Slough Councillors Questions - 9 October 2007

 

 
Question 11

16 October 2007

From: Councillor Pat O’Connor

What selection criteria do UKIP use to ensure their representatives are of high calibre and sufficient quality to serve their constituents properly? Given the recent press coverage about former UKIP MEP Ashley Mote, how does UKIP ensure that its selected representatives do not have a background that could bring the party into disrepute and are not simply rejects and failures from other parties?

Reply: Councillor Geoff Howard

Your question Councillor O’Connor shows just how stupid and politically naďve the Labour Group is, particularly the person who has set the question for you, a new Councillor, to ask. You, however, should have had more sense than to ask it unless, of course, you do not know some of the history of the Labour Party, both nationally and locally in Slough. The proverb, “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones” comes to mind! From personal knowledge, UKIP uses the same criteria as Labour and the Conservatives in choosing its representatives, but there will always be people who take advantage of the situation, or lie about their past, some of whom are found out at a later date. There should be no tolerance for such people in any political party. Ashley Mote is such a person, and he was ejected from UKIP when his offences came to light. The fact that he is allowed to remain an MEP while he serves his time is a total disgrace, which highlights one of the problems of the European Union. However, there are a number of Labour members at both national and local level in Slough who have brought the Labour Party into disrepute, and not one of them has been ejected from the Labour Party. At national level, one example refers to the fact that, over the summer months, seven of the Labour Cabinet, including Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, admitted to smoking cannabis in their earlier years, at a time when the offence was at a higher criminal level than it currently is. Why are such people being allowed to run the country, and why have they not been thrown out of the Labour Party? Did any of them admit to smoking cannabis when they applied to join the Labour Party, or applied to stand as a prospective Member of Parliament? Doesn’t the Labour Party care who represents it?

At a local level in Slough there are numerous examples of Labour members who have brought the Labour Party into disrepute.

Approximately nine years ago two Labour councillors in Slough were convicted of housing benefit fraud, which was covered up by various Labour members until after the General Election in 1997. These two councillors were not ejected from the Labour Party, and one even sat on the Council until his term of office expired. Doesn’t the Labour Party care who represents it?

Approximately eight years ago a business man in Cippenham, who was a Labour Party member of the Cippenham Branch, was exposed by the local press as having paid for several Labour members in the ward so that they would vote for him to stand as a councillor at a ward meeting. He was not expelled from the Labour Party. Doesn’t the Labour Party care who represents it?

Last year Councillor Swindlehurst was suspended from the Council for using foul and abusive language in the Council Chamber towards an administration member. Doesn’t the Labour Party care who represents it?