Taking a break from canvassing, writing and delivering leaflets in our North Road ward by-election, I went with some colleagues from Darlington Lib Dems on a short jaunt along the A67 to Yarm, for a "hot fork buffet" with Lembit Opik.
Readers who are not part of the Lib Dems will not be aware that we are in the midst of a Presidential election campaign. Lembit is one of the candidates, together with a couple of people I hadn't heard of before, though one of them, Baroness Ros Scott, has been very successful at getting delegates at Conference to wear badges supporting her.
Lembit is a real star, pitching his speech just right for his local audience, raising spirits and inspiring us all to get out there, painting in primary colours, as he puts it. My vote is going to him. With Nick Clegg, Chris Huhne and Vince Cable providing superb leadership of the Parliamentary party, we need someone with Lembit's personality and drive to lead the party in the country.
My photo shows Lembit with our North Road ward candidate, Anne-Marie Curry, and in Question and Answer action at the Parkmore Hotel.
5 comments:
I too like Lembit Opik.
Apart from being a good politician, he is also a very fair man and a gentleman to boot.
Observations from the nominators and consentors forms from this election and when it was last held in May 2007 and now.
Labour - Only one person out of ten who signed Labours North Road nomination form last time in 2007 have done so again. That individual being the only person at number 7 Oriel Court who chooses to like politics - Lee Vasey. The wife of long suffering Henpeckee John. The rest being neighbours, friends and residents of North Road ward.
Lib Dem - The Lib Dems have zero repeat signees from 2007. The abscence of Stephen, Chrusty and Tina Jones being glaring ommisions.
BNP - Another high turnover of people willing to sign their form. The controversial Steven Jones has wisely chosen not to sign the form of the far right but the equally controversial mystery man Daniel Brown has again resurfaced to add his name. Bizarrely enough a resident with the unlikely BNP name Wladyslaw Mazur has endorsed the BNP candidate. Is this a piss take or do we have activists of a Polish far right sister party to the BNP living in Darlington?
Conservative - 8 out of ten, so a very good retention rate here. All from the one street which shows interesting strength for the Tories. If just one street can turn out such solid support, then imagine what the rest of the ward could achieve if it follows suit.
Steve Jones - 3 out of ten from last time, which is still 3 more than his old mates in the LD's could manage.
Amongst the signturees is spouse, neighbours, friends and constituents who admire the achivements attained by "Corporal" Jones. Who knows what this unpredictable, unknown quantity will do next at the ballot box.
If the nomination papers are anything to go by then an entertaining election waits to unfold.
Good luck to everyone.
A uni friend, who is now a Lib Dem Councillor in London, shared an office with Lembit when he worked as a parliamentary assistant/researcher/something. He is voting for Lembit.
Of course, anonymous, the interpretation should be the other way round: we in the Lib Dems have such a huge support in the ward that we have a wide range of residents to call on to sign our nomination papers, so we don't have to go back to the same people each time!
Lembit Opik being a gentleman is the single funniest thing I've heard in ages! I wonder whether Sean Lloyd thought that when he walked out on her and took up with a half dresssed Cheeky Girl half his age. I wonder whether the audience on Who wnats to be a mIllionaire thought so, when he came over as petulant and egotistical and downright cruel when Sean answered all the questions. Lembit Opik is probably the most ungentlemanly man inn politics. He puts on an act of caring. He's a con man, with no moral code whatsoever. Look at the way he lashed out when he saw he was lagging behind so much in the polls for the presidency. We would be a laughing stock if this Idiot got the job. A gentleman he is NOT. Just ask Peter Black in the Welsh Assembly et al
Blimey - Cheeky Girl 1# has let herself go.
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