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Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Basson with Sir Menzies Campbell, Ed Fordham, Laurence Nicholson and Keith Moffitt on the campaign trail in 2006 |
‘I HAD TO GO’: DEPRESSION HITS LIB DEM
Politician resigns – but was he driven out by dirty tactics?
A COUNCILLOR has quit the Town Hall after revealing his 12-year struggle with mental illness and periods of manic depression.
Chris Basson made his frank admission on Monday night, standing down after three years on the council that were wrecked by poor attendance and gossiping.
He had been diagnosed before he even stood for election but said he thought he could manage his condition.
“I was diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder in 1996 – more commonly known as manic depression,” he said.
“With appropriate medication, I was able to manage the condition in the run-up to the 2006 election. However, since then I suffered from a series of relapses including nervous breakdowns – which have involved hospitalisation – and I have struggled to bring the condition under control.”
He added: “I have been unable to carry out my duties in the way I wanted. I regret that I haven’t had the confidence to talk about this publicly before now in the way that others, such as Stephen Fry, have.”
His words have been regarded as one of the most candid resignation statements in the council’s history but his blunt honesty has not stopped criticism of his stay on the council.
It had been an open secret at the Town Hall that Mr Basson was in poor health – his attendance seemed to get worse and worse – but the issue was not pressed. To some extent, this sympathetic convention mirrored the treatment of Camden’s longest-serving Labour councillor Roy Shaw, whose health failed while he was in office.
But in a tense week at the Town Hall, the Lib Dems have been accused of picking the wrong candidate in the first place and then allowing Mr Basson to stay in office longer than was appropriate.
Labour councillor Jonathan Simpson: “Of course it is sad whenever somebody experiences difficulties like this but this is why you have to be careful about which candidates you chose.
“There are fun things about being a councillor and opportunities to do interesting stuff but you have to be strong too.
“It can be a stressful job and you have to deal with some pretty harrowing stuff, for example around housing and social services. I get calls at all hours, 365 days a year – and you have to be prepared for that.”
It has been suggested privately that Mr Basson was surprised to be elected at all. He was voted in with two other Lib Dems in 2006 in Belsize ward, a neighbourhood previously held by the Tories.
Conservative leader Councillor Andrew Marshall said: “We of course wish Chris well. It is sad to hear that he has had these difficulties but it is right that he has gone and there are questions over whether he should have gone earlier if he wasn’t able to perform his duties as a councillor and about how long the Lib Dems knew about this.”
Mr Basson’s friends claimed he had been unfairly subjected to underhand tactics. There were even suggestions that a reporter had camped outside the flat he shares with his elderly mother in a tower block on the Chalcot estate, demanding that he answered questions about his council future and his private life.
Some Lib Dems have talked about the case changing the tenor of the way politics in Camden is conducted, with battle lines suddenly becoming personal. They believe it was only fair that Mr Basson was given a chance to recover.
In a rousing leaflet posted through doors this week, colleagues drew comparisons with famous manic depressives who have made notable contributions including Charles Dickens and Winston Churchill.
Mr Basson’s selection has been defended on the grounds that in the run-up to the election, he had proved active in discussions over the refurbishment of the Chalcot estate. His flat was even used for a pre-election press event with then-national leader Sir Menzies Campbell.
But the subject of mid-term resignations is a sore area for the party. Last year another Lib Dem councillor, Phillip Thompson, quit the council after it was revealed in the New Journal that he had moved to do a university course in the United States without informing the leadership.
Going back further, the case of Justin Barnard – a councillor who quit after just seven days in 2002 following a surprise win in Camden Town – still haunts the party.
Party leader Councillor Keith Moffitt said: “We feel very strongly that a history of mental illness in itself should not prevent anyone from seeking or holding elected office.
“Twenty-five percent of people will experience mental illness at some point in their lives and there are many examples of people with mental illness who have made a significant contribution to public life.”
A by-election is expected to take place on April 2. |
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