The 15-year-old, who we cannot name for legal reasons, is said to have bombarded Hendon ward councillor Matthew Offord and the Barnet Conservative office with political enquiries and requests for a meeting until as late as 10pm.
Ah diddums. If he was poking dogmuck through the door or shouting obscenities, maybe I'd have some sympathy, but "asking political queries and requests for meetings". It's rather sad really. Offord called in the police. If he had half a brain, he'd have said to the kid "come with me, watch me canvassing & giving advice and then once you see what I do, I'll answer your questions".
The artcile says that the kid did work experience with Andrew Dismore, he clealry has a much better attitude to youth. Surely Offord should have seen this as an opportunity to recruit a motivated young man. Sure kids can be a pain in the butt, but you don't set the police on them for engaging in political activity in a democracy. I don't know much about the kid, but it tells me all I need to know about Matthew Offord (and Andrew Dismore).
I think I know this young man. If it's who I think it is he tells a story of Offord once telling him 'call me anytime', clearly expecting that he would never hear from him again. Anyway, I'm not going to say anymore about that. I'm actually really shocked by this story.
ReplyDeleteIf you are an MP you will get many more 'bothersome' people than this calling on your time. If you are doing your job properly. If that's how he's going to deal with such people, he isn't going to last long as an MP. I think Dismore might have an easier ride in the next election than many sitting Labour MPs.
Offord is a coward for calling security & police on a 15 year old.
ReplyDeleteHe is also totally disingenuous, in his quote to the Times he says that things become serious when the police get involved - when he was the one who called them in the first place!
Young people of Hendon beware! if Offord is elected to Parliament, anyone questioning him faces arrest!