The by-election for Fortune Green ward has suddenly been called for 21st February.
Why the rush, people ask?
Well, it seems that the Camden Lib Dems are in a rush to get the by-election called before the Returning Officer (the Chief Executive) advises that the public purse would be better protected by holding the election on the same day as the Mayoral election in May. In doing so, the taxpayer would save around £10,000.
Of course, the real reason is that with a boosted turnout and a polarising Ken vs Boris fight the Lib Dem vote would be squeezed, and what should be a safe seat made much more vulnerable. Holding a singular election as soon as possible, the Lib Dems know would be very much to their own benefit.
The only question is - who to run?
Unlike the Labour Party the Liberal "Democrats" rarely vote amongst themselves for candidates in wards, they are selected from on high. The choice, I am told, may be between Sue Garden and Parliamentary candidate Ed Fordham. Lib Dem activists are dissatisfied that Fordham hasn't made more of a public profile for himself since 2006, so he may be tempted to take on the challenge so he can make more of a showing in the local press.
However, therein perhaps lies a problem for the ambitious Fordham, with £40 million of cuts to public services being gone through, and hikes to services meals-on-wheels Fordham - already a chief adviser to Lib Dem council leader Keith Moffitt - will be further and more directly associated with the Tory/Lib Dem programme. How his support for the demolition of special schools, for example, will square with the electorate will then be tested fully in the public domain.
Yet since the Lib Dems think they are all doing such an amazing job (I kid you not, they do), they will urge him to stand. Fordham, shrewder than most on the Camden Lib Dem front bench, might have other thoughts.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
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7 comments:
You are a bit behind the ball here, gobshite-merchant. The name of the Liberal Democrat candidate in Fortune Green is Nancy Jerira. She was chosen by vote of the ward's party membership (which, contrary to what you say, is a constitutional requirement in the Liberal Democrats) from a strong field of three. No, Sue Garden and Ed Fordham were NOT the disappointed would-be candidates. The meeting which chose Nancy as candidate happened on Friday, January 11th - five days before your singularly silly posting.
Thanks for the news, of course willing to be corrected. Great to see Fib Dems actaully electing a candidate -a rarity these days.
So Fordham totally bottled it! No wonder -he didn't want to be seen as the 'cuts candidate.' Wise move.
Anyway, Robin, insn't it about time you got back to writing letters into the CNJ for Lib Dem councillors, instead of blog posting after closing time?
The language! the language! How can a Lib Dem use the word "gobshite"?
Albert, Thanks to Cllr Blackwell and his pioneering degradation of the language of English politics, "gobshite" is now a term officially sanctioned by the Standards Board for England. As you probably know, I complained to the Board about Theo's use of the term on this blog (original entry of December 14th), but the Board told me the matter was not serious enough to warrant investigation - let alone reproof or caution. So I intend to refer to Cllr Blackwell as a gobshite merchant at every available opportunity henceforward. By the way, Liberal Democrats do not claim any particular purity of language. I am sure some Lib Dems, like some of any large group of people, suffer from Tourette's Syndrome and have a natural, and maybe uncontrollable, tendency to use language that may be offensive to others. My complaint against Theo's use of the term gobshite was purely a personal one, since I take the view that a blog is as much a publication as a leaflet, a party newspaper or a speech in the council chamber. I still do not think the term "gobshite" would be acceptable in the latter - but the Standards Board for England might well tell me I am wrong again!
By the way, as to selection of candidates it is not a rarity for there to be a contest for Lib Dem nominations these days. I happen to know Cllr Matt Sanders, our victorious candidate in the Haverstock by-election for Cllr Roy Shaw's long-held seat, was also selected from a field of three applicants.
I'm sorry for you. Maybe they thought there were more important things for councils to be getting on with...
Btw while you were raising your complaint about "gobshite", the Town Hall was considering bulldozing a special needs school -where's your concern about that? As a senior Lib Dem you must have some influence...
I know that Liberal Democrat councillors are concerned to ensure that the children at the Frank Barnes school will have better provision, not worse, as a result of the forthcoming changes.
I am, by the way, only a "senior Liberal Democrat" in the sense that I am 68 years old.
This is getting interesting- Robin and Theo almost pistols at dawn.
Mine you I'm glad Nancy Jerira was chosen over that pompose Ed Fordham who is not so popular as he would like to believe he is. Ever heard the expression cold fish well that describes him down to a tea
Susanne
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