Soubz Stropz!

“she has a record of unusually free speech”

So said the Independent’s Simon Carr in reference to Soubz, a quote she likes so much she has stuck it on the front of the email she sends out to her constituents.

Well, some of her constituents. I recently noticed that while Lady Beestonia was still receiving the newsletter, I wasn’t. I checked with some Lib Dems and Labour local councillors and they reported the same thing. We’d been kicked off her mailing list. Free speech, eh, Anna?

And that’s not all. The Beeston Express recently ran a questionnaire asking the readership what they’d like in terms in content. One thing that was clear was a demand for more politics: and as we have an incredible, pluralistic mix here (try getting your head round the County elections as I’ve had to do for our sister blog, The Battle of Broxtowe.    It’s a tough call: I commend the Beeston Express for it’s efforts to provide clarity on the vagaries/absurdities).

So the Editor, Sheila, decided to open up the political comment slot to other parties, rather than just Anna’s monthly column. When Anna got wind of this, she threw a massive strop and huffed off, refusing to ever write for them again and sticking a snarky message on her newsletter (kindly forwarded to me from someone still not on her shit-list)

….Unfortunately, the Editor has exercised her right and has decided to cancel my monthly column.
For some time people have been complaining to me that the Beeston Express is no longer the great impartial community newspaper it once was. I am disappointed that the Editor chose to ignore two statements from me about Field Farm and has now refused me the same opportunity as my predecessor. I will continue to express my views and provide updates on my work via this newsletter.

Who are these people who have been complaining? Maybe it’s Anna’s own OTHER mouthpiece, the cringingly-awful  Broxtowe Blue blog. Not heard of it? Well, they don’t do much really, throwing up some Anna-approved content every now and then. They recently wrote about The Beeston Express:

…that Labour rag, The Beeston Express, reported any of this? You bet your life it hasn’t! (Although they always seem happy to publish letters slagging off Anna Soubry.)

Cripes. Were they delivered The Morning Star by a confused paperboy?? I always assumed Sheila was a community-focussed person, rather than a communist. Weird.

That quote was taken from an article that also referred to me:

The person who refuses to publish a proper apology is the Beestonia blog man. The main purpose in his life appears to be to denigrate our MP to the point of obsession. He was quick to publish Clarke’s piece in full and took it down ‘rapido’ when he was tipped off it was defamatory. He really is bonkers if he thinks Anna should engage with him given all the tripe he writes about her.

This was in response to a piece I reblogged from a third party source, and then removed a couple of hours later when I realised elements of the content were not rigorously checked. I apologised for that at the time, but refused to bow to a threatening email sent to me from the idiotic Mr Soubry, Neil Davidson (see Beestonia passim for his willingness to threaten action against all and sundry), instead asking the following questions, since I knew she’d be reading:

1. Why did you base your 2010 Electoral Campaign on a strong ‘Local Candidate’ basis, attacking the incumbent for being disengaged with the Broxtowe scene as he lived in Mapperley, and promising stridently that you would move to Broxtowe if elected, then not doing so? I do realise that your partner, Neil, did send me a threatening email telling me to retract this line of questioning as this was due to ‘personal reasons’; but as Nick Palmer moved to, err, opposite your place in Mapperley, as he got married (a fairly personal action, no?) then it was disingenuous and hypocritical to tout for votes on this? Are you here now? If not, when are you likely to be here?
2. I willingly retract the third-party allegations about your expenses/ income. Will you, in kind, retract the allegation that I am ‘sexist’ as you previously -and rather baffingly-accused me of (see Beestonia passim).
3. I have, on numerous occasions, solicited your comment on Beeeston issues. While I am far from the ‘voice of Beeston’, I do have an increasing amount of readers from all ages, political stripes and other demographic angles. You have NEVER responded to them, aside from the odd warning that I should take stuff down. As the most read blog in your constituency, why not interact? I know you’re busy, but obviously not enough to send out threateners.
4. Will you be staying in Broxtowe come 2015?
5. Will you reply openly to the article Nick Palmer wrote in the previous post?
6. Will you promise to be representative to your constituents if they oppose 1) Royal Mail Privatisation 2) NHS ‘reform’? I understand the concept of electoral mandate, but you did, if I remember, promise to be ‘Broxtowe’s voice in Westminster, not Westminster’s voice in Broxtowe” ?

I await your response.

Unsurprisingly, none came. Free speech, eh Anna?

As this part of the story was ignored by Broxtowe Blue, I wrote a comment in reply. Did they publish it? Take a wild guess. Free speech, eh Anna?

I publish all comments apart from ones that are overtly racist (only had a couple, both from BNP twats). I do believe in free speech, which is why I always post up comments from the pro-Soubz readers. Though despite going by several names, always come from the same two IP addresses. Anonymous they ain’t.

Anna does believe in free speech, I’m sure. The freedom of speech enjoyed by her former assistant Craig Cox, for instance, who went through a police investigation for holding up a sign with the words ‘BRING BACK SLAVERY’ at a Student Union training event, leaving other delegates in tears. He then, as you may remember, took to the web accusing those of being offended as being Stalinist zealots, before my story found its way to The Nottingham Post and The Guardian and he claimed he held the sign up ‘not knowing what was written on it’ and claimed his homosexuality meant he couldn’t therefore be racist, cos, yeah, that’s how it works.

Yes, Anna believes in free speech. But only if it’s coming from her. Like when Mitt Romney was caught saying that the section of the electorate that were poor were not his concern, Soubz believes you have no right of expression if you disagree with her. Freedom of speech, as long as she agrees with it.

I’ll close by addressing Anna directly: Please, please piss off to Rushcliffe asap, Anna. You are a fucking disgrace. An utterly shit politician and Broxtowe cannot wait to see the twatting back of you.

Please excuse the foul language. It’s just an example of unusually free speech. Or at least  your chosen definition of it.