11 of Somerton’s town council members have handed in their resignations after a blog begun in 2006 continuously taunted and threw abuse at them. Anthony Canvin, ex-vice chairman said that of the 15 members, 11 had decided to quit their posts, with one currently on holiday and a further member leaving in sympathy.
Begun three years ago the Muck&Brass blog, owned by local resident Niall Connolly described councillors as “jackasses” and expressed that one of their pamphlets was “like a Nazi call to arms.” Whilst councillors said that they had quit due to ongoing criticism by the blogger, Mr Connolly rejected the idea. “If blaming Muck&Brass helps these ex-councillors to sleep at night then that’s fine but it ignores the truth,” he said, adding “These councillors had, for too long, ignored the community which they were meant to serve.” He blogged that many of the councillors acted as if they had “only just discovered the word” democracy and said that a leaflet called Good Citizens “reads more like a Nazi call to arms or an invitation to ethnic cleansing.”
With only four members remaining South Somerset District Council are now arranging for further elections to take place. Mr Canvin, said “I’m not going to tolerate it when I’m working for the town. I said, ‘I’ve had enough’ and handed in my resignation.” A motion was then proposed for a mass resignation because of “impossible working conditions.”
