Ex Mayor switches political allegiance (From Bucks Free Press)
Send your news, photos and videos by texting bucksfreepress to 80360 or email
Former Chesham Mayor switches allegiance from Conservative to Labour
11:34am Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News By Andy Carswell
Mohammad Bhatti
A FORMER Mayor has dramatically defected to the Labour party after becoming disillusioned with Government policy on benefits and budget cuts.
Mohammad Bhatti decided the time had come to leave the Conservative Party because they had not done enough to help underprivileged people in Chesham.
And he hopes his move to another party will spell the end of Tory dominance in the town where he was Mayor in 2004-5.
Cllr Bhatti, who has served on Chiltern District Council since 1999, told the Bucks Free Press: "I'm not happy with the way the Government is running business. Their policies have wasted a lot of money, especially on transport and HS2.
"They are squeezing budgets for health and education and cutting down on benefits.
"In this area there are a lot of poor people and it's difficult for them to live on these benefits, and they are cutting down on them.
"There are no jobs in this area and many people are frustrated. I think the Conservatives and the Coalition should find a way to satisfy people."
He added the Liberal Democrats are just as much to blame as his former party for the current financial malaise affecting the country.
Cllr Bhatti, who was awarded the MBE for services to local Government and the community in the last New Year's honours, said: "The Lib Dems have done so much damage to students with university fees. They have broken their promises and people are disappointed.
"They are in the Coalition as well - they are both to blame."
He becomes the only Labour politician sitting on Chiltern District Council, where he represents the Newtown ward, and Buckinghamshire County Council, where he has the Chesham East seat.
Cllr Bhatti said: "They have had no councillors and no representation on the council for many years.
"I feel there's a lot of Labour people who are demoralised they don't have any leadership in this area.
"This is a time for change and to come out and help the Labour party to establish themselves in this area. I hope they can flourish in this area.
"I've met a lot of people who are sympathisers but felt there's no strong candidate to fight their corner."
His daughter Rabia is a Conservative member of Chesham Town Council, but he said: "We have a policy not to discuss politics at home. She will carry on with the Conservative party and I will carry on with the Labour party."
Cllr Bhatti's defection means there will need to be a rejig of who sits on Chiltern District Council's many sub committees.
The number of seats the Conservatives are entitled to hold across all the committees will reduce from 100 to 98 because of a change in the political balance of the authority. The alterations are due to be discussed at the next meeting of the full council next Tuesday.
Comments are closed on this article.
Comments (46)
12:13pm Tue 8 Jan 13
Catflap says...
12:14pm Tue 8 Jan 13
yog says...
12:14pm Tue 8 Jan 13
Bill Taxpayer says...
12:46pm Tue 8 Jan 13
Welwyn Dowd says...
12:47pm Tue 8 Jan 13
geoffW says...
Ah, so you want to be the big man leader!
1:06pm Tue 8 Jan 13
Malc London says...
It is the honourable thing to do.
1:39pm Tue 8 Jan 13
A VOTER says...
If he decides to switch allegiance, then the people, who originally gave him power by means of their vote, should be re-consulted by means of a new vote, in a new election.
He should not be allowed to assume that the people will support his decision to switch sides.
This is simply wrong on so many levels.
2:12pm Tue 8 Jan 13
J B Blackett says...
.
Politicians only resign when they are explicitly condemned , shunned and evicted by their previous party friends. And have their expense claim forms confiscated.
.
Being two-faced seems to be par for the course. Such hypocritical behaviour should be expected from ex-gang members.
3:18pm Tue 8 Jan 13
A VOTER says...
4:22pm Tue 8 Jan 13
Bill Taxpayer says...
4:26pm Tue 8 Jan 13
A VOTER says...
7:25pm Tue 8 Jan 13
motorwayman says...
9:47pm Tue 8 Jan 13
labour_fanatic says...
im sure we the labour voter and suppoter would not let him down..
if he has resigned and seeks for re election as a labour candidate than you people will say he is wasting public money...
12:00am Wed 9 Jan 13
Lawrence Linehan says...
If he is disowned by his newly-adopted party and / or stands as a Labour candidate at the next election and is beaten, then he will lose his position in local government in an undignified way – if he resigns and is beaten as an Independent Conservative he will have been honourably dismissed and could return at some future date.
12:26am Wed 9 Jan 13
J B Blackett says...
11:31am Wed 9 Jan 13
JSCBUCKS says...
Mr Bhatti Planned in advance !!
12:32pm Wed 9 Jan 13
Ivor'sbestfriend says...
1:03pm Wed 9 Jan 13
DontTakeItEasy says...
why didn't lib dams MPs resign coz they got elected coz they promised to oppose student fee but ended up supporting it::::::::
1:21pm Wed 9 Jan 13
A VOTER says...
It's because the people voted for a conservative councillor. They didn't vote for a labour councillor.
It’s the same as you going to the shops to buy fillet steak, but when you get home, you find that the shopkeeper gave you low quality minced meat. Would you be happy to keep the cheap minced meat, or would you demand that the shopkeeper gave you the fillet steak that you paid for?
1:28pm Wed 9 Jan 13
DontTakeItEasy says...
even the great Sir Winston Churchill changed his political party @ one point
lib dams MPs have no moral grounds to sit in the parliament as they won the elections on the promise to oppose the student fees but ended up supporting it::
unfortunately there are no morals in the politics any more:::
1:34pm Wed 9 Jan 13
A VOTER says...
