Denis Knowles was the most radically Left wing member of the Wirral Labour Group, never missing an opportunity to quote Che Guevara or Fidel Castro and taking regular lone holidays in Cuba – returning to give lectures on the superiority of Marxist Socialism.  Within weeks of delivering one such lecture he joined the Conservative Group on the Council, just six hours after signing Labour’s loyalty pledge.  He said it was over the Strategic Asset Review, yet he was among its strongest supporters, voting for it, never once voicing a word of doubt about it, and declaring publicly that it was ‘for the greater good’.

Nobody in the Labour Party would remotely want to stand in the way of Denis Knowles becoming a Tory Councillor.  We would applaud him for his decency were he to offer himself to the electorate for their decision in an honourable by-election.  He would have had our respect.  He has chosen not to do that.  But how could he?  What justification could he present to the people, who once voted so loyally for him, that would hold water?

Instead he made his own decision - giving no similar choice to the loyal voters who had put him into his Council position.  That has been widely viewed as morally unacceptable by the people who put him where he is – as a paid Councillor.

These views, below, from members of the public do not necessarily co-incide with our views in every detail.  But they agree overwhelmingly  that the  honourable course would have been to resign and offer himself in a by-election.  We have in all cases protected the identiy of the writers but all comments are retained and all, without exception, are genuine.  In some cases we will erase ’strong’ comments.  The question put is: 

‘We believe that when an elected Councillor deserts his Party he should have the guts to go to the people who elected him, to let them say whether they still want him.  The Tory Party shrugged off Labour’s call for a by-election and Denis Knowles is showing no eagerness to let the people judge his defection.  Please take a moment to reply.  Should Denis Knowles let the people of Seacombe decide his future in a by-election?’ 

Please see comments from Seacombe residents, below.  This is only a small selection; there are many more.  Watch this space.

A hard hitting prediction?

Very much to the point