Well seemingly we are about to find out. Independents are meant to be just that but here in Southend we have a gaggle of them who are classified as the ‘independent group’ on the Council. The independents have ten members and they formed a group so that they could get offices at the council and other perks that alone they weren’t entitled too. However this also meant in practice they were a party and weren’t truly independent. It is something that has never really been transmitted to the electorate across the borough.
Well the independent group is about to go from ten to nine as Westborough independent Dr. Vel has made it clear that he wants to secede from the group and sit as a true independent albeit one that is Conservative minded and has already stopped sitting with his independent colleagues.
With the Thorpe Bay gang of three deciding to go into a deal with the minority Tory administration to get perks for Thorpe Bay to the detriment of some of the other independents the group as a whole is starting to look fractured. Cllr. Ron Woodley has masterminded a move that gives him and his Thorpe Bay colleague the balance of power at the Civic Centre although with Dr. Vel also now set to potentially vote with the Tories it weakens his position slightly.
From what I hear through the grapevine the goings-on at the Civic Centre are very interesting under the surface but on the surface not a lot seems to be happening. The independents are at a point where one section of the group are getting better treatment for their constituents compared to other members of the same group. Independents such as Brian Ayling (St. Lukes) and Martin Terry (Westborough) are most certainly not Tory sympathisers unlike the Thorpe Bay three.
It would always come to a point where the independent group would split apart and that moment is set to come. When 2014 comes around the Labour and the Lib Dems can very strongly point to the independent group in part keeping a minority Tory administration in power. The Tories when they are facing the independents can say that they are Tories in sheep’s clothing so why bother voting for them when they could just vote for the real thing? They’ll say that Virgin Cola is coke but it’s not Coca-Cola.’
Unless the independent group collapses then the independents are set for a hard time in 2014. Those who aren’t part of the Thorpe Bay trio will be tainted by their association with them. If the independents want to grow then they need to kick-off the Thorpe Bay trio from the group and go forward with the six of them with Dr. Vel sitting on his own as a true independent. The problem with independents is you don’t know what you are voting for if you vote for one and in the case of Southend the independents all have a different viewpoint and sit under one banner.
The independent group is not going to grow as presently constituted. They either make the Thorpe Bay three go alone and set up their own ‘Thorpe Bay First’ party (which actually would be a great way for them to go if they wanted to ensure they won their seats for another decade) but would Cllr. Woodley be happy to do this and essentially give up his hopes of ever being leader of Southend Council?
Say what you like about the three main parties and how they are doing in Southend. One thing is for sure and that is the independent group is more fractured than all three of them put together. Now all three of the main parties have ammunition to prove that the independents are a party (albeit one with no cohesive direction) and that by voting independent you aren’t voting for anything. You are just voting against something.
The independents have had a great run in Southend but they now face their most uphill battle yet – and this is one that can only be resolved by something drastic – so lets wait to see what drastic move happens.
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What was Cllr Grimwade thinking when he booked that holiday?
I reckon it’s arithmetic, not mathematics, but let’s not split hairs.
So, with one absent Lib Dem it could have gone 25 all. Yes, the mayor would have cast for the status quo, but it would have been an important signal. Instead, Holdcroft is given a handsome majority, can gloat about a disorganised opposition, and your party look like idiots.
At least Ric Morgan realised just how ridiculous his party’s line was.
And will we remind the electorate of this? You bet!
We’ll have to disagree over whether it would have been an important signal as Holdcroft would have still held on. You know I think the Lib Dems made an error in judgement on this and I have said this before. However when it actually came down to it with Dr. Vel abstaining it didn’t actually matter. For political reasons it mattered but in terms of how the Council operates it would’ve mattered not one jot.
As for what Mike was thinking taking a holiday. I have no insight on that and won’t profess to have any but it is the most important meeting a councillor has in the year – and with the make-up of the council going in it was known it could be one where the leadership of the council was up for grabs. So it wasn’t ideal shall we say…
So, because one of their number goes on holiday the rest abstain? That really is perverse logic. The Lib Dems fence-sitting not only let themselves down, they let everyone who voted for them down too. I just hope they abandon the line ‘only the Lib Dems can stop the Tories’ because it clearly is a lie.
That is not what I said Julian. They didn’t abstain because Mike was on holiday. What I said was no matter how they voted – they could not stop the Tories. The way the numbers were the Tories were bound to keep power. It is simple maths and I’m afraid basic age four maths actually trumps politics in this case. However I have no doubt that you and your party (and other indy’s) will say that the Lib Dems failed to stop the Tories even though they couldn’t anyway to try and dupe the Southend public.
Fair play Neil, I can’t blame you or the party for a councillors holiday.
A Lib Dem holiday Neil. It does not look any better to say that Holdcroft held on because a Lib Dem took a holiday,
Oh I know. I have no idea what he was thinking but that wasn’t a Lib Dem decision. That was his own personal decision. I don’t think you can blame the party for that. However even if he wasn’t on holiday Holdcroft still holds on due to Dr. Vel’s abstention and the mayors casting vote going Tory…
The fact the Tories stole Southchurch from the Indy’s really changed everything.
“When 2014 comes around the Labour and the Lib Dems can very strongly point to the independent group in part keeping a minority Tory administration in power.”
Some of us think the Liberal Democrats also had a role in keeping Nigel Holdcroft’s position as council leader safe.
Well those who believe that Julian should go back to primary school and do some basic maths ;o)
You know I don’t think the Lib Dems acted well in by abstaining in the leadership election but whatever the Lib Dems did – Nigel could not be beaten in a leadership election due to a holiday, Dr. Vel and the mayors casting vote.
Love this, especially the virgin coke line
! I will reblog it!