Ashdown Reveals Defection Terms

As we await the result of the Eastleigh poll, we can provide a little of the background to the coverage our candidate received on Wednesday’s Newsnight. (Catch it on iPlayer while you can: starting at 6:14 in and ending at 6:43.)

Colin reports: “I was able to crash in on some publicity given to Paddy Pantsdown when I suggested he join a real party, to which he threw his hand to his head saying he had lost hours of sleep the night before, worrying about doing so, whereupon I reminded him the Pope had resigned, thus setting a good example, to which he replied 'If the Pope joins the Wessex Regionalists I may consider it'. I am sure Liberal Democrat headquarters will be well-pleased with that footage!”

We are well-pleased that Newsnight included footage of five of the parties standing: Conservative, Labour, LibDem, UKIP and WR. It seems we are now established as the fifth party in Wessex, at least in their eyes. So complaining about the favouritism traditionally shown to the big battalions has produced a result at last.

Talking of favouritism, Colin also sends news of the four-party-only public meeting on Tuesday, which was arranged by David Babbs of 38 Degrees (dangerous radicals they are then):

“I had to shame him into agreeing I should be able to speak. He said I should be allowed one minute as opposed to four minutes for each of the unmentionable suspects, so, before commencing I took over chairmanship by asking the audience to show if they wanted me to have four minutes as the others. There was a majority in favour so I did, and had a good response from a full house with two rows standing at the back.

People are smiling in recognition when they see me and I have taken a number of details of people I have spoken to, explaining that I hope to return to Eastleigh sometime soon after the election and that we intend to field at least one candidate for each county for the General Election in 2015, for which we want offers from people to join us.”