Coming back from holiday, FUTS was delighted to see that the Herald had added info on Cllr Monk’s ‘ousting’ as deputy leader of the council - juicy stuff!
According to the Herald article, Cllr Phillip Martin - with Cllr Monk’s full knowledge - contacted ‘around half’ the Conservative councillors to sound out support for a possible takeover bid by Cllr Monk against council leader Robert Bliss, but found none.
Council Leader Robert Bliss was told of the attempt, and surprised everyone by coolly replacing deputy leader Cllr Monk with Cllr Rory Love at the Council AGM.
Cllr Monk retains his finance portfolio as Cllr Bliss ‘likes to keep his enemies close.’
In response to questions over the unity of the group, Chairman Russell Tillson denied any problems; ‘As Cllr. Bliss's political adviser, I know of no political enemies in our ranks. I would speak frankly and sharply to any I came across! Indeed, Robert is revered throughout the Group for the masterly way in which he has led it over several years.
‘Certainly Cllr. Monk was not involved in organising any coup.
‘Indeed, he is currently campaigning on almost a daily basis with David Monk to secure the election of Damian Collins.’
Cllr Monk was not present at the official launch of Conservative Candidate Damian Collins’ campaign, although Cllr Tillson explained that Cllr Monk had longstanding commitments and was away in London.
A well placed Conservative source confirmed to FUTS there was an attempt to garner support for a leadership bid as per the Herald account, and even inferred this had happened before.
‘Cllr Martin phoned around, suggesting we need someone more forceful leading the group. I like David [Monk], but I’m not sure he has the skills to unite the group. Robert Bliss has a much softer style that unites, though he can be tough when he wants to be,’ the source said.
‘It was a shame as they are good friends. I’m not sure how Robert will take it, though they were together on the Saturday after the AGM and the story, and getting along fine. David’s replacing came as a total shock to everyone, but he took it well and congratulated Rory afterwards.’
All will have breathed a sigh of relief as the Herald described the attempt as a ‘bloodless coup’, as opposed to Cllr Monk storming the council chamber, machine gunning half the cabinet and imposing martial law across the district.
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Shepway: Home for Plotters and Backstabbers.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with our local politicians that makes them fight each other like ferrets in a bag. Lack of leadership, seeing Shepway decline before their very eyes or the prospect of a Future Labour Government putting them out of their misery altogether and merging them with Dover Council.
The Lib Dems have torn themselves apart for years now encouraged by Charles Kennedy’s political assassination. Seen Councillor after Councillor desert to the Tories or savaged at the polls due to internecine strife in their ranks. Then stood bye transfixed as 2 of their Prospective Parliamentary Candidates were stabbed in the back
Now the Tories with their own guilt at Margaret Thatcher’s removal are also fighting amongst themselves for control of Shepway’s ruins. And at the very start of a General Election campaign to boot.
Led by the Felonious Cllr Monk his attempted coup to remove Cllr Bliss and save Shepway from becoming Kent’s basket case on the coast was hardly surprising . With Cllr Dearden sidelined after his efforts to secure the runway extension at Lydd Airport, bloodletting at the very top was the Tory’s only feable alternative to saving Shepway from an ignominious demise at this year’s or next year’s elections.
Heaven help then the people of Folkestone & Hythe if we
now have a Hung Parliament.
With the local Lib Dems continually slipping knifes in each others back for position and the local Tories now measuring each others neck for the Hangman’s rope the last thing the peaceful citizens of Folkestone & Hythe want is their national politicians following suit and scrapping over vital national policies, committing regicide over who fills which cabinet post and drawing lots for who should place the knife in the Gordon Brown’s back.
Folkestone and Hythe with it’s rising poverty and unemployment cannot afford the luxury of plotters and schemers pulling it’s Member of Parliament’s coat-tails. Can’t afford a Lib Dem or Tory MP.
Donald Worsley