Handforth Parish Council meeting - hilarious zoom video

[SheilaNaGig]

Women are scared that they will be physically attacked. Men are scared that they will be laughed at.

Zoom gives us some distance from each other, so we’re in less danger of being attacked while the risible pricks are exposed and recorded for posterity.

Win win

 

[Gramsci]

To be honest, I didn’t find the original video funny at all. It was a bunch of pricks bullying a woman, and the woman standing up to the them and cutting through the bullshit to get some local politics done. I’ve no doubt at all that this dynamic is played out around the nation every single fucking week, every day.

What followed is making me laugh and cheer, because the pricks are exposed as risible pricks and Jackie Weaver is being celebrated. In the form of a creative running joke.

So why did you say Im being "cheerless" in first post? You did use "we" and "running joke".

Yes bullying and bad behaviour does go on in local community politics. I've seen it done by men and women.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

So why did you say Im being "cheerless" in first post?

Yes bullying and bad behaviour does go on in local community politics. I've seen it done by men and women.

Because I found it cheerless.

 

[BigMoaner]

I first heard of this yesterday when I was listening to Novara media.

They found it most amusing.

I saw the clips and was no plussed about it,

Ive had long involvement in community groups over the years ( depending on my limited time ) and these kinds of rows/ disagreements aren't uncommon.

This might be extreme example but I was more upset that due to pandemic and zoom meetings this row got all over the internet.

In the normal state of affairs the meeting would have been face to face and not on internet.

Lesson be very wary of Zoom/Team meetings.

To be frank community politics/ involvement in local community groups is a mix between groups who work well and those that are dysfunctional.

Some implode and fall by the wayside. Others end up being run by tin pot dictators. The last third everyone gets on and everyone works well with each other.

This is rough summary of how local community organisations work in practise.

I like Novara media but after watching how these left activists viewed this Parish Council row I wonder how much actual involvement they have with grass roots issues.

READ THEM AND UNDERSTAND THEM!

 

[cupid_stunt]

Yes large local Councils do in some areas. But not all small scale community meetings did this. Nor do I think my local Council lambeth streamed every Council meeting.

With the pandemic more small scale local meeting are taking place online. Usually using the preferred Team app. Rather than Zoom.

This was a small committee meeting of a small parish Council. Kind of doubt meeting like this would have been online pre Covid.

Well, they bloody well should be, it may actually wake up a few people as to how shit their local councillors are, and motivate them to get involved & stand for election.

A major problem with Parish Councils is often councillors get reappointed because their 'seats' are not contested, which is hardly democracy, is it?

 

[Gramsci]

Because I found it cheerless.

Can you explain why?

I was just trying to give straightforward view of how local community politics works. Its not its upsides ( when it works) and downsides when it does not.

 

[Orang Utan]

Dunno if it’s just me but I can’t really get on with watching people arguing in real life, which is perhaps why I haven’t watched the video. Jeremy Kyle/Jerry Springer vibes innit. Misery and discord as entertainment

 

[brogdale]

Yes large local Councils do in some areas. But not all small scale community meetings did this. Nor do I think my local Council lambeth streamed every Council meeting.

With the pandemic more small scale local meeting are taking place online. Usually using the preferred Team app. Rather than Zoom.

This was a small committee meeting of a small parish Council. Kind of doubt meeting like this would have been online pre Covid.

True, but I'm unsure why anyone presuming to represent their fellow citizens should not have their contribution to meetings recorded.

 

[Sue]

Yes large local Councils do in some areas. But not all small scale community meetings did this. Nor do I think my local Council lambeth streamed every Council meeting.

With the pandemic more small scale local meeting are taking place online. Usually using the preferred Team app. Rather than Zoom.

This was a small committee meeting of a small parish Council. Kind of doubt meeting like this would have been online pre Covid.

Oxford City Council was recording council meetings and making them available a good decade ago so this isn't anything new. Having seen how some councillors behave (badly), I think it's a good thing if their constituents -- who may not be able to attend meetings -- can see them in action for themselves and make up their own minds about the kind of job they're doing.

Parish councillors purport to represent people (even if, in reality, they're often unelected due to a lack of people standing) and are responsible for spending money locally. I don't see why their constituents shouldn't also be able to see them in action. And if that exposes bad behaviour and makes people think twice about how they behave, that can only be a good thing IMO.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Dunno if it’s just me but I can’t really get on with watching people arguing in real life, which is perhaps why I haven’t watched the video. Jeremy Kyle/Jerry Springer vibes innit. Misery and discord as entertainment

You are comparing a council meeting, of people that claim to represent their community, to a Jeremy Kyle/Jerry Springer show?

 

[T & P]

I couldn’t watch it cos I suspect it would be too excruciating and in fact depressing rather than funny

This is at its core the tale of a woman asked to moderate and run a council meeting on Zoom as an impartial party, deftly defeating the bullying and melodramatic efforts of some councillors to shut her out and prevent the meeting from taking place.

