Playing (independent) politics
AN independent Bournemouth councillor has called for an end to the dominance of party politics in local government.
Cllr Derek Borthwick, who represents Throop and Muscliff, said: “Local politics isn’t mainline politics, it’s really down to the residents of the town.
“If you can get 54 people all able to express an opinion, without fear of any recrimination, you’re going to get what I call fair and democratic politics.
“This system doesn’t allow that and I don’t think we need it at a local level.”
He suggested that all councillors could become independent to eradicate infighting, but long-standing Bournemouth West MP Sir John Butterfill dismissed the idea.
“Parties are groupings of like minded people who come up with ideas and work together to deliver them,” he said, “it’d be anarchy if every single councillor had his own idea as to what should be done.”
The leader of Bournemouth’s Labour group, Cllr Ben Grower, said: “ All people in politics have a political view, it is only independents who will not say who they support.”
“If all councillors were independent there would be no cohesive policy in running the council.”
But the leader of Bournemouth’s Liberal Democrats, Claire Smith, said she had some sympathy with the idea – especially leading a group of seven councillors compared to the Conservative’s 40.
“Often members of the administration – if we’ve tried to put something through – will come up to us afterwards and say, ‘actually it was a good idea and everything but you know we couldn’t vote for you’.
“It just seems crazy really,” she added, “it seems to come down to, ‘you’re a Lib Dem and we’re a Tory’, never the twains will talk or support each other.”
Cllr Borthwick’s comments came after he recently questioned the perceived use of a whip in the Townsend school row and was told by the council leader – at a full Town Hall meeting – to join the Conservatives if he wished to have a say on their policy.