AT LAST, ELECTIONS OVER !

Another week passes before I get around to posting again. All these elections get in the way. Hopefully we will now have a break for at least a couple of months.....

I was very disappointed that we couldn't manage to squeeze the LibDems enough in the Ryde South by-election to get Deborah Gardiner back on the IW Council. Still it was a good performance and we saw the LD drop from first to 3rd as the Tories secured another group member. Onwards on my own for a little longer......

Yesterday's and today's national media are increasingly sickening as they all bemoan the loss of the LibDem expenses fiddler who had to resign from the Cabinet after just 18 days. The holier than thou attitude of Clegg prior to the election (where his party came third) is now clearly to be seen as total hypocrisy. When the expenses scandal first arose the Liberals weren't really looked at that closely. Now they will be and I anticipate further revelations.

Finally elections to Newport Parish Council saw my partner Mary re-elected to join me and two other Labour supporters as a continuing influential bloc in all Newport matters. I won't be Chair from 14 June due to standing orders restrictions to a two-year term, but I am sure we will have a responsible successor. Not one who would fritter money on palatial parish offices......

WAKE UP LIB DEMS

Nearly a month since my last post and so much has happened on the political scene that I almost don't know where to start.......

My summary would be: the best candidate by far to be our Island MP came third (badly effected by the national scene) and once again tactical voting to keep a Tory out here FAILED, as it always will in these post-Steve Ross days. We then saw the venal instincts of national LibDems crawling their way into a Tory coalition, to leave many decent local Liberals (there are a good many) highly embarrassed and probably seething with anger. Early indications were that the new national ConDem coalition wouldn't last, but their anti-democratic instincts suggest that they will implement a device to prevent the coalition falling before its 5 years are up. In the meantime Labour nationally will adapt to opposition, evaluate where it is politically and elect a new leader. Personally I hope John McDonnell MP will be a candidate, to ensure a wide-ranging discussion of where the Labour Party needs to be over the next 5 years.

Of course from my position this Libservative alliance is going to prove highly entertaining as I seize the vast opportunities for mockery. The evidence of last night's Annual Council suggests that the local Liberals haven't quite got it yet - that their party is now in government with the Tories and Labour are the ONLY political opposition.

Annual Council last night was the usual parade of the self-appointed great and good, with my close colleague Ian Stephens being elected as the new Council Chairman. Good for him. The only disturbance of a brief 45 minute meeting was my longstanding refusal to support Tories as Scrutiny Panel chairs - majority-group lead scrutiny is just cheerleading - and the 2 Liberals present supported me, with the Independents supporting the Tories. Maybe the LibDems will soon see sense and come over to Labour rather than stick with a badly tainted brand.

I then cleared off home and left the rest to the annual beanfeast on the taxpayer....................