Local nurse stands for Conservatives

In their continuing drift towards changing places with Labour, the Conservatives have Uma Fernandes, "a local Community Nurse," standing against what they describe as "the Labour candidate from millionaire's row in Surrey," Robert Evans. Like all of the candidates, except the one from Surrey, she highlights the problems of graffitti, fly tipping and other local issues. They are claiming they only need a small swing to win the Brent East by-election, on Thursday 18th September.

It's confusing when contradictory statements come through the letterbox every day. The Liberals claim they are the only ones who can win, yet they have no councillors in the area, whereas Brent Council is always on a knife-edge between Labour and Conservative control. (It has also been subject to some squalid transmigration of councillors from one side to the other over the years, in questionable circumstances, to gain control.)

The Liberals are quite ruthless in the way they play both the national, slap-the-government card, together with "find out the local issues, and make a song and dance about them." Sarah Teather's initial leaflet claimed she was going to something about speeding on Donnington Road, but the part of Donnington Road where more than a handful of rich people live, already has speed bumps and a chicane. Since reading the Herald, on the "densely populated All Souls Avenue," her latest leaflet now substitutes doing something about speeding on All Souls Avenue.

The Labour candidate's latest leaflet tries to make him look like a sitting MP, by using the word MP repeatedly instead of MEP which is what he is, and even arranging type on the lines so that a line starts with the text "MP Robert Evans." He is not the MP, that was the late Paul Daisley, a former Labour leader of Brent council. Under normal circumstances I (Feargal Mooney, the undersigned) would vote for any nurse over just about anybody else, but Uma Fernandes is a Tory. She is "the only local candidate" according to the Conservatives. What about Harold Immanuel, from Kilburn?

The Brent Conservatives don't seem to be any more switched on than the Blue Rinse Brigade stereotype we are used to hearing about, if their website is anything to go by. A few minutes of searching produced no sign of the Brent East by-election. Their list of "forthcoming events" is rather redolent of John Major's dismal warm beer and drowsy cricket days. It contains just two links, both inoperative:

Strawberry and Tea Party on 6/7/2003 - More details to follow.
Annual Garden Party on 26/7/2003 - More details to follow.

Feargal Mooney

Write-in Feargal Mooney to win, for Brent East 2003.