The Gospel According to Reform Governance:
A Diatribe in Three parts
Part 1: The Anointment of the Blessed Barton.
And lo, Mick Barton ascended the throne of Nottinghamshire, not by divine right but by the right of misguided. With forty seats and a mandate forged in vitriolic protest at the opposition. he looked upon his fiefdom and saw... scrutiny. reportage and less than adoration. “Let there be silence,” he declared, “for the press hath sinned.” The Nottingham Post, that heretical parchment, dared suggest internal dissent on matters most private. “Blasphemy!” cried Barton. “They speak of suspension, of disagreement, of fallibility. I therefore cast them out.”
Thus the ban was written—not in ink, not in the blood of martyrs but in the sacred language of “misinformation.” Only in the direst of emergencies shall they be permitted a voice.
Part 2: The Starmerian Precedent:
And yet he follows in the footsteps of giants, those of a knight of the realm no less. This is not the first time the chalice of control hath been raised. Sir Keir, high priest of the Labour autocarcy, once gazed upon eleven MPs who dared speak of ceasefires and conscience. “Only I define fairness,” he intoned, “and those who dare challenge me are out.”
Thus began the Great Purge, truth and fairness soon fell, priciples and ethics ignored and dissent was not debated but deleted. The altar of unity demanded sacrifice, and dissension was the lamb.
Part3; The Ritual of Managed Democracy
Now Barton walks the same path, though paved with local press releases and council invites. Though he speaks of “open doors” we find them bolted shut. He welcomes “constructive criticism” with a sword of censorship behind his back.
And the people? They are told it is for their benefit, for only he can see the true way to the light. Democracy you see, must be managed The illusion of choice must be preserved, even if the actors are gagged.
The illusion of choice must be preserved, even if the actors are gagged.
