A Week’s A Long Time In Politics

I don’t think there can have been a longer political week than the one we have just been through.

In my last blog entry before the election, I highlighted how senior Labour politicians were encouraging their supporters to vote Lib Dem to keep the Tories out. To some extend this must have happened here in Sutton. Tom Brake was re-elected with a fantastic 5000+ majority and Paul Burstow sent Tory A-lister, Phillipa Stroud packing. And the Lib Dems were returned to run the Council with a massive majority, sweeping the Tories aside to win 43 out of the 54 seats.

Amazingly, we now have a Tory-Lib Dem coalition in Government with Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister and other senior Lib Dems in the Cabinet and about to take up senior posts in the new administration. It’s a strange old world.

Looking back just a few days, no-one could argue that Labour didn’t lose the parliamentary election resoundingly. They could never have credibly led the country for another four or five years – especially with a rainbow alliance of other parties – but it is strange indeed that my Westminster colleagues are now working with the Cons.

I’ll reserve judgement on the Westminster line up (after all, you never know who’s looking over your shoulder in this world of virtual digital CCTV), but I will make you a promise…

Here in Sutton, I will be keeping my feet on the ground, challenging and exposing the Tories when they are wrong and giving them credit when it is due. They ran a dishonest campaign in Carshalton & Wallington, trying to mislead local people into voting for them out of fear and I for one won’t forget that in a hurry. Don’t be fooled, they are still the same old nasty party. They just have new suits!