The Independent reports:
Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera, former chair of the Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats (EMLD), was told his membership had been terminated with immediate effect last week, after an internal disciplinary panel upheld allegations of harassment and intimidation against him.
However, senior figures in the EMLD, which champions diversity in the party, have reacted with outrage, refusing to accept the decision, and plan to write to the party’s president and its leader, Tim Farron, demanding Mr Uduwerage-Perera be reinstated.
Speaking to The Independent, Mr Uduwerage-Perera accused the party of not doing enough to stamp out “institutional racism”.
Mr Uduwerage-Perera, a former Lib Dem deputy leader of Newbury Town Council, resigned from the post in July last year after an investigation found he had behaved in an “intimidating and bullying” manner toward council staff.
He has now been dismissed from the party over further allegations of intimidating behaviour toward a fellow Lib Dem councillor, as well as for bringing the party into disrepute by contacting local media about grievances.
He denies the charges against him and maintains his dispute at the council related to whistleblowing activity, after he became aware the council had failed to claim back £50,000 in legal expenses following a dispute with a developer.
You can read the full article here.
In related news, the BBC reports that Newbury Town Council has agreed to receive a £600,000 payment from a developer concerning the dispute mentioned above.
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7 Comments
What appears to be at issue here is what degree of faith we collectively should place in Lib Dem disciplinary processes and those carrying them out in this instance. Clearly those with a particular viewpoint have already taken sides both ways. The Lib Dem disciplinary track record on other matters is highly-variable so it is difficult for anyone not knowing the full facts to gauge this. It becomes, therefore, a marvellous issue within which people can vent their prejudices either way. Not a happy position to be in.
I think it is important that we accept the results of Disciplinary Panels, they have seen all the evidence, we havent. Its vital that decisions are respected even where those accused are important or popular or from the same background as we happen to be.
The full Minutes and detailed papers regarding Mr Uduwerage-Perera are available for public scrutiny and can be found on the West Berkshire Council website.
There is an interesting question about why disciplinary actions against party members (and expulsions or demands for them) now seem to be much more frequent. Good thing (we now have rules to stop people breaking them?) or just a sign of the nonsense of modern society in which everyone is ruder and ruder about each other but you can’t be rude about people in certain very special areas?
Why can’t people just calm down and kiss and make up nowadays?
The other problem with these things is that people can use them for overtly political purposes.
(Not commenting on this case, know nowt about it).
My thanks to David Raw for directing me to the West Berkshire Council website. I have now been able to read and print items from their Minutes and other documents. It took a while, however, as their website is extremely sensitive to the correct spelling of names. I would recommend reading the background papers.
Paul Barker’s suggestion about accepting the outcome of Disciplinary Panels is more difficult. Once all appeal procedures have been exhausted, the outcome of these panels should be published, in my view. I still have difficulty with Secret Courts, no matter who is running them.
>I think it is important that we accept the results of Disciplinary Panels
…or start asking better questions about the disciplinary process?
Throwing people out of the Party doesn’t always solve problems. A know a councillor who was thrown out and continues to be elected with large majorities as an independent because voters feel he was wrongly treated.His case involved an element of racial prejudice with lasting damage to Liberal Democrats. It is one thing for people not to follow the rules and it is another how those rules care enforced.