And it's goodnight from me...

It's official, and minuted accordingly, and I will cease to be Chair of Dulwich and West Norwood Liberal Democrats on 31 December, despite the possibility of running for a third term.

I hate being Chair. It's not that I don't like the people I have to work with, nor the endless committee meetings (although they are endless, tend to start at times that cause me to leave work earlier than is convenient and make me feel vaguely influential yet powerless) but the leadership aspect that really gets to me. I'm not a leader. I'm uncomfortable with power and tend to give it away to others at the first possible opportunity. However, I'm apparently quite a nice person and can therefore get away with a degree of well-intentioned amateurism.

Yet I enjoy being a bureaucrat, so I will be running for a different position at our Annual General Meeting on 30 November. I can't say what that is as it would be unfair, and somewhat improper, but it will be a job that I can do, will enjoy, and won't cause me stress.

In the year after I separated from my ex, I lost thirty pounds and felt quite good about myself physically (a bit fragile emotionally, but that's a different story). In the two years since then, I've put all the weight back on, feel pretty good emotionally but am mildly concerned about my physical condition. Perhaps that indicates that politics can be bad for your health, particularly if you sit on committees rather than doing real work (that's meant to be ironic, by the way...).

So I need some time for myself. Not too much, you understand, but enough for me to have a life (I love chamber music and cricket) and perhaps develop some other interests. I might even do some housework!

And a warm welcome to our newest readers!

I have to admit to being astounded by the news that I've managed to upset our friends in Dulwich and West Norwood Conservative Association.

News reaches me third or fourth hand that the newly appointed leader of the Conservative Group on Southwark Council is unhappy about one of my postings. Now, putting aside the fact that I publish all comments apart from those that are clearly insane or commercial in nature, and that my identity, name and address are a matter of public record, I am disappointed that Cllr Kim Humphries apparently sees it necessary to run to our Group Leader to order that my comments be withdrawn. Bless...

I know that our gallant effort in coming second in Dulwich and West Norwood at the General Election upset him (especially as he was the Conservative candidate!) but I would suggest that if he has a problem, he should contact me, either via this blog or via my e-mail address.

I just thought that it was quite amusing. Ah, I get it, politicians aren't supposed to have a sense of fun. Sorry, Kim, if only you'd said so...

And the tension mounts...

The deadline for nominations draws ever closer and, as Local Party Chair, I'm responsible for getting our nominations in for College, East Dulwich, South Camberwell and Village wards. East Dulwich went in on Thursday, so three more still to do.

Amazingly, our Acting Returning Officer is at her desk this afternoon (and likely to be there until midnight, she expects!) so I've agreed to drop in College and Village (vote for me, I won't turn you into a frog!) ward nominations this afternoon, leaving just South Camberwell to do. Hopefully, that should get done this evening...

Our Labour opponents continue with their series of lies, half-truths and distortions in an increasing unedifying attempt to retain East Dulwich ward. I wouldn't mind so much but their promises seem to mostly consist of doing the things that they should have already been doing. The fact that they deselected one of their number indicates their previous dedication to their duty as councillors. Oh well, if you can't run on your record, lie about someone else's, I suppose...

The campaign starts here...

My nomination papers should be signed and submitted shortly, so I ought to declare my candidacy now in the Liberal Democrat interest for Village ward in the London Borough of Southwark.

Village ward is one of the nicer parts of London, comprising of the heart of Dulwich Village. At the moment, it is a split ward, one Labour, two Conservative but we did quite well there in the General Election so whilst a victory appears unlikely, I want to see how well we can do against our Conservative and Labour opponents. I hope that Labour's campaign in Village is rather more positive than their effort in East Dulwich so far.

Curiously, Village ward is a contest between two American Democrats, the incumbent Labour councillor (Michelle Pierce) and her Conservative wannabe replacement (Robin Crookshank Hilton).

The pitfalls of being a political spouse

Having had the 'pleasure' of being a political spouse in the past (my ex-wife is a former Chair of Democrats Abroad and was at one time a member of the Democratic National Committee), I am perhaps more sympathetic with the predicament that David Mills finds himself in than most others might be.

As Chair of Dulwich and West Norwood Liberal Democrats, I might be expected to draw some small amount of pleasure from the embarrassment he has brought upon his wife, Tessa Jowell MP. Yet I find myself feeling a little sorry for her, as some of the press have taken the opportunity to delve into their past (sorry, I'm not including a link to the articles...), despite its irrelevancy to the subject matter.

On the other hand, regardless of the legality of his actions, one can't help but think that his activities on behalf of Silvio Berlusconi leave him looking ethically challenged. Engineering the financial affairs of an extraordinarily rich and powerful individual to minimise his tax liabilities never looks particularly good and, particularly when said individual is head of a national government, tends to indicate a certain contempt for ordinary, tax-paying, citizens.

I'm not sure what Gordon Brown's private thoughts on the matter are, although I guess that they might be interesting but, as a 'senior Labour figure', David might be advised to keep his head down for a while...