those actions would prompt myself and many more lapsed labour voters to support him on June 8th, sadly that isn't going to happen.

We've been down this road before and nothing happens. They need to learn a lesson and spend some time in the wilderness. Nothing Benny Hilll can do or say will change anything at this stage.
That said, I can still see them sneaking in the back door and if that happens we deserve all we get.

[jawsbbc]

sab denies been in the mra wtf
http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/hartlepool-s-mayor-resigns-from-under-fire-manor-residents-association-over-lack-of-transparency-1-5829211

[jawsbbc]

lest we forget chrissy/stephen
"The board of trustees are 100 per cent behind me and even through the recent tribunals the charity has been awarded some major grants. If there was anything major wrong we wouldn't have been awarded them."

Read more at: http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/fourth-worker-wins-case-against-manor-residents-association-and-calls-on-angie-wilcox-to-quit-1-5901810

[DRiddle]

Dear fellow Councillors,

Please take the time to read this letter. I would appreciate it if you consider my words carefully. 

Whilst I'm aware I could reveal this week's winning lottery numbers in this message and there are those of you who would still not listen to me, I live in hope that there are at least some of you with morals and genuine integrity.

This letter concerns the proposals to change the council's constitution (yet again), to restrict the questions which can be asked by members of the public and of fellow councillors. I also wish to pass comment to you all regarding the proposed change in the timing of full council meetings. 

Firstly, regarding removing the right councillors currently have to ask questions without notice, I wish to remind you of the following

"Democratic dissent is not disloyalty, it is a positive civic duty".

. Those are not my words, but the words of Shami Chakrabarti, the Labour Politician who now sits in the House of Lords. 

The fact that I and others routinely disagree with Labour policies and decisions within the council chamber is a natural, healthy party of democracy. There has to be a 'check and balance' system. It is an integral part of the true nature of political discourse. 

The council cannot become a 'one party state', no matter how much some members would prefer that to be the case.  That is extremely unhealthy and frankly dangerous. One need only look to the events of 1933 in Germany for evidence of that. 

Secondly, I would implore you to search your conscience (those of you who have one) and think very hard about restricting the public from asking elected members questions in full council meetings. 

Those members of the public are the same people who elected us all. They have a right to play a meaningful part in what is supposed to be a true representative democracy.

Thirdly, I wish to pass comment about the notion of moving full council meetings to early afternoon, which would make it difficult for elected members with jobs to attend. 

A much more notable political figure than any of us once said

"A working man should go to the House of Commons in his workday clothes. He should address the speaker on Labour questions and give his utterance to the same sentiments in the same language and in the same manner that he is accustomed to utter his sentiments".

In short, the quotation above says in no uncertain terms that the working man (or woman) has to be part of the democratic process. Working people are an integral part of the democratic process and it would be very wrong to place barriers in the way of working people who wish to participate.

Indeed, I doubt you need me to remind you take the word 'Labour' is derived from the old French word 'labor' meaning "toil, work, exertion, task".

Mark my words, if a Labour council essentially excludes working people from taking part in council meetings I will make it my mission to ensure that decision makes national headlines before June 8th. 

The quote in bold above by the way is from Keir Hardie, some of you will be familiar with his work, although I suspect not all of you. 

Finally, I end with a plea. I know some of you are decent people. Some of you are true socialists, people who genuinely care about others. I also suspect that some of you are not. Some of you, in my opinion, hide behind the veneer of respectability membership of the Labour Party can bring.

Surely you can see how desperate the political situation in Hartlepool is? During the tenure of your 'leader' Christopher Akers-Belcher and what I will loosely describe as his 'front bench team', the council has lurched from one calamity to another.

In three weeks' time bookmakers anticipate Labour losing a seat the party has held for 60 years. 

Whilst I accept to some degree this may occur due to the media's destruction of Jeremy Corbyn, I firmly believe the rot has been setting in in Hartlepool long before Corbyn rose to national prominence. 

Four years ago I wrote a letter to Iain Wright virtually begging him to do something about the chaotic, shambolic leadership within the local Labour Party in Hartlepool. 

I warned him four years ago that Christopher Akers-Belcher, Kevin Cranney and others (if allowed to continue unchallenged) would bring down Labour in Hartlepool. I predicted Labour would lose the national seat if Hartlepool Borough Council did not experience a rapid wind of change. 

In the early hours of June 9th, we'll see if I was right. 

Please consider my words carefully.

Kind regards

Cllr Riddle

[akarjl]

Well done- can we assume it has been "leaked" to the snail, gazette, echo etc?

[kevplumb]

spot on 

[fred c]

Sentiments that should be valued by all of us, unfortunately for both the town and the labour party there are councillors amongst the ruling group that have no comprehension of the sentiments expressed in D Riddles letter.

Working people are an integral part of the democratic process and it would be very wrong to place barriers in the way of working people who wish to participate.

