COMMUNICATION TO ALL CITY OF LAUNCESTON'S COUNCILLORS

FOR CONTEXT: The copy below is of the letter delivered by email and it is just the most recent exemplar of what I have been advised might well constitute discrimination. For myself I have more to do than spend time and to be feeding a layers' picnic'. 

If ratepayers were to engage in a legal tussle of this kind and even WIN all ratepayers would lose BIGtime given that they would be paying Council's and/or its officers' legal expensed etc. etc.

So, there is no win-win to be had and many of us don't look to legal action in a win-win way. You have to give in a little bit; you have to take a little bit and then get on with it. Now is never a good time to adopt the fetal position and withdraw from the world.

After all in the end, everything has to be rinsed out and cleaned up in the aftermath of the engagement. Typically there is collateral  damage all over the place.

As much as we can we should all take the advice of the likes of Mark Twain who said "it is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

THE eMAIL: Dear Councillors, 

Please click on the image to enlarge

If as the GM/CEO suggests I am jeopardising the  health and safety, of Councillors’ and Council officers’, in any way I apologise without reservation. It certainly is not my intention to do anything of the kind. .

For context, for the most part, given that Launceston Town Hall is an ‘action research laboratory’ for my ongoing research into ‘place, placemaking placescaping and placemarking’ in the context of CULTURALgeography my emails are sent in the context of open discourse, transparency, and accountability. This 'Lab' after all is conveniently located at the bottom of the hill I live upon. 

Except for ‘QUESTIONS ON NOTICE’ generally: 

•...No action at all is required of a Councillor or Council officer; and 

•... Therefore, they should not place any kind of administrative burden on anyone; unless 

•...A Councillor or Council officer should choose take any action on their own initiative for their own purposes; albeit 

•...That mostly, my correspondence is documented for all to see at various location on the internet like https://echo7250.blogspot.com/; and 

•...That is done in order that researchers wherever they may be can make rhizomatic linkages in regard to their own independent research activity etc. 

So, any claim that I am taking up valuable administrative time, I suggest is a ‘truth by assertion’ . The only time it might possibly take is the time to think something through, but that is not required at all.

Apart from emailing Councillors and/or Council officers I alert a wide network of people in order that I might: 

•...Openly notify them of findings, observations and gleaned information; and 

•...Test the veracity of such information in regard to further research on their and my own part. In the context of ‘action research’ that is the professional and ethical thing to do. 

My anticipated research outcome is, will be, a publication of some kind unless some LIFEevent intervenes. In the meantime, there are digital publications. Moreover, what is revealing itself in Local Governance in Launceston, Tasmania and indeed nationally is that local governance is ‘allergic’ to frank and fearless criticism and critique and sometimes to the extent of dysfunctionalism …. It is what it is! 

There is no intent on my part to do anything other than share information and where appropriate share critical assessments. If a reasonable person finds this threatening in anyway, I am more than willing to address the issue. So, against this backgrounding I find the ‘Communications Protocol’ somewhat extraordinary, but it does not impact upon me in any significant way …. It is what it is! 

My ego is not so big that I cannot deal with the consequences of all this such as they are. As I’ve said over and over there is nothing to be won or lost here except better understandings. If along the way mistakes are made so be it, but it can only happen if there is an attempt to challenge the status quo or there is an attempt to do something new and audacious. 

Regards, 

Ray Norman