Yes, it shows that local politics in small towns are often populated by petty twats, but if anything it is an uplifting story about a woman swiftly dealing with bullying behaviour without batting an eyelash. And funny as fuck at places because of a couple of phrases uttered by some of the participants that just have that iconic soundbite to them.

It’s not really that funny, just as the Bennie Sanders inauguration photograph didn’t deserve the insane amount of memes it got, but that’s just a byproduct of the Covid lockdowns. But it’s nowhere near nasty or depressing, not to me and loads of others anyway. Not only did Jackie Weaver come up on top, it was clearly all water off a duck’s back to her, and she’s been loving her newfound claim to fame.

 

[Shechemite]

Government/the state should be more open, not less. What’s the argument against this?

 

[Orang Utan]

You are comparing a council meeting, of people that claim to represent their community, to a Jeremy Kyle/Jerry Springer show?

Yes cos both prompt the unattractive human trait of finding people being horrible to each other entertaining

 

[BigMoaner]

Don't see why its cheerless.

The examples you give were not that funny to me.

Some people give up some of their valuable time working for their communities.

Looking at recording of one parish council to have a laugh at people is something to be frank I find slightly disturbing.

And what I said in previous post is accurate of how local communiity groups pan out.

Ive had to deal with situations at meeting in groups where things have got out of hand.

Ive also got pretty upset in some of my inter actions with my local Cllrs/ officers over issues.

So no Im not being cheerless Im being realistic. And Im not going to get drawn into seeing this as amusing.

So maybe Im not part of the "we". So be it.

"disturbing" is the last word I would describe it. The nobs are being laughed at, Weaver wins the show. Lots of laughs had on way. Hardly disturbing. But then we all have different senses of humor I guess.

It might also make people think twice about getting so angry over nothing in such meetings. Anger, not bullying, can be good in politics though, can't it? I thought it was quite a good peek behind the curtain of grass roots council level stuff which has enormous value.

 

[BigMoaner]

Yes cos both prompt the unattractive human trait of finding people being horrible to each other entertaining

you're all ying and no yang. discord and rubbing up against each other is part of life. we would never ever get anywhere otherwise.

 

[strung out]

This was a small committee meeting of a small parish Council. Kind of doubt meeting like this would have been online pre Covid.

You'd be wrong. There are meetings from the same parish council from 2017 here: https://youtube.com/channel/UCainybXnQGprt73RVXS6UGQ

 

[Orang Utan]

you're all ying and no yang. discord and rubbing up against each other is part of life. we would never ever get anywhere otherwise.

I don’t have to like it though

 

[cupid_stunt]

Yes cos both prompt the unattractive human trait of finding people being horrible to each other entertaining

The entertainment was Jackie taking control, and dealing with the twats that tried to take over the meeting, but then you admit to having not watched it, so you wouldn't understand that.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

Can you explain why?

I was just trying to give straightforward view of how local community politics works. Its not its upsides ( when it works) and downsides when it does not.

Why does it matter so much to you what I think Gramsci ?

I know very little about local politics beyond the basics, and I know you are very involved with local politics, and I’m glad I don’t have to do it and I can keep an eye on things by looking at the Brixton forum without having to attend the meetings. (I have attended meetings and no doubt will again but it’s not my natural habitat.)

But it just seemed to me that you were so focused on the stuff about the politics that you were sucking the fun out of the joke.

As I said before, the meeting isn’t the joke, the long involved detailed and wide ranging response is the joke.

You said you were nonplussed by the reaction, slightly disturbed by the laughter, and because Novaro Media were joining in with the joke, you now doubt their leftie credentials.

And that struck me as cheerless and - dare I say it - a bit po faced.

The meeting wasn’t funny. Taking the piss out of the bullying is funny. It really is.

Hopefully from now on in these meetings, when someone tries it on with the bullying the catchphrases from this incident will be usefully deployed to knock it back.
.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

This is at its core the tale of a woman asked to moderate and run a council meeting on Zoom as an impartial party, deftly defeating the bullying and melodramatic efforts of some councillors to shut her out and prevent the meeting from taking place.

Yes, it shows that local politics in small towns are often populated by petty twats, but if anything it is an uplifting story about a woman swiftly dealing with bullying behaviour without batting an eyelash. And funny as fuck at places because of a couple of phrases uttered by some of the participants that just have that iconic soundbite to them.

It’s not really that funny, just as the Bennie Sanders inauguration photograph didn’t deserve the insane amount of memes it got, but that’s just a byproduct of the Covid lockdowns. But it’s nowhere near nasty or depressing, not to me and loads of others anyway. Not only did Jackie Weaver come up on top, it was clearly all water off a duck’s back to her, and she’s been loving her newfound claim to fame.

Some of the clips seem to show JW being quite taken aback. So the fact that she carried on regardless and didn’t let the bastards grind her down is even more laudable.

 

[BigMoaner]

I think it'd be better if the nation had frowned at the video. and then sighed heavily when it was over. better for everyone.

