Wednesday, 8th May, 2013
NEW POLL: Switching sides
Following the news last week that Cllr. Sue Perkins has defected from Labour to join the IPG, there have been calls in the comments section of both my website and the Western Telegraph, for Cllr. Perkins to go back to the electorate for a new mandate.
Cllr. Perkins, who has served as a Labour councillor in Pembrokeshire since 1997, was the party’s leader at the time of the 2012 election, holding her seat with a slimmed majority.
**Updated**
It had slipped my mind that, on the previous post, a comment given by ‘Lizzie-tish’ drew attention to a press quote given by Cllr. Perkins back in 2006. The article is well worth reading: http://mobile.gazetteseries.co.uk/search/1036881.Kicked_out_Pearl_lashes_out_at_Labour/
“This is the third time Cllr Llewellyn has changed sides and crossed the floor when it suited her. She has shown a complete lack of loyalty – to her party and to Pembrokeshire.
Pembrokeshire and, indeed, Monkton Ward deserves better. Let me assure the people of Monkton the Labour Party will be selecting a Labour candidate to stand against Cllr Llewellyn at the next county council elections.”
She stopped short of calling for Cllr. Llewellyn to resign and cause a by-election. Six years on, she may be glad she showed such restraint!
The new poll asks whether you think councillors who wish to change allegiance should only do so after fighting a new election under their new colours. Poll now closed. Result:
Result of previous poll
The result of the previous poll shows a resounding strength of opinion that the Hywel Dda Health Board failed – or never intended – to use the views of the public in shaping its proposals for reform.
That the proposals were a foregone conclusion, is – or at least was in its original referral documentation – the opinion of the Community Health Council, which referred the Health Board’s decision to the Health Minister.
Following the minister’s rejection of the document, a newer, watered-down referral, has once again made its way to Cardiff. The CHC’s former objection to the closure of Tenby Minor Injuries Unit has been dropped and the CHC now offers its support, providing that local surgeries are able and willing to take over this provision.
Until recently the surgeries opposed the idea of taking over minor injuries services, so unless something has changed, this pledge of support from the CHC seems rather hollow and largely redundant. The outlook for the baby services at Withybush is not much clearer.
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For some reason the words at the end of the new poll question had been chopped off. I’ve sorted this and the poll now appears in its entirety!
Yet another Labour councillor has decided to shove their snout in the trough.
Agree entirely with previous comment. Can someone answer me one question though, why is it always Labour, not Tory, Plaid Cymru or Liberal Democrat councillors who defect?
For the simple reason that it is Labour, and always Labour, who cause the problems in our society. They spend, spend, spend with little regard for who is paying the price!
I’m sure Cllr Perkins can rest easy now that she can afford extra.
Labour group leader Cllr Miller epitomises the term “Champagne socialist!” He grabs the headlines preaching about employee conditions and pay rates, school standard etc yet he does nothing but produce soundbites to delight the socialist editors of the Western Telegraph.
Unfortunately Concerned, other party members have “defected” after election. If memory serves, the first being a Tory, Cllr Mark Edwards, who jumped ship very soon after his first victory, but has since stood and been elected as independent.
In last year’s elections Cllr Owen James also stood as a Tory and went “dictionary independent” immediately after the vote.
The big difference between all the previous defectors however is that in all other cases the members in question either did not gain financially, or their SRA bonus came after the fact, and it id difficult to prove whether they were as a result of promises from those in control of the trough.
Cllr Sue Perkins’ case is more transparent however in that she has ditched both her party and morals in order to retain her Cabinet post and SRA. Will she do the honourable thing and resign and face election as an IPPG candidate? Very doubtful, as she won with the backing and funding of the Labour party (and again if memory serves) by a very small margin. At least some of those who voted for her will be offended by her defection, and defeat is a very real possibility.
All the comments are correct, this councillor has hernose in the trough and probably does not read these posts. She should resign and seek re election. With all her allowances it’s not a bad earner, I am told that she has a home in France, so pack your bags and wander into the sunset.
The Tory group dissolved itself in 2000 and three of their gang of four joined the IPG. Strangely, not one of them stood down to test the electorate’s view! Cllrs Wildman and Edwards have been amply rewarded since.
My original post was a bit of a fishing expedition. In my opinion it is perhaps greed and the lust for power and prestige that come into the equation as far as the 3 former Labour members are concerned. Which leads me to speculate that perhaps Tories, Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrat members are both wealthy and happy to accept the status quo.
I read with interest the comments and would suggest that although the judge in my judicial review stated “politicians should have thicker skins than members of the public” I do believe Cllr Perkins by joining Independent Plus without the mandate of her electorate has as thick a skin as you can get.
I am aware that as David Edwards points out, there have been other examples of this happening, but what sort of message is this sending out to the children in the county. We must remember the position she holds is “Cabinet Spokesperson for Safeguarding and Children’s Services”.
Do not worry Welshman, whilst she is part of Independent Plus the PR machine at County Hall will keep her informed.