Manchester Labour Christmas Cards: Duty Done, but is it Going, Going, Gone for the Lib Dems?

Is it bye bye from Ming?

Quick effort this morning to get out the last of the Labour cards for Kathy Crotty who is standing in Manchester City Centre; for John Hacking who is standing in Chorlton Park; and the three Labour Councillors in Chorlton. All these branches have adopted the "Season's Greetings" and Happy New Year formula.

City Centre is a big ask for us. Kathy, myself and Ahmed Ali came close in the 2004 "all out" and a swing of about 50 votes from the Lib Dems would have seen us take two seats. In 2006 I stood. We held our ground with pretty much a solo campaign. Our work was concentrated on two priorities.

1. Saving the five or six seats the Lib Dems had promised Charles Kennedy.
2. Plus we had the idea that with a concerted effort we could take four of theirs.

And we did all that!

Chorlton was one of the seats we held and it is where I live. We were soon boosted by the defection of Cllr Angela Gallagher from the Lib Dems, absolutely fed up by their bullying ways. Angela gave or loaned the John Leech campaign a very tidy sum. In fact twice the election expenses limit all by herself.

In most cases a pushy young man who persuaded a 69-year-old woman to part with £23,000 including a big slice in a last ditch emergency - over a "thank you" meal which was planned as yet more pleading - well, you'd expect that young man to end up in court and very likely in gaol. But this particular young man ended up in parliament!

No wonder they're always calling for more police in their leaflets! Though of course all their Police Authority Reps have been voting for the sensible budgets and are pretty satisfied with the massive increase in numbers since 1997.

Anyway, there is a point to this diversion. John Hacking is standing in the seat where Leech has remained a councillor since his parliamentary election. Leech isn't up. He's going to do the two jobs for at least a third season.

And on my return Leech's own card had landed on my mat. This was much as last year. A card signed by most of their candidates, their two MEPs and Cllr Leech MP. But with a scrawled letter enclosed. Fibs and a pious homily.......... Leech - eye off the ball?

When LoL gets a chance there will be a full textual analysis of that one. Will it be seven deadly sins? Or the full twelve lies of Christmas? Hat tip for the suggestion to an anonymous comment at John Leech Watch. Who knows what professional handwriting analysis would reveal. Watch this space!

The comment at JLW was to a new story there that local Lib Dems are giving serious consideration to de-selecting John Leech. Because of his general performance, and also of course for his albatross. The scandalous hoax over what he then said was to be the closure of our regional cancer hospital.

This possible de-selection comes on top of the sad news relayed on top of their slump to 15% (You Gov) on Conservative Home though ultimately from Dizzy that disloyal and garrulous Lib Dem councillors on Radio 4 this morning are saying that Menzies Campbell must be shown the door too. And these things seem to come in threes as there has been continuous

speculation since Manchester Labour thumped the Lib Dems in May - against the national trend - that their group leader Simon Ashley is also for the chop.

In all three cases their keeping what they have got could be better news for Manchester Labour than their cashing in their sad old brushes and getting in new brooms.


Are Campbell, Leech and Ashley now due to join Kennedy as Lib Dem yesterday's men?