Hamish Sanderson was the outstanding candidate for the Gwent PPC seat. Urbane, fluent and intelligent he was the giant on the Hustings against his three plodding opponents.
If the case is there for an independent influence on the work of the police, Hamish is ideally qualified. The current fashion to distrust politicians won the day. The election result was like no other. Eight out of ten electors put two fingers up to the Tories' wheeze and stayed away. Hundreds spoilt their ballot papers usually with abusive comments that said the election was unnecessary creating a new useless bureaucrat. Labour opposed the spending of £100 million in the vain attempt to establish new Rambo sheriffs to sort out failing police. It was a passing Daily Mail outrage that calls for an expensive non-solution.
Labour can take solid comfort from the gains made in the three parliamentary by-elections. All were progress with Corby especially sweet after the seat was shamefully deserted by the prima-donna Mensch. There was pleasure in the demise of Michael Mates In Hampshire. He looked a certain winner until his links with Asil Nadir were re-exposed. Michael is a pompous self-righteous old bore who deserves prolonged political oblivion. Some consolation there.
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