Letter: Who is Mr Mansbridge to Lecture Anyone About Respect?

Published on: 5 May, 2016
Updated on: 5 May, 2016

From Ben Paton

What’s the evidence that the council “are being entirely disrespectful to elements of their own electorate” as claimed in Mr Mansbrdge’s letter: It Is Shameful To Ignore 8,000 Signatures?

The council has accepted the petition four times and checked it three times, so far. Is there any evidence of disrespect there?

It found that a substantial proportion of the signatures did not meet the qualification rules i.e. were not demonstrably from residents on the electoral roll eligible to vote.

Was it “respectful” of the petition organisers to submit so many ineligible signatures? Was that because the students who were paid to collect the signatures were not properly trained or motivated?

And where does this figure of 8,000 come from? The council has verified under 5,000 signatures? So presumably Mr Mansbridge is exaggerating the number of eligible people who support his petition by some 3/5ths or 60 per cent.

Does such a substantial exaggeration show respect for the facts? Or does its show an habitually cavalier attitude to facts – so plainly in evidence in the local plan “trajectory” which he set.

Who is Mr Mansbridge to lecture anyone about respect?