The Commissars of the Socialist People’s Republic of Hackney are distraught at the news that the Court of Appeal has upheld the High Court’s ruling that they must cease the publication of their fortnightly propaganda outlet, Hackney Today. The so-called ‘freesheet’ is actually published and delivered at a cost of over £500,000 a year to the taxpayer…

Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville is not happy with the decision, he’s put out an angry statement defending the council’s decision to take the case all the way to the Court of Appeal – once again at the expense of the taxpayer. Glanville claims it’s actually good value for the taxpayer because it saves “tens of thousands” on having to publish statutory notices in real newspapers. Was his local MP doing the maths?

At least now the advertising revenue will be going to help to support the local press, rather than being blown on what is essentially just a vehicle for the local council to pump out press releases to the public – without any of the scrutiny that comes with actually having to deal with the press. Judging from the not exactly unhappy reaction from the two genuine local newspapers, this is unlikely to be a bad thing for local democracy…