 

[Orang Utan]

The entertainment was Jackie taking control, and dealing with the twats that tried to take over the meeting, but then you admit to having not watched it, so you wouldn't understand that.

I’ve seen the clips just not the 18 minute one. Blokes shouting and enjoying being pricks are not for me

 

[Gramsci]

Women are scared that they will be physically attached. Men are scared that they will be laughed at.

Zoom gives us some distance from each other, so we’re in less danger of being attacked while the risible pricks are exposed and recorded for posterity.

Win win

No i don't gree with this. In local community issues people come across each other in real life. Even if due to pandemic meetings are by zoom.

I know recent issue where a women I know didnt want to attend any meetings zoom or otherwise as she was concerned about the reaction it might get from another woman.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Yes large local Councils do in some areas. But not all small scale community meetings did this. Nor do I think my local Council lambeth streamed every Council meeting.

With the pandemic more small scale local meeting are taking place online. Usually using the preferred Team app. Rather than Zoom.

This was a small committee meeting of a small parish Council. Kind of doubt meeting like this would have been online pre Covid.

Actually, I've just remembered that there was a clip of a Handforth council 'in person' meeting posted earlier on this thread, from years ago, long before covid, that broke into chaos, so you are wrong.

There's a long history of this particular parish council having problems.

ETA - here it is, from 2017 -

 

[T & P]

Some of the clips seem to show JW being quite taken aback. So the fact that she carried on regardless and didn’t let the bastards grind her down is even more laudable.

Yes, true tbf. Whereas there were no threats or vicious insults, within the context of a council meeting in a small town where you’re hardly going to be debating anything more serious than Christmas lights and the annual charity fete, you would not expect to see such level of anger and power grab exercises. I think she said she’d never experienced anything as intense in her line of work. And there’s an element of bullying at the heart of the behaviour of some of the councillors.

 

[Gramsci]

Why does it matter so much to you what I think Gramsci ?

I know very little about local politics beyond the basics, and I know you are very involved with local politics, and I’m glad I don’t have to do it and I can keep an eye on things by looking at the Brixton forum without having to attend the meetings. (I have attended meetings and no doubt will again but it’s not my natural habitat.)

But it just seemed to me that you were so focused on the stuff about the politics that you were sucking the fun out of the joke.

As I said before, the meeting isn’t the joke, the long involved detailed and wide ranging response is the joke.

You said you were nonplussed by the reaction, slightly disturbed by the laughter, and because Novaro Media were joining in with the joke, you now doubt their leftie credentials.

And that struck me as cheerless and - dare I say it - a bit po faced.

The meeting wasn’t funny. Taking the piss out of the bullying is funny. It really is.

Hopefully from now on in these meetings, when someone tries it on with the bullying the catchphrases from this incident will be usefully deployed to knock it back.
.

I think the question is why it matters to you. I posted up my opinion and you have posted up several posts taking issue with me. I am as you say speaking from experience. For which you call po faced.

 

[BigMoaner]

All this may be true but it’s so cheerless.

We’re good at a national running joke on these isles (Boaty McBoatFace, David Blaine getting trolled in his glass box, Jack Dee never being voted out) and this is a good one.

reminds me of an american i got chatting to on tinder who used to live here. she said she couldn't believe the level of "piss taking" that goes on in england - how she felt totally out of place at just the constant piss taking of people in offices, pubs, etc. she couldn't work out ever if it was malicious. how friends would spend 4 hours never being straight with one another, as if the piss taking was a way to stay a bit emotionally distanced. she also said that we were some of the funniest people on earth.

i think with all the memes it's just that irresistible pull to take the piss. and yes it's been funny. "disturbing" i just can't get my head around. As soon as the dictator got fruity, he was booted out as quickly as you can say Proper Officer.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

No i don't gree with this. In local community issues people come across each other in real life. Even if due to pandemic meetings are by zoom.

I now recent issue where a women I know didnt want to attend any meetings zoom or otherwise as she was concerned about the reaction it might get from another woman.

Fuckinell mate!

I was taking the piss.

The danger of being assaulted by men who are scared of being ridiculed is a real and present danger for women.

The fact that men are so emotionally fragile that they are terrified of being laughed at is a fucking tragedy.

Of course there are no winners. It’s the patriarchy and it’s shit, from top to bottom and all points in between.




NAM obvs .

 

[Orang Utan]

I think we just need to get out more

 

[teuchter]

There are a few things about the meeting which, had they been just a little different, then maybe it would not have been fair for it to be turned into internet meme entertainment. But in a moment of feeling positive about humanity and its judgement of what's ok, I reckon that the bits that have been made fun of are as it were 'fair game' and that all of the spoofs and remixes I've seen have been pitched pretty well such that they aren't going into nasty mocking or bullying territory.
Most of the amusement people have had with this is in the way it's been turned into something that actually doesn't have a lot to do with the detailed events of the meeting itself.

Also I think there's an element of everyone recognising the zoom meetings that we have all found ourselves trapped in over the past year and there's some level of relief in having a bit of a laugh at the farce we've all become part of.