“It’s as bad in the York Labour Group as we all suspected
The second is an email to the Chief Executive of this council confirming that I have resigned the Labour Party Whip, I am no longer part of the Labour Group and will now be a Labour Independent Councillor.
“It has been a difficult decision for me to take. I have been a member of the Labour Party for over 20 years. I come from a long line of active trade unionists. I didn’t just choose the party I was born into it.
“But the York Labour Party is not the Labour Party I joined.
We now have a Labour Group that is corrupt.
Corrupt intellectually and probably corrupt in other ways too.
There is not one member of this Cabinet I would offer a proper job to, not that many of them know what a proper job is.
“Its leadership team don’t lead – they bully, scheme and connive.
The Leader behaves like a spoilt child almost stamping his feet if he doesn’t get his own way.
“Some will be aware that the Labour Whip was removed from me last year. What you will not know is why. I am now freed from the shackles of the secrecy of the Group and can say that there were two attempts to withdraw the Whip from me. The first attempt had to be abandoned after it was found that the Chief Whip had broken a number of Party Rules in his haste to withdraw the whip from me. The second attempt was quashed by a regional appeal panel.
“And what was my alleged crime? I voted in favour of the removal of a number of expenses from members of this council in line with the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel and an earlier decision of the Labour Group.
The Labour Group then broke its own rules to change its earlier decision after its Leader threatened to attend less meetings if his expenses weren’t going to be met.
“I have thought about whether I should resign my council seat. I won’t for two reasons.
The First is all that would happen is that a York Labour clone will be put in place at the expense of the residents of the city.
Secondly remaining a councillor will allow me to represent the residents of clifton and the city in the proper Labour Way. The way that they thought they were voting for in the first place.
“My first speech in the Council ended with the verse by Pastor Martin Neilmoller. I will remind you
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
“Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
“Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
“Recent events with me have shown that I can no longer hide my principles and socialists beliefs. I have to speak out. I have to make a stand. We no longer follow Labour Principles. We no longer show the Labour difference.
“We are no longer true Labour.
“I do this for the good of the Labour Party in York. I make a plea to the members of the Party to reclaim their party from those that control it and are destroying it
“For my sins I came up with the phrase that York Deserves Better.
Sadly that still remains the case.
York not only deserves better, it deserves the best.
For the remaining months of this council I will do my best to achieve that with any group or grouping of councillors that demonstrates that they have ideas, drive and commitment to achieve the best for York.
