Monday 8 October 2012

UKIP's Bill Etheridge banned from PCC public meeting

The left wing "Community Foundation" in Birmingham held a public meeting tonight so that voters could meet Police & Crime Commissioners for the West Midlands Police area.  All candidates, that is, apart from UKIP's Bill Etheridge who was told that he wasn't allowed to attend.

Community Foundation, which lists the Home Office, Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police amongst its "partners" (ie. taxpayer funded backers).  It seems to do a lot of community work but its main purpose appears to be agitating for islamophobia to be made a crime and special treatment for minorities.  In other words, your stereotypical taxpayer-funded left wing pressure group.

Community Foundation (which is a limited company) was known as Community Development Trust until it changed its name in November last year.  In March last year the company filed accounts saying it was dormant.  In April last year Birmingham City Councillor, Waseem Zaffar, said he was investigating how a community development foundation could provide a voice for the community and channel resources (ie. spend taxpayer's money) for regeneration.  By November the company had been revived with its new name and new offices and money from Birmingham City Council.  Community Foundation clearly owes a great deal of loyalty to its LibLabCon-controlled benefactors.

If you are unhappy with Community Foundation trying to unduly influence the Police & Crime Commissioner elections by excluding Bill Etheridge you can email them at cdtfoundation@aol.com or call them on 0121 370 6133.  You might also like to complain to their sponsors who are giving taxpayers money to this organisation that is clearly participating in political activities.  The Home Office, Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police are obviously public bodies but Community Development Fund is a fake charity (ie. all of its money comes from the taxpayer) and shouldn't be using public money to fund the political activities of this group.

You can see what Community Foundation doesn't want you to see at Bill's website.

Update:
Someone at the meeting asked why Bill wasn't allowed to go and was told by the chairman of Community Foundation:
We didn't invite him because his answers to our questions would have offended us