OSCAR WILDE WOULD HAVE LOVED IT. For the second time in eight years, the Tories are in control of Brent council due to the defection of Labour councillors. Carelessness indeed!
The resignation of the Labour Whip, Poline Nyuga, and Nkechi Amalu-Johnson to form the Democratic Labour Party membership two) as well as their vote for a Tory mayor, changes the balance of the council from one of no overall control to a Tory/DLP alliance depending on the mayor's casting vote.
At the writing, another Labour councillor, Harshad Barot, has also resigned the Labour whip but is unlikely to join the DLP (membership still two).
Serious side
But there is a serious side to group was hand picked be rights group was hand-picked by the LCC/ new realist right, with left wingers so brutally excluded that even London Labour officials were dismayed. Four sitting Labour councillors were excluded after having the whip removed for fighting cuts. Now the chickens are coming hometo roost with a vengeance.
The lessons of the fiasco were recently debated by the Brent East party with much passion, but little enlightenment. The left were keen to press home the lessons of this debacle.
The right, via the Labour group deputy John Lebor, used Hattersley - under pressure the situation to launch an attack on positive action - both defertors were black women. Rather than risk the embarassment of called for an S Beessen 1902, he chose to question their level of literacy.
Back in the real world, the Tories seem unlikely to reduce the Poll Tax this year. Poll Tax notices are already late due to Major's recent U-turn. In addition, non-payment levels are high and the council have yet to obtain all of last year's liability notices.
As a result, some high-profile projects may be at risk. But more serious is the Tory declaration of war on council housing, via the promotion of Wandsworthstyle privatisation.
If Labour is to recover, it needs to rebuild from the base upwards against these attacks -defence of council housing is an issue that could rally Labour's natural base. A campaign and petition have been launched in the affected wards, demanding the defectors' resignation.
Meanwhile, the ruling 'alliance' are already at one another's throats over whether the name of the Housing Needs Unit should remain 'Winnie Mandela House'.