mostly david ephgrave

Today, I voted for my local Lib Dem candidate, Sam Collins; the first time I haven't voted for the Labour Party in a General Election. That's not to say I've switched allegiance - I still want Labour in - but I'm thinking tactically. And locally, as Sam would be an absolute asset to Hitchin as our MP. I put this out there in the hope it'll give anyone umming & ahhing over whether to vote tactically the reassurance others are doing it. four out of the five tactical-voting sites in the image below suggest voting Lib Dem in Hitchin & Harpenden; let's get duplicitous Boris Johnson and the Tories out. Remember: endlessly intoning they'll "Get Brexit Done" after all the "dither and delay in Parliament" is simple and memorable, but it's devoid of substance. And it's a lie too, as even accepting the Conservatives' current deal will not be an end to it.  That's my two penn'orths; Ephgrave, over and out....

I attempted a little subliminal messaging on Twitter this morning to influence my small collection of followers, but I don’t know if it worked. "If you build it, he will come." It would be bloody lovely if it did, as I’d like Theresa May’s smug ‘calling a General Election at a time when she think she’s impervious’ plan to fall flat on its face. I, for one, wouldn’t be voting for a party that’s so detrimental to the NHS; not for all the shiny shoes in the PM’s Imelda Marcos-style shoe cabinet. I’ll be particularly annoyed if the Tories hold their seat in my local constituency when our candidate - who’s replaced the truly odious Peter Lilley - apparently lives in Kettering, which is over an hour’s drive away; not only this, but his Twitter biog has listed three different addresses in so many weeks (something he hasn’t acknowledged when pressed on the social media site by a number of people, including me). How well will he represent Hitch...

My mood brightened considerably today when I read that Peter Lilley is standing down at the next election. I have a natural dislike for politicians of the Tory persuasion - or politicians at all for the most part - but Lilley's a particularly unpleasant example, even when taking this into account. Just a quick look at his voting record reveals some particularly distasteful allegiances, having consistently voted against Gay rights, against raising welfare benefits and measures to prevent climate change to name just a few. He's a staunch supporter of leaving the EU and for a stricter asylum system that plays right into the hands of the Daily Mail contingent; in fact it’s hard to find anything he's done or the common good. This was no surprise to me, having crossed paths with him briefly when Glyn and I reluctantly appeared in a sketch with him at a Hitchin Rotary event in 2008.  I’ve covered it here before so I won’t go into too much detail , save to say that ...