IT'S not surprising that Coun Steve Galloway attempts to defend the indefensible, ie his appalling abuse of the council's constitution at last week's full council meeting which gave rise to me absenting myself from the council chamber (Letters, November 13).

Residents ought to be aware that during the question-time charade, initiated by Coun Galloway, no votes were to be taken. The session turned out to be nothing more than 50 minutes of self-congratulation by the Liberal Democrat group as predicted when we originally saw the council agenda.

This back-slapping action by the ruling group was an affront to the citizens of York, something to which the entire Labour group of councillors was not prepared to give credence.

Given the comments in your editions over the past nine months, it is a wonder the Lib Dems could find anything to praise.

It was also noticeable that several LibDem councillors and one Green councillor joined the Labour Group in the retiring room during the session in question. Were the Lib Dems embarrassed at their own group's appalling exhibition in the council chamber?

As for Kate Herbert's letter in the same edition, we do at least in the Labour group exercise democratic decision making. If you knew Coun Merrett, you would know that he never meekly follows anybody, let alone me. He was abiding, as all the Labour councillors did, by a democratically-agreed decision.

Far from the alleged "stunt" showing up the Labour councillors, it showed the council leader that we are not prepared to abide by blatant manipulation of the council's constitution for his own purposes.

Coun David Horton,

Acomb ward,

Top Lane,

Copmanthorpe, York.

Updated: 10:21 Tuesday, November 16, 2004