ANOTHER CANDIDATE DECLARES FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION IN PARTYPOOL

dowager · January 06, 2015, 08: PM

STEPHEN PICTON .. charity man

DRiddle · January 06, 2015, 10: PM

I also hear there's a 100% definite Green Party Candidate going to run too.

The Great Dictator · January 06, 2015, 10: PM

Another Drummond jumping on the bandwagon, the great unwashed will vote for him too.

DRiddle · January 07, 2015, 09: AM

There's a lot of reaction to this all over local social media. The vast majority if it positive, but one or two of the usual local trolls had their knives out for the lad within an hour of his announcement.

Land Phil · January 07, 2015, 10: AM

It would be easy to call me a troll too as I fear if he has any success he is going to get eaten alive by real politicians.

If Stephen was going to have any chance he would need the backing of a party to protect him from being thrown to the lions at every opportunity.

Maybe borrowing an old padded monkey suit will afford him some protection.

craig finton · January 07, 2015, 10: AM

The only one to benefit from a plethora of candidates will be Mr Wright.

Jim Gillespie · January 07, 2015, 11: AM

Anyone has to be better than Iain Wright.

Possibly one exception..............Jonathan Brash

dowager · January 07, 2015, 12: PM

https://www.facebook.com/StephenPictonforMP

dowager · January 07, 2015, 01: PM

A Green candidate would be very welcome in our house.

The Green Party are the only true socialist party. Liebour / Conmen / UKIPY-KI-AYE / and LibDumb are all the same, sadly.

Land Phil · January 07, 2015, 01: PM

Stephen might have had more a chance if he was the Green Candidate (green pun intended ?)

mk1 · January 07, 2015, 01: PM

I am sure he is a nice man but am also sure he will do no good for Hartlepool at all. A joke candidate who will have no influence,. An outsider with no experience of the way the system works and no way of doing anything but decide which house he will declare as his 2nd home.
If you want to kick Labour in the boll*cks the best way is to elect a high profile non-Labour Party candidate who will send shock waves right to the very top. That means a Tory or UKIP man.
I say this as someone who has no real desire to see either of those teams representing the town but I see our illness as so terminal it is best to amutate a limb to preserve life. Short term pain for long term gain.
Realistically the town is always going to be a Labour stronghold and like a wandering husband they need the lesson of being kicked out if the house in order to make them behave better in the future.

The Great Dictator · January 07, 2015, 03: PM

Driddle, are you saying you support this nonsense ?

DRiddle · January 07, 2015, 06: PM

What relevance is my opinion on it?

We live in a democracy (of sorts). Anyone is free to stand if they're of age and willing to pay their £500.

Hartlepudlion · January 07, 2015, 07: PM

I have to agree with Craig and mk1. Smells very much like Labour getting their supporters to stand to dilute the vote of the disenchanted of all parties. The more people who stand the more the Labour core vote enhances the chance of Labour winning. I wonder how many more of these charity types have to stand to repay the debt that they owe the Labour Cllrs?

pensionater · January 07, 2015, 07: PM

I watched this play out on Facebook and Mr Picton is definitely not a Labour patsy as Hartlupudlion suggests.Like MK1 said he seems like a nice enough bloke but that's probably the last thing you want to be in today's political world.