sabotage all the way down

More horde like behaviour from the government:

The Conservative party has said it has no plans to discipline Chris Heaton-Harris for plotting with a Telegraph columnist to help him stand as an anti-windfarm candidate in the Corby byelection, even though the MP was the official agent for the Tory campaign in the constituency.

The horde doesn't work behind a settled agenda, but practices internal darwinism over the spoils of power. The fact that he's been allowed to get away with it shows that this is accepted practice.

This also harks back to Alex's post on the split between British conservative voters and British conservative pundits over the US presidential elections. As a candidate, Delingpole wasn't even a successful saboteur: he was polling a statistical zero. But over in the fever swamp, opposition to onshore wind farming is an article of faith, so the fact that the issue has no salience among actually existing British conservatives is unimportant.

And speaking of US elections, a marginally acceptable, moderate-presenting leader presiding over an uncontrollable radical rightwing party seems familiar, somehow.

Comments

[CMcM]

Is it just me that thinks the most interesting bit of this story is that Greenpeace, having already established its own mini-navy with Rainbow Warrior, now apparently has its own spooks doing undercover work?

[Stephen]

Is there any evidence that the science denying Mr Delingpole was ever an ACTUAL candidate, having got the required number of signatures of electors paid the deposit etc?...as opposed to just being someone with no grasp of physics and a flair for self publicity?

[CMcM]

James Mackenzie raises a delicious possibility:

"...but there are at least two other offences potentially involved here, both as part of the 1983 Representation of the People Act. Were any donations made to Delingpole’s campaign by Conservatives? Section 71A on the control of donations may apply here if so. More obviously, Section 107 covers the “corrupt withdrawal from candidature”. Beyond that, false statements may have been made under the terms of Section 106, the section Phil Woolas was convicted under."

[Alex]

Regarding the reality or otherwise of his candidacy, it seems he wasn't legally a candidate because he quit on the day he would have had to pay the deposit, and Chris Heaton Harris is relying on this point to save his arse.

[dsquared]

I don't think the clock can start running on the date on which the deposits are due - I think you're legally a candidate for the purposes of election expenses etc as soon as you're nominated, otherwise there would be huge loopholes.

[CMcM]

When you become a candidate (via the comments at the place previously linked to) :

(2)A person becomes a candidate at a parliamentary election—
(a)on the date of—
(i)the dissolution of Parliament, or
(ii)in the case of a by-election, the occurrence of the vacancy,
in consequence of which the writ for the election is issued if on or before that date he is declared by himself or by others to be a candidate at the election, and
(b)otherwise, on the day on which he is so declared by himself or by others or on which he is nominated as a candidate at the election (whichever is the earlier).

Just saying.

[A Different Alex]

Give it a few years and this will describe the Labour party too. Ok, I am feeling pessimistic today...