Just heard this about my Tory opponent from the 2005 General Election:
The Conservative MP for Castle Point Bob Spink has just told the Commons he has resigned the Tory Party Whip. He said it was because the party had failed to deal with serious 'criminal and other irregularities' in his constituency . At this point he was cut off by the Deputy Speaker.
I am not surprised. Although Bob's politics are very right wing, he is at least motivated by political ideology rather than self-interest. This seems to have upset some people in the local business/political establishment in Castle Point.
He is a thoroughly nasty bit of work. By all accounts he was going to be deselected.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he will join some other party?
There are certainly others who share his views on social issues.
Mike, you are right about Bob's politics, but those of his local Tory de-selectors are the same. He has been deselected for opposing local business vested interests who want to build on the Green Belt. There are allegations of a very unhealthy nexus between the building trade and the political establishment in that part of Essex and he cut across those interests and antagonised them by opposing various planning applications. I think he might join UKIP, which could split the Tory vote and enable Labour to win the seat.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that he would certainly be a likely recruit for UKIP. I'm not in the least surprised by what you say.
ReplyDeleteFacing almost certain deselection. For employing his wife, daughter, lover, dog ...
ReplyDeletePity you didn't mention the baggage, which you almost certainly knew, which puts his resignation in a wholly different light
Yes Luke,
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that his lover was also on the association executive and a wife of a local tory activist would have been more of a reason than any business interests!
Tory sleaze is always so much more based on sex than ours.