At this week’s full council meeting, leader of the council, David Pugh stated that a new Star Chamber would be created.
It’s purpose would be to monitor the council budgets on a monthly basis.
One eagle-eyed VB reader who goes under the name ‘watchdog’ spotted this and added his comment ….
David Pugh’s grasp of history must be pretty tenuous to call his budgetary review system a “Star Chamber”. Here’s what Wykopedia has to say about the subject:
Court sessions were held in secret, with no indictments, no right of appeal, no juries and no witnesses. Over time it evolved into a political weapon and became a symbol of the misuse of power by the English Monarchy and courts. The Star Chamber has, for centuries, symbolised disregard of basic human rights.
Well, there you have it. But, given the record of open-ness of his administration, maybe this choice of name was his intention after all.
Hmm, we’re sure that the council weren’t thinking about that Star Chamber when coming up with the title for the working group.
Perhaps they were thinking about the Star Chamber that has been created by the Department for Children, Schools and Families?
That Star Chamber was created to “reduce bureaucracy impacting on local authority children’s services and schools.”
Or maybe he was thinking about the 1983 film which has the tagline
They have committed every crime in the book, yet the law cannot touch them. They are free to walk the streets. Until tonight’s meeting of The Star Chamber.
As there are many references to the name across various subjects, no doubt there is a perfectly good reason for the choice.
We wonder what it is?
