24 June (Part 3) - The Old Bailey next?
Yesterday’s
meeting wasn’t as event free as the
earlier blog may suggest, far from it in fact. Notomob’s presence was a
protest against the money driven war against motorists which is not legal. There
really is no excuse for councillor Craske to have announced last year that he
plans to “commence enforcement of moving traffic contraventions using Mobile
In-car Camera Enforcement and fixed CCTV. Also use fixed CCTV for no stopping
parking contraventions” because it will provide good “value for money” from the
investment in CCTV. Craske wants to get you by every means possible even though
his motivation is illegal. The law says the object of enforcement is to drive down offences to
the point that no penalties are issued where possible. I am amazed that someone as
slippery as Craske let that fact get into the Strategy 2014 (The Financial Cuts) document.
On the other hand he would have written it before Bexley council came under
daily scrutiny.
Although Notomob’s intention to attend the Public Realm meeting had been known
to some for a long time, no advance publicity was given in case it tempted Bexley
council to waste £1,320 on bouncers again
as they did
last March. Taking the Notomob photos took us perilously close to the
meeting start time and my closest colleagues and I took our place in the council
chamber. What we didn’t know at the time was that the Notomob’s entry
behind us prompted someone to dial 999. Fortunately the police remembered their
job was to uphold the law and not to jump at the end of Bexley council‘s string
and Notomob’s members filed into the chamber.
About half way through the meeting, the Chairman halted proceedings saying
"there is a disturbance outside". From what I could see and have been told today
someone was filming councillor Bailey from the lobby area beyond the chamber
through the partially opened door. Councillor Bailey objected to being filmed,
giving the lie to the council’s official excuse that they ban filming and
photography to protect members of the public. Everyone in the public gallery was
in some way connected to Notomob who have previously made their agreement to
being filmed very clear.
Councillor Bailey was not content with mere objection, she decided to take the law
into her own hands by trying to restrain the cameraman and when asked to desist
responded with the words “I can do what I like”. I confess to not clearly hearing
that for myself but as Bailey made the basic mistake of not checking if the
camera was still running when making her assault on the owner you can be pretty
sure that the actual words will soon make their way on to the net.
The councillor later made it plain that she did not want the cameraman to
remain on council premises and summoned the doorman, a pleasant individual who
probably has more sense than Linda Bailey. He deemed it unwise to lay hands
on a member of the public and possibly because the police were not exactly
helpful to the council earlier in the evening, they do not appear to have been
called in. With the film maker safely back in the chamber the meeting continued
on its course, chairman Cheryl Bacon apparently unfazed by it all.
A claim of assault by councillor Linda Bailey was placed before Bexley police today with
the camera tape as supporting evidence.