Lib Dem Leadership: Another NW Leader Clings On

Further to news of Lib Dems Leaders holding onto their jobs despite poor results for fireman Bradley in Liverpool and mediocre results for goon Ashley in Manchester here, local Con man Iain Lindley reports how probably the most successful of them, Norman Owen of Salford, - who actually gained seats - has also held on narrowly.

Bradley is possibly the odd one out as his personage wouldn't look better in the traditional beard, sandals, chunky sweater and real ale. However this modernity seems to come with escalating levels of dirty tricks to keep his ill-used power.

Yesterday's Liverpool Daily Post gives the run down on yet another scandal in which he and/or his henchpeople smeared his main rival with a dossier which Bradley ADMITS he obtained from the Chief Executive just recently but whose onward distribution - posted out on the Saturday before a crucial meeting on the Monday - he dubbed: "crass, to say the least".

Particularly getting caught at it Warren! Probably significant given the relative closeness of the result. Bradley got 26 votes while his combined rivals took 20.

Bradley (right with some property magnate or other) and his puppeteer ex-Leader Mike Storey are of course still waiting for decisions on 26 separate counts of alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct. Divided into five clumps of clowning and corruption at the link.

Today's Liverpool Echo also carries news that Bradley is pressing on with £63,000 of payments to his chums - even though an independent remuneration panel decided that, in the case of Liverpool Council, these deputies did nothing to justify the payments.

Far be it from LOL to suggest that these ten paid roles - in the gift of fireman Bradley, above and beyond the other 16 or so other remunerated roles - may have helped the perpetually failing clown hold on to power.

He got 26 votes ... one for each of 26 alleged Code of conduct violations ... there are about 26 paid jobs ... now let me see ... probably just a coincidence. But it looks like it will take the Standards Board, a humungous further scandal, or a by-election or three to bring the man down. His Back to Basics Pledge is just, ahem, more hot air.