Thursday 22 May 2014

Hissing Geese


Tomorrow we go to trial over the Rundles affair.  I have just had a long chat with my barrister. I was feeling a little pessimistic earlier this week but my barrister knows the judge and apparently he's quite a good stick, so we have better than average chance of winning. And I really could use a win. I am sick of losing to these bastards and just for once it would be nice to take the fight to the enemy.

Propaganda rags such as the Daily Mail claim that "Council tax bills could be cut by an average £100 per household if authorities chased up debts properly." - The message being that we "council tax dodgers" increase the burden on others. This is not so.

Jean Baptiste Colbert, a French finance minister once said “The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount of hissing”.

If we had any semblance of democracy there is no way in hell taxation would ever have reached the level it is presently at, and councils would not be running deficits to fund their CEOcracy, their vanity projects, their final-salary-pensions and worthless non-jobs.  So in the absence of democracy it is past the time to hiss - and I have hissed. I have drawn a line in the sand that says if you want my money, you will have to spend more money to get it - because without democracy, our local government is wholly illegitimate.

I may lose tomorrow, but if your council tax isn't going up this year, it is because of people like me (and the good and kind people who have put their hands in their own pockets to support this effort), that you are not paying more. We have hissed.

Special mention must be made of Matt Davies, Mez Fioravanti, Richard North, Jason Bailey & Amy at DWB and Dave Chapman especially, to whom I am eternally greateful. They are the people who made this fight possible - and tomorrow, win or lose, this battle was worth fighting - and I would not do a single thing differently.  If nothing else it has exposed precisely how corrupt local government now is, even if we have no legal recourse.

Given how bent out of shape British justice is, there is always the possibility of losing, where I shall face a large bill, but one way or another the fight will continue.  But if I win... this is only the start.  So all that is left is to wish me luck, for my win is your win.

6 comments:

  1. Well Good Luck. Let us know how you get on.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am glad to have found your blog.

    I myself faced similar issues. Their attempt to fraudulently get me a criminal conviction fell flat.

    I am now commencing civil proceedings against them.

    It would be good if we could have a private discussion.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr [Arnold Layne]
    Application by an individual to commence criminal proceedings by issue of summons.


    This is an application by [Arnold Layne] to lay an information for the issue of a summons alleging an offence under section 26. Criminal Justice & Courts Act 2015 against Gillian Morley of the Humberside Police.

    1). Mr [Layne] has been invited to attend Grimsby Magistrates Court for an ex parte private hearing and has declined the invitation.

    2). I have read statements of evidence by Mr [Layne] dated 2nd December 2015 and 25th April 2016, together with those exhibits which were sent to the Clerk to the Justices.

    3). I find that Mr [Layne] is aggrieved at a decision of the Grimsby Magistrates Court in October 2015 making or confirming a liability order in respect of allegedly unpaid council tax. He complains that the order was achieved because a Local Authority officer gave perjured evidence. He is aggrieved as well that the District Judge (Magistrates Court) hearing and making the liability order was complicit in the perjury and thus himself was guilty of perverting the course of justice.

    4). I am told that no appeal has been lodged.

    5). Mr [Layne] invited the Police to investigate the alleged perjury. The Police declined to. On 11th November 2015 Gillian Morley informed Mr [Layne] that the matter did not concern the police as it was a civil matter.

    6). Mr [Layne] complained that the decision of the Police not to investigate was an improper exercise of a power in accordance with section 26 of Criminal Justice & Courts Act 2015, and that that failure to investigate triggers his current application.

    7). Mr [Layne] has made a complaint to the Police. That has been rejected and Mr [Layne] is aggrieved by that.

    8). I have referred myself to Stones Justices manual; and to R v West London Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate ex parte Khan (1979) and in particular to the explanation to the approach to issuing a summons by Lord Widgery C.J.

    9). I have a discretion whether or not to issue a summons. I do not issue a summon because the application is vexatious

    (a) Mr [Layne] seeks to proceed on an offence that is not designed for this type of circumstance. Further the application overlooks the reasonable person test in sections 26(4)(b) and 26 (5)(c).

    (b) His grievance is really about the October 2015 order and the evidence of the Local Authority.

