What was he thinking?

There is a bit of a problem with the (excellent) Straight Choice and other information about this campaign. Which is that the YEARS of twaddle and nonsense in Focus newsletters in Rochdale and Oldham have NOT been given an airing. Where are all the other Lib Dem leaflets? Never mind the vicious smear campaigns and anonymous sock puppetry of Dave Hennigan and the like. Politics in this area is red in tooth and claw. There are all sorts of allegations about Lib Dems pandering to extreme elements. Suggestions of a pattern of grant-giving that is (a) secretive (Rochdale being the only council to hide their cohesiveness grant list I believe) and (b) strange too.

The Lib Dems stand accused too. In 2005 in Rochdale for example it is a widely held view that leaflets from far right muslims claiming that Lorna Fitzsimons should be shunned as she was a Jew (untrue) were printed by them or for them using Lib Dem equipment. Some say they can prove that. I’ve not seen that proof myself. Labour’s PPC was sent a funeral wreath before he was even selected. And Phil stood on the platform at a Labour conference and relayed how LDs were playing it both ways on mosque plans in the area.

What we can say for (the “still fighting elections like a sixth former on Ritalin”) Phil Woolas is that he was and is consistent on these matters. He attacked extremists (BNP and islamist) and what he felt was immigration liberality. He did this on leaflets distributed universally, and, I’m told, the anti-extremist and immigration control messages are widely supported *in asian communities*. We may disagree with him on the ahem “nuance” or absolutely 100% completely but he has not ducked and dived and had a different message on every doorstep.

Woolas will produce some horrid nasty LD leaflets at the hearing. From his constituency and elsewhere. Both sides will be deemed to have taken the acceptable “cut and thrust of party politics” – which is a very widely drawn concept – to within an inch of their lives. Perhaps there will be some recalibration. But that will surely then be that. If there were a re-run (unlikely IMO) Woolas would be allowed to stand and would increase his majority 20 perhaps 50 fold.

Elwyn Watkins has been a really really terrible councillor, according to local people, with extraordinarily bad attendance in basic and exec meetings. The worst of the Lib Dem group I believe. He is a fool. His campaigns and his campaigners have probably been every bit as robust (aka nasty) as his opponents. There is that dodgy cash in hand tax avoidance story that he didn’t poperly clear himself from. And there is a great whiff about the whole Rochdale Lib Dem finances with unsubmitted accounts, contrived tenancies and undeclared councillor tithes to name but three problems.

It may be that Elwyn fancies a run out in Rochdale itself next time. Rowen is toast. If Watkins creates more profile he may see off Godfather Cyril Smith’s godson. Or he may simply hope that kicking up a stink in 2010 will help him beat Woolas in the next general election. He’s almost certainly wrong about that.

This is a completely disgraceful and shameful poster that completely misrepresents the Labour Party

@red bandits Do you realise what an utter pile of shit that is that you just came out with? People like you are as boring as you are completely fucking moronic

“A long time coming” <- who the hell are you? My comment which is by turns rhetorical, speculative, observational, predictive and condemnatory is *signed*.

You are a coward, as well as a fool.

In reverse order:

1. "nuance" was clearly a joke, Woolas is almost as unsubtle as a Hennigan smear campaign, though he's not picking on individuals and volunteers in this case;
2. I'm not taking sides, I take the opportunity to crit Phil's sixth form nonsense which I do not support any more than Hennigan's or the rest of the sick Libdemologist crew. I'm predicting what'll happen i.e. not much;
3. where is the link to the Chronicle? and are they actually correct?;
[4. I see you aren't interested in dealing with the sad lack of honest accounting from the Lib Dems in Rochdale including hidden tithes and dodgy rent payments;]
5. assertion about where leaflets went is facile twattle, you have no idea, and the ideas on this stomach churning little eve of poll card were also repeated on Mr Woolas' other literature (which didn't attract this storm on twitter or the blogs) and I'm told, and I have no reason to doubt this, that attacking hotheads, be they Islamic or BNP, is popular with the very great part of the asian communities;
6. Mr Woolas recounts the mosque story and includes his calling in the culprits to meet him as the local MP. According to Woolas their only explanation was that they did the old LD thing of saying whatever people wanted to hear, and representing what they were told. Are you claiming (a) Lib Dem mosque gate did not take place and (b) this is not the Lib Dem practice, constitutionally enshrined?;
7. *Obviously* all the leaflets being trading in the constituency and thereabouts are relevant to this case. Cut and thrust, thrust and cut. Goose, gander. Sauce;
8. Non-one actually knows where the wreath came from. Unlike you ALTC I ain't pointing fingers, I'm just saying politics is rugged, nasty and dirty in these parts;

Come on "A Long Time Coming" – reveal your name and what your interest is. And then state specifically what is an "untruth" and what is a "half-truth".

We specialise in true facts and fair comment. We don't like Woolas' campaigning style. We think it's juvenile. But we think Watkins is an arse. And so are you.

In reverse order, Chris Paul.

8. Actually, somebody does know where the wreath came from as it seems it was paid for by some numpty on their credit card. I can’t think why no further action was taken, perhaps you can explain. And you certainly did try to link it with the Lib Dems by sandwiching your smear inother allegations about them.

7. All the leaflets delivered in the constituency and elsewhere are not relevant to this case. Believe me. Just watch.

6. Show the leaflet. You have been banging on about it for ages and frantically begging for copies. Has one turned up yet. My guess is not.

5. Have a look at Woolas’ election expenses. Either he was not delivering certain parts of the seat or he was shaving his submisssion in order to scrape under the limit. Maybe you could tell us all which.

4. This thread is nothing to do with events in Rochdale. I know you believe that every single event since Adam was a lad has a link back to what goes on in Rochdale, but it doesn’t.

3. The Chronicle reported that the Lib Dem candidate had been cleared of all of Labour’s trumped up charges by the Inland Revenue – or whatever they call themselves these days.

2. Why will “not much” happen. Do you really think that in an election it is OK for anyone to say anything about their opponent deliberately late in the campaign and for it not to matter? In that case, just wait until you stand again.

1. This is hardly a matter of Woolas’ “unsubtlety”. I think it goes rather deeper and wider than that.

I am glad this has come out in to the forefront. Woolas, Bryne, and McNulty all of them were guitly of not only playing the immigration card but in their haste and zeal also started to pick on mixed race children of British (English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish mothers) by putting on restrictions of fees on such persons who have the right of abode. I wrote to him thinking it was an over sight but he did absolutely nothing to either my letters or to my MPs letters and some of his cronies still exist in the home office still carrying out their policy of discriminating against us. I hope he is thrown out of the labour party for good as should Liam Bryne, and McNulty.