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Latest candidate suspensions

Michael Crick | 16:08 UK time, Tuesday, 27 April 2010

I don't recall a previous general election when candidates have been suspended by the main parties during the course of the campaign. Yesterday we had Labour's man in South East Cambridgeshire, .

Now today comes news that the Conservatives have

Both suspensions are pretty academic. It's too late for the parties to pick replacement candidates. Nominations for the election closed last week, and both men will appear officially as their parties' respective candidates, since voting papers will already have been printed and gone out to postal voters.

So what are loyal Labour voters in South East Cambridgeshire, and loyal Conservative voters in Ayrshire North and Arran, now supposed to do instead. Abstain? Vote for another party?

Both are unsatisfactory options, especially when each party's total national vote in this election may be an important consideration in the aftermath.

In the event of a hung parliament, we will no doubt hear a lot from certain parties to the effect that their national vote gives them extra authority.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Did you miss, or not want to discuss, the very "colourful" Labour candidate who was suspended because of his foul-mouthed Twittering.
    Remember Stuart MacLennan; he was the candidate for Moray Constituency in Scotland. He twittered such statements as elderly voters were 'bloody coffin dodgers'. Mr. MacLennan also launched a string of attacks against politicians and celebrities.
    Stuart MacLennan is no longer a Labour Party candidate nor eligible to hold office as a Labour Party representative.

  • Comment number 2.

    It begs the question what is normal behaviour? In what context is the word `normal' being used? I can remember a carton character in the so-called undergound press of the late Sixties called Norman Normal who was supposed to be grey and boring.

    I have a gay relative whose company I greatly enjoy because they are different and extremely good-looking to boot which in my family is quite abnormal.

    I would have thought a Labour candidate having a cleaner was not normal but then they stopped having anything to do with horny-handed sons of toil since Ramsey Macdonald resigned.

    Lastly, would any normal Muslim want to marry the child of someone who failed to be a Labour MP? This doesn't fit in with either social or economic aspirations.

    Lets just say it: these two candidates are just sad people.

  • Comment number 3.

    Michael:

    At least, the political parties are doing "this" housecleaning in regards of suspensions---because of previous situations regarding misdeeds in previous times in politics...

    (D)

  • Comment number 4.

    "YOU CAN EAT IT - BUT IT TASTES LIKE TISH" (Croc Dundee)

    Dundee might just as easily have said; "You can eat it, but it's not normal".

    This question of what is 'normal', arises, willy-nilly, throughout normal life. I might get pleasure shoving a pencil up my nose, but there are many who would try to stop me - declaring it 'not normal'. It is only when homosexual penetration is being addressed, that the full force of PC conditioning springs into action. Perhaps Philip Lardner should have added 'IMHO'? But then, that's not normal.

  • Comment number 5.

    THE 'THOUGHT POLICE' STATE IS HERE!

    Yet they only punish those that are bold enough to say what they think.

    The end is nigh!

  • Comment number 6.

    Did any of these candidates have any chance of winning or were they paper candidates. Most postal votes will have been cast. Whilst it is unlikely that someone who has been suspended will win what would happen if they did get the highest number of votes would they become independents. It would be ironic if their votes decided the fate of a hung parliment

  • Comment number 7.

    When a Conservative candidate in 1983 was revealed to have been a previous candidate for the National Front, he wasn't suspended. He was fighting a marginal seat and all big name visits were cancelled, but he remained officially the party candidate. So it is very new to find candidates 'suspended' (whatever that means) after nominations have closed.

  • Comment number 8.

    Twitter, especially, is proving a very useful filtering tool, often by various protagonists on self-destruct..

    Sally Bercow tweets indiscreetly



    Certainly I appreciate, daily, new meanings to the term 'Government Of All Talents'.

  • Comment number 9.

    Dear Michael,

    This is my first post on a ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blog. My claim to fame is that I once met Nick Robinson at my house when he was a Young Conservative. I work in the Motorsport Industry which has suffered dur to the economy. I am responsible for breaking the John Cowan story with a local reporter in Cambridgeshire. However the real story is Kerry McCarthy MP's involvement in the whole affair. Labour claim they only found out about Cowan last week and took a quick decision! This is not true; because I emailed Kerry McCarthy on 12th February! I will send you a copy of the email.

    regards

    James

  • Comment number 10.

    I really don't know what the problem is with John Cowan saying he would not want any children of his to marry a Muslim. I know many Catholics who wouldn't want their children marrying in to the C of E - many of my Jewish friends don't want their kids to marry outside their faith - and most of my Muslim friends want their children to marry Muslims... so what is the issue?

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