    (c) He has had the opportunity to appeal the October 2015 decision but he has chosen not to.

    (d) He appears to be using this application as a collateral attack to (b) above.

    N P Hayles
    Deputy District Judge (MC)
    26/04/2016

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mr [Arnold Layne]
    Application by an individual to commence criminal proceedings by issue of summons.


    This is an application by [Arnold Layne] to lay an information for the issue of a summons alleging an offence under section 26. Criminal Justice & Courts Act 2015 against Gillian Morley of the Humberside Police.

    1). Mr [Layne] has been invited to attend Grimsby Magistrates Court for an ex parte private hearing and has declined the invitation.

    2). I have read statements of evidence by Mr [Layne] dated 2nd December 2015 and 25th April 2016, together with those exhibits which were sent to the Clerk to the Justices.

    3). I find that Mr [Layne] is aggrieved at a decision of the Grimsby Magistrates Court in October 2015 making or confirming a liability order in respect of allegedly unpaid council tax. He complains that the order was achieved because a Local Authority officer gave perjured evidence. He is aggrieved as well that the District Judge (Magistrates Court) hearing and making the liability order was complicit in the perjury and thus himself was guilty of perverting the course of justice.

    4). I am told that no appeal has been lodged.

    5). Mr [Layne] invited the Police to investigate the alleged perjury. The Police declined to. On 11th November 2015 Gillian Morley informed Mr [Layne] that the matter did not concern the police as it was a civil matter.

    6). Mr [Layne] complained that the decision of the Police not to investigate was an improper exercise of a power in accordance with section 26 of Criminal Justice & Courts Act 2015, and that that failure to investigate triggers his current application.

    7). Mr [Layne] has made a complaint to the Police. That has been rejected and Mr [Layne] is aggrieved by that.

    8). I have referred myself to Stones Justices manual; and to R v West London Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate ex parte Khan (1979) and in particular to the explanation to the approach to issuing a summons by Lord Widgery C.J.

    9). I have a discretion whether or not to issue a summons. I do not issue a summon because the application is vexatious

    (a) Mr [Layne] seeks to proceed on an offence that is not designed for this type of circumstance. Further the application overlooks the reasonable person test in sections 26(4)(b) and 26 (5)(c).

    (b) His grievance is really about the October 2015 order and the evidence of the Local Authority.

    (c) He has had the opportunity to appeal the October 2015 decision but he has chosen not to.

    (d) He appears to be using this application as a collateral attack to (b) above.

    N P Hayles
    Deputy District Judge (MC)
    26/04/2016

    ReplyDelete
  5. GRIMSBY AND CLEETHORPES
    MAGISTRATES’ COURT

    (Code 1940)

    Application to start a prosecution
    (s1 Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980)

    Listed: 26 April 2016

    [Arnold Layne] (Prosecution) v Humberside Police (Defendant)

    STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE

    LIST OF EXHIBITS

    Magistrates’ Courts Act, s 1 (Information) Exhibit 1
    Email from Humb Police Exhibit 2
    Email to Humb Police Exhibit 3
    Email from Humb Police Exhibit 4
    Evidence supporting allegations Exhibit 5
    Humb Police confirming recording of complaint Exhibit 6
    Humb Police outcome of complaint Exhibit 7
    Appeal against outcome of complaint Exhibit 8
    Costs suspended until outcome of proceedings Exhibit 9
    Council’s Witness Statement Exhibit 10
    Screen shots of internet forum posts Exhibit 11
    Council’s Exhibit (NELC12) Exhibit 12
    Original letter to Administrative Court Exhibit 13
    Original letter from Administrative Court Exhibit 14
    Email “Read Receipt” from Council Exhibit 15
    Email “Read Receipt” from Council Exhibit 16
    Email “Read Receipt” from Council Exhibit 17
    Letter to the Justices’ Clerk (query delivery of case) Exhibit 18
    Letter to the Justices’ Clerk (query delivery of case) Exhibit 19
    Letter to the Justices’ Clerk (requesting certificate) Exhibit 20
    S 26 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 Exhibit 21

    ......

    Dated this 25th day of April 2016

    Signed:

    ReplyDelete