Lib Dem Leaderships: Manchester and Salford

The Lib Dem goon Cllr Simon Ashley - who famously promised that his then employer and then Cllr John Leech MP (right, glass fully empty) would be donating his Council winnings to the party, and has then seen that however wrong that would be, morally if not legally, it sadly has not happened - has hung on to his leadership of the Lib Dem group in Manchester.

This despite having failed to capitalise on Labour's war wounds of 2003 and 2004 and indeed losing a good few seats back. And defectors in both directions.

Laughing boy Cllr John Commons span a yarn to a credulous comrade that both Ashley and his ambitious arse sidekick Paul Shannon had been ousted. In fact they had survived and no blogger or journo had been taken in. Cllr John Cameron gets the other paid slot as a Scrutiny Chair.

Meanwhile in Salford where the Lib Dems have an all time record ten seats Cllr Norman Owen is being challenged by Cllr Joe O'Neill. The MEN had the story from Neal Keeling on Monday. But the vote is today. O'Neill has at least one new ally as son Martin took one of the gains on 1 May.

Salford Lib Dem Cllr Steve Cooke has maintained radio silence on this on his blog but may be the first with the news.