Some things are not difficult. Councillors are elected to represent people (even in Barnet). They are not elected to racially abuse them. They are not elected to publicly humiliate them. Councillor John Hart, Chairman of the Hendon and District Residents forum (for which he receives an allowance of several thousand pounds) thought it was funny to "imitate" a Sri Lankan womans accent when she asked him a question. When asked if he was being racist, he replied in the affirmitive. There were dozens of witnesses, including several other councillors.
So how serious does the Leader of Barnet Council, Lynne Hillan think this is. This is what she told the local paper.
This is not leadership. This is a disgrace. All Hillan needs to do is speak to a few of her colleagues who were present, establish that the press reports are correct and then take action. Humiliating someone because they speak with an accent is totally unacceptable. Once Lynne Hillan had established this, the rest is simple. She should withdraw the whip from John Hart and tell him that he should resign as a Councillor. No investigation is needed. It will cost the taxpayer a fortune, when the facts are plain. In the space of less than a week, we've had the unedifying spectacle of Matthew Offord claiming that a promenent member of the party was an anti semite. Offord's justification for doing nothing was "The Conservative Party is a broad church". Whilst I don't actually believe Offords story, if you take it at face value, it is appalling that our MP doesn't mind such people canvassing on his behalf. He claims he only ceased contact, when he no longer needed people to go out on the stump with him.
When I took Brian Coleman to the standards board, many people asked why I'd got so upset with a few nasty words in an email. I explained that I wasn't bothered on a personal level, but Councillors have to show respect to the people they represent. I had hoped that the lesson would sink in. One of the directives of the Standards committee was that Councillors were given training in dealing with the public.
Was this ever done? If it was it clearly hasn't worked. If it wasn't it shows that Hillan and her predecessor Mike Freer, have no interest in showing the public respect. What John Hart has done shows that he isn't a suitable person to be a councillor. If Hillan needs a standards committee to tell her that, she is not a suitable person to be a leader. Consider this. Brian Coleman was found guity of breaching the Standards code, no action was taken by local Conservatives. Matthew Offord claims a senior member of the local party was an anti Semite, no action was taken by the local Conservatives, John Hart racially abuses a member of the public in his official capacity as Residents forum chair. No action was taken by the local Conservatives (Hart resigned his role as chair, he should have been summarily sacked). So have any Conservatives been "disciplined" by the party? Yes actually, one has. Councillor Kate Salinger was publicly humiliated by the party and stripped of her chair of committee role. Her crime, she abstained in a vote to give herself and other senior Tories a massive pay rise.
This is the Barnet Conservatives under Hillan. Racism, Anti Semitism and disrespect of the public is fine. The only thing that isn't is if you try and stop the troughing. Shame on Hillan. Shame on all of the people who voted to keep her.
Here's the link to the Times :-
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/8813282.Veteran_councillor_faces_standards_hearing_over_racism_claims/
I was informed by three people of the story immediately after the event. I must confess that I didn't believe it which is why I didn't post it immediately. I apologise to those people who made the effort for my doubts.
So how serious does the Leader of Barnet Council, Lynne Hillan think this is. This is what she told the local paper.
"An allegation concerning Cllr John Hart has been made to the monitoring officer.Whilst the matter is being investigated we cannot comment, however we are proud of Barnet's record in community cohesion in this diverse borough. Cllr Hart has resigned as Chairman of Hendon Residents Forum as an interim measure whilst investigations proceed."
When I took Brian Coleman to the standards board, many people asked why I'd got so upset with a few nasty words in an email. I explained that I wasn't bothered on a personal level, but Councillors have to show respect to the people they represent. I had hoped that the lesson would sink in. One of the directives of the Standards committee was that Councillors were given training in dealing with the public.
Was this ever done? If it was it clearly hasn't worked. If it wasn't it shows that Hillan and her predecessor Mike Freer, have no interest in showing the public respect. What John Hart has done shows that he isn't a suitable person to be a councillor. If Hillan needs a standards committee to tell her that, she is not a suitable person to be a leader. Consider this. Brian Coleman was found guity of breaching the Standards code, no action was taken by local Conservatives. Matthew Offord claims a senior member of the local party was an anti Semite, no action was taken by the local Conservatives, John Hart racially abuses a member of the public in his official capacity as Residents forum chair. No action was taken by the local Conservatives (Hart resigned his role as chair, he should have been summarily sacked). So have any Conservatives been "disciplined" by the party? Yes actually, one has. Councillor Kate Salinger was publicly humiliated by the party and stripped of her chair of committee role. Her crime, she abstained in a vote to give herself and other senior Tories a massive pay rise.
This is the Barnet Conservatives under Hillan. Racism, Anti Semitism and disrespect of the public is fine. The only thing that isn't is if you try and stop the troughing. Shame on Hillan. Shame on all of the people who voted to keep her.
Here's the link to the Times :-
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/8813282.Veteran_councillor_faces_standards_hearing_over_racism_claims/
I was informed by three people of the story immediately after the event. I must confess that I didn't believe it which is why I didn't post it immediately. I apologise to those people who made the effort for my doubts.
2 comments:
Betweeen 1977 and 1979 I spent a lot of time between Germany and the UK. Every politician and judge fully understood the meaning of the words below on the odd front or main areas of Government buildings and courts.
"Human dignity shall be inviolable" (In German of course)
It's Article 1 of the German Constitution.
Should one draw any inferences from the silence of Cllr Rajput and other south asian councillors?
The Hendon Times link shows that local Tory Party believe in Freedom of Speech but only if their membership don't have their priciples and personal morality put under scrutiny.
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