Anyway, recent days have seen an epic breakout of both Tory Tosh and Labour Lies across Brighton & Hove, at both national and local level electorally:
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SO, FAREWELL THEN DAVID BULLNews broke on Friday that David Bull, a former doctor and TV presenter, was standing down as the Tories' Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Brighton Pavilion in order to head up a Conservative policy review on sexual health with Anne Milton, the shadow health minister.
This didn't come as a surprise to us - Brighton & Hove Greens had noticed that he'd stopped updating his campaign website months ago.
But why the (not-so-sudden) exit from the contest for a Westminster seat which the Tories had seemed to consider a relatively winnable gain from Labour? Surely not the prospect of losing to Caroline Lucas, or the lure of other, safer, seats which will inevitably become available in the wake of the expenses scandal?
Who can say? One thing's for sure, some Tory activists are pulling [hmm] faces (check out these comments - my favourite one is "this policy review smells like a fig leaf" lol), but Dr Bull is denying everything, especially a big fall-out with the local Conservative Association.
We await the announcement of their replacement candidate with interest (please, God, NOT David Van Day again. Please.*).
*Ben's blog about this nightmarish scenario is very funny.
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LEAFLETS: YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG
Labour, on the other hand, just seem to be getting more and more desperate if not downright barking when it comes to the forthcoming Goldsmid by-election, and their accompanying campaign material.
First, their candidate tried to pretend that, erm, she wasn't really a Labour candidate (honest!), whilst simultaneously adopting Green policies.
Then she took up a whole photo in her next leaflet to prove just how Green she really is ("Look kids! THE PLANET IS IN MY HANDS!" - here's a protip love, it's not the kids you should be trying to educate about Climate Change, it's your colleagues in Government).
But to top it all, the most recent Goldsmid Labour by-election communication was little more than a catalogue of lies; a laughable fiction aimed solely at undermining Alex Phillips, the Green candidate for this contest (well, it would be laughable if it weren't breaking the law).
Now, I could take some time here to dissect Labour's feeble effort of a leaflet line-by-line, but to be honest it's so crap and so tired that I really can't be arsed. It's just bobbins.
Plus Ben has already blogged about this (as has Neil Harding - the Brighton Politics Blogger is also keeping a watchful eye, and continuing to urge for a tactical Green vote in Goldmid). And anyway, I understand that the local constabulary are now involved, so probably best not to speculate further on matters which may already be under investigation.
Instead, 'cause I'm feeling generous this evening, here's another tip for Labour's (*ahem*) 'publications gurus': attack other parties' policies in your leaflets, not their people.
Trying to discredit your opponents on a personal level generally goes down like a cup of cold sick with the electorate, and smacks of pure desperation. People just aren't that stupid (unfortunately for you).
Labour, you FAIL IT. Roll on July 23rd.
