Happy Bank Holiday and Pride, but beyond the festivities, there are realities Manchester's too long leaders do not want you to know.

Following yesterday's update about a new petition to demand the Gay Village is given a protected cultural status (see https://mgcb-libdems.org.uk/en/petition/pride-in-the-village which MCC leaders refuse, two very concerning stories have made the press.

As well as not caring about protecting the Gay Village, the leaders who denigrate a future for the Village and cynically promotes their role in Pride are astoundingly hypocritical. They are pivotal as Executives fact in private property cartels with Human Rights Abusers. 

From @McrMeteor

• "Manchester City Council (MCC) is broadcasting its support for the event, but these words clash uncomfortably against their deeds when it comes to their business couplings with the state of Abu Dhabi. A state within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which persecutes and criminalises the LGBT+ community at home and is committing human rights atrocities and undermining democratic reform abroad."
• "The maxim "absolute power corrupts absolutely" holds when it comes to the Abu Dhabi royal families abuse of power at home and abroad. The Abu Dhabi penal code makes sodomy punishable by up to 14 years in prison, cross-dressing is also illegal, and all sexual relations outside a heterosexual marriage is a crime".
• "One of the most brutal police states in the Middle East. The UAE has the highest ratio of political prisoners to its population, possibly in the entire world".

For speaking about these, a senior Labour councillor threatened legal action and monitoring our group. For taking about in a meeting, Sir Richard Leese refused any more questions from me.

Sadly, Manchester is a city where campaigners are widely harassed, even hacked, where I had to report threats to the police and had a convoluted Data case against the Council. I won't be the first or the last, as a culture of intimidation is encouraged by Manchester's "leaders".

The property, politics, power and cronyism issues, remains a story the local media will not cover, and MCC tries to intimidate people from talking about problems or challenging them. A Town Hall that has a monopoly for far too long has become a dishonest self-interested regime of control and suppression, and that is no exaggeration.

The local media, Manchester Evening News, has long refused this story and many others, only seeking to support the leadership and fail in needed journalism in the city.  The ward Councillors, Sam Wheeler, Jon Connor-Lyons and Adele Douglas seem to refuse to comment on these issues, Wheeler and JLC blocking critics online, instead seemingly support the failure of the Gay Village SRF and its lack of transparency. (Please donate to The Meteor at https://www.themeteor.org/donations-page/

The next national story which appeared in the Sunday Times is about Peterloo commemorative mural in the 200th. This story shows how far the Council leadership will go to demand truth is censored. There is an appalling irony in this, on the anniversary of the democratic fight back, that changed Brish history after much bloodshed.

The Times writes:

"Manchester council was accused last week of "rank hypocrisy" after it intervened to remove references to its £1bn business deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from a piece of performance art commissioned as part of events commemorating Peterloo's 200th anniversary".

Like The Portland Village and the hopes to airbrush and deceive campaigners and citizens into giving up their fight for a better city, let alone a say in it. The recent years have given a catalogue of news items, from abusive Councillors, anti-semitism, harassment and a culture of damaging hypocrisy and contempt for citizens, campaigners and chances for a city.

Wake up Manchester. This toxic leadership wants the censorship, a climate of intimidation and power to do as they please, however damaging it is to the LGBTQ community. 

Their hypocrisy and hubris are so damaging, you, like the commemorative 200th battle, we all need to be reminded of what people risked and sacrificed for truth, citizenship and freedom. Freedom for LGBTQ people, seemingly Manchester's toxic leaders do not care about.

Don't let this leadership destroy legacies here and be complicit in damaging LGBTQ lives with what Leese calls "exemplary business partners".

Fight back armed with truth for Manchester & beyond and change this dire network of property, power, politics, position, pretence and privileges. Citizens, demand Manchester's integrity back!