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| Change and change again Dave
changes again |
COUNCILLOR Dave Barnes changes his party more times than the
average man changes his under pants, according to the joke buzzing
around the Town Hall this week.
The only political hue the Highbury councillor has not embraced
so far is the Tories. “Give him time”, quips his former
colleagues in the ruling Lib Dem group.
The amiable but highly outspoken Cllr Barnes 57, was a Labour councillor
for ten years in the 1980s before being suspended over his criticism
of cuts to the under fives.
He threw his lot in with the Lib Dems for five years until 2002
when he had a row with the party’s over talking to the press
without hierarchy’s permission. As an Independent for two years
he was able to lambast both parties from the sidelines until last
year when he became a vociferous member of the local anti-parking
Freedom party.
Now despite calling his old party under previous Islington council
leader Margaret Hodge a “total shambles,” he’s back
with Labour.
Being anti-war in Iraq he admits not being a fan of Blair and hopes
that Brown will prove a better Prime Minister. “Labour were
a shambles under Hodge but those days have gone,” he said.
“Labour are a lot more sensible these days particularly over
issues like parking which I have been campaigning on for the past
two years.” Cllr Barnes is the second of three Liberal Democrats
to abandon their group since the borough elections. St Mary’s
Cllr Richard Heseltine defected from the Lib Dems just one week
earlier. In June of this year, out-going 2002 and former Mayor Cllr
Joan Coupland left the Lib Dems to join Labour early this year. |
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