A Female County Parish Council Member was Shot Down by Councillor Tom Gulliver For Expressing Her Opinion, Whilst Claiming She Had No Right To Do So
Moira explains “I was in the minority on the council to veto the proposed nudist beach after local demonstrations, a petition and general objection. I stood up and gave the statistics, and then added that it was also my personal opinion that such a move would make Angorstock home to objectionable characters and all sorts of perversions. At this point Mr Gulliver stood up before it was his turn and was obnoxiously objectionable. He said in a very mocking patronising tone, that only facts speak here and that I am not entitled to express my opinion on the matter. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, I countered!”
Platt said “What has that got to do with the right to express an opinion?”
Gulliver came back with “Everything. Your opinion is about a factual council proposal for the area, and only arguments with enough weight are currency for change here. Even still you should not express an opinion if you are going to risk upsetting anyone, and over 90 percent of the countil voted in favour of this measure. Your opinion carries no weight nor is it appreciated.”
“You are a very patronising wordsmith, and a fossil of human decency, this is not the dark ages!” Platt hurled back. Unperturbed Gulliver remarked “In your inaccurate closed-minded opinion, of which you are still not entitled to! You’re an old bat with prehistoric thinking.”
Platt replied “I will have you for discrimination.”
“Why? I was merely expressing an opinion which you are arguing we are all entitled to, are you now saying that opinion has to be in agreement with your own?” There were many murmurs of agreement among the council committee, and nods of approval.
Mayor Graham Parnsip who was chairing the council meeting asked for order. “I call for the floor to be silent for the time being. Councillor Gulliver makes a fair argument, but this is not Prime Ministers Question Time. The matter in question was voted on and the numbers made the decision, opinions are not a factor in our policy making, only a majority vote.”
Platt asked “Are you saying that nobody is entitled to an opinion about the policies we make here?” Parsnip corrected “The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them knows anything about the subject! Marcus Aurelius 101, put that in your pipe and smoke it and let that be the end of the matter madam! The meeting is over, council dismissed.”
We took to the streets and spoke to Enid Butler, a retired shoe-lace maker from Helstronwick. “I think it’s disgusting that a council elect representative would say that. My husband was a green-grocer, he always used to say that everyone is entitled to an opinion, as well as an onion.”
Walter Dickens, a four-times award-winning cotton swab packer for Rimmngham says “You have to be the devil’s advocate sometimes. Surely the view that not everyone is entitled to an opinion, is in fact an opinion itself. One must ask if Councillor Tom Gulliver is entitled to have an opinion, about having an opinion, and if not, is he entitled to express that?”
“Mad” Mags Duckworth was in a clinic bed about to have colonic irrigation, and states “The opportunity for expression is always welcome no matter what the perspective may be. Tom Gulliver is a sad sack!”
Meanwhile a man sleeping in the street with his dog, who refused to give his name, added “I don’t give a shit. I’m entitled not to give a shit. I’m entitled to tell you I don’t give a shit. Got any spare change?”
We thought we would give the last words to Tom Gulliver in order to help make your mind up on this issue. This came in a now deleted tweet on the 30th April the night after the meeting:
