apparently, ‘crossing the floor’ appears to be a popular local pastime amongst politicians here in Dorset.

There have been a spate of them in recent years, in both Weymouth and Portland and in West Dorset.

The latest is Wyke councillor Geoff Petherick, who has dropped his previous ties with the Conservative group on the borough council and joined the independents.

It can be argued that Geoff’s defection might begin to redress the political imbalance created by Tim Munro’s conversion from independent to Conservative and that of Peter Farrell’s and Ian James’s switch two years ago from the Liberal Democrats to the Tories.

But there has clearly been a spat with Coun Petherick’s previous Conservative party colleagues.

Could it be that as last year’s leader of the Tory Group, Geoff Petherwick chose deliberately to work co-operatively with the other political parties to deliver a consensual budget and that his actions in so doing, have been controversial with his ‘tribalistic’ Conservative Party colleagues?

Party political tribalism is built-in to our failing political system and that is compounded by the divide between ‘wannabees’ (local politicians who are happy to sacrifice principle for the kudos of a safe ward seat and generous expenses) and ‘wantadoes’ (who get elected to change things for their local communities).

Geoff Petherick deserves our respect because he is clearly a ‘wantado’. I wish him well as an independent and hope that Dorset’s electors are able to distinguish between the two types of politicians, when they next go to the polls. Principles ought to matter in public life.

Richard Denton-White, Fortuneswell, Portland