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This election has seen the Strange Death of Tony Blair and I’m amazed at the high level of anti-Tony abuse we’re getting. It`s almost as if he`d become Harold Wilson. I tell people he’ll soon. I have the answer to why and how. If we win with a hugely reduced majority he`ll go quick. Otherwise he`ll stay to lead the campaign for the Euro Constitution (yes, he’s still crazy after all these years).He’ll be defeated on that.Partly because he’s leading it. Then he’ll go.All that will of course be next year.
Sadly, to a depressing degree it depends on the ever unreliable French. At the moment their Yes and No votes for the referendum at the end of May are neck and neck. The government there won the Maastricht Referendum by less than one percent by fiddled and frauded vote from France Outre Mer like which is their equivalent of postal vote fraud. If there’s a narrow gap they’ll fiddle across it again. So if the French vote Yes Tony will have his referendum. If No why should we bother? His life is in their hands. Can`t think of a worse fate for anyone.
I can`t help feeling sorry for Sir Patrick Cormack. Patrick had graciously submitted himself to his grateful electorate for the re-election which is his due and the Liberal candidate dies.That means a by-election in one month`s time, during which Patrick is deprived of his title of MP, can`t get into his office and can`t stand for election to any of the Parliamentary jobs he’d win. Patrick’s whole existence depends on him being an MP. For a month he’s reduced to being an ordinary mortal. Like a drug addict on cold turkey. I think I might manage to get by without being an MP.But Patrick? Well I doubt it.
The Tories pulled off a very clever trick in exploding their Iraq material and the Attorney`s opinion last week. It`s rattled Tony Blair. It`s put him on the defensive in every interviewIt`s distracted attention from the big picture and the achievements of the Labour GovernmentYet it`s hardly helped the Tories Partly because Michael Howard promptly announced that he’d have marched to war anyway (indeed run if he does it like his canvassing), mainly because on the issue the Liberals are able to be more sanctimonious than thou. Or than anybody.The bastards.
Charles Kennedy was the only politician who was instinctively right on this issue at the timeYet now he’s in something of a mess. It`s hardly sensible to argue that we should withdraw our troops and compound the mess we’ve made by setting them free to kill each other. However, if he says nothing on that at the very least distracts attention from the fact that the rest of their policies don’t add up. Why bother with domestic trivia when you’re a knight in shining armour. After this election I`m going to introduce my Safe Seats (Emancipation of Electors) Bill. It seems to me theye’re getting a very unfair deal.
The Prime Minister’s helicopter hovers permanently over Shipley. Prezza turns up in every marginal seat to threaten newspaper reporters. Pamphlets letters and emails pour in on every elector to the point of acute pamphlet-fatigue.Their phones ring with more election calls than they get invitations to collect a free holiday in I`ve only been to two marginal seats in this election but I found both thronging with MPs, union members, party officials and political groupies. we have nothing. Except me distributing my own leaflets, and my Liberal opponent, who`s been told to walk several miles a day for health reasons, so he does it by distributing pamphlets, most of which are devoted to telling people I`m too old for the job.Why shouldn`t safe seats get some of the fun? |
