Tory Tossers: Attack Mercer's Wife, and Dead Councillor?

Meanwhile, everywhere you look there are tales of nice Tories. The first being fair comment, the second probably not so with The Mirror and Lib Dem Voice combining in devious misrepresentation.

Patrick Mercer's wife or "lazy white bastard female" as he calls her when she's a bit slow round the assault course is taking abuse of an altogether less sporting kind from Notts' conservatives, over Patrick's spot of moonlighting for the damnable socialists.

And, in the same piece, Cllr George Hollingberry (Con, Winchester) - who is incidentally a blogger and the PPC for Meon Valley has allegedly been calling the death of a colleague from another party "very useful".

Or has he? To be fair Georgie did offer a generous tribute and condolences before seemingly rubbing his hands together gleefully. And, assuming he's not been back and re-edited, he has I think been MISCHIEVIOUSLY MISQUOTED:

The recently elected councillor, Sue Fitzgerald, died most tragically at a very young age and thus the ward is being unexpectedly contested. Beyond the obvious personal tragedy for her family and friends, it was a particular shame because it was clear that she was a highly involved local community champion. All towns and villages need people like that and they are few and far between these days.

From a purely political (and selfish I suppose given the circumstances) point of view, it has been very useful to us to mount a proper local campaign in the town. Wickham is one of the last redoubts of the Liberal Democrats in the Meon Valley and not an area we have done well in for some time.

It is the mounting of a local campaign which George is saying is "very useful to us", not his fellow Councillor's death itself. Lib Dem Voice saw The Mirror piece first. We found the blog. George certainly didn't say it was like an early Christmas present, or words to that effect.