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Why are we so obsessed with that Handforth Parish Council meeting?
“It’s like watching an episode of a British remake of Parks and Rec,” I tweeted last night while streaming the now-infamous Handforth Parish Council meeting. If you haven’t seen it — and you really should — here’s a recap: two parish councillors called a meeting via Zoom, but other councillors were quite cross about this and shouted down the clerk, a woman called Jackie Weaver. The best way to describe it is like watching the dog who finally caught the car: proud of himself, until he realises exactly what that means. By that point it’s too late, and Jackie Weaver has driven off, dragging his bloodied and mangled body along with her. Brutal.
What the controversial meeting was about doesn’t really matter. There isn’t much to understand beyond the Zoom fails and shouty men. I am, however, interested in just why the Great British Public is so riveted by a video of Councillors Behaving Badly. Local government is something everyone deals with, but it is mostly a dull affair of little interest to the Twitterati. After all, local government meetings hardly have the political intrigue of House of Cards or the colourful characters of the Parks and Rec.
What makes this Handforth Parish Council meeting so compelling, then?
