Howard Morton, For Crewe to vote for a representative of the party that brought in privatisation, and who cut the link with earnings in the first place, ie the Thatcher Government, is ironic.

If Crewe had really wanted to give this New Labour Government a bashing, why didnt they put the Lib-Dem candidate in ?

The mind boggles when New Labour have continued Thatcherite policies from the outset in 1997.

Im sorry, but you are wrong.

New Labour came in on the Thatcher ticket in 1997. Todate New Labour have continued right wing poliy on tax, on pensions, and privatisation.

This country may have been growing economically under Ken Clarke, but under Thatcher the poor were poor, including the pensioners, and the fact cat scenario set in, and all this lead to the rich and poor devide we have now under New Labour Labour.

Methinks you are a Tory, and so endeth the lession that New Labour are Thatcherite.

I'm sorry Michael but we don't have a Thatcher Government, nothing like it.

Here's where Labour went wrong: While the country was growing economically (thanks to Ken Clarke's policies) Labour swallowed up most of that extra cash for their own pet projects - most of which have been utter failures. EG. 'New Deal', constant reforms of Health and Education, the list goes on.

If the Government had grown themselves by only the true rate of inflation, they would have a £200bn surplus now... enough to have scrapped Income Tax, Inheritence Tax, Stamp Duty and a few others for EVERY single citizen in the country. Okay, the Conservatives might not have pulled off that trick either, but you can be sure they'd be a lot nearer to it than we are under Labour.

So as you can see, we don't have a 'tory government' in power... and the people have just waken up to the idea that perhaps it would be better if we did. Labour is finished, perhaps even forever.

Can somebody please explain to me why the Crewe electrate turned to the Tories at this local election ?

The electrate must have been aware that the New Labour Government have been following Thatcherite policies from their general election victory in 1997 ?

Everything happening now here in Britain, would have happened the very same if Margaret Thatcher had won the 1997 general election, infact things would have been much worse for the poor.

So can sombody please explain to me why did the Crewe electrate give the right wing opposition, a clear mandate to rule by default by trashing New Labour as a "Labour" Government, when they are nothing more than a New right wing Labour Government.

Can somebody please explain this foolishness by the Crewe electrate ?

Howard,

You are of course correct about inflation and the reasons the figure is officially fiddled. It doesn't include housing costs like rents, mortgages and Council Tax... three of the things that are ever more expensive but no extra money is ever awarded for.

As for the Dunwoody card; I've never met Gwyneth personally but I have watched her career for a great many years. I'm 100% certain that she would never have approved of the sickening tactics used in this campaign.

If I hear the Labour candidate mention her mother again I think I'm going to be sick! It's time for her to stop playing the Dunwoody card and tell the voters of Crewe and Nantwich how she will help them overcome rising fuel prices, rising taxes and 6%+ inflation. Nobody is going to convince me that inflation is only 3%. I am sure that the 3% statistic is in place just to make sure that this Government doesn't increase the old age pension by a realistic amount.

I have just watched the BBC NW Politics Show and seen all three candidates, I have to say that watching Tamsin Dunwoody was like viewing a Catherine Tate character, a sort of Vicky Pollard come true. She parroted everything that the rest of New Labour do and said nothing that would convince me she is independently minded, just another no-so-pretty-polly.

Robert,

I wouldn't pay too much attention to Labour's 'dodgy dossiers' if I were you. As you say, the number of bedrooms a candidate does or doesn't have is irrelevant. If it were, you'd be hearing more about the Dunwoody farmstead in Wales but pleasingly, Edward Timpson's conservatives have avoided following Labour down the road of gutter campaigning.

Labour's leaflets do though highlight how weak their commitment is to Crewe and Nantwich. Instead of setting out their ideas and policies; they've wasted their considerable efforts on rubbishing a born and bred local businessman. Ms Dundoody should be ashamed of herself but I suppose its all we can expect of career politicians these days.

As for Blair's property empire? Well, he's a private citizen now so I guess we should just allow him to enjoy his retirement.

John Pickworth.