The polls open today, Thursday, 16 September, for the by elections in the Earls Court and Cremorne wards. As this blog has played an important role in exposing the disgusting emails sent by the pervert ex-Councillor Phelps which led to his subsequent resignation, it is important to reflect at this time on what is sadly a missed opportunity for change. This blog has focussed on the Earls Court by election, as Phelps was one of the ward councillors and his impact and public profile locally, has been enormous. The issue of Phelps and the sleaze that he represented was therefore a relevant issue particularly in this ward, and it was hoped that any by election campaign would open up opportunities for real change at the Town Hall. However, having provided coverage of the by election for readers of this blog, it will come as no surprise that we have been underwhelmed and very disappointed at the offerings of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The Labour Party has been invisible in this campaign and is disappointing for a different reason, that their campaign highlighting important issues that will affect many vulnerable and poor people in Earls Court were not discussed or publicised enough.
This blog has felt very disappointed with the Liberal Democrats, who began with much promise of change, but then selected Linda Wade as their candidate, who was part of the problem and was compromised by her friendship with Jennifer Ware. So it was no surprise that when asked if she would call for Jennifer Ware's resignation from the Standards Committee, she fudged the issue and could not give a straight answer. This was a litmus test of Linda Wade's commitment to bringing about change at the Town Hall, and she failed it, and it provided no encouragement to think that her rhetoric of change would be matched by action. But moving in the same narrow pool of the Earls Court Society as Malcolm Spalding, and being a friend and a political colleague of Jennifer Ware, Linda Wade has too many ties to the ancien regime to make her truly independent to challenge the way things are done at the Town Hall. The Lib Dems might have wanted, tactically, to capitalise on any anti-Phelps feeling there might be in the ward, and may also find it useful to attack financial sleaze at the Town Hall, but this blog doubts this is more than just campaign rhetoric. The Lib Dems at the Town Hall are not known for campaigning on these issues. Jennifer Ware, herself a Lib Dem, enjoyed a friendship with Phelps and has publicly defended him despite those disgusting emails. It is difficult to see how Jennifer Ware, especially in the light of her disgraceful failure to declare publicly an interest at the Standards hearing earlier this year, has been anything other than a very useful tool for the Cockell leadership through her role on the Standards Committee. Yet Linda Wade is happy, it seems, not to call for Ware's resignation.
Therefore, whoever wins in the Earls Court by election, whether it is Malcolm Spalding or Linda Wade, this blog is sadly confident that there will be no change in how matters are done at the Town Hall. Those who have put their confidence in Linda Wade will be disappointed. But there is one other observation that can be made from this by election. That is the ridiculous situation of having two parties that are in a Coalition in government, pretending to be fighting each other at local level when in fact both parties are committed to supporting their government's policies, including those policies which will have a direct impact in the borough. It was just a contest between two personalities, with different brands and packaging. Anyone walking past Earls Court Tube station on Wednesday evening would have seen the surreal sight of former Lib Dem MP Susan Kramer and a cohort of Lib Dems handing out leaflets alongside Spalding's supporters. You have the impression of the good old days, where Lib Dems fought the Tories, but the reality now is different and this blog believes that the Lib Dems have not yet really accepted that they are now colleagues with the Conservatives and are now in government with them. It is important for the Labour voters in Earls Court to realise this changed reality too, as the days of tactical voting for the Lib Dems to get the Tories out are now gone.
This blog has felt very disappointed with the Liberal Democrats, who began with much promise of change, but then selected Linda Wade as their candidate, who was part of the problem and was compromised by her friendship with Jennifer Ware. So it was no surprise that when asked if she would call for Jennifer Ware's resignation from the Standards Committee, she fudged the issue and could not give a straight answer. This was a litmus test of Linda Wade's commitment to bringing about change at the Town Hall, and she failed it, and it provided no encouragement to think that her rhetoric of change would be matched by action. But moving in the same narrow pool of the Earls Court Society as Malcolm Spalding, and being a friend and a political colleague of Jennifer Ware, Linda Wade has too many ties to the ancien regime to make her truly independent to challenge the way things are done at the Town Hall. The Lib Dems might have wanted, tactically, to capitalise on any anti-Phelps feeling there might be in the ward, and may also find it useful to attack financial sleaze at the Town Hall, but this blog doubts this is more than just campaign rhetoric. The Lib Dems at the Town Hall are not known for campaigning on these issues. Jennifer Ware, herself a Lib Dem, enjoyed a friendship with Phelps and has publicly defended him despite those disgusting emails. It is difficult to see how Jennifer Ware, especially in the light of her disgraceful failure to declare publicly an interest at the Standards hearing earlier this year, has been anything other than a very useful tool for the Cockell leadership through her role on the Standards Committee. Yet Linda Wade is happy, it seems, not to call for Ware's resignation.
Therefore, whoever wins in the Earls Court by election, whether it is Malcolm Spalding or Linda Wade, this blog is sadly confident that there will be no change in how matters are done at the Town Hall. Those who have put their confidence in Linda Wade will be disappointed. But there is one other observation that can be made from this by election. That is the ridiculous situation of having two parties that are in a Coalition in government, pretending to be fighting each other at local level when in fact both parties are committed to supporting their government's policies, including those policies which will have a direct impact in the borough. It was just a contest between two personalities, with different brands and packaging. Anyone walking past Earls Court Tube station on Wednesday evening would have seen the surreal sight of former Lib Dem MP Susan Kramer and a cohort of Lib Dems handing out leaflets alongside Spalding's supporters. You have the impression of the good old days, where Lib Dems fought the Tories, but the reality now is different and this blog believes that the Lib Dems have not yet really accepted that they are now colleagues with the Conservatives and are now in government with them. It is important for the Labour voters in Earls Court to realise this changed reality too, as the days of tactical voting for the Lib Dems to get the Tories out are now gone.
Posts
