Et tu Brut'e ?

News reaches me from Waltham Forest that a Coup D'etat is underway in this most troubled of London Boroughs (See below "Poplar or Popularist") It seems that the Labour Leader and so far publicity shy Parliamentary Candidate for Northampton South is giving up the day job to spend more time with his new constituency.

The Local Waltham Forest Guardian are saying that "Sources close to the authority’s Labour and Lib Dem-run administration have revealed that Cllr Loakes will not contest the leadership" at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/4183061.WALTHAM_FOREST__Loakes_to_stand_down_in_May/

Clyde has no words of confirmation on the subject but three of his colleagues already seem to be lined up as favourites to succeed him.

This may be the cunning plan Clyde spoke of to the Local Government Chronicle less than a month ago when he refused to tell LGC when he plans to step down as council leader to concentrate on his Parliamentary ambitions. He told them "I have a plan, that's all you need to know." Then he insisted that he can do both jobs by stating "I'm managing okay thank you very much." Now though, less than a month later things seem to have changed dramatically?

You can only but wonder if the ongoing inquiry over "missing" regeneration funds (see here) has finally taken it's toll? in the report again in the WF Guardian his Labour Collegues were less than impressed with the whole affair and were "so concerned about the BNI/NRF fiasco that they have passed a strongly worded resolution calling for misused money to be paid back by the council."

I wonder how many of these "concerned" colleagues will be campaigning for a fresh start for Waltham Forest?

So did he jump? or was he pushed? and what more is to come from an inquiry and a police investigation already being closely followed by Local MP's Harry Cohen (Lab) and Ian Duncan Smith (Con) together with government advisor Lord Toby Harris (Lab)

And will he have a constituency party left in Northampton left by the time he has cleared his town hall desk, or will the NEC have suspended them all?

What a Bl**dy mess, and no sign of any of it abating.

I ought to gloat but there is still a large part of me that is very sad at how the Local Party and it's members has been treated and also how the regional and national party's have stormed in with their size nines and walked all over local democracy and replaced it with what?

Who needs an opposition when your own side can make more trouble for you than all the rest combined?