POLITICS: The quality of mercy
A brief billet-doux
The Snake has no particular fondness for Portillistas — or their militant wing as represented by "The Start Again Party" — but I wish to make a plea for Nick Weston. Mr Weston, candidate in Leicestershire NW last year, confessed to being one of the driving forces behind this excresence of summer silliness, having set up a Start Again Party website. Yes, he is guilty of idle chitter-chatter, and, perhaps, common sense may be something of a stranger to him. But he would cut a dash on the Tory benches, has oodles of lead in his pencil, and would keep any front-bench on its toes. Young Mr Weston describes himself, with good reason, as a 'working class lad, hell-raiser and student Conservative rebel turned capitalist' and during his campaign had the guts to advocate free-market solutions to public-service problems to the voters, rather than mumble about finding efficiencies, blah, blah, blah.
Is there a constituency out there brave enough to overlook this case of unrestrained enthusiasm? Could Mr Weston fit his feet into the shoes left by the muzzling of Eric Forth by collective responsibility and the retirement of Teresa Gorman? The Snake suspects though that Mr Weston has no need of additional hormones.
PS "Happy monitoring" to all my regular readers in the Candidates' Department. The Snake is sorry to say - and this may come as a surprise to those of you in CCO - but August is not a month for PPC hunting. So off you trot to my book review as something to keep you happy.
- The Snake
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CandidateWatch archive
CandidateWatch, August 18, 2002 02:39 PM