23 August (Part 3) - The arrogant and dismissive Alan Downing
Mr. Bryant
was not the only complainant in the
Alan Downing pen jabbing saga, Mick Barnbrook of the Bexley Council Monitoring
Group was not to be outdone by his friend Elwyn. From Bexley council’s response to
him I learned that pen jabbing to bring emphasis to a bad tempered display could be
“construed as gesticulation” and once again that the words “I don’t want to
interrupt the meeting but I cannot hear what councillor Craske is saying” were
“disrespectful”, “hostile” and “inflamed the situation”. Pure fantasy. “There were
a number of young people and other visitors in attendance but despite this [the
interruption] was less than polite” according to Bexley council. But pen jabbing isn’t.
Refusing to activate the Hearing Loop isn’t and telling the disabled to go away isn’t.
To have notified councillor Alan Downing at the end of the meeting of the intention to
make a formal complaint was “threatening” and Alan Downing’s response was at all
times “measured”. Measured would have been “Sorry about that, turn your
microphone on please Peter”. Refusing to abide by the Equalities Act and
jabbing a pen in someone’s face shows a total lack of thought on Downing’s part
bearing in mind the likely consequences. No way is it “measured”. Even after all
its abortive complaints to the police Bexley council is yet to grasp
that belligerence, dishonesty and criminality does not best serve a public authority.
Bexley council seems to think that installing a Hearing Loop system is all it
needs to do but if the microphones aren’t activated the Loop may as well not be there.
It also says that “It was not incumbent on councillor Downing to make any
adjustments for a potential issue of which he was unaware”. Nonsense again. The
council is obliged to provide a Hearing Loop and if Downing chooses to have it
inoperative, and he did, without good reason he breaks the law. The deaf are not
required to give notice of their intention to attend a council meeting. Even for those with good
hearing the microphones cannot compete with a motorcycle exhaust or a police
siren from outside. The deaf stand no chance without active microphones.
The council seems to be congratulating itself on the Equalities Commission not rapping some knuckles over this…
…and I feel I should explain to them why that is so. The Commission said that
Bexley council should be given the opportunity to respond but they would be
happy to maintain a watching brief and take a formal view on the situation if
Bexley council tried to dodge the issue. The Commission accepted a fat file a week ago.
Believe it or not, there are still some more and entirely different council excuses
to report. Councillor Val Clark is nothing but inventive when she has a colleague
to defend. Inventive but not necessarily intelligent. No one would ever expect anything else of her.