Why aren’t Labour standing in my ward?
TODAY I received a missive from the Liberals fighting the Colerne and Box wards, in which there is a statement that claims to come from someone calling themselves “Jeremy Comerford”.
In this Liberal missive, “Jeremy” claims to be a “lifelong member of the Liberal Party” (don’t they all?) and a “Wiltshire resident”, although no evidence is given for either of these assertions.
He then goes on to claim that only the Liberals can defeat the Tories in this seat and that a vote for Labour, the Green party or an independent candidate would only be beneficial to the Tory party. It is clear that “Jeremy” has no idea that there are no Labour, Green or Independent candidates standing in the Colerne & Box wards, so it is fair to assume that “Jeremy” does not live in this ward and that this is simply a “round robin” distributed where it is thought the Liberals might have a slim chance of “winning here”.
I would caution against optimism should the Liberals succeed in defeating the Tory candidate; after all, we know what happened when the party became “useful idiots” to the early Cameron regime by voting in favour of increases to student fees and enthusiastically supporting cuts to benefits, and all to allow Nick Clegg (remember him?) to swan around in a ministerial car for a short while.
I would urge all those true Labour voters who are disenfranchised in the Colerne & Box wards to vote and, if they are as outraged at this chicanery as I am, to perhaps register their disgust by spoiling their votes and write “Labour” on their polling forms.
I should add that I am a lifelong socialist but not currently a member of the Labour Party as it now exists, due to its “Blairite” tendencies and habit of abstaining when it should be vigorously opposing this miserable excuse of a third rate administration.
Perhaps a representative from the Wiltshire Labour Party would care to enlighten us as to why there is no Labour candidate standing in the Colerne & Box wards?
Christopher Phillips
Colerne, Wiltshire