Local Government for Dummies: where Barnet leads, the world follows

Rt Hon Mike Freer, MP - and Friend

Ok. This is one of the funniest stories I have read for a long time: and yet - not so funny after all.

In Aberdeen a candidate for council elections has been disqualified, and her agent arrested, and charged with an offence under the Representation of the People Act, because the police have discovered that Helena Torry, standing for the Hazlehead, Ashley and Queens Cross ward, is well - a dummy. A mannequin.

According to Scottish newspaper, the Daily Record:


"On April 2, Aberdeen City Council published a revised Notice of Poll for the ward, ahead of the election which is due to take place on May 3.

Returning Officer Valerie Watts said: "It has been brought to my attention that Helena Torry, for whom a nomination paper was submitted for the Hazlehead, Ashley and Queens Cross ward, does not exist."

In fact, Ms Torry, above right, does exist, but appears in some way to be disqualified from standing as a candidate simply because she is a dummy.

In Broken Barnet, this qualification, in fact, is no bar to holding office: indeed for candidates standing as members of the Conservative party, it is a positive asset, and a tradition of many years standing, as demonstrated by this picture from the borough archives.

former Finchley MP Margaret Thatcher inspects the Tory Cabinet at Hendon Town Hall, circa 1964

and continuing the theme, our Conservative candidate for the GLA elections on May 3rd, Brian Coleman.

Brian may well be qualified under the terms of the Representation of the People Act, but there is evidence to suggest that he is, in fact, a dummy, and we expect to receive the official confirmation of this suspicion on May 4th.