A former deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats has defected to join the Conservatives four weeks before the local elections.
Councillor Shah Wazir, who represents Milkstone and Deeplish, will now sit as a Tory on Rochdale Council after 11 years as a Lib Dem member.
He is the ninth Lib Dem to quit the party in the last six months and the second to defect to the Conservatives in a month.
In a parting blow, he said the leadership of his former party was 'political sick'.
He said: “The leadership at the Lib Dem party is physical healthy, however it is more politically sick than ever before.
“The party has four constitutions and its members are being victimised. It is no way to run a political party.”
Councillor Wazir, who first joined the council in 1999 served as deputy leader of the council for the Lib Dems between 2004-05 and has held numerous cabinet positions for the party when it was in power.
His defection comes after fellow Milkstone and Deeplish ward member Councillor Mohammed Sharif quit the Lib Dems to join the Conservatives a month ago.
It also comes after seven other former Lib Dems formed their own party, the independent Alliance, which led to the collapse of the former Lib Dem and Conservative coalition.
Lib Dem leader Councillor Irene Davidson said the party had suspended Councillor Wazir on Thursday (April 7) over an internal party, but were unable to say what the matter was.
Coun Davidson said: “We suspended Coun Wazir over accusations the party will now fully investigated.
“It is a sad day for the Lib Dems but we wish Coun Wazir well for the future.”
Rochdale Conservative leader, Councillor Ashley Deanley added: “I am delighted that Councillor Wazir has decided to join us.
“The Conservative party is open to people of all races and religions who want to work in the best interests of the borough.”
Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk added: "The Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes keeps saying there is no prospect of a pact with the Tories but all the evidence on the ground in Rochdale is that they have already merged. We've seen Lib Dem candidates joining the Tories and now councillors are following them. The party of Beveridge and Lloyd George is being taken over by the party of Thatcher and Tebbit."
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Type your comment here...Another blow for the lib dems, well this is what happens when you openly destroy a town and attack the vulnerable.
don't forget when they destroy the whole country just for a few lousy seat. good on you wazir. i hope more jump the ship.
"The party of Beveridge and Lloyd George is being taken over by the party of Thatcher and Tebbit."
Is that the best response you can come up with Mr Danczuk how would that statement be of any relevance to the younger generation of the community,concentrate on what is happening in todays and the futures political arena instead of harping back to bygone era;s
Obviously sour grapes at work as he chose the Conservative party and not your Labour party!
It will be more of a blow to the Conservatives. Of Course the defector was a light blue all along, now he is deep blue. Ashley, you will have to Crack the whip now.
These defections are normally driven by personal interest. The support of the Lib Dems put Wazir into his council seat with many voters rejecting the Torries. Hopefully democracy will prevail and the electorate will place their mark on this defection and see him ousted from his seat. I reject these moves and even as a supporter of the blues, I can't accept this underhanded movement of self preservation.
Deep yawn.....
The Lib Dems were never a democratic party as far as I am concerned. I use to be a member some years ago. I felt there was some issues in the party then but you never got listened too? I was always ok to deliver leaflets etc but felt as though I was never part of the process when it came to discussing policies etc. I felt as though some of the higher ups in the party were never interested in the opinions of some members and I moved away from Labour because of that, only to find the same in the Lib Dems.
A few years later you see some of their own party members move away from the Lib Dems In some cases de-select their own Councillors in some cases who won seats for them and serve their communites rather well. I think Councillor Wazir I think is correct when he said that the Lib Dems were politically sick. They have been for a few years it just took a few people a few years to find out and that is why they have moved away now. They say they are their own party, so why do they link up with the Conservatives supporting them in the closure of Hospital services and cuts in social services to the most vulnerable people of Rochdale? A party is sick who's leadership support the leadership at 10 Downing Street and their policies.
Does not matter how many Lib Dems support or organise a march in protest against cuts in hospital services in Rochdale and yet still continue to support their leadership at national level for the cuts. The party now running the country calling themselves the coalition which is supported by the Lib Dems. The Lib Dem Party who have fewer votes and yet help run the country and support cutbacks against the vulnerable. That is sick?
