Panel set to report on rebel Green councillor (From The Argus)

Shouldn't the focus of the Greens actually be to concentrate on council business, which is what they were elected to do at local level? It's hardly that they've made such a success of running the city.....We have an MP for national lobbying on this type of issue.

If the Greens feel some action should be taken, how about starting with Cllr Duncan? There's his support for Smash EDO, a group whose often violent protests have cost this city over £700,000 - with a massive impact on the policing budget. Hardly supporting the interests of the city, is he? While sitting on the Sussex Police Authority, he winges on about the impact of police cuts.....!

Then there was his tasteless, so-called "joke" about rape which was discriminatory in the extreme, AND an advocation of sexual violence. He might have apologised afterwards, but he should have been called to account by his party, and removed from the Sussex Police Authority at the very least.

Contrast his gobbish and yobbish attitude with Cllr Summers' personal turmoil over an issue with her conscience, and compare the Green Party's attitude towards them. I know who I think is the better politician, even if I don't agree with her.

Does the Greens' treatment of Cllr Summers, compared with Cllr. Duncan's aggressive sexism which passes with any official censure, not indicate that misogny is evidently endemic and thriving within the Green Party?

Discrimination comes in many guises and I'm afraid that you can't pick and choose as to what is acceptable discrimination. The Greens urgently need to clean up both their act and their party, and address their hypocrisy.

There has been some shocking and surprising and rather grubby politics embedded in the Green party as mentioned above.
What is odd is that among them are extreme right wing and left wing behaviours.
I would love to be a fly on the wall when they all get together. Caroline Lucas must feel like she's babysitting the 6th form debating society most of the time.
They should give up green and just fall into the relevant mainstream parties. This lady can join dawn Barnett and Ben Duncan can join Gill Mitchell and kit Kat is a wishy washy liberal.

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
There has been some shocking and surprising and rather grubby politics embedded in the Green party as mentioned above.
What is odd is that among them are extreme right wing and left wing behaviours.
I would love to be a fly on the wall when they all get together. Caroline Lucas must feel like she's babysitting the 6th form debating society most of the time.
They should give up green and just fall into the relevant mainstream parties. This lady can join dawn Barnett and Ben Duncan can join Gill Mitchell and kit Kat is a wishy washy liberal.

So true, inexperienced weirdo's the lot of them. I am afraid though that we might be saddled with them now as this Town has been increasing the supporting demographic for these loons by the month. With evermore unemployable students with useless degrees from the Uni's plus the gay vegan deadbeats, we are probably going to see the Town continue to degenerate along with the paper and Police

I agree with fredflintstone1 on the question of discrimination. "Investigating" the lady who doesn't support the marriage of homosexual couples, while quietly forgiving the man who apparently made such objectionable remarks, is quite unacceptable -- shades of Putin's Russia, or even Brezhnev's! I too have been a Green voter; but unless they improve on this front. I'll be abstaining next time round. (Incidentally, why is there so much fuss about, especially in favour of "gay marriage", when nowadays heterosexual couples, for whom it's supposed to be intended, often don't bother with that institution? No doubt, after the measure goes through, we'll see "gay divorces", too.)

F in L wrote:

Maxwell's Ghost wrote: There has been some shocking and surprising and rather grubby politics embedded in the Green party as mentioned above. What is odd is that among them are extreme right wing and left wing behaviours. I would love to be a fly on the wall when they all get together. Caroline Lucas must feel like she's babysitting the 6th form debating society most of the time. They should give up green and just fall into the relevant mainstream parties. This lady can join dawn Barnett and Ben Duncan can join Gill Mitchell and kit Kat is a wishy washy liberal.

So true, inexperienced weirdo's the lot of them. I am afraid though that we might be saddled with them now as this Town has been increasing the supporting demographic for these loons by the month. With evermore unemployable students with useless degrees from the Uni's plus the gay vegan deadbeats, we are probably going to see the Town continue to degenerate along with the paper and Police

This is just so unhelpful. Snarling yah, boo, sucks cagerattling and some of those unemployable students with useless degrees vote the way you do, perhaps not at all. And what is your evidence for suggesting "gay vegan deadbeats" vote Green?

fredflintstone1 wrote:
Shouldn't the focus of the Greens actually be to concentrate on council business, which is what they were elected to do at local level? It's hardly that they've made such a success of running the city.....We have an MP for national lobbying on this type of issue. If the Greens feel some action should be taken, how about starting with Cllr Duncan? There's his support for Smash EDO, a group whose often violent protests have cost this city over £700,000 - with a massive impact on the policing budget. Hardly supporting the interests of the city, is he? While sitting on the Sussex Police Authority, he winges on about the impact of police cuts.....! Then there was his tasteless, so-called "joke" about rape which was discriminatory in the extreme, AND an advocation of sexual violence. He might have apologised afterwards, but he should have been called to account by his party, and removed from the Sussex Police Authority at the very least. Contrast his gobbish and yobbish attitude with Cllr Summers' personal turmoil over an issue with her conscience, and compare the Green Party's attitude towards them. I know who I think is the better politician, even if I don't agree with her. Does the Greens' treatment of Cllr Summers, compared with Cllr. Duncan's aggressive sexism which passes with any official censure, not indicate that misogny is evidently endemic and thriving within the Green Party? Discrimination comes in many guises and I'm afraid that you can't pick and choose as to what is acceptable discrimination. The Greens urgently need to clean up both their act and their party, and address their hypocrisy.

