For many people, politics is complicated enough, without making it even more so.

But when the nominations for next month’s County Council elections for seats in Boston’s seven wards are announced at noon tomorrow, some voters might be forgiven for wondering where on earth to place their ‘X’ s.
All the main party candidates are as we listed in Boston Eye a fortnight ago – along with our thumbnail sketches of the candidates – and you can read that piece by clicking here 
At that time we listed a couple of independent candidates as well – both of them sitting Boston borough councillors – Ossy  Snell who is standing  for county hall in Fishtoft, and Carol Taylor in Boston North West – and there now are four more - but how “independent” are they?
New names on the list since last we published are: Boston Borough Councillor Alison Austin who is standing in Boston South and Rob Lauberts in Boston West, plus Anne Dorrian and Richard Dungworth  in  Boston East.
Now, time for some confusion.
Are you sitting comfortably?
Then we’ll begin.
The dictionary defines Independent as meaning “Free from outside control; not  depending on another's authority.”
However, three of our “independents”  – Councillor Austin,  Mr Dungworth and Mr Lauberts declare themselves to be “Lincolnshire Independents” – which means that if elected they will presumably ally with other such party members within Lincolnshire County Council.
Is this a problem?
Well… by definition, an independent is – er – independent.
Yet Lincolnshire Independents have a leader – in the shape of County Councillor Marianne Overton – who among a wide range of credentials is a Vice-Chairman of the Local Government Association and Leader of the LGA Independents.
Their six members are enough for them to be regarded as the main opposition party at Lincoln.
We know of traditional independents who become quite annoyed at the suggestion that they can – or might be – led … and we have to say that this is a view with which we sympathise.
We note that one of our Lincolnshire Independents is a former Boston Bypass Independent Councillor … Mr Dungworth … whilst Mr Laubert is a former BBI candidate.
Councillor Austin was formerly a member of the BBI – which on the borough website is now referred to as the BDI – the Boston District Independents. Despite that, we are assured that the term “BDI” is only used by Boston Borough Council to distinguish the two groups of independents, and that the whateveryoucall’ems remain as a separate group because it makes no difference to numbers of committee seats and entitles the independents to additional representation at group leaders’ meetings.
Apparently, they “work closely with the other independents whenever appropriate,” but since all of them are independent councillors, they all vote according to their consciences. 
“Independents never operate a party whip system, unlike the national political parties,” we are told.
Meanwhile, Ms Dorrian – also a former BBI councillor – who resigned to form the Better Boston Group, which she led – is standing as a “mere” Independent – but against a Lincolnshire Independent for the same seat.
How do the voters make a choice?
So, it’s up to us – there are three I’s and there are three LI’s.
The fact that the Lincolnshire Independents have a leader implies a control and power structure.
We recall that after his election to Lincolnshire County Council as a Boston Bypass councillor four years ago Councillor Ray Newell switched from the BBI to the independents, explaining at the time that he made the move to have "a greater stake in the political process at county level.
"What I wanted to do was get on the Highways Committee,” he said at the time. “If I remained as a singleton it would have been impossible."
Although Councillor Newell was at pains to stress he was not collaborating  with a party, but a group, the thesaurus regards the words "party" and "group" as interchangeable
The county council allocates committee seats in proportion to the number of councillors in each party.
It also defines the grouping of Lincolnshire Independents as a political party.
In a “what if?” scenario, let us imagine that we see a local Lincolnshire Independent in the next county council faced with an issue that is good for Boston, but  nowhere else, and which his or her party colleagues opt to oppose.
How does this “independent” vote? With the “party” or for what is best for Boston?
It is a dilemma in the making?

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