It's Our City Campaign - Have you Signed?

[Annie Bynnol 612]

coming from a place where this kind of strong leadership became a dictatorship of which for 38 years it has been run as such . I am very aware of the people audit transparency is key as I have noticed certain councillors say one thing in public then change their story , However I believe given the lies the sheffield public has been told need addressing, From what I see the group is not political , many of these people have different politics .

Under our human rights no protest that is peaceful is illegal , we all in the uk have the right to peaceful protest we don't else where in the world . As for the green activists as you put it , i think i must be one of them as I voted green for the first time in my life in May . I voted for Alison teal as she has been promoting truthfulness, transparency and democracy. I have been impressed by these people who clearly are standing up for this , its been an important lesson one of which i will be speaking about in Africa next week .

I really think that getting all our councillors heard is important , remember unless we have all our councillors heard then we the people have no voice either which isn't democracy , when i vote for someone i expect them to represent me fully so that the needs of the people are heard and not ignored . Sheffield would be a better place if we were represented better . wouldn't you agree ?

 

Is a protest against Council policy peaceful if people get handcuffed and/or arrested/charged?

Is it not true that these activists seek to undermine our Council work to promote their own interest?

Is it right that activists from predominantly the same location and social group claim to represent the people of the whole of Sheffield?

Is it right that these activists do not disclose their political activities and interests when being asked to support them?

 

Should we really believe that these activists have a clue about the problems that face Sheffield and how their dogma can fix it?

[chris101 10]

Tree huggers wanting to run the city.

[Cyclone 10]

This literally makes no sense.

 

---------- Post added 28-08-2018 at 19:20 ----------

 

Is a protest against Council policy peaceful if people get handcuffed and/or arrested/charged?

Is it not true that these activists seek to undermine our Council work to promote their own interest?

Is it right that activists from predominantly the same location and social group claim to represent the people of the whole of Sheffield?

Is it right that these activists do not disclose their political activities and interests when being asked to support them?

 

Should we really believe that these activists have a clue about the problems that face Sheffield and how their dogma can fix it?

 

So is you having a problem with stag the real issue here, and why you keep throwing up a lot of FUD about this proposal?

Most of your questions have very obvious answers, and not the ones you want.

 

---------- Post added 28-08-2018 at 19:21 ----------

 

Their seems to be a concerted effort by Nether Edge Green and Tree people to exercise control the workings of our council.

Demonstrably untrue.

 

---------- Post added 28-08-2018 at 19:22 ----------

 

If you take it that almost anyone can be a councillor, and no particular expertise is required, and no one councillor is 'expert' at anything, then I'm at a loss as to why more heads aren't better than fewer?

Nothing to do with expertise, everything to do with representation.

 

---------- Post added 28-08-2018 at 19:24 ----------

 

Who is "the community"? Is "the community" being forced to sign a petition, or being forced to vote "yes", in a referendum?

 

PS - do you consider SCC using a private prosecution to try (unsuccessfully) to get Green Councillor Alison Teal imprisoned, a shining beacon of democracy in action?

 

---------- Post added 27-08-2018 at 21:06 ----------

 

PPS - I'm not personally a great fan of referenda, but this is the mechanism that central government decided should be used, so that's the route IOC are taking.

 

Good questions, which Annie has ignored.

[teeny 10]

Is a protest against Council policy peaceful if people get handcuffed and/or arrested/charged?

Is it not true that these activists seek to undermine our Council work to promote their own interest?

Is it right that activists from predominantly the same location and social group claim to represent the people of the whole of Sheffield?

Is it right that these activists do not disclose their political activities and interests when being asked to support them?

 

Should we really believe that these activists have a clue about the problems that face Sheffield and how their dogma can fix it?

 

]Is a protest against Council policy peaceful if people get handcuffed and/or arrested/charged? Yes arrested for silly stuff which they could have handled differently , for example the lady who had lent her jacket to another who was arrested , was arrested for asking for her keys that were in the pocket of her jacket !!! do you really think that was good ? or playing a recorder , many examples which I have seen myself . none of these have ever reached a court .

Is it not true that these activists seek to undermine our Council work to promote their own interest? absolutely not , they want fairness , open discussion and transparency .

 

Is it right that activists from predominantly the same location and social group claim to represent the people of the whole of Sheffield? no the group is city wide people from all classes .

 

Is it right that these activists do not disclose their political activities and interests when being asked to support them? I think many have been totally honest and said where they are from and what has been happening .

 

Should we really believe that these activists have a clue about the problems that face Sheffield and how their dogma can fix it? Just remember it was activists who got the rights to roam so we can walk in the peak district , suffragettes were also activists which empowered women's votes . Activists empower us and give us strength to fight for what is right .

[Annie Bynnol 612]

Who is "the community"? Is "the community" being forced to sign a petition, or being forced to vote "yes", in a referendum?

 

PS - do you consider SCC using a private prosecution to try (unsuccessfully) to get Green Councillor Alison Teal imprisoned, a shining beacon of democracy in action?

 

---------- Post added 27-08-2018 at 21:06 ----------

 

PPS - I'm not personally a great fan of referenda, but this is the mechanism that central government decided should be used, so that's the route IOC are taking.

 

Apologies to you for not replying and thanks to Cyclone for pointing out my error.

 

Activists are good at exploiting situations to promote their cause.

