• Disrupting Power Since 2015
  • Donate
  • Login
Thursday, May 22, 2025
  • Login
  • Register
Canary
MEDIA THAT DISRUPTS
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
MANAGE SUBSCRIPTION
SUPPORT
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
Canary
No Result
View All Result

A blogger made a brave stand against a council boss, now he’s making her homeless

James Wright by James Wright
1 November 2016
in UK
Reading Time: 3 mins read
170 2
A A
0
Home UK
320
SHARES
2.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Blogger Jacqui Thompson tried to film a public Carmarthenshire Council meeting in the interest of accountability. She’s now being ordered to sell her home after council boss Mark James sued her for libel, despite him unlawfully using taxpayer cash to pay legal costs.

Where it all started

Thompson began filming what she viewed as “the latest travesty for democracy” at the council back in 2011. She felt the council leadership was ignoring strong local opposition to its plans at the public meeting. After trying to film the proceedings on her mobile, the council had her arrested, handcuffed and detained at a police station for two hours.

She was arrested on peacekeeping grounds, despite only calmly filming from a balcony.

The Coalition government’s guidelines were at odds with the decision to phone the police. They read that kicking people out of council meetings only for filming is “at odds with the fundamentals of democracy”. The government’s statement, which may not apply to Wales but does reflect what a healthy democracy should look like, continues:

The public should rightly expect that elected representatives who have put themselves up for public office be prepared for their decisions to be as transparent as possible and welcome a direct line of communication to their electorate.

Repercussions

In the aftermath of her arrest, James accused Thompson and her family of “running a campaign of harassment, intimidation and defamation of council staff”. The arrest received a lot of negative press. So Thompson viewed James’s online post as a character assassination attempt and sued the council boss for libel. But James successfully counter-sued, with the judge ruling that Thompson conducted a smear campaign as “revenge”.

James is now forcing the sale of Thompson’s family home to retrieve damages which have risen to £35,392 after interest. The mother has 14 days to respond. Unlike the council boss, Thompson will also have to pay her own legal costs of £190,000.

Thompson told The Canary:

This is a step too far, and I cannot believe he is prepared to make me homeless. It seems nothing less than vindictive. We are an ordinary family and it appears that I have committed the cardinal sin of writing a blog critical of the council. I have also been instrumental in bringing greater transparency to our local authority, exposed failings in governance and deficiencies within the democratic processes. For this, we are likely to be made homeless.

Questions raised

If the council was acting in the interest of its constituents, why would there be any problem with citizens filming council decision-making? Public officials on taxpayer salaries must be held accountable to the people they represent. Coming down so hard on Thompson may be designed to deter other bloggers from political writing and documenting governments.

In short, transparency is the bedrock of a functioning democracy. Thompson should not lose her family home for trying to uphold it, while the taxpayer foots the council boss’s legal bill.

The Canary contacted Mark James for comment but had received no reply at the time of publication.

Get Involved!

– Hold your own local council to account.

Featured image via Twitter

Share128Tweet80
Previous Post

The BBC documentary that the Australian government doesn’t want you to see [VIDEO]

Next Post

Mainstream media silent as the UK attempts to stop the UN banning nuclear weapons

Next Post
Mainstream media silent as the UK attempts to stop the UN banning nuclear weapons

Mainstream media silent as the UK attempts to stop the UN banning nuclear weapons

Work and Pensions Secretary brands Ken Loach’s film ‘monstrously unfair’, spectacularly missing the point

Work and Pensions Secretary brands Ken Loach's film 'monstrously unfair', spectacularly missing the point

Online solidarity with US anti-pipeline protests goes viral

Online solidarity with US anti-pipeline protests goes viral

Controversial online therapy to be used in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome trial

Controversial online therapy to be used in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome trial

EXCLUSIVE: Life is shockingly normal inside ‘Fortress Damascus’ [Part I]

EXCLUSIVE: Life is shockingly normal inside 'Fortress Damascus' [Part I]

horoscope
Horoscopes

Horoscope today: your 24-hour briefing for life, love, and more

by Steve Topple
22 May 2025
Israel Netanyahu
Analysis

Verbal condemnation of Israel from European leaders is not enough

by Alaa Shamali
21 May 2025
TransActual toilet Supreme Court
News

Trans advocacy organisation unveils “Third Toilet” outside Supreme Court

by HG
21 May 2025
Labour polling Starmer
Analysis

New poll shows Labour’s pandering to the far right is failing miserably

by Ed Sykes
21 May 2025
Jeremy Corbyn
Analysis

Jeremy Corbyn suggests a new party will be in place before 2026 elections

by Ed Sykes
21 May 2025
  • Contact
  • About & FAQ
  • Get our Daily News Email
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

The Canary
PO Box 71199
LONDON
SE20 9EX

Canary Media Ltd – registered in England. Company registration number 09788095.

For guest posting, contact [email protected]

For other enquiries, contact: [email protected]

The Canary is owned and run by independent journalists and volunteers, NOT offshore billionaires.

You can write for us, or support us by making a regular or one-off donation.

© Canary Media Ltd 2024, all rights reserved | Website by Monster | Hosted by Krystal | Privacy Settings

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion

© 2023 Canary - Worker's co-op.

Before you go, have you seen...?

horoscope
Horoscopes
Steve Topple

Horoscope today: your 24-hour briefing for life, love, and more

Israel Netanyahu
Analysis
Alaa Shamali

Verbal condemnation of Israel from European leaders is not enough

TransActual toilet Supreme Court
News
HG

Trans advocacy organisation unveils “Third Toilet” outside Supreme Court

Labour polling Starmer
Analysis
Ed Sykes

New poll shows Labour’s pandering to the far right is failing miserably

ADVERTISEMENT
Analysis
Nathan Spears

Vote for the Press Photograph of the Year 2024

Image by Burkard Meyendriesch from Pixabay
Feature
Nathan Spears

Why Santiago Ways is the Leading Choice for Walking the Camino de Santiago

Environment
Nathan Spears

EU elections point to growing public desire for new policymaking approach in Brussels