Shock as Hipsey changes allegiance (From Thurrock Gazette)

Shock as Hipsey changes allegiance

10:03am Thursday 26th March 2009

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March is traditionally the time for stabbings in the back! Perhaps Shakespeare was a Thurrock councillor.

Et Tu, Terry?

There were extraordinary scenes in Thurrock’s Council chamber when council leader Terry Hipsey walked the plank to political obscurity and local politics was dragged further into the gutter.

Recently I had cause to write about the integrity of Terry, who described himself as ‘an average bloke trying to do his best.’ He had just come through a press conference during which he said he wasn’t a quitter, he denounced Thurrock Labour party for their bitter personal criticism of him and he pledged to take the Conservative administration onwards and upwards.

In reality the conference had been called because Terry was going to quit and join the independents on the council. He was sick of the backbiting and gossip in his own party and felt unfairly hounded by Labour.

At the last minute he changed his mind, apparently because of messages of support from his ward members and his own party.

But now it's all changed again and he's Labour. Well I’m a ward member myself and I voted for Terry but I voted for a Conservative.

I’m also his friend and though I thought he should have been honest and fallen on his political sword for the disastrous personal decision to appoint the ludicrous Mike Rowen as interim chief executive, I respected his decision to go on and put right the wrongs.

And I lauded him as an honourable man trying to do his best. I said time would be his judge.

Well the verdict has come two weeks later and he failed the test!

I based my appraisal of Terry on his strengths. Perhaps I forgot his weaknesses. Naivety and gullibility.

Early last week I received a call from local Labour spinmeister Carl Morris who wanted Terry’s home number. He said he was going to ask Terry to walk the floor and join Labour.

“No chance,” I responded! But have a try by all means. You’ll not change him now, he’s got a plan and is determined to see it through. How wrong I was.

Sadly for Carl, another friend, his Machiavellian plot backfired and Labour blew their chance to take power with a strategically-placed vote for a new leader while the Tories were down in numbers.

It was the coup that never was as BNP councillor Emma Colgate galloped to the Tories’ rescue - though as she said, she was between the red devil and the deep blue sea. My metaphor, not hers, but she was one of the few to come out of Wednesday’s debacle with some credit.

Thurrock Council chamber frequently resembles a children’s playground, last week it was positive kindergarden.

At the end of it, when all the toys had been thrown out of the pram, the Tories were still in charge, Labour were frustrated onlookers and Terry was a man with nowhere to go. Unless he can summon up the last vestiges of integrity, resign as a councillor and stand in front of the electorate in his true colours. Though quite honestly I haven’t a clue what they are now.

Several councillors made the point that politics isn’t personal as they lampooned and lambasted each other on Wednesday.

Well in this instance it’s personal to me as people I have come to like as friends schemed and connived for political position. It’s personal because I voted for a Conservative ward councillor. It’s personal to the people Thurrock too. They deserve more from their politicians, but at the very least they deserve honesty. Labour were keen to say they now have 23 councillors. The electorate gave them 22 and it’s something they will have to live with - at least until 2010’s election - or Terry puts his new-found love to the test.

Until then, as friendship supercedes politics and naivety and gullibility are not cardinal sins, I'll still hopefully have a beer now and again with Terry - and a soda water with Carl (his body's temple) - but hopefully we'll talk football and fishing, not politics.

To quote that old Thurrock councillor again: “What a piece of work is man.”

Neil Speight London Road Stanford-le-Hope

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