We are facing a series of by-elections in the Yeovil constituency and the first of those was in Crewkerne. We lost this seat in 2007 (when they were last fought) but we have now gained the seat from the Lib Dems. This is great news and Ron Bond, our candidate, is going to make a superb local Councillor. Ron worked tremedously hard and he is to be congratulated for his victory.
These Lib Dems do make you laugh. Look at this extract from the press release announcing who their candidate will be at the Henley by-election. I have added the bold bits.
I want to be a very energetic and local MP taking up the concerns of people across the whole of the area. As the local MP I will keep in touch with local people all year round and hold regular advice surgeries across the area. I will be a strong local champion for our local communities. I will speak out on the issues that matter to local people such as the loss of local Post Offices, policing and the environment. I will be a full-time MP for this area, living and working in its communities and fighting to safeguard local services.
Using the word 'local' eight times in short paragraph seems a bit over the top. However, the real joke is....wait for it.....he is not 'local'. As an MP he will be spending most of hi time in London so not being local is not all that much of a sin but he is clearly sensitive about it.
Liberal Democrats : Stephen Kearney: I will be a local MP for Henley
What a disgrace this Government is and what fools they treat us for.
At least Blair had a degree of integrity - you might not agree with him but you knew he believed it was right - but this disaster of a Government does nothing unless it is motivated by politics rather than doing what is best.
So, he gets the Chancellor to announce, just before the Crewe by-election, that he is giving a tax break to everyone who pays basic rate tax. This is apparently the budget he could not re-open and he has taken weeks to do something which he kept telling us was complicated!!
The fact is that most of the money they gave away will go back to the Government in increased VAT, and other taxes, taken from the rising costs of fuel and food.
Will people be bribed and deceived? This is difficult to judge because I wonder how much this is about individual policies and more to do with general tiredness with this drifting Government led by a man more suited to a desk job than front line politics.
I suppose the one positive thing is that Brown can no longer go on about "unfunded Tory tax cuts". he decided to fund this election give away by borrowing more money. Every house in the land is struggling with the rising costs of the Government and is borrowing record amounts on credit cards to keep the show on the road. Now, it looks like the Government is having to do it as well.
I had a London Travelwatch board meeting today.
One of the items we discussed was the recent announcement by the new Mayor to ban the drinking of alcohol on public transport. I have to admit to a little surprise at the reticence and concern of other board members to what seems a very sensible action - as sensible as banning smoking on the tube or trying to stop the playing of loud ipods. Still a successful Mayor is likely to do a number of things that soem do not agree with.
Tonight though I had a perfect example of why Boris is right and has a long way to go to improve the bus service.
I got a bus home this evening from a meeting and was verbally assaulted by someone who decided to bring their glass of beer from the pub onto the bus.
On another related matter my ten minute bus journey took an hour this evening because the bus I should have caught - which was running late - decided to jump the stop and leave four passengers standing at the bus stop. It is hardly surprising that getting people out of cars is a difficult task when the bus service has so far to go before people feel they are being treated as valued customers.
London Mayor bans alcohol on Tube - UK Politics, UK - The Independent
This is the pretty disgusting stuff that Labor are pushing out in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election. They fail to mention that their candidate lives in Wales!
I thought only the Lib Dems stooped this low.
Tamsin Dunwoody - Don't be conned by Tory Boy
Apart from campaigning for a by-election in Crewkerne I have also been listening to businesses in Yeovil.
They paint a real town of contrasts. They are very concerned about the day/night life aspects of Yeovil and how there appears to be a violent side to Yeovil which few see. Despite Yeovil being a pleasantly treed town there are real concerns about the lack of interest and vision displayed by the Lib Dem council.
The fact the council have recently produced a document called "Yeovil Vision" says a lot about their imagination and 'vision'.
It seems one party, the Lib Dems, have been running Yeovil for too long without any opposition.
Time for a change and a new vision for Yeovil.
Michael Portillo (a former Conservative defence Minister) tonight admitted he did not vote for Boris Johnson - and then did not make clear who he did vote for.
The guy is an utter disgrace. After all the work people do for the party, up and down the country, he smugly sits on TV and says he could not vote for the party who did so much to put him where he is now.
I want Conservatives to win everywhere but you begin to think there might have been a modicum of success for the Conservatives in 1997 when he lost his seat. At least it relieved us of the problem of him becoming Leader - who knows where we would be now.
This will be appearing in the Sun tomorrow.
Yougov were the pollster who came closest to predicting the London Mayoralty race and therefore have a good track record. Interestingly the poll position got worse for Labour if they chose a new Leader.
What a huge dilemma for them and what a victory for us - both Labour and the Lib Dems reduced to a rump!
I decided to go along to the Annual Council of the Council on which I used to sit. Partly this was to meet some old friends and partly because I heard who they were about to make the new Lib Dem Mayor.
I have met many Lib Dems and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are some who are pleasant enough and many who should have been in the Conservative party. There are Lib Dems for whom winning is more important than personal integrity.
David Berry, the new Mayor is an odd beast. He is one of the most publicly rude people I have met. I hve sat in meetings he has chaired where he has harangued members of the public just because they took an interest. Even his colleagues have been known to restrain him.
So for all the people of the Borough who might want to meet him; watch it!
