The Libe Dems are standing Trefor Hunter as its candidate in the St Peter’s and North Laine by-election on July 8th. In the latest Lib Dem ‘Focus’ newsletter that I understand is being distributed around the ward this weekend, Hunter attacks the Greens for failing to deal with congestion and pollution.
As someone who has fought and lost more elections than just about anyone else in Brighton over the last 30 years, Mr Hunter must surely be aware that the Greens have never formed the administration in Brighton and Hove. In fact, his party’s coalition partner, the Conservative Party, are the administration locally and nationally. He writes “Decades ago residents elected their first Green Councillor, but what difference has it really made?”. Actually, quite a lot, and if we achieve a 20mph speed limit in Brighton I for one will be delighted.
The more relevant question is what difference does voting Lib Dem make? In Brighton and Hove they are an absolute irrelevance. In Brighton Kemptown and in Hove, they split the anti-Tory vote that saw two Labour candidates defeated and the election of two Conservatives. Nationally, millions voted tactically or positively for the Lib Dems as a way of voting against the Conservatives. What happened? The Lib Dems jumped into bed with the Tories. The sight of Vince Cable bumbling and stuttering through feeble and half-hearted defences of his party’s total sell-out of his policies, his sound economic analysis and his principled stand on the banks, is pitiful. Actually it is beneath contempt.
If I had a vote in the St Peter’s and North Laine by-election, would I vote Lib Dem? Give me an honest Tory any day. At least you know what you can expect from them. The Lib Dems deserve to be truly humiliated in the by-election and in each test of voter opinion up to and beyond the next general election.
Filed under: General Election 2010, Politics, tactical voting | Tagged: Brighton, Brighton Kemptown, by-election, coalition, Conservative Party, Focus, Greens, Hove, Labour, Lib Dems, St Peters and North Laine, Trefor Hunter, Vince Cable |
Brighton Politics Blog 
They aren’t much good in Norwich South either! They ran an extremely negative GE campaign this year and many people were daft enough to be taken in!
The Tory MP for Norwich North is more effective – although I disagree with her party’s policies – she is very active in supporting many campaigns which her constituents are involved in.
Jonathan Porritt said to me the other month, “you can never trust the LibDems.” I think this was while we were on a Patcham pavement. What’s more, it seems incredibly foolish of the LibDems to attack the Greens like this, and in St. Peter’s. It must be sheer jealousy by the LibDems, who never managed to achieve in Brighton and Hove the effect that Norman Baker has done in Lewes.
As I go from door to door in St Peter’s, I have not heard one person mention the LibDems. I find it difficult to believe that they will do any better than in the Goldsmid by election last year.
I was, as I wrote elsewhere, much struck yesterday evening, when walking through the North Laine with Caroline Lucas, how many people stopped to talk. It all seemed of a piece with that sunny sky. All manner of people congratulated her. And people also recognise the pioneering part played by Pete West who stuck with it as one Green councillor.
It is interesting that in this by election Labour appears to have kept the lid on Lord Bassam rather than have him leap around the doorsteps, as was his wont in the General Election. I rather think that Labour is beginning to recognise a most interestingly changing situation.
Later yesterday, through a door, somebody said to me that he had just got out of the shower and could I push a leaflet under the door, and as I did so, I heard him say to someboidy else, “that was the Green party. How cool is that?”
I find it very hard to believe that a blotchy LibDem Focus will have that reaction.
Zzzzzzzzzzz
Mr Craven’s rebarbative tone has made me increasingly feel that there is indeed something in the theory that he is in fact Anne Meadows in drag.
[…] Yesterday I wrote of Cable: “The sight of Vince Cable bumbling and stuttering through feeble and half-hearted defences of his party’s total sell-out of his policies, his sound economic analysis and his principled stand on the banks, is pitiful. Actually it is beneath contempt”. […]
Vince’s cable has shorted BUT he’s a minister so who cares.
Whilst generally avoiding commenting on the STPNL By election due to my involvement, I finally got the Lib Dem leaflet through my door today, and was utterly enthralled by its leading line “Where are all the tree’s?”.
Surely this must be the most ludicrous leading line of an electoral address ever. I shall now forever remember this election as the “Where are the tree’s” by-election. 🙂