Princes Ward elections - Political party watch

A quick roundup of where we are with the upcoming election:

1. Conservative candidate = Michael Poole-Wilson

Michael appears not to have his own website, but there's a new item about his selection on the Lambeth Conservative website here with a lovely comment from his mother, assuring us all that he grew up in the area. I'm not hugely sure that the campaign a photograph taken outside the Prince's Arms in Cleaver Square is the best way to appeal to the entire electorate in Princes Ward. As much as I am a fan of the pub, it might be deemed slightly exclusive. Cleaver Square is decidedly posh Kennington, but somebody has to campaign to keep those pint prices down.

Also, what manifesto is Michael actually putting forward? I'm not sure that being passionate about civil liberties is enough for Lambeth. Is there any more online literature of which I'm not aware? Any online literature will be brutally attacked and pulled apart (see below).

2. Labour candidate = Mark Harrison

Mark Harrison is definitely winning in the online presence stakes, since his party have their own blog. In case you've not seen the piece on his election, it's here on the Princes Ward labour blog and they've had lots of time to take photos. However, we think that Labour have a distinct advantage in that they've known that naughty Sam Townend was likely to stand down, and have had Mark as their "shadow" placement for quite some time now.

Anyhow, yesterday, whilst we were all enjoying the sun (or not), Mark was busy whipping up his anti-crime manifesto, which can be found here. A few comments...? Yes, I think so.

a. Who will actually be charged with putting the tags /on/ the dangerous dogs? Would you volunteer? If they're dangerous, they shouldn't exist in the first place. Do we wait for them to attack, and then tag them? Sounds a bit dubious to me. Is there an actual dangerous dog tagging procedure in place anywhere else in the country?

b. Where is Mark going to get the money to get the CCTV on the estates working again? I don't believe in money until I'm told what budget it will come from and who will authorise its release.

c. I will warn /anybody/ in this campaign right now to steer well away from anything related to the former Lilian Baylis School because I'm going to sit here behind my keyboard shouting "rhethoric" very loudly. Why?

The current Labour council have already declared their partners in the school to be: All Nations Church (ANC), Sports Action Zone (SAZ) and the Ethelred Nursery. That's public information, declared in February 2009 and found here. Any youth work will be ANC or SAZ related, but there isn't a "Plan B" for the former Lilian Baylis School, and the project is already quite advanced. Just try speaking with the council officer in charge of the project. The partners have been chosen, and that's that. Some of us are keen to know how the project will hold together, but if you have any more info, please inform me. So... What exactly does Mark propose when he suggests "Saving" the former Lilian Baylis?

d. I hardly think that Labour (or any political party) can act to prevent drug dealing in Lambeth. I presumed that that was up to the police.

e. I really like the idea of saying "no" to Boris' police cuts. See below, but it looks as though Mark is campaigning to prevent more job losses, which makes it look as though Mark is campaigning to prevent John losing his job!

In his favour, Mark actually does appear to have some policies, and to have given them some independent thought.

3. Liberal Democrat candidate = John Roberts

John appears not to have his own website, but there's a news item about his selection on the Vauxhall Lib Dem website here.

An anonymous contributor on the blog has written that they are surprised at John's standing because they have asserted that John might live in Whitstable and that he was kicked off the "MPA"? (I'm guess Metropolitan Police Authority) by Boris. It sounds like the slurs have begun. I've tweeted for a response from John, since the Lib Dems say that John lives on the Ethelred, but have so far heard nothing.

It seems to me that the Lib Dems are are a bit slow on the uptake with their campaign. Labour (if Twitter is to be believed) have been out canvassing for weeks. Let's have some firm and clear policies set out please, as it looks as though Labour have something of a head start, and one man campaigns are always rather tedious to report... I need something interesting to pick apart and since I've given Mark Harrison a good grilling, I need to give John Roberts a thorough roasting.

4. We've had no response from the Green Party in Lambeth to say whether there's anybody standing and I don't know whether there are any independents. Does anybody else know?