ONLY one member of the public attended Annual Council today. That’s probably good, because outrageous contempt for democratic norms and conventions was on full horrible display.
New councillors (there are 10) usually get their first choice of which of the six scrutiny committees to sit on. Scrutiny is vital to try to stop the Executive and senior officers covering up mistakes and pretending everything is fine. I’ll write another letter, about the moneypit that is the Factory, another time.
For now, this: the Council’s sole Liberal Democrat, John Leech, raised the point that the newly elected Green councillor, Robert Nunney, had not gotten onto the Environment and Climate Change Scrutiny Committee. (Nunney didn’t get his second or third pick either).
Rather than explain this departure from long-accepted practice, Labour’s Pat Karney went on an irrelevant and incoherent personal tirade against Leech.
His immature petulant rant brought the Labour party – and the Labour movement – into disrepute
The decision Karney was trying to distract everyone from, is bad for Labour, bad for the City, bad for future generations. Not because Robert Nunney or the Greens have all the answers. Of course they don’t, none of us does.
It’s bad because the signal it sends is of a Labour Group circling the wagons, filling its ears with wax, clamping its eyes shut and shouting “NA NA NA NA can’t hear you”.
The citizens of Manchester, including those future generations, need and deserve better than what is being offered.
Dr Marc Hudson
editor Manchester Climate Monthly
marchudson.net 
Leave a Reply