He therefore gave the voters the chance to vote him in or out.
1:39pm Wed 9 Jan 13
Bill Taxpayer says...
1:41pm Wed 9 Jan 13
DontTakeItEasy says...
if my councilor changes his party then SIMPLY I would not vote for him in next elections if i did not like the new party of his::: rather then asking for EXPENSIVE re elections:::
your example of minced meat does not make any sense in the situation we are discussing AS re election would be expensive game and in me walking back to the shop keeper costs ZERO::: COMMON SENSE
1:49pm Wed 9 Jan 13
Ivor'sbestfriend says...
1:58pm Wed 9 Jan 13
Voyeur says...
.
There will be a county council election held in May this year and voters will have the chance to express their wishes then.
5:00pm Wed 9 Jan 13
DontTakeItEasy says...
7:29pm Wed 9 Jan 13
yog says...
7:34pm Wed 9 Jan 13
labourfan says...
I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE COALITION POLICIES OVER EDUCATION, HEALTH, BENEFIT CUTS AND THE RAISE IN UNI FEES. NOT TO MENTION RAISING LIVING COSTS
i will vote for him and urge others to do the same.
7:38pm Wed 9 Jan 13
Qwerty007 says...
Is there anyone out there from his ward? Did you vote for him and would you again?
7:48pm Wed 9 Jan 13
KEVIN234 says...
i would vote for him again, again and again....as he does a lot for us.
he has proved he is a very hard working cllr, dont care which party he is with, we have a good cllr.
Although, i must add im feed up with the current government.
7:49pm Wed 9 Jan 13
rana sarfraz says...
Cllr Bhatti, who has served the Chiltern District Council since 1999, many time he has shared his feelings with us, he said "I'm not happy with the way the Government is running business. Their policies have wasted a lot of money, especially on transport and HS2.
Being a supporter of Councillor Bhatti, we agree with his decision always.
7:49pm Wed 9 Jan 13
rana sarfraz says...
Cllr Bhatti, who has served the Chiltern District Council since 1999, many time he has shared his feelings with us, he said "I'm not happy with the way the Government is running business. Their policies have wasted a lot of money, especially on transport and HS2.
Being a supporter of Councillor Bhatti, we agree with his decision always.
9:31pm Wed 9 Jan 13
Lawrence Linehan says...
epress.co.uk/news/10
142031.New_11__test_
to_be_designed_at_Du
rham_University/)
(And this person is apparently in favour of educational elitism as well !)
9:35pm Wed 9 Jan 13
Lawrence Linehan says...
The sort of society that produces that type of behaviour is amusingly discussed by Mark Steel in the Independent – see:
http://www.independe
nt.co.uk/voices/comm
ent/luis-surezs-hand
ball-cheating-isnt-c
heating-if-you-dont-
think-it-is-8443202.
html
9:38pm Wed 9 Jan 13
Lawrence Linehan says...
This is a good comparison except that even in these New Labour post-Blair days voting Conservative and getting Labour would be more like ordering mincemeat and getting fillet steak than the other way round.
9:45pm Wed 9 Jan 13
Lawrence Linehan says...
(PS if Mr Bhatti’s mum is reading this and she thinks her son IS comparable with Sir Winston Churchill then there was no offence meant and maybe you are right.)
11:52pm Wed 9 Jan 13
J B Blackett says...
.
It took a world war for him to get back into power.
9:26am Thu 10 Jan 13
Cressex Offender says...
Of course he should stand for re-election, I usually base my votes for local council on the party not the man as for the most part local councillors are self serving no marks with nothing to distinguish them from their peers.
In answer to your repeated assertions about how expensive another election will be, I would counter by saying it's not like they spend the money wisely anyway is it, so they may as well waste it on this as something else.
10:50am Thu 10 Jan 13
DontTakeItEasy says...
I would accept your counter ONLY if you let your car go through the red light 2nd time after killing some one on first occasion by thinking that because i have done before MAY AS WELL::::
its only matter of weeks before county elections and people can vote him out if its a bad decision in voters view:: the people who are asking for EXPENSIVE re election for sake of few weeks, feels like are the GROWN UPS who had lot of sugar
12:12pm Thu 10 Jan 13
Bill Taxpayer says...
Who left the gate open?
12:25pm Thu 10 Jan 13
J B Blackett says...
12:33pm Thu 10 Jan 13
Cressex Offender says...
As for your drivel about traffic lights I neither understand, nor intend to invest the effort to disinter a message in your drivel.
10:54am Fri 11 Jan 13
AngryVote6 says...
9:34pm Sat 12 Jan 13
KEVIN234 says...
WHY NOT LABOUR OR CONSERVATIVE?
4:52pm Mon 14 Jan 13
Scarletto says...
UKIP also contains oddly disgruntled Tories, or people who partly support the BNP, or think the earth is flat,or used to support Lord Sutch, or are confused and fed up, or on medication etc. etc.
UKIP has cornered and gathered support of most of the UK's embittered loonies.
Simply and sadly don't vote - or vote for one of the 3 main parties or a sensible independent. Don't waste your vote on UKIP..
5:03pm Mon 14 Jan 13
A VOTER says...
UKIP has a full manifesto covering all the standard government issues, which includes all the ones you have quoted above.
Please educate yourself by reading it:
http://www.ukip.org/
media/pdf/UKIPmanife
sto1304a.pdf