The battle of Hartlepool

Following up the Guardian report on Tuesday, the letters section makes interesting reading today. Here is one letter, others can be seen at Letters

Wednesday September 29, 2004
The Guardian

If the energetic Liberal Democrat campaign in Hartlepool produces another spectacular success, it will be the result not only of the qualities of the candidate Jody Dunn, but also of Labour's extraordinarily risky battle plan (Labour faces byelection rift, September 28).

In Brent last year Labour ignored the Lib Dems, maintaining an absurd pretence that the fight was with the Tories and coming unstuck in a constituency with a large anti-war ethnic minority element whose support for Labour was far from visceral.

This might have been right for Hartlepool, typically white and old Labour; but a reversal of strategy has seen the persistent targeting of the Lib Dems with venomous publicity, for example parodies of diamond bird-of-liberty posters with such slogans as "Soft On Drugs". Labour leaflets consist largely of personal attacks on Dunn, accusing her, among other things, of not being a Hartlepool United supporter.

This probably reflects the tension between the constit uency party and the national leadership, which just assumed that Hartlepool was safe. Labour has campaigned negatively because, apart from reminding voters repeatedly of Iain Wright's local credentials, it couldn't think of anything else to do; if he wins, Labour may conclude that the end justified the means.
Andrew Connell
Appleby, Cumbria