Handforth Parish Council meeting - hilarious zoom video

[two sheds]

In case it is of interest to anyone, here is a lawyer outlining what he perceives as the legal position wrt that meeting.



TL;DR - Jackie Weaver had the authority to be there, the meeting was called legally, but she should not have excluded the chairman without a vote of the councillors.

It gives the standing orders the first one Jackie Weaver got right


But she doesn't seem to have READ THEM AND UNDERSTOOD THEM

 

[Guineveretoo]

She didn’t read and understand the standing orders?

So it would seem.

 

[two sheds]

Mind you she may have read them, and also may have understood them

 

[Guineveretoo]

Mind you she may have read them, and also may have understood them

That’s quite possible. I think I would likely have excluded the shouters, too, given half a chance.

 

[kabbes]

It proves that rules are meaningless without the ability to enforce them

 

[Gramsci]

My experience of constitutions is that they are double edged.

On one hand can be seen to lay down fair ground rules that people can work with.

On other in groups that are dysfuctional they can become proxy ground where personal antagonisms are argued.

Parish Councils , communiity groups only work where people actually get on and respect each others differences. Then a constitution is necessary but not needed if you see what I mean

In one group Im I suggested getting in a facilitator to do a workshop on good communication. As there was a lot of issues in that group which was damaging the good work it did.

Got that agreed and took sixth months of quiet persistance to make it happen. Even then one person refused to go. The one person who really would have benefited from it.

I sometimes despair on community groups. A lot of time people know in some way their behaviour is causing problems. I think the Handforth example is on the extreme end. It ends up being destructive of the groups themselves.

 

[Clair De Lune]

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.

Totally this. I also found the technical hitches and people not being where they should be funny too. It was a shambles and watching people who take themselves way too seriously flounder and act petty and childish IS funny. Quite a few of them had a sense of humour too tbf.
My mother was involved in a zoom meeting where teenagers hacked in and started drawing dicks everywhere. They didn't know what was going on. I wish I'd seen that too.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Totally this. I also found the technical hitches and people not being where they should be funny too. It was a shambles and watching people who take themselves way too seriously flounder and act petty and childish IS funny.

Yeah, I think those two things were what made it so funny for me, alongside a passing familiarity with committees (though nothing like this!).

Definitely don't think I'd have found it as funny without the video call aspect. And it's the way they take it seriously; I'm all for a community organising and taking the little local things seriously, but in the video at least it's all just childish factions and petty point scoring.

Yes, it is also a microcosm of the challenges women can face in these environments, can't really be disputed, but as others have said it feels like this particular example shows a victory over those kind of attitudes.

 

[teuchter]

The best part of this one is around 5 minutes in when iPad (3) Mary arrives on stage.

 

[two sheds]

Warms up at 7:30 after more standing order references

I am the chairman [and I want my sausages. ]

Haha @ I'm going to subpoena the l- (muted)

 

[ska invita]

Brian Tolver's its 2 minute to 7 tells you everything you need to know about this man

 

[heinous seamus]

She couldn't really have called a vote on excluding the chairman as he wouldn't shut the fuck up for 5 seconds to let it happen.

 

[Shechemite]

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

There should be more of this, not less The woman who live-tweets inquests

 

[Guineveretoo]

She couldn't really have called a vote on excluding the chairman as he wouldn't shut the fuck up for 5 seconds to let it happen.

She could have muted him, though. The host can force someone to stay muted, I believe.

But, of course, the standing orders would not have been written with Zoom in mind....

 

[mauvais]

Twitter seems to have belatedly 'discovered' today that Jackie Weaver, Cheshire councillor, is a Tory.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Twitter seems to have belatedly 'discovered' today that Jackie Weaver, Cheshire councillor, is a Tory.

In that case, she should have READ THE STANDING ORDERS AND UNDERSTOOD THEM!

 

[DotCommunist]

Twitter seems to have belatedly 'discovered' today that Jackie Weaver, Cheshire councillor, is a Tory.

She was on Loose Women today, I wasn't watching but ma told me. I imagine thats where some discovered the obvious.

 

[teuchter]

Twitter seems to have belatedly 'discovered' today that Jackie Weaver, Cheshire councillor, is a Tory.

From this we can definitively conclude that anyone who has expressed support for her on this thread is a Tory too.

 

[Voley]

A bunch of self-important blowhards shouting over each other, bogged down in minutiae, achieving nothing. Sounds appalling.

 

[teuchter]

A bunch of self-important blowhards shouting over each other, bogged down in minutiae, achieving nothing. Sounds appalling.

Indeed. But some forums are even worse than urban75.

 

[brogdale]

A bunch of self-important blowhards shouting over each other, bogged down in minutiae, achieving nothing. Sounds appalling.

Have you never been a member of the Labour party, then?

 

[Voley]

Decisive use of the banhammer in their one though.

 

[T & P]

One thing seems certain: the next local elections in Handforth will be the most eagerly anticipated since the 2020 US presidential election.

 

[strung out]

Twitter seems to have belatedly 'discovered' today that Jackie Weaver, Cheshire councillor, is a Tory.

Don't think she's a Tory councillor, possibly a member though. One of the expelled attendees is the mayor of Cheshire East council as part of the Independent Group though (not to be confused with the Real Independents, who are the other independent group on the council).

Apparently, part of this whole dispute is because the independents are pissed off at the local Tories on the council trying to exert their authority over the parish council.

 

[Gramsci]

Indeed. But some forums are even worse than urban75.

So why do you post up here?

 

[Sue]

Have you never been a member of the Labour party, then?

I was about to say that Voley obviously doesn't work in my company.

 

[Gramsci]

Apparently, part of this whole dispute is because the independents are pissed off at the local Tories on the council trying to exert their authority over the parish council.

This is interesting.

I did support an independent in last Council election. A popular Cllr Rachel who the Progress led Labour Cllr had hounded out. She did not win seat despite us canvassing for her.

The local Progress led Labour party went into overdrive to keep her out.

My impression of local democracy is that a lot of workers are now outsourced to private companies ( working class jobs).

What is left is middle class public sector employees and Cllrs on big allowances. ( so on 40 grand to 50 grand minimum)

Given this it is really hard as local resident to argue with this local establishment.

The only time Ive lost my temper at meetings is not with other local residents but with this hierarchy. Which is pretty mixed group- containing women and ethnic minorities.

I say lost my temper. I read Council reports and ask questions. For which I subjected to being told im not sensible.

My personal experience of local government is that its awful. There is a real power imbalance. Where ordinary working class people arent taken seriously.

I would like to see more independent local Cllrs. But its hard when up against the Labour / Tory hierarchy establishment.

Im quite mild and even me gets angry with it sometimes.

 

[Shechemite]

Indeed. But some forums are even worse than urban75.

we’ve let ourselves down then

 

[teuchter]

we’ve let ourselves down then

As the proportion of posters who are retired gradually increases, I'm confident that we can start to rank amongst very worst.

 

[cupid_stunt]