As I suspected, and indeed hoped, a number of people connected in various ways to politics in Reading have been in touch with me about the Strange History on which I posted yesterday. I reproduce some gleanings below. As before, please do correct (I have checked facts wherever I can) or express views. Some were kind enough to say that I have got the "Swaine affair" "substantially correct", which is gratifying. Some have also commented on what induced Mr Swaine to tweet as he did, but as I believe there was no-one else there at the time and Mr Swaine himself has not provided intelligence, I shall draw a veil. However, here is a comment from a former constituent:
The Labour Party ran at it like a rat up a drain. I don’t blame them – Reading politics is a contact sport, and they thought that they could see a weakness, and they chose to exploit it. However, for what it is worth, Warren is no racist. He is half Sri Lankan this is not a guarantee of not being racist, Ed., and has been very friendly with the local Nepali community, long before it became fashionable. I don't recall him seeking pointless photo-opps with members of that community either, Ed.
I am also told, which seems plausible, that the local LibDems thought it was a non-story and would die down, and so did the Tories.
A correspondent's understanding is that the Labour Party (they do not say whether this was the local or the national, or indeed the regional, Labour Party), took it to Cowley Street and asked for action to be taken, and the “decision” was made by a junior staffer in the Press Office that Swaine Must Go. A correspondent apparently well placed to know about this exchange comments: when the opposition asks for you to do something, particularly if that opposition party is Reading Labour Party, the best thing to do is to tell them to go and boil their heads. It is also sensible to get the other side of the story as well! If only someone had told the former Government Chief Whips Ann Loaf-Head Taylor and Horrible Hilary Armstrong that. But Loaf-Head had Roy Hattersley's baby so must be deranged, or at the very least seriously lacking in judgment, and Hills the Horrible - Government Chief Whip, remember - actually told me that she was "cross" with Mr Salter for voting against the government on Iraq, when, er, he hadn't. And she hadn't checked. Doh.
Certainly Swaine is more dangerous to the Labour Party now than he was before – he has nothing to restrain him (certainly not his judgement) and he is going to go for them big time. Now it’s personal. says another.
Sources close to a couple of chaps who are now senior Tory councillors in Reading say that the most able and focused LibDem councillors (this was fed to me some time ago) are, in alphabetical order, Bayes, Benson and Swaine.
Hmmm and double hmmm.
16 comments:
OK, but in that case why did Swaine not get the boot at the time of the official fuss, but a fortnight later, a time in which he'd been busy slagging off RCRE?
I wondered that too.
Oh - all hummed up!! I knew that this had the paw prints of the Laboru Party all over it - because somebody dared to say a nasty thing about the protected Chukka!! Yeah! Result!!
The fact that this meant interfering in and bullying- another political party had nothing to do with it.
Hills and Hovis -- what a nasty old pair of crones!
One can only assume Cllr Swaine was an enormous threat to "someone somewhere". One must not assume however this is particular to the Labour Party.In any party, the rising star if not careful always gets shot down in flame for the slightest wrong move. The problem (or not) with CLlr Swaine, he was not prepared to play the game but genuinely wanted to change things for the better. HIghly intelligent and capable. BIg loss to the Lib Dems, gain to Swaine for sticking to his principles. The man deserves support for that, not a lifetime in the cooler, comrades.
This gives a lot of credit to Reading Labour and I have never thought them organised enough to do anything!
It's interesting to note that a Lib Dem Cllr is standing down this time and apparently no tears are being shed by his colleagues. Is there one local Lib Dem who has considerable influence at a national level ?
No. It doesn't.
It just reveals AGAIN that the organisation of the Labour Party - with the path chartered by the national organisation -- is unfair;undemocratic and Stalinist.
Otherwise, why would Clare Ward, who degraded herself in Kosovo - not only fail to incur a single de-sleetcion attempt - but in fact, acquire promotion, first as a Whip and then as a MInister?
And why would Chris Bryant - who disported in a posing pouch with a stream of verbal smut ( and him an ex vicar!!) on a dating website - not face a single de-selection threat - but be made a Minister?
And why should Jane - who did none of the above - be smeared and then de-selected by 'Reading Labour' with a hefty nod in that direction from 'on high' in London?
And why should the various crimes of Saint Salter be ignored and condoned?
Answers please.
'slaggingoff RCRE'?Can u tell us more?
RCRE?Why cant Sophal accept that the games up and get a proper job like the rest of his community?
The concerns about RCRE are well documented. Mainly that they get £590k of public money for doing very little. £341k goes in staff salaries for 11 members staff, and £13k in travel expenses (source http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/ScannedAccounts/Ends48/0000900448_ac_20100331_e_c.pdf ).
Anon 15:13 You are missing key parts of the chronology.
Anon 08:30 I am still a councillor and intend to remain one.
Anon 23:13 It was not Labour's doing. They are hyenas arriving late at the party to discover all that was left was the vol au vents. Who ate all the pies?
Was" who ate all the pies?" If it is not Labour, if it is not the Lib Dems, one has to wonder...apart from one political group left, who else is missing from the list? Can you enlighten us a little more Was? Cluedo still a good game to play.
Labour at national level has bullied the Lib Dems and has instructed them to 'take action' because Chukka is a Protected One. End of.
Sophal has history I'm told by persons close to him...he is,I am reliably informed,capable of the most pathetic spite,and has the virus of revenge coursing through his viens...so critics beware.
If Daisy Benson is the most able then god help them. She appears to have no opinion whatsoever which is baffling. Utter goon.
'THE VIRUS OF REVENGE'sounds a bit too macho for Sophal..pathetic spite,sly malice would seem a bit more accurate.poor sod..outon his ear after all these years of scamming it off the back of the taxpayer..
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