Labour Woes In Essex

This from the Southend Echo:

"THE Labour Party has been left without election candidates in five Southend Council wards after a freak theft.
Nomination papers for next month's elections were stolen from the back seat of a car minutes before they were to be submitted.
One of the wards the party is now unable to contest is Prittlewell, where Ian Gilbert had been selected to challenge council leader Anna Waite.
Mr Gilbert, 27, who was Labour's youngest candidate, said: "I was looking forward to fighting on local issues in an important election."
The papers were stolen from the back seat of a car belonging to Southend West constituency secretary Ron Kennedy, who had stopped in Tintern Avenue, Westcliff, to get signatures from two party members before handing the forms in at the Civic Centre."

Oh dear, oh dear. I can't help feeling a little sorry for poor Mr Kennedy, this is the stuff of nightmares for all election agents. But why in the name of all that is holy did he wait til just before close of nominations before putting in his papers?

This is a game that I've known to be played lots - hold your nominations off til the last minute then word won't get out who your candidate in X ward is. Or he may have waited til the last minute before starting expenses. Either way it worked out badly for the Labour Party.

I always liked to get my nominations in early - just in case disasters struck. Thankfully they never did.

Hat Tip: Labour Watch