I've just seen on NewsNow and Labour Watch that former Labour assembly member Alison Halford has joined the Conservative Party. Ms Halford, 65, once Britain's highest- ranking woman police officer as assistant chief constable of Merseyside Police, was Delyn AM from 1999 to 2003. She will advise Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan on policing matters, including the merger of the four Welsh police forces. She said: "I have been disillusioned with Tony Blair's leadership." She will also advise Tory assembly group leader Nick Bourne and policy director David Melding on policy, particularly on social justice issues. Ms Halford, from Flintshire, joined the Labour Party in 1994 after a 30-year career in the police, but stood down from front-line politics at the last assembly election. She said: "I left the Labour Party over the issue of cronyism when Peter Mandelson was given yet another chance by being appointed a European Commissioner. Trust in politicians is important and I have lost all faith in the prime minister. It is now time for Labour to go and for the newly-led, more compassionate Conservative Party to be given the chance to govern. I want to play my part in helping the Conservative Party achieve this important objective." She added: "I very much look forward to working with Cheryl Gillan and Nick Bourne, whom I have always held in high regard."
Monday, April 10, 2006
Welsh Labour AM Defects to Tories
I've just seen on NewsNow and Labour Watch that former Labour assembly member Alison Halford has joined the Conservative Party. Ms Halford, 65, once Britain's highest- ranking woman police officer as assistant chief constable of Merseyside Police, was Delyn AM from 1999 to 2003. She will advise Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan on policing matters, including the merger of the four Welsh police forces. She said: "I have been disillusioned with Tony Blair's leadership." She will also advise Tory assembly group leader Nick Bourne and policy director David Melding on policy, particularly on social justice issues. Ms Halford, from Flintshire, joined the Labour Party in 1994 after a 30-year career in the police, but stood down from front-line politics at the last assembly election. She said: "I left the Labour Party over the issue of cronyism when Peter Mandelson was given yet another chance by being appointed a European Commissioner. Trust in politicians is important and I have lost all faith in the prime minister. It is now time for Labour to go and for the newly-led, more compassionate Conservative Party to be given the chance to govern. I want to play my part in helping the Conservative Party achieve this important objective." She added: "I very much look forward to working with Cheryl Gillan and Nick Bourne, whom I have always held in high regard."
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4 comments:
I'd look into the reasons she left the police before getting too excited, Iain.
At least she's nothing like Chisti...well until she's goes to the HoC and does some full frontal shots for Tory webcam TV about how gloriously we've changed into a compassionate caring party in four months...and it's forever.By rights,she should at least have had the decency to stop by the LD's for a few months first.
We may become a revolving door party.
I can only echo the sentiments of Paul and RM. How has the move from Labour to Tory become so easy? Have we really converged that much?
Surely anyone involved or interested in politics has some core beliefs?
Or am I just being naive?
(I'm sure someone will reply 'look at DC'...so I'll save them the effort.)
mbe: Her reasons, as quoted in the post, seem to be entirely a matter of how she feels about particular personalities. If that's an accurate representation of her politics then she isn't motivated by ideas or core beliefs.
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