A Tory in the council chamber

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Justin Hinchcliffe on July 9, 2009 at 14:20

And I have told you that he's unlikely to join, and explained why this is so (see previous post). HoL, great as it is, can be very addidive and time-consuming.

Permalink Reply by Liz on July 9, 2009 at 14:36

I get your point Justin but for some council officers and councillors HOL is a very useful listening post as well as an arena for debate.

Matt and I both know of officers who visit the site to find out what people are concerned about ( I was told this by an official from waste management, who said, "we keep an eye on the site to find out what people are saying") and even if he doesn't feel able to do more, he will receive a weekly update that alerts him to people's interests and preoccupations.

One of the most useful ways that modern politicians can use social media ( networks, Twitter, Flickr etc) is to listen in and hear the unmediated voices of their voters.

Permalink Reply by Justin Hinchcliffe on July 9, 2009 at 14:39

Yet more coverage - FYI. Good point, Liz.

Labour's ex-Mayor defects to Tories
nlnews@archant.co.uk
09 July 2009

FORMER Haringey Mayor and Labour Party stalwart Councillor Alan Dobbie has dumped his "stale" party to become Haringey's first Conservative politician in seven years.

Announcing his defection yesterday (Wednesday) he said Haringey Labour "no longer seems to speak up for the ordinary person", focuses on "the wrong issues" and is "making bad judgements".

Despite giving up the prestigious Mayoral job - as Haringey's first citizen, voted into post by his Labour peers - just seven weeks ago, he said Labour needed a "kick up the bum" and deserved to lose control of the borough.

He claimed to have "felt uncomfortable" in the Labour party for many months.

But he dismissed suggestions his departure - ending 27 years as a Labour Party member - was triggered by the arrival of Councillor Claire Kober as party leader last December, insisting he had no grudges against any former colleagues.

The news rocked Haringey Labour, which now has a majority of just six seats over the Liberal Democrat opposition.

Councillor Kober said she was "surprised and disappointed" at Councillor Dobbie's decision to join a party that "secured less than 10 per cent of the vote in Noel Park" in the last local elections in 2006.

Councillor Dobbie said: "I know I'm going to be hurting and upsetting a lot of people. I won't be putting party politics above my constituents, but there are thousands of voters who finally will have a voice in Haringey."

He claimed Labour party members had encouraged him to put himself forward for certain political roles as "that's where the money is".

"That is not what we are in local politics for," he told the Journal. "I felt it was an insult almost to my integrity. You should be aiming to do a position on the council because you are good at it, not because of how much you are going to make on it."

He added: "If people start thinking about what positions they are going to have, they are not giving much thought to the local community are they?"

He said he met Councillor Kober a couple of weeks ago and told her he was "unhappy about being in the Labour Group".

He told the Journal he thought Labour's consultation with residents was "really poor in a number of areas," adding: "A lot of consultation we do is paper consultation, not real consultation."

He says he is also frustrated with Labour's cabinet members' failure to take responsibility for when things go wrong.

"A lot of members are not held to account in the same way as when you had a committee structure," he said. "You could hold the chair of the committee to account then. You have scrutiny committees now, but they have no teeth. They can criticise and make recommendations, but the Labour Party can simply turn round and ignore it if they want.

"I don't feel that that's good for local politics." He said cabinet members get so entrenched in their portfolios they "lose touch with what's going on in their wards," leading to something "a bit like a two-tier local government".

"I just feel Labour has become stale and has lost its way, and it needs some time on the opposition benches. Maybe having a few Conservatives there will help give them the kick up the bum they need."

He said, after 14 years as a Labour councillor for Noel Park ward, the final straw came with the national MPs' expenses scandal and Labour Government's treatment of Gurkhas wanting to live here.

But Councillor Dobbie said refused to consider joining the Liberal Democrats as they "have no positive vision of their own" either, and said he would not "stand much chance of getting much achieved" by becoming the sole Independent councillor in Haringey.

