4TH UPDATE (30/12/20): PM Confirmed - UK MPs WERE "Bounced" Into Accepting Flawed UK-EU Trade Deal

 

The White Ensign on Board HMS Bulwark

4TH UPDATE (30/12/20) PM: MPs have resoundingly voted for the Deal, and have been bounced into doing so. The BBC reports:

"Post-Brexit trade deal between UK and EU approved by MPs by 521 votes to 73 ahead of 31 December deadline."

The Official Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer, even stated that it was this Deal or No Deal. Except as Leader of the Scottish National Party, Ian Blackford, said: No Deal was not on the Order Paper.

Like we always say, LABOUR OR TORY, SAME OLD STORY.

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3RD UPDATE (30/12/20) AM: We have confirmed the view expressed in this article. So don't take our word for it. Take the word of the Parliamentary Committee responsible for holding the Government (Executive) to account. Below are some extracts from their report, which has only been published TODAY, ON THE SAME DAY AS THE VOTE, titled:

"House of Commons
Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union
The UK-EU future relationship: the Trade and Cooperation Agreement
Fourth Report of Session 2019–21"

This proves that we were absolutely correct to say that MPs are being "bounced" into accepting the flawed UK-EU Trade Deal. They express "deep concern" about the timing and blame BOTH the Government and the EU Commission.

"Conclusions and recommendations

p.4, section 6:

... Members of the House are being asked to read the deal (published on 26 December),
to read the Bill brought forward by the Government to give the deal effect in UK law
(due to be made available on 29 December) and to form a judgement on its contents
in time to debate and vote on the Bill on 30 December. There is no alternative given
where we are but that both the Government and the EU Commission have put
parliaments in this position is a matter of deep concern. (Paragraph 31)"

and again, under the title "Scrutiny of the Agreements" on p.14, section 30:

"30.   One  of  the  consequences  of  only  reaching  agreement  on  
Christmas  Eve  is  that  Parliament and the European Parliament have
not been able to scrutinise the deal properly."

The Committee also brings our attention to the fact that the Government intends to ignore the law that applies to have due scrutiny of Parliamentary legislation. This was confirmed by the House of Commons Library and we will be checking whether this is what is actually done today.

Under the title "Ratifying the Agreement", the report says on p.14, Section 28:

"We expect that the Bill will disapply the requirements  in  the  
Constitutional  and  Governance  Act  2010  that  must  be  met  
before treaties can be ratified." 

Our Leader Andrew Pope says: 

Andrew Pope

"The Committee is right, but what can they do about it? Our so-called democracy  is set up so that the Legislature cannot properly hold the Executive to account. And since 2000, this system has been replicated across most councils in England, including in Somerset. Citizens are sidelined, and the Westminster parties call the shots.

Not only is this Tory and EU Deal rushed, botched and failing both remainers and leavers, it is very clear that neither the Tory Government, nor the EU Commission, respect due process and due scrutiny.

The EU Commission and EU Council have already signed it off! But the EU Parliament seems to be totally irrelevant to the process, as they will be expected to rubber-stamp the decision already made. It's no wonder that so many people view the EU as undemocratic.

And the Tory Government is treating Parliament and MPs - who are supposed to be there to hold the Government to account and - with contempt too!

This is a typical example of the Westminster parties letting the people of Somerset down. The Somerset MPs will vote with their party and do as they are told, just like they did on Free School Meals. And as with Free School Meals, they will even defend the Government.

Members and supporters of Somerset Independents will be watching, along with all other residents of Somerset, and will continue to challenge them and hold them to account."

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2ND UPDATE (29/12/20) PM: Dr Stefano Fella at the House of Commons Library has replied to us this afternoon and confirmed:

"We are working on further analysis today"

What a relief! 

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UPDATE (29/12/20): Since the below article was published, and one day prior to the vote by MPs, we have endeavoured to check whether the House of Commons Library has published any additional analysis.

All we have been able to find is a brief introduction added to an existing paper. We have asked the House of Commons Library directly whether there is any update.

But they appear to be on holiday.

So this begs the question - what will MPs be basing their vote on? What the whips tell them to do? Or the toss of a coin?

This is only one of the most important decisions ever taken for our country!

