Ladies and gentlemen it would help add to the experience of these coveted Salford Star Mary Burns Awards if you could put full dinner dress on, grab a glass of warm white wine and applaud to yourself after each award is announced. Now, without further ado, let's continue with this year's ceremony...
WELCOME TO 1984 AWARD
Goes to...
Salford City Council
It was on the 1st January this year when the clocks struck thirteen that the Salford Star revealed Salford City Council had enforced a new gagging order on almost 9,000 of its staff.
The Council's People Management Policy, enshrined workers' `duty of loyalty' to the authority and to `serve the Mayor', under its Thought Police architect, Strategic Mayor Councillor Paul Dennett, who is tipped to be the Labour Party mayoral candidate next year.
All staff, from lollipop ladies to bin men, were expected to act as "ambassadors" for Salford City Council in both their working lives and private lives, and would be subject to disciplinary measures if they transgressed.
The new draconian code was designed to stifle any criticism of the Council and to stop employees and trade unions leaking information to the press or public about the impending savage cuts to jobs and services.
Under the new policy, Gross Misconduct charges could be brought for actions `inside or outside work' for "Any action which is likely to bring the council into disrepute", or which undermined its so-called "credibility", including "negative comments in public statements" and "Making unauthorised statements to the media". Staff could also be disciplined on Misconduct charges, even while `off duty' for anything "which conflicts with the Authority's interests".
The Council Code stated: "Inappropriate comments made on social networking sites (whether you have enabled privacy settings or otherwise) about your employment with the council, the council at large or any employees or former employees of the council could amount to a breach of this Code and result in disciplinary action."
To enforce the Code, the Council was to trawl social media sites like Facebook and Twitter searching for those who were disloyal... "The use of social media sites should be regulated to ensure that such use does not damage the council, its employees, councillors, partners and the people it serves", the Council stated.
There was even a section where employees were encouraged to spy on their workmates... "Where inappropriate use is suspected...it is suggested that staff should also pro-actively attempt to capture any inappropriate posts (before they might be deleted)..."
It added: "Managers may also be required to review and investigate the personal use of social media that takes place in or outside of working hours where concerns are raised or identified", and while it states that that they "Must not as a matter of course monitor employees social media pages", adds "It is likely that this information will already be in the public domain therefore permission to access personal accounts will not be required."
Interestingly, in September this year, Salford Council spent £1,536 with Access Intelligence, which specialises in media monitoring...
"Our Social Media Management tool helps you listen to discussions on the social web..." states the company's website, adding that it can "Monitor Social Media Content from Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Forums and Video... All data is analysed and tagged as either Positive, Negative or Neutral... Set up your keywords and social channels to monitor and our platform starts listening to conversations relevant to you instantly."
Chilling? Autocratic? Or typical of what Salford City Council has become under the tutelage of Salford Mayor Ian Stewart?
So ladies and gentlemen, blag your Big Brothers, wind up your Winstons, spy on your bin man and doublethink it all behind closed curtains for the winner of this year's Salford Star Mary Burns `Welcome To 1984' Award...
Salford City Council!!!
Normally we would ask a representative from Salford City Council to make an acceptance speech in the comment box below. However for this special award we will do it for them with some quotes from George Orwell's 1984...
"You are a slow learner, Winston"
`How can I help it? How can I help but see what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four...'
"Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane."
`The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power...'
`Until they became conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious...'
Does Big Brother exist?
`Of course he exists…'
`Does he exist in the same way as I exist?'
`You do not exist…'
• For further details on the Thought Police Code see previous Salford Star article – click here
The ninth annual Salford Star Mary Burns Awards ceremony will run throughout the festive season
2015 Salford Star Mary Burns Awards...
• The `My old man's a dustman and he reckons the change to three week black bin collections is more to do with a dodgy PFI deal than with saving the planet' Award... Salford City Council – click here
* The `Uncle Joe Stalin Award for Open and Democratic Government' – Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart - click here
* Trevi Fountain Award – Salford City Council - click here
* Feed The Rich Award - Fred Done - click here
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