Redaction in action

Redaction is in the Press a lot at the moment with the censored publication of MP expenses. As well as the removal of sensitive information, it can also be a form of editing.

The Morley Obtiser often edits letters to the editor for reasons unstated. Often it is to add clarity or for brevity; sometimes it is to avoid sensitive or controversial subjects.

This letter written by former independent Leeds City Councillor Stewart McArdle was published on Wednesday 17th June, however the Editor omitted what Stewart considered to be the most revealing and damaging part of the letter. The paragraphs omitted are shown in bold.

The recent spate of letters concerning the Annual Meeting of Morley Town Council and there being only three members of the public in attendance deserve some further comment. This may infer a number of things; such as that, members of the electorate have no interest in it, nor its relevance, or even may object to paying the precept!

Of course, Mr. Bywater is presuming there will be a town council by the time of the next all-out elections in 2011. By this I mean that the legal case/tribunal of the former town clerk versus Morley Town Council has yet to be resolved as the council has collectively decided to contest the decision made against them by an Independent Panel. So there is a strong likelihood that more money will be incurred in further legal costs with the legal profession being the only winner.

Latest figures released for expenditure are attributed to the civic year 2007/8 and show a rise of £47,000 against the coding of General Administration. This is not broken down but, in all probability a significant amount is due to legal costs. I also understand that the reserves of Morley Town Council diminished by almost £34,000 and added together, is a significant portion of the Annual Budget and more importantly, your precept money.

The former town clerk did not leave the post until Christmas 2007 so that is an awful lot to spend on legal costs in twelve weeks but, everyone knows that barristers do not come cheap!

As the tribunal did not take place till October 2008, the figures for 2008/9 should make interesting reading when released. Will there be enough in the council pot by then?

Yours sincerely

via e-mail

Stewart McArdle

Letter of complaint

Nigel Bywater of Airedale Terrace grumbles in the paper this week about the lack of notice for the annual general meeting (I think he means the Town Meeting). The office advised him that it had been on the Notice Board for three days, all that they are required to do. He also grumbled that it hadn't been publicised on the email Forum (and perhaps doesn't realise that it has been deleted). He pointed out Leeds website areas about encouraging local participation.

He asks what the MBIs will do to put this right. I await next week's letters with interest.

Ripples from Stewart Mc's letter last week

A couple of letters, but not eactly earth shattering.

The first is from Derek Bradley and I think his flowery prose obscures the message somewhat.

Stewart McArdle's valedictory letter encompassed many views which he has long held and, more importantly, has long applied.
Indeed Rudyard Kipling may have coined the phrase "true to his salt" for such people throughout the world, not just the Indian continent.
His is correct also in his forecast that being "a true independent" is to commit political suicide in Morley, think Slingsby, think Welham!
Would your readers, if not Stewart, accept that "a rose by any other name
would smell as sweet"?
The larger picture on Morley Town Council is that, yes, they all come under the same banner, but the various elected councillors have different issues introduced to them by our citizens which they must pursue if they are true to the promise they made to supporters during the run up to the last election.
Stewart infers that now we are congregated under the one party banner then the party will decide what to push and what to discard.
This must not be confused with a councillor independently pursuing a citizen's concerns, either direct to the relevant department of Leeds City Council or, by choice, within the committees of Morley Town Council.
This keeps the citizen informed and safe in the knowledge that will apply to future concerns also.
I have been following this simple axiom since council year 2000.
DEREK BRADLEY
MBI, Scatcherd Ward
MORLEY TOWN COUNCIL

Meanwhile, Chris Beverley of the BNP City Councillor responds (but not to follow up any of the allegations he made). A strange mixture of tongue in cheek parody and pot calling kettle blackism.

