The Silence of the Lambs

So: Tuesday night, then, around 7pm - doing anything?

Why not take the opportunity to visit your Town Hall, before it's flogged on eBay, or a car boot sale, along with any other corporate assets, by our smash and grab council?

Come and watch your elected representatives in action, the Tory councillors who will be herded into the Council chamber like so many dopey, obedient sheep, watched over by kindly Farmer Coleman and his electric prodder, who will gently encourage them to vote with full confidence in the manager of the local abbatoir.

Keep up - you know, Lynne Hillan, yes, you remember, the 'leader' who last week only just scraped through a fight with poacher Mark 'Sharp' Shooter. Sheep stealing is a very serious offence, a capital offence, in the eyes of Farmer Coleman: Mr Shooter will shortly be up before the beak, and, if he escapes a death sentence, is likely to be condemned to transportation to Australia, a favoured destination of absentee Tory councillors, or to the eternal damnation of life in the backwaters of the Barnet Tory political party. I'll bet he is quaking in his boots, poor lamb.

On Tuesday night, therefore, you will see the Tory councillors shuffling along in an orderly line to demonstrate 'party unity' and show the residents of this borough what a bunch of gutless, selfish, stupid wastrels that most of them undoubtedly are. They will express their support for their leader and say they are doing it because they have to, because they have to show 'loyalty' and end a period of intense controversy and embarrassment to the reputation of the Conservative party. They will say they are doing it because Mr Whiplash made them. They will close ranks, and try to stifle all debate about the issue, and talk about anything else as if it is of no consequence.

It is.

If, as seems likely, the majority of Tories allow themselves to be whipped into shape and show new found support for Lynne Hillan, it will be the third time, in fact, that they have endorsed the shameless allowance rise affair, and also the vicious treatment of Mrs Salinger, who, uniquely amongst the collection of her cowardly colleagues, dared to follow her conscience and do the right thing by abstaining. They will be endorsing a leader whose behaviour in this issue has been furiously criticised by the residents of this borough, as well as by senior members of the government. Why?

Please: tell me something, you Tory councillors of Barnet. Why is so called 'loyalty' to party considered to be more important than loyalty to the electors of this borough, and the trust placed by them in their representatives? Why is the wellbeing of the Tory group being given priority over the best interests of the residents of our borough?

Ha. The truth is, fellow citizens, that they are scared.

Question: what are they scared of?

Don't tell me that grown men and women are frightened by pathetic bullying tactics into voting one way nor another, rather than voting according to their consciences.

Perhaps it might be a good thing for them to remember that we are currently marking the anniversaries of the London Blitz, and also the Battle of Britain. Were it not for the courage and fortitude of those who were took part in these events, many of us would not be here now debating this issue, as many of our families would have been systematically murdered by an extension of the policy of Nazi genocide, and none of us who survived would be able to express ourselves freely in a state run by a bullying fascist government. The only way to deal with bullies, whether individual, or in terms of national movements, is to stand up to them and refuse to let them have their way. They thrive in a culture of silence and passive endorsement. You cannot afford to look the other way, and blame someone else for the choice you make to keep quiet. Come on, work it out, Tory councillors, it's not too difficult an analogy, even for some of you.

You haven't been elected for the benefit of your own advancement in life, to further your own interests, or to provide yourself with a nice little sinecure for minimum effort. You've been elected to represent the people of this borough, and to do what is best for them. If this principle brings you into conflict with what is best for your own personal interests: tough.

If you vote with your conscience instead of following party 'discipline', what is the worst that can happen? Mr Whippy rings you up and shouts down the phone at you? Tell him to f*** off and put the phone down. Come on, it's easy; we've all done it at one time or another, and wouldn't you secretly really enjoy it anyway - at a safe distance? Ooh er, thinks Councillor X, biting his nails, ... I just don't know ...

Or is it, oh dear - something else ...something more shameful?

Come on, someone, tell Mrs Angry - whisper in her ear: it'll be our little secret ...

Oh hello: what's that now, Sooty? Yes, yes, we know, you've just sold your camper van to diddy little MP Mike Freer and Sweep is furious and kicked the what out of you? And - and - yes, do speak up: Aha! Sweep says that TOO MANY TORY COUNCILLORS ARE WORRIED THAT IF THEY DON'T VOTE THE WAY THEY ARE TOLD THEY WILL BE WAVING GOODBYE FOREVER TO ALL FUTURE CHANCES OF PERSONAL AND POLITICAL ADVANCEMENT SUCH AS GETTING A NICE COMMITTEE TO CHAIR AND ALL THE EXTRA ALLOWANCES THAT COME WITH IT! Oh, no, Sooty. I just can't believe that. I am sure that they would have more personal integrity than to allow themselves to be driven by such selfish motivation.

But then again, we have to remember that we live in the land that time forgot, the rotten borough of Broken Barnet, where it's every man for himself, and the idea of personal integrity in public service is a thing of the past.

I think we deserve better than this, don't you?