If there were any lingering doubts over the real reasons for the Croydon Tories’ continued hostility to having a gypsy and traveller camp at Purley Oaks – or, indeed, at any site proposed in the borough – then the presence of Anne Piles at a local party get-together this week will have confirmed underlying suspicions.
Piles, or the “Sage of Selsdon” as she is regarded by no one, until recently held a senior position within the ever-diminishing ranks of the Croydon Conservative Party. Piles, for instance, was on the panel which rejected Mike Fisher’s application but accepted Chris Philp as their parliamentary candidate for Croydon South.
And it was Piles who made her prejudices about travellers abundantly clear in the public forum of Twitter.
The tweet from Anne Piles to her husband. Classy, eh?
Croydon Conservatives have never taken any disciplinary action over Piles’s racist tweets, as she laid bare her blatant prejudice.
When confronted with the affront, Piles even tried to justify her prejudice by using the N word.
Anne Piles, front left, front and centre for Gavin Barwell and Chris Philp before the 2015 election campaign
All of which appears to be happily tolerated in the Croydon Conservatives, some of whom clearly believe they still inhabit the 1950s…
Indeed, Piles continues to be a welcome guest at local Tory functions, as she recorded on social media this week, providing a check list of those who appear to find her conduct acceptable among the handful who turned out for the Croydon North Conservatives Christmas party.
“Had a great time at the Conservative Mulled Wine and Mince Pie event in Croydon North,” she chirped.
“I was lucky, as someone gave me a stool to put my feet on, which helped me no end. I wish I could do that wherever I go! Simon Brew hadn’t heard about my problem and was quite shocked.”
It’s unclear whether the Purley councillor had previously been unfamiliar with Piles’s racism problem, or whether his “shock” was over some other, less fundamental issue.
“Alasdair Stewart was there, Scott Roche, Richard Chatterjee, Audrey Terry, Gloria Hutchens, Steve O’Connell (who told me about the problem with his new hip), Mario Creatura in his lovely pink shirt, Gareth Streeter (as lovely as usual) and Amy Pollard with her sausage dog Chip, who is in line for a championship at Wimbledon. He spent some time chasing a tennis ball.”
Expect most of those namechecked to be among the Tories’ candidates for the council elections in 2018, and ensure that they are questioned over why they tolerate the casual attitudes to racism of the likes of Piles and others within their close circle of political friends.
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Piles by name. Piles by nature.
Steven, I still laugh out loud every time I read your ludicrous claim to be an Independent journalist ha ha ha ha ! You are a disgrace to your profession – except you are not a journalist at all. Your childish, pathetic changing of surnames would embarrass a 6 year old. You are nasty and vindictive and this is reflected in your pathetic readership numbers. You could do so much good – how you are allowed to continue publishing I have no idea. The funniest thing of all course must be the intense frustration you are going to experience with Labour being out of power for the next 8 years at least. If you had a brain you would be dangerous but you are just on the sidelines ranting on every week as real thoughtful unbiased politics just passes you by. Enjoy the next 8 years !!
Old Broadarse fails to declare his interest as a leading campaigner for Gavin Barwell in 2015 and a member of the Croydon Tory Party that fails to act against bigots and racists.
Very lazy journalism if every tory party story you run you feel the need to sensationalise by harking back to a single tweet that some pensioner sent three years ago…that dead horse has been flogged enough.
Oh dear, Neil, you’re so wrapped up in bandying around accusations of “lazy journalism”, that you get your facts wrong – it is far more than a “single tweet”, as our reference to the N-word attempted justification shows, and you make our point for us: indeed, nearly three years on, and still the Croydon Tory Party continues to embrace and socialise with bigots and racists, without taking any disciplinary action.
Which is while Piles’s little list of attendees at this little soiree is so revealing. And that’s journalism.
There is nothing remotely pleasant about travellers/gypsies and it must miles worse to have them live close by.
They pay no tax, are well known to steal things, plenty of things. They defiantly wreck the places that they live.
Whilst her language may be colourful, I have nothing but support for her views.
The only people who like them are the PC Brigade…well good luck to them, wait until they move in to field near you!!!
To be fair, Croydon Conservatives, through the Croydon South MP and through a Purley councillor, have said that they would like to see a travellers’ site on the Purley Way by the airport in Waddon or in Commerce Way just across the Waddon ward boundary in the Broad Green ward.
“In fairness”? Are you suggesting, councillor, that the Nimby Croydon Tories are ok with a camp for travellers, which the council is obliged by law to provide, as long as it is not in a Tory ward?