Conservatives raise Gollygate at budget meeting

Cllr Joe Robertson, leader of the Conservative group of Councillors, used Members’ Question time during the Full Council meeting tonight (Wednesday) to bring up the Gollygate incident.

He asked why the Leader had not said anything ethnic diversity and racial equality in her list of priorities for the council when she presented her Leader’s report at the beginning of the meeting.

Cllr Robertson went on to raise the issue of an image that was allegedly shared by Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox (Alliance) on Facebook last year that included what is being said to be a collection of golly dolls in the background.

Robertson: Silence is not an acceptable answer
Cllr Robertson claimed a ‘friend’ of Cllr Peacey-Wilcox’s had posted to social media that for as long as she could remember, Lora had had a collection of Golly dolls.

He asked,

“As Leader of the Council please can you explain whether those dolls were displayed in your home in November?
“You shared the offensive image in public. Silence is not an acceptable answer.”

Peacey-Wilcox: Would not be answering
The Leader said that she’d been given no prior notice of these questions and it was not a matter relating to the budget or policy nor something which the council has responsibility, so she would not be answering.

Chairman Cllr Geoff Brodie (Ind Lab) intervened and said he disagreed,

“I think it is incumbent of you to provide a response.”

Claims of misogyny and harassment
Cllr Julie Jones-Evans (Alliance) called for the meeting to be suspended saying she was witnessing bullying and harassment.

There were also calls from the public gallery of the same, citing harassment and misogyny.

Cllr Brodie shouted to the members of the public in the gallery to “shut up” and said he would report them to the Police.

Cllr Peacey-Wilcox told Cllr Robertson that she would review what he had said and would give a written response.

Members of the public thrown out
Cllr Jones-Evans called out that “misogyny is a hate crime”, and was joined by calls “bully” and “harassment” from the public gallery.

The Chairman, Cllr Brodie, adjourned the meeting for several minutes as the public gallery was emptied.

Same question asked again
When the meeting resumed, Cllr Robertson was given the opportunity to ask the question again. The Leader repeated her previous response.

Cllr Robertson was also given the chance to ask a supplementary question.

He said the image the Leader had allegedly shared was “racially offensive” and asked whether she thought the “ethnic minority population on the Island was too small a number to be bothered about”.

Ellis: Abuse hurled at us from the public gallery
Cllr Suzie Ellis (Con) said she hadn’t intended to ask the question, but after “the abuse that was hurled at us from the public gallery”, she asked whether the Leader recognised that golly dolls are offensive and whether she would apologise for causing offense.

The leader said that she’d been given no prior notice of these questions and it was not a matter relating to the budget or policy or council matters, so she would not be answering.

The Chairman, Cllr Brodie, said her responses were getting “tedious” and that it was worrying for her to deny equality and diversity as not being important to IWC policy.

Drew: Chilling effects on democracy
Cllr Warren Drew (Con) said after the “scandalous display” from the public gallery, it gave him concern for the chilling effects on democracy. He said didn’t believe the Leader is racist in any way, and acknowledged that she is very well respected within the Island community.

He said this was a matter about democracy and representation of the council. He appreciated she may not want to answer in a public forum, but asked whether there was some way for her to be accountable to the democratic will of the IWC and answer the question of significant importance to a number of people.

Thanked for “being reasonable”
Cllr Drew asked whether she could give some undertaking to give account and distance the IWC from this issue.

Cllr Peacey-Wilcox thanked Cllr Drew “for being reasonable. I think you must have secret insight into my family”.

She asked for the question in writing as she said it deserved an answer.

You can watch the segment of the meeting reported above via the council’s YouTube channel below