The legislation that enables a petition to require a referendum is designed to for a "community" (not my choice- it's in the government explanation) which I take to mean a significant section of the voting population not a tiny group of activists. Having observed first hand how such groups morph within the internal politics of idealism, I do worry that this legislation is not being used for the purpose it was meant for.

 

 

I do not know about issues surrounding Councillor Alison Teal. In general it is certainly very dangerous to use the law against elected councillors etc. and we should all be very wary when it happens.

 

As for STAG, their nearly 10 000 members are quite correct in their concern for our trees. However all such groups attract/create a minority who have other causes on their minds- again nothing wrong as long as we know.

[gamezone07 23]

I like the idea of more pressure/accountability being put on our local leaders, on issues like social care, they have not been open enough on the crisis and robust enough in challenging national budget cuts but best to acknowledge that public opinion may not always go how this group and other progressives would like, funding for minorities, etc.

[Annie Bynnol 612]

]Is a protest against Council policy peaceful if people get handcuffed and/or arrested/charged? Yes arrested for silly stuff which they could have handled differently , for example the lady who had lent her jacket to another who was arrested , was arrested for asking for her keys that were in the pocket of her jacket !!! do you really think that was good ? or playing a recorder , many examples which I have seen myself . none of these have ever reached a court .

Is it not true that these activists seek to undermine our Council work to promote their own interest? absolutely not , they want fairness , open discussion and transparency .

 

Is it right that activists from predominantly the same location and social group claim to represent the people of the whole of Sheffield? no the group is city wide people from all classes .

 

Is it right that these activists do not disclose their political activities and interests when being asked to support them? I think many have been totally honest and said where they are from and what has been happening .

 

Should we really believe that these activists have a clue about the problems that face Sheffield and how their dogma can fix it? Just remember it was activists who got the rights to roam so we can walk in the peak district , suffragettes were also activists which empowered women's votes . Activists empower us and give us strength to fight for what is right .

 

 

Comparing a campaign that wants to change the number of Councillors in a room with the Suffragette movement is at best [insert appropriate word].

[teeny 10]

Comparing a campaign that wants to change the number of Councillors in a room with the Suffragette movement is at best [insert appropriate word].

 

It doesn’t change the fact they were activists of their time .

[Annie Bynnol 612]

It doesn’t change the fact they were activists of their time .

 

Suffragettes, Civil rights movement in the USA, Anti apartheid and now the 'It's Our City Campaign'.

[dave_the_m 61]

Is a protest against Council policy peaceful if people get handcuffed and/or arrested/charged?

This is a really important point that I want to address. In the region of 30 people (including myself) have been arrested at various tree protests. The charges against all but one have been dropped, as far as I'm aware. The only person to actually be prosecuted was found not guilty of the main charge, and only guilty of the trivial charge of delaying giving his details to the police for 5 minutes after arrest (i.e. obstruction).

 

A neutral observer might start to wonder whether SYP have been rather trigger-happy when it comes to arresting protesters.

 

Conversely, a high court judge, in a ruling where a protester was found not to have violated the injunction on the grounds that he entered the safety zone because he had a genuine (but mistaken) belief that another protester was being assaulted, agreed with defence evidence that 3 of the security personnel that day had 1) inappropriately pulled a female protester along the ground by her waistband, 2) had punched a protester, 3) had tried to kick another protester.

 

Also, twice at protests, ambulances have had to be called for female protesters who had been on the receiving end of "reasonable force" from the security guards.

 

From where I stand, the only non-peaceful actions I have seen have been on the part of SCC and its agents. That SCC keep spinning it as "increasingly dangerous protesters" says a lot more about SCC than it does STAG.

[teeny 10]

Suffragettes, Civil rights movement in the USA, Anti apartheid and now the 'It's Our City Campaign'.

 

There are many campaigns in the world . Pastor Evan Activist Zimbabwe Broughs about real change by speaking out , eventually Mugabe went . Activism has many key factors , mainly empowering people to bring democratic change . Our cities motives are honest , we want a fairer system for our councillors of unless you are in a ward headed by a cabinet member , your vote is invalid , which leads me to say , it seems to me like a no brainier , fair or unfair , well for me it’s not in anyone’s interests to keep a strong leadership , this council doesn’t hear our voices , which goes against us voting .our city cares about many issues that effect the city of sheffield . Now I have to say since last November I have learnt much of our council here , it’s not what I want to see . In the past Sheffield’s councillors have made a big difference but looking at the cabinet it’s never going to happen . Julie Dore herself cannot take responsibility when the bbc interview her after she spends 70,000 on policing tree protests , when adults with severe learning difficulties don’t have social workers or PAs for hours they are allocated , that is morally wrong it’s social injustice. We need people like those who stated it’s our city to make a better sheffield .

[annbaker 10]

I have signed this petition. Why?

 

I have voted Labour all my life yet I can't trust them to do what's right for Sheffield any longer. IOC is about allowing the 3 councillors in my Ward to be able to represent me properly - not 10 pretty useless individuals at the Town Hall. For the record one of my Ward Councillors is Labour but she has zero voice. (I'm a 40+ years LP member btw)

 

Now someone said it'll take longer for decisions to be made. Yes it very probably will but surely it's better for it to take longer and be right rather than 10 people who really are clueless doing it on the hoof?

 

This has to change and that's why I signed.

Edited August 28, 2018 by annbaker