LET nobody be even slightly surprised that Worcester's most notorious politician has completed his year-long 'round trip' by swapping his mayoral robes for a Blue rosette.

Councillor Alan Amos, fresh from stepping down as the city's first citizen, is no longer a secret Conservative but an official, properly signed-up one, even if the journey back towards his natural home was rather ragged.

I have no wish to poke fun at a man who made his mayoral year a success, as we were pretty sure he eventually would, nor denigrate his track record in standing up for the folk of Warndon and Gorse Hill, who he represents.

But if those very people who voted him in are wondering why they bother going to the ballot box at all, who could blame them.

If The Source was to stage its own banana republic-style court, Councillor Amos would stand before us charged with turning local politics into a joke, a sorry, grubby game of cringeworthy hokey-cokey.

He stands before us accused of denigrating the ballot box into a sham. A game to be twisted as the beholder sees fit.

Some Conservatives privately point to the case of Councillor Jabba Riaz, who jumped ship from the Tories to Labour in a naked career move dressed up as a political one, to justify this week.

They don't need to - firstly and chiefly because ultimately both men, good and committed councillors as they are, would be hauled before our banana JPs and sent down for sticking two fingers up at Mother Democracy.

But secondly, the Tory group cannot and should not be in the dock for allowing Councillor Amos in, oh no.

No administration, of any persuasion, would or could ever realistically prevent a hard working councillor from crossing the floor if that is their wish.

The full responsibility for this careless, reckless assault on the verdict of the voters lies squarely and firmly with you-know-who.

The tragedy to all this is that the narrative for Councillor Amos, and eventually how kind history will look back on his time in public life, beginning as a Tory MP in 1987, should really have been different.

Away from the politics you have a real character, someone with a sense of humour, a man who like us all hates any criticism being chucked his way.

But some steps along the road, you have a public figure who has allowed his reputation to be tainted by opportunism.

Every time this happens, every withering time the voters are conned, said Mother Democracy has her veil removed and takes an agonising, wretched fart full in the face - and don’t be fooled that the public either don’t care or don’t notice.

One suspects that next year, come election time, Councillor Amos will be sniffing for a 'safe seat', somewhere like Battenhall or even Bedwardine.

The question is whether the voters will hold their noses and duly oblige!