LibDems go for Moore rather than Les

Another of those amusing LibDem newsletters has just arrived. The most (almost the only) interesting item of news was that sitting County Councillor Les Cassie has not been selected to stand in Morpeth North in the upcoming election.

Two possible reasons I can think of:
i) Les has had enough after just two years as a County Councillor and one as a Borough Councillor, which is surprising since I’d have thought he’d committed himself for four years on each or
ii) They badly want Les elected, and don’t consider Morpeth North a safe seat – which I think I’ll take as a personal compliment

Either way – it is a bit of an insult to the electors of Morpeth North to think that just any LibDem candidate parachuted in has a chance of winning. I’m sure their new candidate, David Moore, is a good chap, but does anyone know anything about him?

Getting things into perspective...

They say that late January – early February is one of the most depressing times of the year, so isn’t it good of the LibDems to try to cheer us up with that whimsy of half-truths and judicious silences that is the ‘Focus’ newsletter! It is a shame that you really have to know the full truth of what they are getting at to appreciate some of the ironies fully – and yes, the politicians of the other parties are remiss in not getting their version of what’s going on out. This blog and my councillor.info website still only get through to a select few – though I know the number is growing…

There are some amusing tit-bits in the recent January Focus – I particularly liked:

• the suggestion that LibDems had any sort of influence on the Environment Agency’s schedule for flood prevention & protection in Morpeth
• the reference to confusion over recycling as though LibDems had clarified things themselves. (Incidentally – the recent inclusion of Fawdon into the door step glass recycling in Longhirst village round was down to my intervention)
• but most of all, the implied suggestion that the LibDems have any chance of gaining an overall majority on the new unitary council.

The most likely outcome is one of ‘no overall control’ – and two parties will have form a coalition. The LibDems campaigned themselves out of forming in coalition on the Borough Council in last May’s elections. And they are risking doing the same this May!