The Liberal Democrats are, I suspect, about to find out that success can be a double edge sword.
Phil “Lumley” Woolas, a former Labour minister has lost the case brought against him by his Liberal opponent in the last UK General Election.
He is to be barred from the Commons for three years and the election contest for his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat re-run. Woolas, however has said that he will fight the ruling and will seek a judicial review.
The judgement says that he broke electoral law with a "toxic" dirty tricks campaign against Elywn Watkins. Basically he lied through his teeth about Watkins and his association with and funding by Muslim fanatics. Lying to the public becomes such a habit that he must have imagined he could get away with whoppers like this. His team hoped to bring out the white Sun-reading vote by exploiting the racial divide in Oldham.
His win, by 103 votes, has been declared void. He was ordered to pay £5,000 to Mr Watkins, whose costs he will also have to pay.
Woolas apparently feared that he would lose his seat following disclosures about his expense claims which included submitting receipts for items including tampons and women's clothing.
He had also bought himself a deal of derision with his mishandling of Gurkha resettlement rights and was lampooned over his hapless confrontation with Joanna Lumley who tanked him despite her complete lack of political experience.
However, whilst, if Woolas hadn’t lied and cheated his way to his seat the Liberal Democrat would now be sitting in parliament, the situation for Liberals all over the country has changed dramatically since last May.
Recently clocking an amazing 9% in a YouGov poll, the Liberals are not half, or even a third of the party they were only 7 short months ago when they were polling 29-32% following poster boy Nick Clegg’s appearance in the leaders’ (or a least “some” leaders’) debates. They may find, therefore, that they face a very different situation on the streets today.
Phil “Lumley” Woolas, a former Labour minister has lost the case brought against him by his Liberal opponent in the last UK General Election.
He is to be barred from the Commons for three years and the election contest for his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat re-run. Woolas, however has said that he will fight the ruling and will seek a judicial review.
The judgement says that he broke electoral law with a "toxic" dirty tricks campaign against Elywn Watkins. Basically he lied through his teeth about Watkins and his association with and funding by Muslim fanatics. Lying to the public becomes such a habit that he must have imagined he could get away with whoppers like this. His team hoped to bring out the white Sun-reading vote by exploiting the racial divide in Oldham.
His win, by 103 votes, has been declared void. He was ordered to pay £5,000 to Mr Watkins, whose costs he will also have to pay.
Woolas apparently feared that he would lose his seat following disclosures about his expense claims which included submitting receipts for items including tampons and women's clothing.
He had also bought himself a deal of derision with his mishandling of Gurkha resettlement rights and was lampooned over his hapless confrontation with Joanna Lumley who tanked him despite her complete lack of political experience.
However, whilst, if Woolas hadn’t lied and cheated his way to his seat the Liberal Democrat would now be sitting in parliament, the situation for Liberals all over the country has changed dramatically since last May.
Recently clocking an amazing 9% in a YouGov poll, the Liberals are not half, or even a third of the party they were only 7 short months ago when they were polling 29-32% following poster boy Nick Clegg’s appearance in the leaders’ (or a least “some” leaders’) debates. They may find, therefore, that they face a very different situation on the streets today.
I wonder by how much Labour will win the seat now...
Three tears without his perks and wages of sin could bankrupt him. I do hope so!
ReplyDeleteOh what a pity.
ReplyDeleteThat will teach him to tackle Joanna!
Here goes the usual right wing lot..again...
ReplyDeletehttp://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/2672564.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=45B0EB3381F7834D2E8CA870CDABC29DF2569D03860F5BB5E23FEF406871B787
`rejoice, rejoice', isnt that what Thatcher said about the Belgrano didnt have you down as thatcher lover....still live and learn
Couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke. Robust debate is one thing, outright lies is another and he was caught bang to rights.
ReplyDeleteSeems Labour have suspended him too, better late than never I suppose.
Interesting How Niko thinks that wars should be fought without hurting the enemy. Must be a socialist thing for this country, never seemed to affect the Soviet Union at all in Afghanistan or Chechnya.
ReplyDeleteNiko. Margaret Hilda doesn't have a monopoly on the word "rejoice". I get to use it if I want. You know very well I can't stand the woman. You're doing a Woolas here...being sparing (very) with the facts!.
ReplyDeleteThat's sweet QM...
ReplyDeleteDisgraced and lost his job and now chucked out of the troughers' club... as you say, it couldn't happen to a nicer bloke.
As for Niko thinking....eeeek...
Niko reminds me of a Caratacus story. Lady Funtlewotsit was told her husband was alive but brain dead. "Oh",she exclaims, "We've never had a socialist in the family before"!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're not suggesting that Niko's brain dead OR...?
ReplyDeleteOh wait a moment....
:¬)
These accusations of association with Muslims are quite often raised by unionists on the Scotsman's comments thread in relation to the SNP. Makes you wonder .....
ReplyDeleteWhat a truly odious creature! What more can you say than that?
ReplyDeleteIt's a sad reflection John, that the politicians think that by associating someone with Muslims other people will automatically distrust them.
ReplyDeleteAs if every Muslim is a terrorist, and forgetting about all the so-called Christian terrorists, IRA UDF Red hand of Ulster, etc....
Not a lot Munguin.
ReplyDeleteThis is another one that really needs strung up!
ReplyDeletehttp://newsnetscotland.com/politics/928-labour-and-the-smear-gone-wrong-
That bain charater is a piece of work...but then they all are. As I mentioned before I'm reading a Labour Spin Doctor's account of 1999-2001. It is horrific. The lies and smears and what Blair thought of Brown, Dewar, Liddel and the Scottish labour party all together...
ReplyDeleteAll they wanted to do was do other people down. they cared not a jot about getting things done, only hitting the SNP.