On Tuesday last week, the faint whiff of rotting rat from the Conservative South Hams district councillors turned into a miasmic stench. It is difficult to describe their actions in any other way.

Despite the statistically significant indication, from the feedback from the parish councils and the questionnaire in the poorly designed and incomplete One Council website, that the South Hams residents are likely to be massively against the proposed merger, this wretched group decided to carry on and vote for the merger. This action defies all concepts of the democratic process and reminds me of the worst excesses of some tinpot African state or God-forsaken ’istan.

During the so-called consultation process, important questions were asked of the SHDC and its councillors in order to flesh out the thin details laid before us.

As far as I am aware, no answer was ever articulated. It seems that we were deliberately deceived to keep the waters muddy so as not to unduly interfere with the determination of the Conservative SHDC councillors to force the merger through. But why? The merger is substantially against my interest and that of all those colleagues that I have approached. What is it that drives these councillors? What undeclared self-interest is in it for them?

Surprisingly, West Devon Borough councillors voted against the merger.

So it is done, the matter is settled. The merger is off. Or is it? There is a suspicion that the disgraced SHDC councillors and officials who support the merger will lobby behind the scenes to get a revote.

Whether they do or not, for me the die is cast. I cannot possibly support Conservative councillors who arguably have shortcomings of intellectual honesty and are apparently unable to follow democratic process.

After some 60 years, my link with Conservatism is severed.

Consummatum est, you might say.

Brian Parker

Crossparks, Dartmouth