There is no doubt that keeping quiet over controversial issues has been to Sarah Teather's advantage in the past. Despite the Liberal Democrats' reliance on her brand, she has made no comment on the ways in which the Council candidates she personally endorsed have failed to keep thier promises: on freezing the Council Tax, making the first CPZ permit free, cutting spending on publicity, scrapping the Brent Magazine, preventing tall buildings, giving free personal care for the elderly and so on. Nor has she commented on the personal failings of some of the candidates she endorsed: Pawan Gupta not being legally allowed to stand; Vijay Shah being convicted of fraud.
Just as a reminder of how Sarah Teather was personally implicated in supporting the truly awful people who stood for the Liberal Democrats in 2006, take a look below.
No caveats there about "if resources allow" or comments that Council charges would be massively increased.
She has pursued a similar line of silence on other issues where Brent residents might benefit from an active MP taking issues in order to improve things rather than to promote herself. For instance, where has she been on the rebuilding of the John Kelly Schools? That affects a large chunk of the people she is supposed to represent yet she is nowhere to be found.
The issues she chooses to campaign on are simply those where she can promote herself. It is all promises with no real intention of action, and no explanation when her promises turn out to be false. I guess that is what comes of being part of a party of permanent opposition.
I have blamed her here for misleading her constituents, but I dare say she treats her party colleagues equally. I imagine when Charles Kennedy came out in her support during the Brent East By-election, she probably didn't say much about ousting him as Leader once he had got her into Parliament.
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