You make a good case, one the Greens won't bother to consider.

While it has gone very quiet recently regarding the ongoing saga of the Green Councillor, Christina Summers, who appears to have been threatened with exclusion by her party for daring to hold a christian viewpoint on Gay marriage, it is a good thing that this whole tawdry business now draws to a conclusion. It was extremely concerning to read the recent comments made by the Green spokesperson, Commissar Macafferty, who gravely informed Argus readers that his colleagues had met and requested the party's official inquiry process be initiated. We were later informed that this course of action was underway "to ensure the rights of all party members are protected". Could I ask, what about Councillor Summers rights? As a personal observation, this unedifying spectical reminds me of something we would have witnessed back in the darkest days of the Soviet Union - in effect, a show trial. But, I suppose evaluating the ideological stance of the Greens, there should be no surprises. As a Brighton & Hove taxpaying resident - I would say to Cllr Macafferty and comrades, you are NOT elected to council to pursue your own personal crusades, instead you should be concentrating energy on trying to improve the current situation in Brighton and Hove, making it a worthwhile place for ALL to live in, without exception, regardless of whether their views may conflict with your own.

Valerie Paynter wrote:

fredflintstone1 wrote:
Shouldn't the focus of the Greens actually be to concentrate on council business, which is what they were elected to do at local level? It's hardly that they've made such a success of running the city.....We have an MP for national lobbying on this type of issue. If the Greens feel some action should be taken, how about starting with Cllr Duncan? There's his support for Smash EDO, a group whose often violent protests have cost this city over £700,000 - with a massive impact on the policing budget. Hardly supporting the interests of the city, is he? While sitting on the Sussex Police Authority, he winges on about the impact of police cuts.....! Then there was his tasteless, so-called "joke" about rape which was discriminatory in the extreme, AND an advocation of sexual violence. He might have apologised afterwards, but he should have been called to account by his party, and removed from the Sussex Police Authority at the very least. Contrast his gobbish and yobbish attitude with Cllr Summers' personal turmoil over an issue with her conscience, and compare the Green Party's attitude towards them. I know who I think is the better politician, even if I don't agree with her. Does the Greens' treatment of Cllr Summers, compared with Cllr. Duncan's aggressive sexism which passes with any official censure, not indicate that misogny is evidently endemic and thriving within the Green Party? Discrimination comes in many guises and I'm afraid that you can't pick and choose as to what is acceptable discrimination. The Greens urgently need to clean up both their act and their party, and address their hypocrisy.

You make a good case, one the Greens won't bother to consider.

Thank you - assuming you're right, that just reveals why the Greens are unfit to hold office.

TrevorA wrote:
While it has gone very quiet recently regarding the ongoing saga of the Green Councillor, Christina Summers, who appears to have been threatened with exclusion by her party for daring to hold a christian viewpoint on Gay marriage, it is a good thing that this whole tawdry business now draws to a conclusion. It was extremely concerning to read the recent comments made by the Green spokesperson, Commissar Macafferty, who gravely informed Argus readers that his colleagues had met and requested the party's official inquiry process be initiated. We were later informed that this course of action was underway "to ensure the rights of all party members are protected". Could I ask, what about Councillor Summers rights? As a personal observation, this unedifying spectical reminds me of something we would have witnessed back in the darkest days of the Soviet Union - in effect, a show trial. But, I suppose evaluating the ideological stance of the Greens, there should be no surprises. As a Brighton & Hove taxpaying resident - I would say to Cllr Macafferty and comrades, you are NOT elected to council to pursue your own personal crusades, instead you should be concentrating energy on trying to improve the current situation in Brighton and Hove, making it a worthwhile place for ALL to live in, without exception, regardless of whether their views may conflict with your own.

So the Tory Party has no internal disciplinary procedures then Trevor? No wonder you didn't last long as a councillor if this is the level of logic you can deploy. Cllr McCafferty doesn't have to have been "elected" to assert his rights as a Green Party MEMBER to hold another Green Party MEMBER to account. How is it anyone else's business?

I would have thought that any party is entitled to take a look at the behaviour of any member who has been elected to office, apparently on the basis of one set of beliefs, only to reveal another set of beliefs afterwards.