This thread is quite interesting to an outside observer. I did not realise until now that the Conservatives could not achieve a majority simply with the ICG (which I naively thought was the Isleworth Community Group but now learn is the Independent Community Group). They have to rely on garnering other votes from somewhere, and I read it is the West Area Independents they turn to. The position is possibly further confused by certain councillors switching from one group to another (resulting in a father and son now in different groups!)Councillot Andrews writes of Labour "going into opposition without a fight in Hounslow following the local elections of 2006". Usually if you lose local elections, that's what you do, Phil (though no doubt if the BNP won an election, they would declare a thousand year reich). If Labour had fewer councillors than the Conservatives - which I understand is the case - it would have been even harder to form a workable alliance than for the Conservatives, especially any alliance however loose involving a group headed by a former member of 15 years standing of the National Front with a self-confessed record of using violence other than in self-defence.The real problem that this unholy mess creates is that come the 2010 elections, you can be quite sure that no group that has supported the coalition in charge, whether as a formal member of the administration (even if they have now slipped out of it) or as an allegedly issue-by-issue supporter, will accept responsibility for anything that has not gone too wonderfully. One of the besetting problems with politics today is that political parties are hard to pin down to accept responsibility. Hopefully, the position after 2010 will be clearer both locally and nationally. Much as people may dislike the concept of whips, it is important for the public to know which party stands for what, and on the big issues it is right that a party line is established so that, after the event, the public can know which party stood where on an issue.
Dan Filson ● 6349d