The Official Nonsense Thread

[Minty]

I am still recovering from my "holiday" - need another one to get over the one I had.

Returned back from a trip to Mull to find messages waiting for me. An old friend (of sorts, more someone I knew) was standing in the local elections & I'd promised ages ago to help them with the leaflets. To cut a very long story short, they had been disowned by the party after making some un-PC remarks. There was however more to the story than this - local party power grabbing at its worst. Certain people I'd known for decades were backing him & had torn up their party memberships to back him standing as an independent - largely people who were the last I'd ever have thought to back him.

Besides, I needed the exercise.

Hence why muggins spent his time off wandering hill & dale in one of the most rural seats in Scotland shoving election leaflets through people's doors. Twice.

With the general election called, there's the opportunity for some "creative accounting" with the main parties, putting receipts for council election expenses into their general election ones & vice versa. If one is a safe seat, but the other at risk, you can overspend in one beyond the guidelines but move the costs into the other. Have council elections back to back with a national election, small parties & independents have even less chance of a shock.

The candidate knew this (he'd been one of the "higher ups" in his party & knew all the tricks") & realised his only hope was doing two full size leaflet drops as well as having polling station agents to give him the credibility with voters that picking him would not be a waste of time. This was why there was the messages (of increasing urgency) left for me (I could have known sooner, but I'm choosy who I give my email address to!)

After the first drops had been done, I'd blisters on my blisters & it took salting my feet for four days to get them well enough for another mail drop. He thought I was bailing, but a promise is a promise. I couldn't help out with a third mini drop in my last week as I was now back at work, but did a bit of local polling day (or rather evening) duty. The count wasn't until the next morning, I had to find out the results at lunchtime at work. He got in as the fourth councillor after transfers, denying his old party one extra & leaving them having to beg him & a couple of other independents for support if they want to run the council. Justice!

There's claims in the Glasgow Herald today that the Orange Order infiltrated Labour & the Tories to get their candidates into local councils for all manner of sinister reasons. Not good. Not good at all. I don't want those fat piggy eyed bigots in charge of things.