Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Common Purpose

Does our council operate under Common Purpose? ( Maybe the title to a new topic;) )
1. Decisions concerning policy and expenditure affecting councils are made at meetings of Common Purpose that bypass the democratic, executive and scrutiny functions of the council. This is what Common Purpose calls 'leading beyond authority'.
2. Members of Common Purpose, which includes senior council officers, are chosen by Common Purpose for their value to Common Purpose and trained at ratepayers' expense, in spite of the fact that these costs are of no tangible benefit to the taxpayer.
3. The so-called 'graduates' or members of Common Purpose use unaccounted council employee time and resources for the business of Common Purpose and, as with their so-called training, the activities of Common Purpose within councils often escaped the attention of the Full Council, Cabinet and Scrutiny Panel.
4. Meetings of Common Purpose are held using a corporate account, off-books, to pay for the hospitality at these meetings.
5. Citizens are not only lied-to when questions are asked about Common Purpose, but are not even allowed to know which council officers have received the so-called training at the taxpayers' expense, and legitimate requests are still being unlawfully withheld.
6. Common Purpose coaches its members on how to avoid answering Freedom of Information requests and how to break the Data Protection Act with unlawful disclosures.
7. Common Purpose encourages its members to identify 12-15 year olds for grooming before placement for so-called 'Your Turn' training without any evidence of having carried out the statutory criminal safety checks.
8. Those identified with Common Purpose, in any capacity or association, are among the same people determined as either corrupt or behind the worst and continuing abuses of citizens.

Just a thought.

Posted by David Furmage to swanageview at 9:57 PM

9 comments:

The Postman said...

Can you give any references/links to what this is about?

Anonymous said...

How very interesting. I had never heard of it before. A quick check via Google revealed that Common Purpose was set up by the conservative party under Edward Heath before that party was taken over by its own right wing. The name is not unrelated to Common Market as the EU was then called.

There are several anti-common purpose websites which seem to follow the same model, that it is all part of a terrible EU conspiracy against democracy. The main critics of it turn out to be thatcherite eurosceptics whose critique is very much along the lines of the old "jews, communists and freemasons" stuff of the far right, without using that terminology of course.

What is revealed is a strange mixture of obscure organisations with names like Campaign for an Independent Britain all with loopy agendas of their own.

www.CPexposed.com is a hoot. It says that the aim of cp it that "Children, teenagers and adults have their prejudices removed." Apparently they think thats a bad idea!

Where the facts do not exist they have to invent them. That Labout has a secret agenda and set of policies for example. www.stopcp.com says "The objective of the hidden agenda of New Labour is the creation of a Communitarian society controlled by the EU collective." If only...

Thanks for making us aware of this Dave, but having looked at both sides of the debate I will go with Common Purpose rather than the fruit cake right.

Anonymous said...

This may fall under some sort of conspiracy theory.

I rather doubt our council has the nous to know about Common Purpose. The Town Clerk may be another story, as civil servants move in different worlds than elected leaders.

Irrespective of that connection, we must note that the Town Clerk operates under a different set of rules as the elected Council. This is not directed specifically at him, but his office which, as a form of civil service post, operates in its own world which may, or may not, embrace some elements proposed by Common Purpose'.

Don't fret to much about Common Purpose; if you are concerned about it and the town hall, then get involved with town meetings and keep your voice heard. Ask this question at the next Town Council meeting.

Anonymous said...

I am still chuckling at this. You can imagine a meeting of the very, very secret central committee. The leader addresses his followers:

"At first we controlled only the BBC, the quangos and a few ministries but now Swanage parish council has fallen to us. Victory is ours!"

Prolonged applause and singing of the european anthem at this point.

Anonymous said...

The original post is one of the silliest that I have read on this website. David, why not post direct issues, eg "I asked A" and they replied "B, which was clearly a lie" and then we can all make our own minds up. Your post, as it stands, makes it look that you had been at the cooking wine.

Anonymous said...

Oh, what joy!

Another hour wasted in our increasingly paranoid world.

Government has always had its dose of stupidity and back scratching, as we become a more open society so more rumours leak out and more conspiracy theories appear.

In their own way they're quite good fun, so long as you remember that they're usually just a bunch of overhyped bunkum.

He said, ripping off his prosthetic head and laughing demoniacally.

Was that Dr Who or David Icke?

Did we ever land on the moon?

David Furmage said...

Talking of secret why is everyone anonymous? Do you all have something to hide , afarid to show us who you really are? ;);)

Also last time I sat at a meeting was for about an hour to be told was at the wrong meeting and my case would not be heard. Then went back to have my case rejected , so alot of use. Especailly after all the work I had put into it :(

Jake Pearson said...

Probably something to do with the fact they think they're better than you. Who wrote this article?

g.haskell said...

The Common Purpose organisation exists . If you feel happy with their influence in all your councils, so be it. It was clear to me I had to leave the country and 4 years on, I feel sorry for you all.
Particularly as so many seem to think it's something funny.
Good luck
Gordon Haskell
formerly of Worth Matravers.