hobbit.
Gods rep on Earth.
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John Prescott for PM?
FOCUS ON SEDGEFIELD by Andrew Sparrow, political correspondent of The Telegraph. 29th April
Imagine the Commons meeting for the first time after the election, with Labour boasting a huge majority, but Tony Blair now an ex-MP and the Government being run by a short-tempered fat man from Hull.
Reg Keys can. He's fighting Mr Blair as an independent candidate in Sedgefield and, as he tours the constituency in an open-top bus, he claims his "Tell the Truth" campaign could send him to Westminster.
"Against all odds, this man might just pull off a sensation," says Martin Bell, the former BBC journalist who was elected as an independent MP for Tatton in 1997 after a crushing victory over Neil Hamilton.
Mr Bell stood on an anti-sleaze ticket. Mr Keys's son Tom was killed serving as a soldier in Iraq and he is also campaigning on an issue of probity; he wants voters to punish the Prime Minister for "lying" about the war.
There must be thousands of election candidates saying the same thing, but Mr Keys, a former ambulance training officer, has a story to tell that seems to resonate strongly.
"I read your leaflet and my heart went out to you. You've got my vote," says Julie Hymer, a care worker accosted by the candidate in one of Sedgefield's former mining villages. She used to support Mr Blair, but now believes he cannot be trusted.
Mr Keys is also fighting as a candidate who would be an active local MP (even though his current home is in North Wales) and during the day he hears endless grumbling about Mr Blair's apparent failure to follow up complaints raised by constituents.
People react warmly to Mr Keys. He's not brash, sophisticated or sentimental and he seems utterly decent. More importantly, he is on to something.
"I voted for Tony Blair in 1997. I was there at the count when he was elected and I thought he was going to be brilliant. But I feel he told us a lot of lies over Iraq," says Janet Constantine, who also reacts favourably to Mr Keys after meeting him in a shopping centre.
Although some of his campaign staff were always anti-war, Mr Keys supported it when his son went off to fight.
The leaflet Mrs Hymer found so moving says: "The last time I saw my son, Tom, was when he marched off down the platform with his head held high, proud to do his duty for his country. He believed what he was told."
For Mr Bell, Mr Blair's "crimes" are far more serious than Neil Hamilton's. "Neil never sent anyone to war on a falsehood," he says with exasperation.
But there is a more important difference between Tatton and Sedgefield. Although Mr Bell stood as an independent, Labour and the Liberal Democrats did not contest the seat. In Sedgefield the Tories and the Lib Dems have refused requests to step aside for Mr Keys. There are 15 candidates in all.
Labour is confident. "Reg Keys has no chance of winning this seat," says John Burton, Mr Blair's agent, as Mr Keys's battle bus rolls away.
Mr Blair is said to trust Mr Burton's judgment implicitly. On this, the agent is almost certainly right.
http://photos10.flickr.com/11440308_dea50fdbb1_m.jpg
John Prescott for PM?
FOCUS ON SEDGEFIELD by Andrew Sparrow, political correspondent of The Telegraph. 29th April
Imagine the Commons meeting for the first time after the election, with Labour boasting a huge majority, but Tony Blair now an ex-MP and the Government being run by a short-tempered fat man from Hull.
Reg Keys can. He's fighting Mr Blair as an independent candidate in Sedgefield and, as he tours the constituency in an open-top bus, he claims his "Tell the Truth" campaign could send him to Westminster.
"Against all odds, this man might just pull off a sensation," says Martin Bell, the former BBC journalist who was elected as an independent MP for Tatton in 1997 after a crushing victory over Neil Hamilton.
Mr Bell stood on an anti-sleaze ticket. Mr Keys's son Tom was killed serving as a soldier in Iraq and he is also campaigning on an issue of probity; he wants voters to punish the Prime Minister for "lying" about the war.
There must be thousands of election candidates saying the same thing, but Mr Keys, a former ambulance training officer, has a story to tell that seems to resonate strongly.
"I read your leaflet and my heart went out to you. You've got my vote," says Julie Hymer, a care worker accosted by the candidate in one of Sedgefield's former mining villages. She used to support Mr Blair, but now believes he cannot be trusted.
Mr Keys is also fighting as a candidate who would be an active local MP (even though his current home is in North Wales) and during the day he hears endless grumbling about Mr Blair's apparent failure to follow up complaints raised by constituents.
People react warmly to Mr Keys. He's not brash, sophisticated or sentimental and he seems utterly decent. More importantly, he is on to something.
"I voted for Tony Blair in 1997. I was there at the count when he was elected and I thought he was going to be brilliant. But I feel he told us a lot of lies over Iraq," says Janet Constantine, who also reacts favourably to Mr Keys after meeting him in a shopping centre.
Although some of his campaign staff were always anti-war, Mr Keys supported it when his son went off to fight.
The leaflet Mrs Hymer found so moving says: "The last time I saw my son, Tom, was when he marched off down the platform with his head held high, proud to do his duty for his country. He believed what he was told."
For Mr Bell, Mr Blair's "crimes" are far more serious than Neil Hamilton's. "Neil never sent anyone to war on a falsehood," he says with exasperation.
But there is a more important difference between Tatton and Sedgefield. Although Mr Bell stood as an independent, Labour and the Liberal Democrats did not contest the seat. In Sedgefield the Tories and the Lib Dems have refused requests to step aside for Mr Keys. There are 15 candidates in all.
Labour is confident. "Reg Keys has no chance of winning this seat," says John Burton, Mr Blair's agent, as Mr Keys's battle bus rolls away.
Mr Blair is said to trust Mr Burton's judgment implicitly. On this, the agent is almost certainly right.
http://photos10.flickr.com/11440308_dea50fdbb1_m.jpg