How many of the ruling group of working age, are actually engaged in meaningful employment ?

Indeed, I doubt you need me to remind you take the word 'Labour' is derived from the old French word 'labor' meaning "toil, work, exertion, task".

There are members of the ruling group who, despite being of working age, haven't been in meaningful employment for years.

Those above points are reasons enough to question how this council operates.

There are dozens of well documented examples of the sheer waste of public money by the ruling group in the last 10 years, the most obvious was the blind faith shown in the operations of a 'Bent Councillor' by the labour council, the telling issue in her behaviour was the fact that she 'resigned as a labour councillor'....... she wasn't thrown out of the ruling labour group.

[norfolkngoode]

Petition

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/reject-council-proposals-to-limit-access-to-meetings

[DRiddle]

Coincidentally, 38 degress have just phoned me. Yes, they phoned ME Christopher, this will go national. I hope Mike Hill is reading this.

[fred c]

What Mike Hill should have read, was his proposal form....... then crossed out half a dozen names, starting with Lying Ste and The Misogynist

[Foggy]

Is it just my suspicious mind or does anyone else smell a rat with this whole business?

It is very unusual for CAB to be so vocal on Facebook, particularly engaging in conversation with Councillors who I believe he has blocked on Twitter (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong with that statement). He is doing his usual thing though... pleading innocence, having sly digs about attendance at meetings and making out that everyone else is mad! Actually the only new thing appears to be that he has learned the words 'fake' and 'news' and is seriously overusing them. Clown. 

So... I'm wondering if some games are being played. I believe something similar has happened before (but I can't recall the situation).  What if the Mob are sitting back and watching everyone stir themselves up about this, then when it comes to the meeting they appear not to be in favour of the proposals/recommendations and vote differently to what is expected. This then makes the people who are up in arms about it look silly and makes the Mob look like the good guys right before the general election and some folk are about to complete their postal votes. The Fail reports that Labour save the day and stand up for democracy accompanied by a photoshopped picture of a grinning CAB alongside Mike Hill. 

I may be barking up the wrong tree but something just doesn't seem right.

On the other hand CAB's appearance on FB may just be his way of drumming up support for the Labour candidate. He is arrogant enough to think he is 'helping'

[mk1]

Is it just my suspicious mind or does anyone else smell a rat with this whole business...................... I may be barking up the wrong tree but something just doesn't seem right.

It is a well know tactic.  You want to introduce an unpopular policy of a 10p tax rise.  You leak details that you are thinking about a 30p tax rises. Come the day you  push through your initial 10p rise and the opposition are chuffed. They can claim to have stopped the big rise without realising they have been played.

You are missing the big picture here. The running is not being made by Labour. The SCABs and Co. are reeling under the publicity being given to their proposals. They are in the middle of a very tricky GE Campaign and must not do anything that could lose even 1 vote. Labour North must be tearing their hair out wondering at the stupidity they see unfolding before them. Truly these are idiots of a class never seen before and never likely to appear again. They simply have  not got an ounce of brains between them.

[seaton]

Petition

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/reject-council-proposals-to-limit-access-to-meetings

I put it up on The Town of Hartlepool and all the posts have been deleted now !

[Inspector Knacker]

Is it just my suspicious mind or does anyone else smell a rat with this whole business?

It is very unusual for CAB to be so vocal on Facebook, particularly engaging in conversation with Councillors who I believe he has blocked on Twitter (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong with that statement). He is doing his usual thing though... pleading innocence, having sly digs about attendance at meetings and making out that everyone else is mad! Actually the only new thing appears to be that he has learned the words 'fake' and 'news' and is seriously overusing them. Clown. 

So... I'm wondering if some games are being played. I believe something similar has happened before (but I can't recall the situation).  What if the Mob are sitting back and watching everyone stir themselves up about this, then when it comes to the meeting they appear not to be in favour of the proposals/recommendations and vote differently to what is expected. This then makes the people who are up in arms about it look silly and makes the Mob look like the good guys right before the general election and some folk are about to complete their postal votes. The Fail reports that Labour save the day and stand up for democracy accompanied by a photoshopped picture of a grinning CAB alongside Mike Hill. 

I may be barking up the wrong tree but something just doesn't seem right.

On the other hand CAB's appearance on FB may just be his way of drumming up support for the Labour candidate. He is arrogant enough to think he is 'helping'

So basically, they start the fire, put it out and take the credit for rescuing themselves.
I suspect they've been made to look presentable, aka act their age, rather than dress like well fed ageing DJ's and actually indulge in political debate for which they are totally ill  equipped.
They must have been let loose for the period of the election, though a wiser move would have been a group booking on a cruise to Antarctica for several weeks. The core vote will support them and I really can't see them persuading anyone to vote in their favour,
If I was the national Labour Party I'd order a skip.