Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Bagpuss
Didn't something like that happen in Blackburn if I remember correctly?
|
Yes it did. A Councillor is elected in name only. He can on his ballot paper declare an association if he so wishes such as a political party, but essentially that is nothing to do with the legal process. Once in Councillors can support whoever they want. To be constructive though it is illogical and impractical to go around horse trading every issue so we have political alliances for clarity of purpose.
Every meeting of Council, Councillors vote. If they switch their voting and this switches the majority then the majority becomes the minority and vice versa.
In Blackburn (asian politics) 6 asians were booted out of the Labour Group after demanding their own way. A Mr Hussain was sacked as Portfolio for Education and he alleged it was racist (by the Labour Group) or something. They were not asked back (and never have been). This meant the Council had no party with 50%+.
The Labour Party on the night of the vote to determine who would be elected the Leader of the Council, expected it to be a Lib Dem and for the Lab Party to be in opposition. However the gang of 6 voted with the Labour Party of their own will. Since then 5 of them have asked to rejoin and have been accepted. One remains on his own.