one man, one vote, once!

I would exhort every Sedgefield resident of voting age to use their vote at the forthcoming Parliamentary by-election, but regret that two people have decided, for differing reasons, to either contest the election, or to leave their name off the ballot form.

 The two names are Reg Keys and Norman Scarth; the first is not standing again, as he did so valiantly during the last General Election, and the second is contesting the election as a follow-up to his unsuccessful attempt in 1997.

Mr. Keys was the father of a son who served in the Army as a Military Policeman, who lost his life in a savage attack by a mob in Iraq. His unit, under-manned, badly-equipped and surrounded, died to a man in Al Majar Al-Kabir., and this loss was the catalyst for Reg Keys to sign up as an Anti-War candidate against the overwhelming majority of one Anthony Lynton Blair, the Labour M.P. and coincidentally Prime Minister, the man who sent Keys' son into battle. After a bitter and sometimes acrimonious contest, Keys polled some 10.3% of the vote, being partly responsible for the massive 6.0% drop in the Labour vote. The impassive face held by Blair during Reg Keys' bitter post-election speech said it all, and one must wonder what might have been the outcome if the Keys candidacy had not been in a Labour constituency where their votes aren't normally counted; they're weighed! I regret Reg Keys' decision not to stand, as I believe he may well have gained more support now that his target has now run away to safer climes.
 

Plenty of regrets however for the presence of the second of the names on the list, as a brief scan of the website of Mr. Norman Scarth will allow the viewer to deduce the unfortunate truth that Mr. Norman Scarth is just another nut-case with the cash to put down his deposit for the by-election. While applauding most candidates in their aspirations, there really should be a lever which precludes true booby-hatch candidates from standing, and thus reducing the vote for Alan 'Howling Laud' Hope, the only candidate who would get my vote, if I was a resident within the boundaries of Sedgefield. On the subject of the above Party, I really treasure one small facet of their Home Page, which is a remembrance to one Larry LePrise, the composer of the 'Hokey Cokey' who has just died aged ninety-three. Apparently the most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started.