But his commitment was briefly thrown into confusion when it emerged he had sent an email on Tuesday night to former Labour colleague Councillor Sheila Peacock announcing he was going to stand as an Independent - a "total oversight on Alan's part," according to Richard Merrin, prospective Tory Parliamentary candidate for Hornsey and Wood Green.

He insists he is now a committed Conservative, and will stand as a Tory at the next local elections, within the year.

He told the Journal: "It has been one of the most emotional and probably the hardest political decision of my life. I leave behind some very good, hard-working colleagues. In my letter to the leader of the council I do apologise to people who feel I am letting them down." Letters were also sent to all his Noel Park constituents yesterday (Wednesday).

He said the Conservatives had changed "immensely for the better," and he would now be able to "raise a number of issues on behalf of Noel Park residents" with the council that he had not felt able to before.

"I have no personal feelings against any members of the Labour Party Group, and I hope in time they will come to understand and respect my decision," he said.

"I will vote with Labour where I think it is right, and against where I think it is right."

Councillor Robert Gorrie, Haringey Liberal Democrat leader, said the resignation "must be a wake-up call for Labour over allowances - they need to clean up their act and start putting local people ahead of their own financial gain".

Permalink Reply by matt on July 9, 2009 at 14:56

Labour, which now has a majority of just six seats ...

Interesting bit of information.

Btw Justin I think we get the picture on Dobbie's defection, so I'd suggest that's enough newspaper articles fully copied out onto HOL on this topic. Of course links, are fine.

Permalink Reply by Justin Hinchcliffe on July 9, 2009 at 14:59

Of course, Matt, had two Lib Dems not jumped ship *to* Labour, the numbers would be even closer.

Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on July 9, 2009 at 17:06

If Dobbie, the night before last, wasn't sure whether he had gone 'Independent' or Conservative he can't be much loss or addition to any party. After 13 years as a Labour councillor why did he accept their nomination as Mayor, then almost immediately jump ship after his year in chain and fancy dress ?

Permalink Reply by Justin Hinchcliffe on July 9, 2009 at 17:21

That was a genuine mistake, OAE. He had a lot on his plate that day, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

As for the Mayoralty, that is a non-political position, well at least it ought to be.

Permalink Reply by StephenBln on July 9, 2009 at 17:30

Politicians seem to have made lots of 'genuine mistakes' recently ..

..Those who wish to make decisions on other people's behalfs..


A lot on his plate? Of course, quail's eggs for breakfast, while the peasants were eating cake..

I do worry about it..

Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on July 10, 2009 at 8:46

PITY the electors in Noel Park Ward. Two thirds of the councillors they returned in the last election have now defected to parties other than the ones they started with. If I lived in Noel Park, I might feel cheesed off about this and wonder if I was being taken for granted, if not treated with contempt.

Electors vote at least as much for parties as they do for individuals. Those who betray their parties are not often trusted or rewarded subsequently by voters. The fickle two of Noel Park who've had such changes of heart and mind may find themselves discarded in the next election.

In the case of Noel Park Ward Cllr Dobbie, he may find himself holding the balance of power after the next council election ... or sinking without a trace.


.

Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on July 10, 2009 at 11:07

I've read this thread and have to admit to being a tad confused. Cllr Dobbie's criticisms were about Haringey Labour group and not the Labour party per se as far as I can see. Has he resigned from the Labour party and joined the Conservative party and crossed over? Or is he still a LP member while acting as a CP councillor?

I've never quite understood politicians who change sides over some local party dispute. Surely the way to get things changed is to stay in and argue it out. If Cllr D genuinely thinks the direction the LP in Haringey is going is wrong, wouldn't it be better to try and change it?

Permalink Reply by John McMullan on July 10, 2009 at 12:53

What? Like Alan Stanton has?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Permalink Reply by Liz on July 10, 2009 at 13:00

John is referring to this in case anyone is wondering.

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