By Kim QuiteIll
RED faces last night in the Glorious People’s Democratic Republik of West Cumbria.
Conservative underdog Billy Miskelly – a newcomer to the Tories after decades as a lifelong Labour supporter won a by-election for a seat on Workington Town Council, a Labour love-in.
In the two-horse race, Mr Miskelly, a former Labour branch official, defeated by 127 votes the Labour candidate Antony McGuckin.
A man he regards as “more like a brother than a friend”.
Turnout was a measly 16%, although Billy regards his 127 majority as a “massive” statement about Labour’s recent direction.
And to say that he was at a disadvantage doesn’t really cover it.
With the Tories rightly low in the polls and West Cumbrian “newspaper” the Times & (Red) Star seemingly blind to any news story remotely critical of Labour, it was always going to be an uphill struggle.
Yet Billy, a vocal opponent of Whitehaven and Workington’s MP and Labour-run Crumberland Council, appeared to be the victim of a “Sledgehammer to crack a nut” campaign.
Labour rolled out its local “big guns” for door-knocking – all to win a mere town council seat!
Kissing babies on the campaign trail was the world’s great living politician and terribly busy Whitehaven & Workington Labour MP, Josh MacAlister.
Also doing the rounds to lend his support was Labour’s David Allen, Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
Do both men not have bigger fish to fry, people wondered.
From 7am on election day, Josh’s Facebook account was imploring people to vote for the Labour candidate.
It did not go unnoticed that David Allen’s “personal” Facebook Page did also.
Although the page might be considered “personal”, many would find it barely distinguishable from the “official” Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Facebook page.
Only sharp-eyed proofreaders would probably spot the difference…
Yet when the results were in it appears that young Joshua and Mr Allen are perhaps not quite the major electoral assets that they think they are.
Billy told the Chronic that all of this politicking for a town council seat was “absolutely terrible” – given that the public pays the wages of both the MP and the Crime Commissioner.
Billy said: “The idea of our local MP finishing work in London to come back up here to march around houses and knock on doors is unbelievable – it’s a grassroots council, that’s all.
“Same with the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Why would the PF&CC come knocking on doors and advertising on Facebook when, by the police’s own figures there is increased crime?”
He added: “I will work my socks off for the people of Harrington. I and my party are there for them whether they voted for me or not.”
Nicely said.
PS: Unusually for a by-election winner, the usually political Times & (Red) Star have yet to make contact with the new Conservative councillor to get the inside story on his David v Goliath success…
thecumbriachronic.co.uk 
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