Thank You Mr Foster

Blogging has been a bit light recently due to our North Road ward by-election. We've got three leaflets out so far with a week still to go, targetted letters to all postal voters and 75% of houses canvassed despite the dark damp evenings.

However, blogging this morning is easy: I offer you, straight from the pages of the Northern Echo, a letter which appears in today's edition. And no, since I know what some of you will be thinking, whoever Stuart Foster is, he's not a member or known supporter of the Liberal Democrats. He is though, remarkably perceptive:

"I recently received some propaganda from the Conservative Party regarding the North Road Ward by-election in Darlington on November 13.
It would appear that the party’s candidate, George Jenkinson, has been inaccurate concerning the departure of Independent councillor Steve Jones.
Mr Jenkinson states: “This byelection is being held because one of the men elected last year as a Liberal Democrat has not attended the council in six months, so has been thrown off.”
In fact, Mr Jones stood in the last borough council election as an Independent after being thrown out of the Lib Dems.
As Mr Jenkinson seeks to represent the North Road ward it surprises me that he was unable to campaign for support by stating how he would tackle the issues that are relevant to those he seeks to represent.
I am dismayed that he has preferred to use smear tactics against the Lib Dems, which are clearly untrue.
The ward’s present Lib Dem councillors, Fred Lawton and Mike Barker, have worked consistently on North Road issues and their dedication to the area is apparent all year round – not just at election time, which incidentally is the only time I hear from the Conservatives."
Stuart Foster, Darlington