Stewart McArdle's letter in last week's Observer and Advertiser shed some well needed light on the inner workings of the Morley Borough Independents Party.
Mr McArdle spoke about the endless press releases and letters sent out by the MBIs in order to create the illusion that they are responsible for the work of others. A perfect example of this can be found in last week's paper with the article entitled 'New move to solve motorcycle problem.'
The implication is that the Morley Borough Independents have been responsible for these measures. As usual, however, that is not the case. For a start, the ginnel that is to benefit from the A-frame deterrent is on Millside Walk, not Millbeck Approach. The MBI's have not even checked their facts before trying to claim credit for other people's work.
I have been in touch with a number of local residents from this area over the past year regarding the continued problems with anti-social behaviour associated with this ginnel, which includes the issue of the illegal riding of motorbikes through it.
I have liaised with the local police and also youth workers who have targeted this area, and I have also been in touch with various council officers and departments with a view to the possibility of having the ginnel closed altogether (which a considerable number of local residents want) or at least to have the issue of illegal motorbike riding addressed through
such measures as those discussed above.
I was happy to recently find out that an 'A'-frame has been approved for this location, which should at least stop motorbikes being ridden through this ginnel, if not address the other related problems. Whilst I am happy with this result, I had not intended to send out a press release about this, as I believe that councillors should spend their time just getting on with their job and helping people with issues like this, and less time crowing about such achievements in the press.
Nevertheless, if people would prefer to see an MBI-style comedy press release from me regarding this issue, complete with a photo of me grinning and pointing at the newly-installed A-frame, please let me know and I will see what I can do. I might even invite the MBIs along for the photo-shoot!
COUN CHRIS BEVERLEY
British National Party
MORLEY SOUTH, LEEDS CITY COUNCIL

Meanwhile, Morleytoday.co.uk gives errors whilst morleyobserver.co.uk goes through (although the site is actually still widely based around morleytoday.co.uk URLs at present).

Perhaps the paper have wised up that "MorleyToday" was more realistically "MorleyLastWeek" and maybe a name change might be in the offing?

UPDATE: Morleytoday.co.uk working again- it just seems rather flaky at times.

MBIs help labour shock

The letters page Councillor thank yous are now coming to an end, although there was another "Uriah Heep" humbled one.

Ex-Councillor Stuart McArdle has a letter in the Obtiser that comes as a surprise...


perhaps the revelation that the MBI's were delivering leaflets for Labour candidate Jack Dunn will come as a shock to many.


Read the whole thing HERE

As suspected, MBIs now have a lot more clout on the Leeds minority administration.

Scans from last week's paper

The Papers are in...

Well, my second letter and derived article from my first letter have been published in the Morley Observer & Advertiser. (Nothing online yet though). It was third letter after a pro- Challen/Balls letter from the local Labour exec and another pending Morleygate scandal about newspapers going missing in the Library. The strapline was Where's the third box?

As to the article, it takes up all of page eleven, allowing for the other three quarters of the page being adverts.

The strapline is:

Retiring councillor's parting shot
----------------------------------
Council branded 'morally weak'

It basically paraphrases my original position, shuffling the order round slightly to make it more article-like. I am somewhat disappointed that the Journalist, Erica Madelin, has basically just re-hashed my complaint without any obvious attempt to get the other side of the story. I imagine that we will have to wait another week for that, unless the Yorkshire Evening Post picks up on it.

Erica normally comes to our full Council meetings (and sits at the reporter's desk which is right and proper) but was unable to be there last Wednesday. However, Roland was there, a fair witness who is able to offer an impartial view. Hopefully, more from Roland in due course.

I have received some information from what can best be called unidentified sources. It seems that Morley Mirror has been distributed in my Ward (the one I live in) for some time now (the last one I saw was called Morley Forward). As they know where I live (not in the sinister sense, at least not yet!) then my house is likely to have been bypassed during leafleting. Sources suggest that Searchlight & the Unions may have helped out with leafleting (who obviously wouldn't know about me) and that the next Councillor for Morley South will be a David Langham, heavily promoted in the pre-election election leaflet meeting a Minister and visiting nearby bus stations.

I had worked out the last bit for myself since Sunday. I have seen the name David Langham as the Promoter shown on Labour leaflets and I thought that he worked in the Constituency office. However, googling suggests he is (or was) a Councillor as his name is on challen's website. (I can't say I'm that interested who/what he is at present).