Seems it’s ok for councillors to swear

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In related news to young Olly Cromwells current issues with Bexley Cuntcil and the beak in seems that it’s perfectly OK for Councillors to swear about other Councillors:

” A councillor has won High Court backing to be “rude” online about colleagues in what could be a landmark case.

Community councillor Malcolm Calver, of Manorbier, Pembrokeshire, challenged a censure by a local authority standards body over “bitching” and “sarcastic” comments.

He claimed it violated his human right to freedom of expression.

Mr Justice Beatson said there was ‘a need for politicians to have thicker skins than others’.”

There would though sadly seem to be a shortage of thick skins and freedom of expression around Bexley Cuntcil.

(H/T Katabasis)

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More evasive bollox

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Gareth BaconLondon Assembly member and Bexley Council member Gareth Bacon has responded to my request for clarification. Explaining that even though I’m only asking about a general principle as that principle relates to a current court case he couldn’t possibly comment. Now I’m not a lawyer (thankfully) but this level of “couldn’t possibly comment on a case before the courts” seems well let’s be generous and say a tad over precautionary at best.

“Dear A Voter,

Unfortunately you did not pay sufficient attention to my email, so I need to be explicitly clear in my response. It would be entirely inappropriate for me to make any comment relating to any issue, whether hypothetical or actual, relating to a case currently before the British courts.

Yours sincerely,

Gareth Bacon AM”

Checking his first reply again I’m not quite sure how I was expected to get from hist can’t “comment in any detail” to can’t comment at all, but there you go. Just to keep things fair, my clarification e-mail is below:
“Dear Mr Bacon,

As I stated in my initial e-mail I am not asking you to comment on a particular case but on the general principle of if it is ever right for an elected body to use th courts or other means to prevent one of their constituents/members of the public from holding that body to account and commenting on it’s activities? My question as initially asked was:

“So I was wondering if you think it is ever appropriate that a local Council seek to prevent one of their constituents from writing about them in any form?”

I explicitly said I wasn’t asking for comment on the particular case, and I don’t believe that my question as asked required any level of detail so much as a general statement of principle.

So I ask again if in principle you believe that it is acceptable for an elected body to seek to prevent members of the public commenting on that bodies activities?

Yours Sincerely
A Voter”

I am however impressed that he replies so quickly given the number of jobs he seems to hold down to take money from the tax payer.

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Random update

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What with taking a holiday up in the wilds of North Yorkshire and being sent on a training course by work life has been rather busy. That aside though I’ve just followed up with those elected representatives who gave mealy mouthed and evasive replies to give them a chance to support free speech and accountability. Not a single further reply have I received to my initial query, so I may do individual follow ups to the lot of them and failing that shall post a list of those that couldn’t be bothered to reply (which includes all but one Mayoral candidate). Meanwhile unless I have my dates wrong young Olly Cromwell is up before the beak again in Bromley tomorrow (or today depending on when you read this, either way it’ll be the 9th of May). If you can go along to lend support please do so (sadly I can’t) and if you can’t go why not write to your representatives? Chances are it won’t do much good but then again not writing definitely won’t achieve anything so got to be worth a try. Of course highlighting the appalling behaviour of Bexley Cuntcil* will at least make their life a tiny bit more awkward even if it doesn’t help Olly.

*Swearing deliberate through out this topic.

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