Just received a letter from John Mann threatening me with a libel action. Click on the graphic below to see it full size.

I don’t recall making any allegations, John, only asking for clarification and pointing to expenses claims on your own website and the Parliamentary website.

If you could point me in the direction of the offending untruth, I would be happy to rectify.

And as for calling you a ‘wanker’, I was just quoting your own statement in the Independent.

I note that you’re not disputing the rest of the content.

I know you’ve sent a number of this type of letter recently to anyone with the temerity to challenge the world according to Mann, but this blog will not be intimidated.

John Mann was at it again recently.

He requested a private meeting with Bassetlaw District Council to discuss ongoing issues between the residents of Misson and local employer Tunnel Tech.  Once the meeting had been set up, he then proceeded to write to everyone in Misson inviting them to the ‘public’ meeting. When the council got wind of it, they cancelled the meeting, rightly saying that any public meeting should have all interested parties represented and would be happy to organise this at a future date. Mr Mann was informed in advance by telephone and email that the meeting was off.  The Parish Council Chairman was also informed.

But at the time of the cancelled meeting, John Mann rolled up to the Town Hall with his rent-a-mob and a photographer and tried to gain entry.

WHAT KIND OF BEHAVIOUR IS THIS FOR A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT?

What purpose did coming to a cancelled meeting serve, other than John Mann’s unending quest for publicity?

We have seen this all too often. There is no rational engagement with other parties, no persuasive dialogue to make his argument. He rounds up a baying mob and buses them to whichever meeting he thinks will get him media exposure.

He is in demand as a Labour Rent-a-Gob; his trademark is shouted rhetoric, which, when challenged, is repeated at higher volume ad nauseam. The Beeb love him, but not for the reasons he might think. They are always looking out for politicians to make pratts of themselves and Mr Mann fills that position nicely.

Little wonder that fellow Members regard him with a mixture of amusement and contempt.

He’s a sorry excuse for an MP

John Mann, always keen to get his name in the media, recently aired his views to the BBC regarding a Tory MP travelling First Class on the train.

MPs need to get out of this mindset that, somehow, we are above the general public, that we are special. Travelling second class keeps you in touch with the general public

A laudible sentiment, except that Mr Mann has been quite happily travelling First Class on the trains himself, as is quite obvious by his expenses claims. See this

We were also sent the following in an email by one of our readers.

Mann actually lives in North Wheatley, just a short drive from Retford which is his usual commuting station. He has been seen comfortably settled in First Class, including on the occasion when he sat in my friend’s pre-booked seat. My friend’s wife didn’t want him to make a fuss during the trip, but he did introduce himself as they both alighted at Retford, as “the guy whose seat you’ve been parked in since London”. Clearly no manners either Mr Mann, not when you’re so very important.

Caught out again, John.

Parliament has published a list of expenses repayments made  by MPs in the period 1st April, 2009 to 18th December, 2009. You can see it for yourself here

There are two entries for Mr Mann and each has a comment added by Mr Mann.

We’ll happily accept the comment on the £10.36 grocery bill, but the other, for £2,395.02, is a bit harder to swallow.

Rather than alter published totals, I have chosen to repay the full amount.

Eh? Rather than alter published totals?? Right. Kiss off £2,300 to avoid inconveniencing a computer.

Is this the same John Mann who, on his website, is asking for donations of a fiver to help fund his election campaign?

Perhaps he is keen to avoid further scrutiny of the actual expenses claimed and is willing to lose the money to cover up something he’d rather the voters did not know.

You would have thought that a proper course of action would have been to reclaim the amounts to prove that they were, in fact, legitimate.  He’s entitled to the money. Isn’t he?

If Mr Mann wishes to give us an account of the expenses, we’ll publish it for all to see. He is, after all, the first one to start screaming at any hint of impropriety in expenses claims and should welcome the opportunity to clarify the situation.

We’ll leave you to decide what to believe.

For the past few days, John Mann’s website has been advising people :

If The Phone Rings On Thursday Evening – Please Answer It!
On Thursday evening (21st January 2010) John Mann MP is conducting an automated telephone poll in Worksop and surrounding villages on the Vesuvius site issue.

Today, he published the results of the poll:

A poll last night, Thursday 22 January of residents living in Worksop, Carlton, Blyth, Langold, Oldcotes, Welbeck has revealed that they are overwhelmingly opposed to Notts County Council’s proposals to cut, privatise and price hike services for the elderly and vulnerable.

Eh? What happened to the Vesuvius site poll?

We think we know. He had a poll running on his website sampling visitor opinion regarding the Vesuvius planning application. When the voting was starting to favour the Council’s decision, it was removed in very short order.

Looks like he’s backing down on Vesuvius, doesn’t it?

We joined up to Facebook and added John Mann as a friend. We then joined his Facebook Campaign on the ASDA planning application. In the hope of sparking a lively discussion, we left a link to this site so participants of the group could see another side of the story.

Our Facebook friendship with Mr Mann lasted all of 5 minutes, after which we were booted out of the Campaign and blacklisted. So much for a lively debate, eh?

Mr Mann has the Worksop press in his pocket – The Worksop Guarding Mann – who will print his spoutings without any regard for the  factual content (if any). In the past, a friendly press has been a great advantage for politicians of every persuasion. But this is a brave new world with the internet allowing alternative views to be published and available to anyone with an interest.

Mr Mann does not like alternative views, it seems.

But, we are all for freedom of speech. Mr Mann is welcome to leave a comment on any of our posts and we will publish it un-edited (providing we are sure of the source).

We’re not afraid of healthy discussion. So, what about it, John?  We know you read this blog. Spare us a few words.

There’s a strange picture on John Mann’s website.

He appears to be making the handsign beloved of motorists throughout the country and reserved for someone who rhymes with banker.

Is he suggesting that if you pledge your vote, donate or volunteer, then you are someone deserving of the gesture?

Well, if he’s not suggesting it, we are.

EDIT: It seems Mann’s web people have seen the errror of their ways and after reading this article, they have replaced the picture. Shame. We liked the original, so we’ll leave it here for your amusement

In the midst of the longest and deepest recession since records began, Labour MPs, including your very own John Mann, voted themselves a nice little holiday for 11 days in February.

If you can be bothered, see Hansard

Nothing like a nice break to take your mind off the country’s problems.

John Mann’s latest self-serving campaign against the Conservative District Council has cost Worksop the chance of a new development and over 1000 jobs.

When the Planning Committee voted against the proposed ASDA development at the old Vesuvius works, Mann saw a self-promotion opportunity and adpoted his default stance of running squealing to the Press, a stance which caused him to be criticised by the Commons Standards and Priveleges Committee recently. He also called a public meeting where he spread his ususal lies and disinformation.

Now, Planning Applications are refused often, when the Committee is unhappy with some aspects of the application. In the normal course of events, the Applicant will lodge an appeal and address the concerns of the Committee and the Application will generally then be granted. However, John Mann has politicised this application, and the result of the application being granted would see John Mann crowing about a great victory that his campaign has had in saving the development.

The members of the Planning Committee will be well aware of this. So what do you think the chances are of this application skating through the appeals process as it probably would have done if Mann had not become involved? None, frankly. Mann’s outrageous action will have the effect of causing the application to be scrutinised to the quantum level and in all probablity being refused.

The Planning Committee refused the initial application for good reason. Now they are being vilified in the Press by Mann, forcing them to justify their quite legal and reasonable refusal and pushing them into taking a hard line due to the added political dimension.

The net result is that this development is now probably lost to Worksop, at least in the short term, thanks to Mann’s actions.

Unless a White Knight can provide a solution.