Manchester Withington Selection: Let's See What the Mail's Dragged In

Overnight: Email from Yogesh:

Dear Member,
I am just letting you know that my campaign website is up and running - you can visit it by clicking on the following link:
http://www.geocities.com/yogeshlocal
Please remember, I am your most experienced local candidate, who stands the best chance of winning against strong Lib Dem opposition – make sure you support me as your candidate no1 to enhance the chances of winning Withington Constituency for Labour in the next General Election.
Please feel free to contact me, and I look forward to seeing you at the hustings on 31st March.
Yogesh Virmani
28 March 2007

Was expecting a refreshed website but this is the same one. It also encountered the digital equivalent of an underpostage with some unavailability due to excess downloading. Fixed last time I looked.

Ooops. 12:38, gone again. Yogesh IS the most local candidate. So if that floats your boat she's the one to sail with.


Overnight: Email from Jenny's people. Interesting but not I'll wager (nearly said barter then but that would have made no sense) intended for publication. I'll publish something if it is sent to me at the usual eddress. Same goes for other candidates naturally. Here at the home of fair play.

This morning: Fantastic thank you letter from Burnage star candidate Frank Duffy. He has written to a score of volunteers for putting in an hour or so each on the knocker in Burnage.

Frank really and truly deserves to smash the Lib Dems there and get our foot back in the door in Burnage. Labour took it from the Tories virtually a generation ago. We need to get all three seats back within six years if we can. This is year three. The Lib Dems are helping through inactivity, schoolboy errors in the Council Chamber (Complaints to Standards*, ongoing) and fibby infantilism. Burnage knocking LOL - will return to.

This morning: Brilliant letter from Nargis Khan. Great photo. Without the trade mark wink. And with a winning grin rather than the patent Lib Dem Killer grimace. Will post if send a pdf, or just the text.

Still waiting: Lucy and Naheed may have missed the post? If so, send here and I'll post them up without fear or favour. PDF will appear across the usual LOL measure which is around A5 portrait I guess. So good clear font. Or send the text with letterhead pdf and I'll segue them in normal type size.

This afternoon will see publication of The South Manchester Reporter and - apart from following the non-story of the blogger bloke who correctly reported that Shameless Frank Gallagher looks like Shameless Norman Lewis - LOL will be on the lookout for letters from candidates and stories in run of paper too.

Every now and then they are leaked and run some skewed story about internal Labour Party business by people who should know better. Let's hope not in this all-important eve of poll edition.

* The councillor that didn't join Ashley's petulant walk out - at least the third in the job - was Cllr John Leech MP who either saw the alleged salute and actually has some standards, or felt he needed to stay to defend himself against accusations of his Lib Dem hoaxing and fibbing.

Johnnie Two Jobs should really have been in Westminister that day ... where he would have heard accusations, you've guessed it, that he and his Lib Dems were hoaxing and fibbing. Rt Hon John Prescott MP, Health Minister Andy Burnham MP and Blackley MP Graham Stringer (and his EDM signers) have now placed their disgust at Johnny's Hospital Hoax on the record in Hansard.

Leech had struck first with his own pre-emptive backside-covering EDM on the matter. I must say that it is remarkable that any Labour MPs signed it given the back story. Like the Manchester Withington electorate they were taken in by a slick fibber. Seven MPs signed both!

The Lib Dems were al recovered from their existential angst about the alleged inner Nazi just ten minutes later when the traditional liggers' luncheon was served.