Simon سايمون ([info]srk1) wrote,
@ 2007-01-24 12:12:00
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Via the Vote 2007 forum, some pretty disgraceful behaviour from two Lib Dem Councillors in Burnley:

http://www.burnleytoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=131&ArticleID=1957030

IN reply to Coun. Mark Townsend's letter regarding Liberal Democrat councillors voting for the British National Party candidate.
The Lib Dems are, by their very name, liberal-minded and democratic. We vote how we think the needs of the people are best-served.
At the full council meeting on December 13th, a position came up for renewal. This was on the board of Padiham Life, which comes under the Small Towns Initiative and backed by the North West Regional Development Association to the tune of £1m.
When it came to the vote, there was a choice of only two candidates – Sharon Wilkinson, BNP, who represents Hapton and Park ward, and Linda Gauton, Labour. Coun. Wilkinson is quite passionate about her ward members and was indeed shown in the Express recently supporting old people who had received threatening notices from the town council for not recycling properly. As the spokesman for her party she speaks up regularly for what she feels is right. To my mind, she is actively doing her job for the people who voted for her.
Coun. Gauton, on the other hand, is a person who I have yet to hear speak up at full council this year.
Given these facts and that Padiham Life is over represented by Labour, this would have helped to restore a balance and would have given Padiham people the best person for the post. Thus, Coun. Wilkinson was, to my mind and Coun. Sumner's, the better candidate.
As for Coun. Townsend crowing about a supposed crumbling Lib Dem administration that is allegedly falling apart, I think not. The only thing crumbling and falling apart round here, and in England as a whole, is the Labour Party. This is why people are looking to other parties, and it is not a crime in this country to vote for who you choose, Coun. Townsend, not until Dictator Blair makes it so.
The facts of the matter are that the Burnley people have had enough of Labour. Seeing many other councils successfully run by the Lib Dems, they have decided to give us a chance in Burnley and I say well done to them. It takes courage to break a lifetime's voting habits. This, however, is only the start and we are confident enough to predict we will show our worth to the people where it matters and not pay lip-service to worn-out Labour taunts.
COUN. JOHN JONES, Linby Street, Burnley


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[info]exmoor_cat
2007-01-24 12:30 pm UTC (link)
I wonder who will get to them first, the party or the voters?

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[info]publicansdecoy
2007-01-24 12:32 pm UTC (link)
Jesus.

-x-

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[info]beanheartbatman
2007-01-24 12:37 pm UTC (link)
How can you be over-represented by a party; either people voted for them and at the time wanted them, or they didn't. Also the lib-dems should look back at their own history and realise actually they're not the great liberally democratic party they seem to think they are.

If people are going to dislike Labour, I'd rather they did it in another manner than electing the BNP (or any other fascist, nasty party). Because as much as I like the idea of freedom, I dislike the BNP immensley and would rather not see them in power. At all. And the lib-dem's seem in that to be suggesting "anyone but Labour" is pretty dangerous if they're championing the BNP. Because that's not a liberal or democratic party at all.

ooh that's made me mad.

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[info]srk1
2007-01-24 12:49 pm UTC (link)
How can you be over-represented by a party; either people voted for them and at the time wanted them, or they didn't.

I think the point being made is that the Labour composition on this board (not directly elected) does not reflect the composition of councillors in Padiham. However, I don't think this actually matters. None of the mainstream parties should work or co-operate with BNP members under any circumstances, anywhere, ever. If councillors take it upon themselves to do otherwise, they are taking the first steps towards legitimating the BNP as a 'normal', legitimate part of the body politic.

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[info]beanheartbatman
2007-01-24 01:00 pm UTC (link)
Well obviously that will disregard the Lib-dem's opinions that Labour don't care, as if they're on the board, they obviously do (I sound like a labour supporter, i'm not).

And the BNP, i think it's tricky; if they're elected and you don't work with them you give them the opportunity to have one more thing to complain about and potentially win them more votes. I think it's an interesting question, much like no-platform. Do we give them a chance to speak and hope people will realise they're awful, or ban them and give them more to challenge?

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[info]srk1
2007-01-24 01:20 pm UTC (link)
if they're elected and you don't work with them you give them the opportunity to have one more thing to complain about and potentially win them more votes.

Possibly, but BNP councillors tend to be fairly inept in any case, so it's not as if they would be satisfactorily represented if the other parties did work with them.

'no platform' is a fairly straightforward issue of freedom of speech, IMO, whereas the issue of working with BNP councillors relates to whether we think they should have any influence over representative decision-making bodies. The other parties are within their rights (in fact, I'd say they have an obligation) to exclude them from this process, elected or no.

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[info]beanheartbatman
2007-01-24 10:23 pm UTC (link)
I tend to find the whole issue a bit clouded. I mean personally would I want to work with someone in the BNP, no. But if they've been elected by people, then surely it's a duty to. But then does that encourage them? I mean surely as a councillor/MP you are elected on the premise that "this is what the people want" and so it's your duty to act for the people. And if the people want the BNP they want the BNP involved in decision making. Which to me kinda sucks, because I really wish they weren't. But then if councillors were allowed to go around chosing who they want to work with we could get no where.

Morally I want to say off with their heads, but I can't ration it out into a reasoned arguement.

Philosophy failed me!

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[info]andrewhickey
2007-01-24 06:15 pm UTC (link)
But if you *do* work with them you're legitimising them and making it that much OK for your voters to vote for them next time.

I've done a lot of volunter work for the Lib Dems over the last year, but this absolutely disgusted me. There is no possible excuse for working with a group that are fundamentally opposed to civilisation - I'd be as happy for them to have endorsed an Al-Qaida councillor...

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[info]beingjdc
2007-01-24 06:23 pm UTC (link)
an Al-Qaida councillor

Or "RESPECT" as they prefer to be known.

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[info]beanheartbatman
2007-01-24 10:25 pm UTC (link)
I'm just not a fan of political parties...Labour and the Tories are inept when they get power and the lib-dems seem very wishy-washy in policy.

Again, I think it's a catch-22. You don't work with them you're effectively denying the spirit of fair and democratic voting, you do work with them and they'll try and destroy it by trying to be popular and using the deomcratic powers to create a fascist state.

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[info]beingjdc
2007-01-24 01:08 pm UTC (link)
Oh but but it's all been "rebutted", you know! In a secret place that someone can't remember but definitely saw it, yes he did.

Stupid people.

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[info]communicator
2007-01-24 02:43 pm UTC (link)
it is not a crime in this country to vote for who you choose... not until Dictator Blair makes it so

I think this sums up the Lib-Dem attitude. Blair has made serious errors, and I'll be pleased to see him go, but isn't a 'dictator', and he isn't about to make it illegal to vote. But they have said it so often, and cheered each other on so uncritically, that they are now drifting away from reality and decency altogether.

The argument is 'As Blair is an unshakeable dictator who is about to abolish the vote, we are justified in supporting racists just to resist him'? Madness.

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