Tory boy antics upset Mike Whitby

Apr 17 2009 by Paul Dale, Birmingham Post

The antics of Birmingham’s angry young right-wingers are beginning to displease Conservative city council leader Mike Whitby, I hear.

Whitby has let it be known privately that he is not at all impressed by the behaviour of the so-called Primrose League of newly-arrived councillors and candidates who claim to be intent on promoting one nation Disraelian values and discussing issues of great import over sumptuous dinner parties.

Some members of the Primrose mob signed the infamous letter describing Whitby’s cherished plan to establish a municipal bank as a waste of public money.

They were described as mere “boys” by a Tory cabinet member, who then promptly denied ever making the claim.

But it is the childish spat between Primrose Leaguer Gareth Compton and Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Mullaney that has grabbed the council leader’s attention.

Compton, a newish Tory councillor in Erdington, has been swapping insults with Mullaney, who he described as a “washed up liberal”, “politically ignorant”, a “buffoon” and a “grammar dodger” following his attempt to remove apostrophes from Birmingham street signs.

A lively set-to on the Stirrer website saw Mullaney accuse Compton and his chums of representing a “Conservative Party unchanged since the backwardness of Iain Duncan-Smith, rather than of the progressive inclusiveness projected by David Cameron”.

Mullaney added: “I think Coun Mike Whitby needs to be reminded of the following quotation from Marcus Tullius Cicero, one of Rome’s greatest orators: a nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within.”

Ouch, that had the desired effect.

Compton took Mullaney to task for miss-spelling definitely as ‘definately’, before making a bit of an ass of himself by miss-spelling sandals as ‘sandles’. Difficult this grammar malarkey, eh Gareth? Matters went rapidly downhill, with a discussion about how much wealthier than yow Compton, a barrister, happens to be. To quote the Erdington Primrose man: “Mullaney, I can assure you that the fact that you are the unending butt of my gags never ceases to cause my friends and myself a very great deal of entertainment and enjoyment.

“Unlike you, I’m a happily married man, so no need to worry on that score. I can also assure you, since you’re so concerned, that I earn more in a month than you do in a year, in a very enjoyable and stimulating profession, so no need to fret on that score either.

“To be strictly accurate though, I earn in one month and seven days, what you earn in a year.”

This, apparently, works out to £280,000 a year for Compton.

Mullaney is now questioning whether the tax office is aware Compton is earning so much. Compton has warned that this may be defamatory, but says it’s not worth suing Mullaney because he is “a man of straw” and has no money.

Oh dear. Could there be any greater demonstration of the contempt in which the Tory right holds Birmingham Liberal Democrats?

By Paul Dale