Handford Parish Council debacle

If you’ve ever been on a committee, including a parish council which is just a glorified committee, then this is exactly what it’s like. Lots of sniping and backbiting and rudeness, and arguing about minor issues. Unfortunately most people aren’t interested in joining the parish council because it takes up your time and in most cases you don’t get paid, so they end up co-opting half a dozen “civic minded” people who don’t need to be elected because nobody is standing against them.

Also I notice that the only people who stuck up for the clerk and asked for her to be shown respect were the female councillors. The clerk is the only person who is actually employed by the council and has any training in local government, the others are civilians who are supposed to represent their fellow parishioners.

I'd love it if Jackie became the new, positive replacement for the Karen shite though. The fact is, Karen in this country has just become a synonym for 'difficult woman, and Jackie shows beautifully why women need to be 'difficult'!

The WH coverage was everything I dreaded WH would become. The opener was a cheery 'has lockdown got to you like it has this chap?" Nothing about the sexist bullying behaviour shown.

Jackie as a member of council staff rather than a parish councillor had to me diplomatic... Anita Rani wouldn't have even mentioned the work sexism/men's behaviour were it not for the two comments sent in.

I saw this earlier. They behaved appallingly. Regardless of any rules surely they could have discussed it in a more civilised manner.

It's an interesting insight into the dynamics of local politics. Dominated by entitled, aggressive, misogynist males.

In this case the dispute seems to have been over management and authority, and it was easy to imagine how intimidating it must have been for the woman (who had been brought in from outside the council) as arbitrator. How distressing and impossible would it be for a woman facing that level of anger, and worse, if the dispute was over a women's rights issue she had raised - for example - unisex facilities or the use of a council meeting room for a women's rights meeting? especially if the council happened to be in west yorkshire

Well those men have shown themselves up to be complete childish prats haven’t they?

Jackie is on WH now...