BlueTube......

...or how the Brighton and Hove Tories finally lost the plot, and openness and transparency in local politics took another knock.....

Amidst a looming financial crisis which could see some £45 million lopped off council budgets over the next three years, Tory councillors are currently fixated on....some video of a council meeting.  They are trying to get Green Councillor Jason Kitcat suspended because he put parts of Council meetings on YouTube.  The meetings are already videoed for webcasting and all Cllr Kitcat has done is put some extracts about communal bins onto YouTube as it is an issue of concern to his constituents.  The full details of what he is supposed to have done can be found here.

Much of the complaint is supposedly that Kitcat "failed to show proper respect" to Tory councillor Geoffrey Theobald, yet Cllr Theobald is totally unconcerned about the whole thing (being a canny politician who knows how stupid it is to make a martyr out of a high-profile opposition councillor).  He is also accused of misusing Council resources - although he clearly didn't!  This is clearly a politically motivated attempt to shut up an effective councillor.  Cllrs Mears, Oxley and Kemble have been caught red-handed and ought to back off while they have a shred of dignity left.

Mind you, this is par for the course for this administration - they don't really do transparency -  as many of my members currently trying to pursue appeals against their job gradings will know well.  One of the most basic things you would need to know in order to pursue such an appeal is the job evaluation score that has been applied to your job - but the administration will not release that information.

Then there's the current-year budget cuts - all stitched up at Cabinet with no vote being allowed at full council.

Not bad going for a party which does not even command an overall majority on the council and took a complete hiding at the by-election last week.

If this lot won't learn any humility....perhaps they need to be taught some.....