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The photo shows the White Ensign, on board the Royal Navy's HMS Bulwark. It was taken by Somerset Independent's Leader Andrew Pope when he visited the ship on invitation as a Southampton City Councillor. Bulwark was docked in Southampton.

The Ensign includes the St. George's Cross, symbol of England and the Union Jack, symbol of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The History of the White Ensign is more involved than that, though space does not permit more detail here.

The image is pertinent now that the UK is leaving the EU. During the end of the UK-EU negotiations we were told that the Royal Navy will be "beefed up" in patrolling the UK's fishing waters.

Whether that happens or not, ITV reports that the nation's fishermen feel that that they have been "sacrificed" in the deal.

That is undoubtedly true. As reported by the BBC, a 25% cut in what EU boats can catch in our water, in over five-and-a-half years is a pathetic sell-out of our fishermen, who put their lives on the line every day.

Yet if the initial analysis of the deal, done by Somerset Independents, turns out to be true, the fishermen are not the only ones to be sold-out by Boris Johnson's flawed UK-EU Trade Deal.

Andrew says: 

Andrew Pope

"If our initial analysis is correct, we all will be sold out by this terrible botched and rushed deal, remainers or leavers.

It appears from our initial analysis - and we have to do it as volunteers because the House of Commons Library have nothing published just two days before the vote - that whether you voted Remain or Leave, this Deal does not deliver.

If you voted Remain, it is a bad deal.

If you voted Leave, it is a bad deal.

Yet it appears that MPs will be bounced into accepting it, because they have been presented with a massive document over the holiday season, and given precious little time to read it, understand it, scrutinise it and then vote on it - just days.

It is a totally unacceptable situation, that could have been avoided if we had a competent Government and competent Opposition. 

So many deadlines have been missed and so many promises broken.

Instead of promises made, we have Tory Boris Johnson at the helm with Labour's Keir Starmer as his First Officer, driving the UK into even stormier waters when we already have Covid-19 to deal with. It is difficult to think of sterner challenges to our country.

The only resistance from MPs seems to be from the Scottish National Party, who once again appear to be the ACTUAL opposition in the House of Commons. They will vote against the deal.

In contrast, Labour's Starmer says that although Labour does not like the Deal, that Labour will still vote for this terrible deal! 

Whenever I was in opposition as a councillor, I abstained or voted AGAINST what I thought was wrong. 

Perhaps it is too early to tell if Starmer is even more incompetent than his predecessors Corbyn and Miliband.

But as he has backed Johnson on Covid and now on Brexit, so Somerset residents will ask what is the point of the Tories or Labour when it comes to standing up for Somerset?

They've just caved in.

Once again at Westminster, it is Labour or Tory, same old story.

And it is the people of Somerset who will suffer.

That is why Somerset Independents was formed, to work hard for Somerset residents, even during the holiday season, and to stand up for Somerset residents.

Join us to stand together against the Westminster parties."

 

Standing Up For Somerset Residents

VICTORY UPDATE (30/4/21): Somerset Independents FORCES Mendip Council To Change

Leader of Somerset Independents, Andrew Pope

UPDATE (30/4/21): It has taken a long time for Mendip District Council's External Auditor Ernst and Young to take the issue to the Council's own Audit Committee.

It has been reported by Daniel Mumby for SomersetLive here, with quotes by Somerset Independents officer Denise Wyatt.

Denise Wyatt
Nominations Officer
Somerset Independents

Denise Wyatt says: 

"Somerset Independents had to take action because the councillors, council officers and the auditors did not. It is their duty but the councillors, council officers and the auditors failed.

Instead of doing their jobs and being paid a lot of public money, to do it, it was Somerset Independents and volunteers doing their jobs for them! It's just wrong.

So we had to use the law against them. And make Mendip District Council listen, even though they had their fingers in their ears. This is usual for Mendip, sadly.

Somerset Independents has also proved that Mendip broke the law of meetings in how it allowed a Chair to preside over his own election.

And their lack of openness and transparency has meant they have had to re-issue minutes of meetings. It sounds boring. But it isn't. Why?

Because those meetings considered the spending of millions of pounds of taxpayers money. And public money MUST be accounted for. It's the law.

Mendip councillors and officers HID WHAT THEY DID, and tried to get away with it! Somerset Independents stands up for residents and public money."

