Visitors to Boston Borough Councillor Myles Larrington's blog will find that it is no longer available.Boston Eye readers may recall that Councillor Larrington, who represents Pilgrim Ward for the Conservatives, cut his blog back to its barest bones after two complaints from local Labour activist Paul Kenny that comments in the blog had broken Section 3 (1) of the Code of Conduct which says “you must treat others with respect.”
Now the blog has vanished completely, because Councillor Larrington has decided that blogging is no longer worth the candle.
We understand that he has been investigating the whole issue of blogging by councillors, and believes that the Local Government Association plans to bring in a national code of conduct regarding blogs soon.
As a result, he feels that it is not possible to continue maintaining a blog for use in a free and open manner, if is it to be subject to such strict criteria.
Although a code would aim to avoid the use of slurs and potentially libellous material, we are told that in Councillor Larrington's view it leaves any councillor open to the sort of investigation to which he is now subject, and creates a ridiculous situation where a councillor might end up constantly facing complaints for merely expressing an opinion which some people found "offensive" or with which they did not agree.
Rather than risk such a scenario, Councillor Larrington has decided to cease blogging altogether.
This is an appalling state of affairs that strikes at the very heart of free speech.
There is no earthly reason why a councillor should be treated any differently to any other blogger and be denied the right to express his or her views on an issue or the attitude of an individual without having to worry about some politically correct set of rules that water down fair comment.
Co-incidentally, tonight sees a meeting of Thanet District Council's Standard's Committee at which a draft protocol on blogging is to be debated.
If it is adopted, it is said that the Kent authority will be the first in the country to take such a step.
Thanet is not without its critics.
The Conservative Party website ConservativeHome says that the authority is making trouble for itself trying to adopt a specific blogging code. A writer points out that "there is a complaints procedure for councillors behaving in an unacceptable way but I'm not sure why a blog - as opposed to a comment in a leaflet or a letter to a local paper - should have a special code of conduct.
"We shouldn't get into the territory of council officers administering codes of conduct telling a councillor what they can or can't say on a personal blog."
We agree completely, and hope that commonsense prevails at Boston Borough Council - although we feel sure that Paul Kenny will be breaking out a bottle of Sanatogen tonic wine to celebrate the demise of free speech and his part in it.
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1 comment:
Labour in Boston remind me of a wounded animal. All they seem to do is randomly attack everything and everyone outside of the labour party. What they seem to be missing is its the electorate they need to work and regain the respect of. Cllr are elected by people and only by regaining support of the people will labour regain strength in Boston. While running around attacking everything and everyone they will just speed up the death of the Labour Part 'Once the proud home of the working class vote'
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