I’ve written plenty before on this blog about the Portsmouth Liberal Democrats’ attitudes towards women, including from their own female councillors. This peaked for me around the time that Lib Dem MP and councillor Mike Hancock was flailing around the allegations of abuse of a young and vulnerable female constituent, ‘Annie’. I resigned; and it was a lonely place. Hancock later made an admissory statement of note and paid an undisclosed settlement sum into the High Court.

One of the situations subsequently endured by Hancock’s victim ‘Annie’ was the alleged re-targeting of her by various acolytes, such as online comments, open malicious gossip on Council property, and filming. She remains deeply upset.

Former councillors Jacqui Hancock and Margaret Foster have been proposed by the Lib Dems for admission into the Roll of Honorary Aldermen. Voting takes place tomorrow at 2pm. The resolution requires assent from two-thirds of the Council, and is a much-coveted and rare award ‘In recognition of long eminent and outstanding service to the City of Portsmouth’, and entitles to the holder to special privileges and access.

Whatever happens on the 19th July 2022 can’t be done without the votes or abstentions of Labour, the Conservatives or the Independents; and can’t easily be undone.

Insult upon Insult for Hancock’s Victim

I think it’s fair to re-hash just one example of why this is being perceived as a poor and cynical idea - and to explain a little more how and why it is re-traumatising Hancock’s victim.

Even after Hancock's clear public apology and the admissions therein, and even after the clear and unequivocal directive from the High Court that 'Annie' was to receive life-long anonymity, and even after former councillor Margaret Foster had consciously taken and signed her oath to observe the Councillors' Code of Conduct - it seems that Margaret Foster just still didn't want to 'get it'.

A close friend of Hancock's wife, former councillor Jacqui Hancock, Margaret Foster was found to have conducted herself in a manner which fell far short of the standards expected of her in the council chamber.

I was still a Member of Portsmouth City Council, sitting as an Independent having resigned from the Lib Dem Group, and I clearly remember a young women hurriedly leaving the public gallery in distress, trying to cover her face with an A4 pad of paper, as she was being filmed on a phone by Foster.

I remember the subsequent row outside the council chamber, involving a number of councillors, about what had just taken place. I remember saying pointedly to GVJ, who was making an 'explanation' of sorts about what Foster had done, hadn't done, and should do, regarding her phone, 'Oh for goodness sake, Gerald, it's a matter of common decency'.

A resident also at the meeting made a complaint about what had happened, and the incident was investigated and determined by a formal standards panel. As reported in the Portsmouth News:

“A standards sub-committee at Portsmouth City Council agreed Cllr Foster had been ‘disrespectful’ to [the ]woman and has ordered her to give a full formal apology.

In a statement the victim said: ‘I felt awful at that council meeting. They filmed me and were pointing up at me, sneering.’

She added: ‘Being there was like being in a really bad dream and I was very scared.’”

— Portsmouth News, 26th October 2015

Annie, however, once again had to wait a long time for this judgement, and even longer for the apology to arrive; and even then, the apology was, well, a bit shit. In fact, Annie wasn't convinced that Foster wrote it herself - and having seen the letter and having known Foster and her letter-writing habits for many years, I have to say my money's on Annie's instincts here.

“In her apology letter, Cllr Foster wrote that she was ‘very sorry that this happened’ and ‘in particular for any distress that I may have caused you’ – but the woman says that’s not good enough as Cllr Foster hasn’t owned up to what she did.

And she criticised the letter for its ‘legal speak’ and doesn’t believe Cllr Foster wrote it herself.

But the councillor said the letter is in her own words and believes the matter should now be over.”

— Portsmouth News, 30 December 2015

Foster lost her seat in 2016 (Labour win). I understand that the Liberal Democrat Group discussed sending her flowers. Jacqui Hancock lost her seat in 2014 (UKIP win) and failed to be re-elected in 2015 (Labour gain). In fact their losses allowed Labour not only to regain its foothold in inner-city Portsmouth but to smooth a path for the political career of Labour’s Stephen Morgan, who became a Charles Dickens councillor, Group Leader, and Portsmouth South's first ever Labour MP.

I wrote 5 years ago that I thought it very unlikely that either Foster or Jacqui Hancock would be selected to stand again for the Liberal Democrats in Portsmouth. I was right. Charles Dickens ward has very firmly swung back to Labour. But give them ‘Honorary’ status as a consolation prize, under the radar, as a little reward after a few years have passed? Put them in the Civic Procession, and embarrass other Honorary Aldermen? Oh come on.

Honorary Aldermenships Offered as Consolation Prizes? Okaaaay …

The Lib Dems, if they actually care anything like they say they do about women's well-being and mental health issues, should be at the forefront of challenging myths and damaging stereotypes. Instead, too many of them seem to revel in their insidious perpetuation of appalling prejudices; and still - even 5 years after I wrote an earlier version of this - there are some in their number who defend Hancock and attack his victim. (My own complaints and concerns, incidentally, remain univestigated 8 years on.)

Still, there is at least one in their number who apparently thinks that mental health issues, even those issues being treated, controlled, faced up to and bravely managed, equate to the person being a nutter and a liar.

It’s entirely up to the 42 members of the City Council who to admit to the Roll of Honorary Alderman of the City of Portsmouth. It requires a two-thirds majority, so cannot be pushed through by the Lib Dems alone, who have 17 seats out of 42. The elevation of Foster and Hancock will require significant votes from opposition groups. One can only but hope that current council members understand the gravity and wisdom of this symbolic vote; and make sure that the Roll of Honorary Alderman doesn’t become horribly tarnished tomorrow afternoon with two-second show of hands.

What happened is never going to be ‘ancient history’ for the victim. The re-framing of ‘Annie’ as some sort of nuisance is a revolting parody of all that’s wrong with public services and public servants thinking that they know better than the vulnerable and the discriminated against.

It hasn’t all ‘died down a bit now’ in Annie’s world. And let’s face it, if she feels under perpetual scrutiny, who’s to blame for that?

This blog post is partly based on on article first published in 2017 on this website, If The Lib Dems Care About Women's Well-Being, They've Got A Funny Way Of Showing It.