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UPDATE (28/12/20): We are signing off 2020 with another victory for Somerset residents, and celebrating our other recent victories.

Our Leader Andrew Pope says:

"Ever since we were formed during Lockdown 1, Somerset Independents has been telling Mendip District Council that they need to change.

We told the councillors and officers at many meetings that they had to listen, and act, on residents' concerns.

But they refused to listen.

And they refused to act. 

We carried on regardless.

Now, after months of campaigning with Somerset residents on a wide range of campaigns, we have discovered that because of the actions of our members, that they have been forced to change - on Easthill, on how they run meetings, on how they listen to the public, on how they should act for the public, and now on how the Council is run.

These are big victories, and we have done it by working with Somerset residents, and acting for Somerset residents and the environment.

We don't just SAY we do it. We actually do it. Join us to help us to make Somerset's councils listen to residents, instead of doing bad things to residents using taxpayers' money."

We will be providing more updates, as and when the Council's External Auditors Ernst and Young take action, and when the Council make material changes.

At a recent public meeting, councillors have been forced to commit to "review" the Constitution - something that we asked them to do many months ago. During the virtual meeting, the Chief Executive was forced to explain to councillors and the public what had gone wrong.

As we have previously reported, members of Somerset Independents raised a number of serious concerns, including a formal Objection to the Mendip District Council Accounts, with Ernst and Young.

Ernst and Young accepted part of our objections and is investigating further. They did not accept other parts. We still maintain that those parts of our Objection are correct.

In early December, Ernst and Young informed our lead on Governance, Denise Wyatt, that and we quote:

"Our investigation of the issues we accepted within your objection is ongoing.  As a quasi-judicial process it would not be appropriate for me to provide any detail of the status at this time.  I do not have a timescale when it will be completed, as I need to ensure that the process is properly followed."

This was in response to further concerns that Denise raised on Mendip District Council's Governance, on top of those raised in the formal Objection to the Council's accounts.

We are concerned with how long the investigation by Ernst and Young is taking, and how Mendip District Council are acting in hindsight to try to cover up the Council's failings. 

This now includes "revised" versions of minutes of meetings of the Phoenix Sponsorship Board, which were put through on the hush-hush on 23rd December 2020, in response to our formal objection. 

This Board has been making decisions on property and has met behind-closed-doors for years. Yet under the Liberal Democrat Administration that came in during May 2019, it became even more secretive than it was under the previous Conservative Administration. Like we say regularly because it is true - Lib Dem or Tory, same old story.

As well as a range of other failings in openness and transparency, Denise showed that the minutes of the meetings were unlawful. Denise raised this with Ernst and Young and directly with the Council's officers, including the new Chief Finance Officer, so-called "Section 151 Officer" Richard Bates.

Denise also showed again to them that other aspects of Mendip's governance were also unlawful, including the lack of Background Papers cited in reports to councillors. While this may seem trivial, it is like an academic paper not citing who has been quoted, or whose work has been used, in the paper. In the academic world, it would be unethical and plagiarism.

But when it is councillors making decisions that affect people's lives and spending millions of pounds of taxpayers money, including on shady and risky property deals it is vital that councillors and the public are informed. But it is also the law, under the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

Mendip District Council has been breaking the law on this Phoenix Sponsorship Board. And also on another property-related committee, the Asset Management Group.

And we have discovered from local residents, via the Frome Facebook Group, that our work has been picked up by Private Eye, although sadly our article on Sandys Hill Lane and Mendip District Council was not credited:

 

Cutting from Private Eye
taken from Frome Facebook Group

 

It is good that Private Eye has picked this up. But what matters most is that we are helping to shine a light on the grubby dealings of Mendip District Council, and that local residents are made aware of it.

Throughout 2020, ever since Somerset Independents was formed, the poor Governance at Mendip District Council has been raised directly with councillors and officers - on very many occasions.

We will be providing further updates. To see them, please Like our Facebook Page by looking for our username @SomerInds (Somerset Independents) and our Twitter feed @SomerInds.

If you would like to help our work, please get in touch via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.

