How do you deal with a problem like Richard?
10th May 2008
Posted in: Fascism | Lead Story | London Mayor
Written by: Douglas Johnson
The GLA met for the first time yesterday. The most active element of the day wasn’t the Assembly - which rumbled its way along much as usual.
More vocal opposition was left to the angry mob predictably and joyously gathered outside of City Hall variously calling for Richard Barnbrook to be shunned, kicked out and/or swiftly castrated. Equally predictably, Barnbrook played the victim. Unconvincingly, of course. He was probably confused as to whether he was meant to be St. George or the maiden…
Unfortunately, some are likely to believe Barnbrook. His case here is basically sound. Much as we hate it, he was elected to the Assembly. To deprive him of his seat would be to disenfranchise the 5.33% who voted for him - and he’d play that for all it’s worth. Mainstream politics will be painted as corrupt and hypocritical, and the BNP will solidify its hold on that 5.33%. We can’t afford that.
Instead, we must focus on more elegant solutions with which to screw Barnbrook. The first is simple: just let him do his job. Elected BNP officials have an unsurprising tendency towards ineptitude. Anecdotal evidence suggests they rarely bother to turn up. In areas where BNP councillors have been elected, they’ve usually lost their jobs quite soon.
Given Barnbrook’s bumbling performances so far, I see no reason to think he’ll be any different. Anyone who can look at that St. George’s Day video and see a competent man needs an eye-test. And possibly a labotomy.
So Barnbrook may well perform badly anyway - and cause a drop in the BNP vote, all on his own.
The GLA can help him there. Far from excluding him, they should give him jobs. Lots of them. Jobs on dead-end committees; jobs where he has to work with the non-whites and gays his party hates; jobs which will repulse him so much he’ll contemplate quitting. Put him into close contact with Bengali community groups, with Muslims, with representations from the RMT. Include him - but make sure he’ll hate that inclusion much as he hates all inclusion.
Yesterday’s vote on Deputy Chair would be a great example, were it not (I suspect) entirely accidental. The Tories put up a non-white candidate, Tony Arbour. The leftie grouping on the Assembly put forward Darren Johnson. Barnbrook voted for Darren Johnson.
I don’t think he knew Johnson is gay. His facial contortions might have been entertaining otherwise…
The more situations that are engineered like that, the more Richard will feel like a turd (hah…). And so his work will decline, and with it his share of the vote.
