Hamilton City Council is preparing a kangaroo court to seek vengeance on me for speaking out against their neighbours, Waipa District Council, which I am sure readers are following with interest.
The kangaroo reference has nothing to do with some people mocking a certain councillor for cackling like a kangaroo, or another for bearing a striking resemblance to a wombat. Such suggestions are offensive and I would normally refuse to repeat them, let alone publish them. However, the mayors of Hamilton and Waipa think the public needs to be made aware of mockery and so spread it relentlessly while blaming others. Apparently, to preach from the moral high ground, you need people to be offended. I am merely following their precedent.
A kangaroo court is an unofficial court held by a group of people to try someone without good evidence.
In an Extraordinary General Meeting on 17 September, I am being charged with violating Hamilton’s code of conduct. This is strange because the very first line of the code refers to the relevant legislation in the Local Government Act. The second line of the legislation makes it clear that the code only refers to members acting in their capacity as elected members of the council. It is not hard to find.
I cannot speak about Waipa as a Hamilton councillor, but I can speak about Waipa as a private citizen, because I am a resident of that council. I did so in relation to my private property, via my private computer, in my private time and with no reference to Hamilton.
I did indeed refer to Waipa council staff as mentally and physically challenged, which some people found offensive. I don’t know how because it was redacted according to Waipa policy. However, the mayor of Waipa removed those redactions and the mayor of Hamilton spread it around. But being of the right gender, or should I say, of the left agenda, they are heroes.
I decline to be cancelled.
As part of my defence I made an Official Information Act request for the long history of complaints about offensive behaviour by former leftist councillor, David Macpherson, notorious for abusing anyone he disagreed with. I happened to love his straight talking so, while we disagree on politics, I recall some hilarious conversations. The frequent complaints were always dismissed because he claimed to be acting in his private capacity, an often-dubious defence when the discussions were about council policy!
Two months after the start of this saga, several days after the council has completed its investigation, and after the ‘trial’ date has been set, council is still refusing to give me the Macpherson complaints. They have admitted they are over time, are required by law to provide them and have run out of excuses. The reason for this is obvious – they know they never had a case and the precedent had been set.
Now it is council staff who will be the ones on trial. Withholding evidence is just one of a long list of legal breaches that amount to deliberate corruption. The MSM will ignore that and continue to attack me, but I am exposing this corruption for everyone else.
Councillor Andrew Bydder
