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An airbrush to history
• JOHN Gulliver’s politically slanted account of Roy Shaw’s role in the 1985 rate setting battle (How Tessa drew strength from Roy, January 24) cannot be allowed to go uncorrected.
In 1985 Camden Council was divided between Labour’s 33 councillors and the 26-strong Conservative opposition.
The Labour group was split between a majority of 24 left-wing extremists and a rump of nine moderates led by Roy Shaw, who had previously been ousted as council leader.
The extremists were refusing to set a rate under the infantile delusion that this would strike a blow against the Thatcher government.
The moderates wanted to remain on the side of legality and set a rate, but they were too scared of being deselected to support the Conservative motion to set a rate coupled with a lawful budget.
The result of this impasse was a series of inconclusive meetings at which there was no majority to set a rate for 1985-86.
This culminated in the June 5 meeting in the Camden Centre which, as you described, was picketed by an intimidating socialist rentamob bused in from around London.
Eventually, at around 3am, a rate was set by 34 votes to 23.
The majority vote was made up of 25 Conservative councillors and the nine Labour moderates led by Roy Shaw. Roy Shaw was a decent and modest man who would have chuckled at being given the sole credit for a battle won with th assistance of the Conservative councillors you have airbrushed out of history.
Tony Kerpel
Leader Conservative Opposition
Camden Council
1981-85
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