Crime Watch: Sensitive Lib Dem Information Stolen in Cheetham-Gate

Manchester Evening News reported the violation felt by former councillor, ex-PPC for Gorton, solicitor Qassim Afzal when his office was burgled and his top secret hard drive stolen.

Reading between the lines I'd say there is a manic suggestion that this burglary is part of a yet another terrible Cheethamgate conspiracy. Mr Afzal worries about his high level correspondence with Menzies Campbell and President General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan.

Generous gifts from the good General were among the effects that were left untouched which Qassim's runaway imagination takes as evidence of his being targeted by espionage. But if so by whom?

The word is that he is incredibly unpopular with his own local Lib Dem party who probably resented his posturing in Westminster and Brussels and in the papers as he was a PPC and PEPC - when he couldn't even hold onto his Council seat or do any casework at all. Two facts that may (remarkably) not be unrelated.

There was a time when Manchester Lib Dems organised a regional dinner in Manchester Town Hall and made poor Qassim sit with the Liverpool contingent. None of the Manc lot wanted to talk with him. Allegedly. And LoL were told that virtually none of them helped on his campaign in Gorton in 2005. There are now signs that he is to be carved out in a scrap to the death between Carpetbagger Chas and Honest John of this parish. With Maverick Marc perhaps having a run also.

Meanwhile poor deluded Mr Afzal is offering £500 reward for recovery of his missing files. If they have fallen into the hands of journalists of the talents of Messrs Woodward and Bernstein then I'd recommend a quick shufty at election material, marked registers, lists of proxy voters, and expenses calculations as well as equality complaints within the Manchester Lib Dems. Of which there have been quite a few. If Mr Afzal is de-selected as PPC after winning a sizeable swing he will be the second Asian PPC in Manchester constituencies to be pushed aside.

There might be nothing there but as Mr Afzal has been prone to making mischievious complaints of electoral offences with only iffy hearsay "evidence" I'd like to know whether that was projection (8) or just bad losing. The Lib Dems have not even suspended their jailbird people Mozaquir Ali (right here) and Manzoor Hussein - pending appeal - who were bang to rights in Burnley.

It was a case of jail, inaction from Lib Dems and terrible shame on their party.

Qassim Afzal of course lost all his recent elections so his expenses claims will not be scrutinised though I did notice that his return included just one composite invoice from an intermediary rather than any of the original print and other accounts.