Councillor defects from Tories to Lib Dems – and the back to the Tories

Who says the Tories and the Lib Dems are all the same eh? 

Over in Brent, the answer might well be…everyone, as Councillor Carol Shaw has quit the Lib Dems to join the Tories. A desperate attempt to save her seat before the 2014 council elections? Perhaps. but it’s all the more amusing/depressing (delete as appropriate) as Shaw defected from the Tories to the Lib Dems back in 2003.

Now she is (re)defecting, based on – wait for it – tuition fees. Yes, she’s defecting thanks to a u-turn from nearly three years ago that was the official policy of her new policy. She sounds like an absolutely startling public representative, right?

Here – thanks to the excellent Richard Osley – is her resignation letter:

I have had the privilege of serving on Brent council since 1990 and my aim has always been to do my very best on behalf of the residents whom I represent regardless of political considerations.

At the last election I was part of the Liberal Democrat group but over the past year or so I have lost confidence in the Liberal Democrats both nationally and locally. I now believe that the Conservative Party is more in tune with the needs of the electorate and as such I would be better able to promote the interests of my constituents if I were to switch my political allegiance from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives.

Put simply my reasons for changing parties are because:-

· I have lost confidence in the liberal party both locally and nationally……….they promise much and deliver little.

· I felt let down by the Lib Dems in my fight to maintain the local Willesden library in its present form.

· I put my reputation on the line but was not supported by the local Lib Dem group.

· I often feel that I am a lone voice in my efforts when acting on behalf of the residents of Brondesbury Park. When I asked for support from the local Lib Dems there is no back-up.

· I was shocked by the unprincipled “U” Turn by the liberals at national level on tuition fees………

Saying one thing before the general election and doing the opposite afterwards is simply unacceptable. I believe that Lib Dem voters deserve better.

In conclusion I realise that the Conservatives don’t always get it right but I feel that in so many matters they are the only party that reflects my beliefs and values. More importantly they are the party that will enable me to serve you to the best of my ability.

This is what I live for and I hope very much that you will allow me to continue to serve you as your local councillor now and in the future in my new political home.

As always please get in touch with me if you have any issues that you need help with. Together we can ensure that residents of Brondesbury Park are represented even more effectively in the future.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Carol Shaw SRN SCM

Brondesbury Ward, London Borough of Brent