Herr Bartlett Still Delivering Top Comedy

Politics is truly a strange place sometimes.

Take the case of a certain Paul Bartlett, for example. Some of you may have heard of the barking mad berk before.

Well, he's had an emotional week, so he has.

FORMER councillor Paul Bartlett will retain his Alderman title after surviving a poll by Milton Keynes Council by a single vote to strip him of the honour.

[...]

Former Tory turned Independent councillor Mr Bartlett [...] hit the national headlines last year when he called for a bye-law to ban outdoor and indoor smoking in the town.

Yes, I vaguely remember reading something about that.

The controversial proposal helped fuel an alleged row with the landlady of the town’s Duke of Wellington pub, according to the Standards Committee.

The landlady claimed Mr Bartlett “bullied and harassed” her, made a highly offensive comment and threatened twice to get her pub closed down.

A further complaint came from a Stony Stratford art gallery, where the owner alleges she locked Mr Bartlett out of her premises because he was being offensive.

The Standards Committee found Mr Bartlett guilty of breaching conduct codes by swearing, shouting and abusing his position.

Car crash behaviour, I think you'll agree. Some might even consider it rather embarrassing for the town of Milton Keynes, therefore understandable that withdrawal of a bestowed honour should be considered. Right?

At the meeting, former council leader Councillor Cec Tallack said that many people didn’t like Mr Bartlett

Cllr Tallack is a master in the art of subtle understatement.

Members met on Wednesday night to discuss whether Mr Bartlett should be stripped of the honorary title of Alderman – the first time in history such a decision would have been made.

He is, err, unique, there's certainly no debate about that!

Councillors voted 17 in favour of Mr Bartlett losing his title, though 18 voted against, with 14 abstaining, meaning he will keep the title for now.

Phew. So close that I'm sure the guy will be contrite and shed that misplaced superiority complex now, eh?

“I feel vindicated,” he said on Thursday.

Or maybe not.

"I have missed out on job promotions, lost girlfriends, missed holidays and birthdays because of the work I put in as a councillor"

Look, I can just about buy the promotion thing - even for a guy who drives a clapped out non-emergency ambulance (I'm an optimist, at heart) - but ... girlfriends? You're stretching the imagination a tad there, snowflake.

Anyway, I digress.

Only in the weird and wonderful world of Herr Bartlett can abject failure, blanket disapproval, and public derision, followed by a squeaky bum one vote escape from an unprecedented stripping of stature be described as 'vindication'.

Someone should make a film about this guy, it'll have 'em rolling in the aisles!

H/T Misanthrope Girl