Talking to Lib Dems
Cllr Peter is by far and away my favourite Lib Dem councillor. He has the same low opinion of some of his party colleagues as I do. And he wants to maintain public respect for political activists by banishing negative attack politics.
He is probably in the wrong party to get his wishes on that one. And it must be said that as incumbents they all seem to get sniffy about being called to account in any way. Though they have generally got to office themselves with the most shameless anti- politics - fibs, exaggeration, taking credit they're not due, incessant whining, and that old fall back scaremongering.
His people have been busy in Withington constituency. They have been sent there from on high. When we first talk I think this will be a hold by 5,000 plus, way down from 11,000 plus. But I say 8,000 which is the figure the Labour agent and all the predictive websites have been saying.
Cllr Peter says he would be disappointed at that.
Later it becomes obvious that Withington will be very close indeed.
But whatever. We're still talking. Why was the Local Income Tax not on their leaflets in Manchester? Basically because the sums don't add up in my view. We're all agreed that Rates, and Poll Tax, and Council Tax are all faulty and regressive. But this LIT is ... not good either.
Agent Jim asks Cllr Peter whether he is first or second up. He is first. As Jim well knows. Cllr Dobbo sneaked by him in the last batch of votes in 2004.
Even Marc their leader in the City Centre ward I fought last time is involved in the conversation now. He asks what were the margins and I say cheerfully that he was way ahead. But that us riff raff were all pretty close.
In fact a 50-vote swing would have won us two seats. And that sort of margin with 1500 voters has to be down to Blair and his damned war.
He is probably in the wrong party to get his wishes on that one. And it must be said that as incumbents they all seem to get sniffy about being called to account in any way. Though they have generally got to office themselves with the most shameless anti- politics - fibs, exaggeration, taking credit they're not due, incessant whining, and that old fall back scaremongering.
His people have been busy in Withington constituency. They have been sent there from on high. When we first talk I think this will be a hold by 5,000 plus, way down from 11,000 plus. But I say 8,000 which is the figure the Labour agent and all the predictive websites have been saying.
Cllr Peter says he would be disappointed at that.
Later it becomes obvious that Withington will be very close indeed.
But whatever. We're still talking. Why was the Local Income Tax not on their leaflets in Manchester? Basically because the sums don't add up in my view. We're all agreed that Rates, and Poll Tax, and Council Tax are all faulty and regressive. But this LIT is ... not good either.
Agent Jim asks Cllr Peter whether he is first or second up. He is first. As Jim well knows. Cllr Dobbo sneaked by him in the last batch of votes in 2004.
Even Marc their leader in the City Centre ward I fought last time is involved in the conversation now. He asks what were the margins and I say cheerfully that he was way ahead. But that us riff raff were all pretty close.
In fact a 50-vote swing would have won us two seats. And that sort of margin with 1500 voters has to be down to Blair and his damned war.
posted by Chris Paul at 12:58 AM
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