I have just written about how I think one of our councillors is not only a part-time councillor, but one who is probably in breach of some or other code of conduct in Adur and who stood under false pretenses, but there are some interesting minor details to it all.

I can thoroughly recommend a look at this page on the Adur DC website for an interesting insight into Tory party recruitment and selection processes. Those of us in the Labour party will be familiar with how we invite nominations for council candidates and then scrutinise or vet those nominations, with forms to fill out, references from branches and interviews to sit. how much simpler the whole thing is for the Tories. Cllr Eade says she got her job this way…

One day, after a service at the Southwick Methodist Church, I was approached by a Conservative Member who asked me to become a Councillor. The pre-requisites were a female Christian.

Note that she was not approached to be a candidate, but to be a councillor. They take their results for granted down there. But what is this about the pre-requisites? This was before Call-me-Dave came along with his new multi-culturalism but do you get the impression that anything has changed at this level? The Tories might get a few token ethnic minorities into high-profile places to make themselves look good, and field one of their few ethnic minority members strategically in wards with high minority ethnic populations – like they did in Langley Green this year – but out in the sticks I can imagine this being typical.

This page appears to have been written in 2004 at the earliest, since it mentions the 2004 elections. It ends like this:

I believe the Eastbrook Ward is a great place to live and will do all I can to keep it that way.

I’m not sure that moving to the other end of the county 2 years later was what she had in mind, but maybe her departure will make Eastbrook a better place. I don’t know, I haven’t met the woman.

Still on this religion thing. Mrs Eade makes a great deal of her religion, mentioning it at every opportunity. Now although I am an atheist myself I am not a fundamentalist atheist who forces that (non-)belief on other people. I get on extremely well with several vicars on the understanding that we don’t try to convert each other.

I was told today that Cllr Eade is bringing a motion to Adur council on Monday which says:

That the Council agree to prayers being said in the Council Chamber for a
period of up to fifteen minutes before each meeting of the Full Council
and that the Council invite a minister of the Christian religion from one
of the main denominations (Church of England, Roman Catholic, Baptist,
Free Church, Methodist or United Reformed Church) to attend at the Council
to lead prayers for the Council meeting and the Councillors attending.

That the Council is in agreement with another room being made available
for Councillors of other religions to meet for prayers prior to each
Council meeting.

She obviously has strong feelings about this sort of thing. How long before a similar motion comes to Crawley council? With any luck Adur DC will reject this – but since they appear to recruit by trawling through church congregations you can’t count on it.

I think this sort of thing counts as forcing your religion on other people.