Standing Up For Residents

VICTORY UDPATE (19/12/20) : Galmington Playing Fields SAVED (for now) from Lib Dems at Somerset West and Taunton Council

 

Somerset Lib Dems
Wasting YOUR Money

FURTHER VICTORY UPDATE (19/12/20):

Now that we have actually been able to view the meeting (see below), we are happy to report that 44 councillors did indeed vote against the LEASE of the land at the Playing Fields. This included Independent, Conservative, Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors. 

Although there was a free vote (no whip) in the Liberal Democrat Group, this was a massive slap in the face for the Leader and cabinet, who brought this report.

Only 5 councillors voted for the lease of the land on the Playing Fields: 

1. Benet Allen (Liberal Democrat member of the Cabinet who described opponents as "NIMBYs"), 
2. Hazel Prior-Sankey (Liberal Democrat and Chair of the Council who abused her position to criticise opponents of the plan), 
3. Vivienne Stock-Williams (Conservative), 
4. Anthony Trollope-Bellew (Conservative Group Leader) and 
5. Keith Wheatley (Liberal Democrat).
   

But it is only a temporary victory, because the Lib Dem councillors employed dodgy tactics to move the goalposts on the vote DURING THE MEETING.

The report that was sent out to the public and councillors prior to the meeting related to the disposal and sale of the land - not a lease.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Leader of the Council, Lib Dem Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts moved the goalposts for it to be a lease, not a sale. The Council's legal advisers backed them up on this.

And when councillors repeatedly questioned what they were were voting on, they were prevented on voting on the sale, which they and the public had been led to believe was the substantive proposal - because it was there in black and white prior to the meeting.

Councillor Smith-Roberts said that they could not say whether any further plans might come forward. Again, she was backed up by the legal advisers.

Smith-Roberts has now made a series of allegations against campaigners, which we understand are now the subject of a formal complaint with the Council's Monitoring Officer.

Smith-Roberts voted against her own proposal for the lease. 

This is not only peculiar, but it shows a spectacular failure in leadership and authority amongst her own Liberal Democrat Group, which is also shown by allowing a free vote on an issue that she brought up in the report to councillors.

Following the meeting, we learned from Daniel Mumby of SomersetLive that Councillor Sue Buller left the Liberal Democrats and now sits as an Independent councillor. This was confirmed at the next Full Council, which members of Somerset Independents observed. 

At the Full Council meeting, Councillor Buller made a series of telling contributions to hold her former party's councillors to account.

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UPDATE (10/12/20) VICTORY at Galmington Playing Fields!

As reported by the Somerset County Gazette, and by us on our live-tweet (subject to serious problems caused to reporters and members of the public by the Council's live feed - see below), the campaign to save Galmington Playing Fields from more development has been won!

Leader of Somerset Independents, Andrew Pope says:

Campaigner Andrew Pope

"We are delighted with the result, as we have supported the Friends for some time after they contacted us earlier this year. We have congratulated them on their victory, and how they conducted their campaign.

The Liberal Democrat Leadership of Somerset West and Taunton Council have a lot of questions to answer - about how this happened and about their failing Council as we have laid out on this website.

They should never have brought this up and even their own councillors voted against this terrible proposal. In total, 44 councillors voted against!

But the way the meeting was conducted was shocking. I and other members of the public could not observe or hear what was happening. This cannot be allowed to happen again.

Not only must justice be done. It must be seen to be done."

The Chair of the Friends Campaign Andrew Sharman - who spoke at the meeting but then like us, other members of the public and Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Mumby from SomersetLive could not hear the debate - told us this morning:

"The debacle of the tech and the bizarre behaviour of the leadership was incredible, I’ve never seen anything like it! They have to step down, they’re completely out of their depth!

Thank you for your advice and support on this, keep on keeping on!"

 

UPDATE (8/12/20): Fib Dems Fibbing AGAIN!

Prior to tonight's crunch Council meeting, Somerset West and Taunton Liberal Democrat councillors have refused to give Somerset Independents any commitment to meet their manifesto and leaflet pledges to protect Galmington Playing Fields in the 2019 District Council elections. 

Here is a shocking example of their failure to meet their election promises, and how they are feeling the heat, from Lib Dem Councillor Sarah Wakefield, councillor for Trull, Pitminster and Corfe. When we asked her how she would vote, the leaflet promises seem to be irrelevant:

"Why don’t you just listen to the debate and stop trying to intimidate full and reasoned consideration of the matter by all Councillors this evening on an issue on where we have all been given a free vote."

