DAMN LIES

An email exchange from March last year:

From: "Pugh, David"
To: "Conservatives"
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006

This is all with a view to creating effective, opposition led and dominated scrutiny as we aspire to .....demonstrate that, despite our large majority, we are prepared to be held to account by the minority opposition and effectively engage them all in council politics.

From: Geoff Lumley
Sent: 08 March 2006 19:56
To: 'David Pugh'

We would want to have TWO of your places on the currently constituted Scrutiny Committee. This would mean - 2 Tories, 2 Labour, 1 LD, 1 Indep, 3 others, Total 9.

From: Pugh, David
Sent: 09 March 2006 08:57
To: Geoff Lumley

What I would propose instead is an alternative fall-back motion if the disapplied one fails, that still increases the size of the committee, to an extent that proportionality would give the Conservatives five seats, and we could then permanently loan two of these to you.

From: Geoff Lumley
Date: 09-Mar-2006 13:36
Subject: Scrutiny
To: "Pugh, David"

A committee of ten is fine if we get two seats permanently loaned i.e. for duration of this Council.

From: Pugh, David
Sent: 16 March 2006 10:47
To: Gardiner, Deborah (Home); Geoff Lumley

Further to last night's vote to increase the size of the Scrutiny Committee to 12 elected members, I can confirm that the Conservative Group will "lend" two seats to the Labour Group for the duration of this council term, or until such time as proportionality is successfully disapplied to enable you to have these seats in your own right.

What was it Nye Bevan said about Conservatives ?