Nationally and locally the Libdems are a joke.They face annihilation next month at the local elections, Most of them have known that since last year when they shared Govt. with the Tories.
Hence the reason of all the rats leaving the sinking shop,they are finished ,and they know it.Biggest disaster since 1919,when quite rightly they got the blame for the first world war.. They never recovered from that,and they will not from this unholy alliance.Do they plan a merger with the Tories? May be the only survival strategy for them.......
These people were elected to council because of the party they supported.Its not right that after an election they can just switch parties when ever they want.They should resign from the council and seek to be re-elected and take their chance on being elected standing for the new party of their choice
There's to many of these defections,be a man resign your seat and take your chance standing for your new party.Be fair to the electorate of Rochdale.
Who this guy is , I have lived in Deeplish and Milkstone for the past 30 years, never seen or heard of this individual.
What is wrong with you Cllr Ashley Dearnley? They are going to destroy your Party. What value have these people have? None! My Membership is being scrapped! RIP Tory Party!
It will be more of a blow to the Conservatives. Of Course the defector was a light blue all along, now he is deep blue. Ashley, you will have to Crack the whip now. I am begining to wonder if all this swapping parties is healthy for democracy, or if there is something more sinister. Or is it just council attendance monies that keeps them changing.?
The problem I have with party politics is that to me, they all seem to be the same, I can’t get a cigarette paper between them.
I have yet to see a chance in leadership that results in any ground breaking good news for the residents.
Liking Simon Danczuk's comment very much. It's a shame he hasn't cottoned on that his own party (the party of the Ordinary Man) has been taken over by thieves and liars going by the evidence in our Courts recently.
Another LibDem running from a sinking ship!
Typical liberals!
Joining the Cons from the LibDems is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire! Has this man any political morals? Thought not.
Typical load of rubbish, no real news here just more garbage.
Does anybody really care, really????? No because politics in Rochdale has evolved into the lowest form possible. Washed up councillors who have no backbone, none of them, each just watching the days tick by as the time goes by, tick follows tock.....
Each councillor should look at themselves and think what have I done, why did i get into politics, what did i want to change? and then look at what you have done, zero, nich, jack.
Every member of my family has left this town except for me and I am on my way I think, its such a shame because in the 80's it was a nice place to live, not now. Too many free loading non delivering councillors squabbling over trivial issues.
My councillor keeps going on about the reduction in arts funding, get a grip love, smell the coffee and take a look at the town - you aren't going to get the tate modern in a dump like this.
This moving from one party to the other is like moving a dog poo from one part of a field to another, its still a dog poo nobody wants...
Rochdale council is like the poo on everyones shoe, no matter how much you try to ignore it you know its there and it gives off a bad smell that nobody wants.
Sorry for rant but it just yanks my chain.
Hardly suprising is it when Nick Clegg comes to Milnrow to visit a firm just aquired by the Chinese with Micheal Heseltine in tow ? Is that why former Rochdale MP Paul Rowen was too shame faced to come in through the firms front entrance to meet his Party Leader this morning & was last seen scuttling off towards Kiln Lane. Dale Mulgrew made a five seconds appearance at the Firms foyer took one look at the TV /media cameras & Anti-cuts protestors before doing a vanishing job as well, sure its not through being too ashamed to meet the voters of Rochdale & that a back door fire escape is the usual means of entrance when about his official business for RMBC,
Rochdale LibDems are nothing but a source of comic entertainment on a cold April Morning, LOL!!
Speaks volumes about the nature of the Nick Cleggs LibDems where EVEN his own Councillors are too ashamed to walk past protestors into the same building where their Party Leader is having tea and biscuits with that Grandee Tory Mr.Heseltine...they'll be finished as a Party in May according to the LibDem Leader of Liverpool Council yesterday since Party members are sick of 'defending the indefensible' Coalition Cuts.
Roll on May and we can get rid of some more of our local LibDem incompetents...
Waz a matter? Smell glory, or just buttering your bread?
Another failure for party politics.
Another betrayal of the electorate.
Party politics needs to die. We need independant politicians, who will focus on ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE, not PARTY POLITICS.