And Somerset West and Taunton Tories, who were in control of both predecessor councils, have criticised the Lib Dem Administration but given no indication of how they will vote either!

Andrew Pope says:

"It's the notorious fibbers, the Fib Dems, fibbing again and being non-committal! Like the Tories and Labour, they make whatever promises they want to get elected, and then go back on them!

Like we have said many times before - in Somerset, whether it is a Lib Dem, Labour or a Tory, it is the same old story. And it's local residents who are let down by these Westminster parties.

Somerset Independents members are also investigating how officers at this Council have gone about this process. Councillors are uneasy about how this process has been handled.

We have asked all councillors to support local residents and protect the Playing Fields from even more development. It's been carved up enough!

We will be watching them very closely at tonight's meeting, and noting how they vote and reporting it back to residents."

More to follow...

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The disastrous Council merger of West Somerset District Council and Taunton Deane Borough Council went ahead without a Referendum of local residents. But it is us residents that they are supposed to listen to, and to serve!

Eighteen months later, and with the Lib Dems with the number of councillors elected to be "in control" of the resulting Somerset West and Taunton Council, the Council is still failing and has already lost millions of taxpayers' money - YOUR money. It appears that they are no better than the previous Tories.

As reported by The Leveller:

"The savings that were supposed to come from the merger now look increasingly unlikely... with an extra cost of £2.7m... There would be no choice but to employ additional staff and use agency staff that would then offset the anticipated on-going revenue savings"

Leader of Somerset Independents, Andrew Pope, says:

 

Andrew Pope

"So millions that could have been spent on the RIGHT things, such as public services for the benefit of local residents, have instead been spent on the WRONG things - the redundancy of public servants.

 

Not only has public money been lost, services to the public have also been lost and jobs have been lost.

And it was all done under the pretence and lies by the Somerset Tories who led the abolished councils of the "savings" of the merger. Yet the Lib Dems are no better.

 

As stated in The Leveller article, the Lib Dem Council Leader of Somerset West and Taunton Council, Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, is "sanguine" about it. She has made the usual statement about lessons being learned - does she really mean it? 

Let's hope so, but the continuing failures of her Council - on Tonedale Mill, on building on Galmington Playing Fields and on opposing DBS checks for councillors - suggest that she is carrying on making the same mistakes as the Tories.

Does the story of false claims by Lib Dems or Tories sound familiar? Yes, it's another case of Lib Dems or Tory, same old story. And it's Somerset's residents that pay!

Somerset Independents has been campaigning loudly for a Referendum before any further changes are made to the councils in Somerset, and how we as Somerset residents are governed.

But neither the Somerset Tories at the County Council nor the Somerset Lib Dems on the District Councils have backed our call for a public vote.

In fact, they have stood in the way of having a public vote.

 

This is because they don't want to ask us residents - because they can't defend what they want to do to us!

The Lib Dems, when in control of the County in 2007, wanted a unitary authority - but didn't want to ask residents. But the other Lib Dems in the districts back then - used taxpayers money to ask taxpayers what they think - and 82% of residents voted AGAINST a unitary authority in the postal poll in 2007.

The Tories, who are now in control of the County, want a unitary authority. They recently voted to extend their election terms and keep you paying their councillors allowances - all without any public vote and to also cancel the 2021 County Council elections. The Tories are running scared because they know they are going to take a beating like they did in 2019.

And the Lib Dems on the districts also want a unitary authority - or rather two. But the Tories on Sedgemoor District Council also say they want two unitary authorities.

BUT NONE OF THEM WANT TO ASK YOU WHAT YOU THINK IN A PUBLIC VOTE. THEY ARE LYING TO YOU AND SAYING THAT ANY POLL IS NOT ALLOWED BY GOVERNMENT.

They need to exercise some leadership and do a poll - whether by post or online.

Or they need to delay any changes until a public poll can be held.

There are local elections in May 2021. That is the time when the public can be asked.

The public MUST be asked in a public vote.

If the public aren't asked then, and a repeat of the disastrous council merger is made, with more public services lost, local democracy lost and more taxpayers' millions lost, then all those councillors need to be removed by the public who they are supposed to serve.

 

And it really will be another case of Lib Dems or Tory, same old story."

Standing Up For Residents