According to yesterday's Western Mail The Liberal Democrats are accusing Plaid Cymru of dirty tactics in their campaign to win a Ceredigion council by-election tomorrow. Plaid, of course, deny the accusation vehemently.
I know that Plaid can play dirty, so I couldn't defend the party against the allegation. But the Welsh National Champions of Dirty Campaigning are, without doubt, Lib Dem Barcharting FC. Sounds like the Pot calling the Kettle Peter to me!
However, the interesting point about the spat is that Plaid Cymru candidate, Aled Davies, accused of foul play by the Lib Dems, is the brother of Lib Dem council leader Ceredig Davies.
There is nothing like a bit of brotherly love to bring the best of family values into an election campaign!
This is an unnecessarily unpleasant and personal post. You may think you are being clever but actually you are just being offensive. I have no involvement in this by-election campaign and have always refused to get personal in election or other literature.
ReplyDeleteCmon Peter. Maybe the comment about you is taking things a bit far, but the Lib Dems are the greatest distortors of truth in any by election. Interesting how hard you complain when the boot is one the other foot.
ReplyDeleteLets all remember that the by election was called because the long standing Lib Dem councillor resigned having been cautioned for a sexual offence.
The Lib Dems are being unbelievably touchy over this - either that or they're just trying to scare Plaid off.
ReplyDeleteThe accusation involves drawing attention to the fact that the Lib Dems chose a candidate who doesn't live full time in Aberystwyth in preference to the current town mayor who then resigned over the selection, something which is already in the public domain - indeed, on the front page of the local paper.
If the Lib Dems are arguing that this is beyond the pale, then this really is hypocrisy. If I can quote a recent article on Lib Dem Voice:
'As an agent I have enthusiastically produced Focus newsletters complete with maps highlighting the fact that our candidates live in the ward, with a great big X to mark the spot, and a sometimes vaguely-directed arrow to indicate that the Labour/ Tory rival lives “somewhere, out there, far away”.'
As someone who lives in Aber I can confirm all of what has been reported as being in Plaid's leaflets has been featured on the front pages of the Cambrian News.
ReplyDeleteHave the Lib Dems started to attack the local paper as well?
I am a member of the Lib Dems (admittedly not in Ceredigion) and I cannot understand why on earth we are raising this issue again!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is bad enough when Plaid raise it but for us to repeat their claims is tactically naive in the extreme.
It's also a proven Lib Dem trick to wait until the last minute and put out a press release saying that the oppsition is playing dirty.
ReplyDeleteTheir ability to look holier than thou and present themselves as a positive party is unbelievable.
From what i've been told, the leaflet simply quoted the local paper. If Plaid wanted to be negative they could have described how the Lib-dems had repeatedly chosen a paedophile as a candidate... Although rumours have been rife in Aberystwyth for YEARS about his particular behaviour.
My objection is entirely to the comment about me. I do not want to get involved in the main point though in my experience (and I have been on the receiving end) Liberal Democrat tactics are no worse or better than any other party, all of who will play dirty and cry foul if they feel it will help them. The allegation that we are worse than others is spin and nothing more.
ReplyDeleteI remember stories of Lib Dems lying through their teeth about Plaid's Simon Thomas on the knocker, in order to get Mark Williams in.
ReplyDeleteFrom my personal experience, all parties are capable of underhand tactics but the Lib Dems are more consistently underhand and personal. I live in Grangetown in Cardiff where in the recent Council elections, the Lib Dems were extremely nasty about one of the Labour candidates.
well at least you didn't call PB an ungrateful bitch
ReplyDeleteSo you didn't like the phrase:
ReplyDelete"Sounds like the Pot calling the Kettle Peter".
To be totally candid, I decided to use that phrase because I was unsure about the "political correctness" of using the word "black" in the old pot and kettle saying, I thought that some people might accuse me of being racist! I thought that Peter (Black), the name of an important LD, might be a non racist PC acceptable compromise.
There was no intention to insult you or to hurt your feelings or to be rude to you. I apologise with all sincerity for any personal insult that you feel - I assure you that it was not intentional.
To use another kitchen metaphore it appears that i jumped out of the frying pan into the fire - sorry!
? Anonymous said...
ReplyDeletewell at least you didn't call PB an ungrateful bitch
No that was Duffy, but I'm unsure what she has to do with this post!