+++Breaking News Woolas election declared void - new election in Oldham East and Saddleworth

The mere mention of the name Phil Woolas is enough to make virtually any self respecting liberal cringe.

This is, after all, the man who refused the Gurkhas the right to live in the UK and who was responsible for the Immigration system which attracted numerous court judgements castigating them for failing to consider the welfare of children it deported. This is the same guy Ed Miliband felt it was appropriate to appoint to his front bench Home Office team just a few weeks ago, after the Court case. That surely has to raise questions about the judgment of the new (generation) Labour leader. It certainly highlights the arrogance of Woolas, for thinking it appropriate to stand for the Shadow Cabinet despite the court case against him.

Well, his career has been ended today as judges declare the May election void and order a re-run after they found him guilty of breaching the Representation of the People Act by printing untrue statements about his Liberal Democrat opponent on an election leaflet. Woolas won the election by a mere 103 votes, so it's possible that that leaflet with the lies on it, changed the result.

I can understand why people on Twitter are whooping with delight at the demise of such a thoroughly illiberal and deeply unpleasant character, and at the fact that justice has been done. It's horrible to think, though, that an election was stolen by someone disseminating untruths about their opponent. It's deeply disturbing to think that a member of the Labour Party, who are so fundamentally opposed to everything the BNP stands for, stirred up racist tensions in order to try to clinch victory. I think that's why I'm more sad than jubilant at the moment.

I have to say a huge thank you to the Saddleworth News for setting up a Cover it Live site so that we could get the news as it happened. I know the BBC's out on strike, but the mainstream media has been very dilatory in reporting this story.

Fellow blogger Nick Thornsby was there to hear the judgment and recently tweeted:

Phil Woolas is sitting in Court with his head down

I'm looking forward to reading his full report of today's proceedings. He covered the original hearings in September extremely well so make sure you keep checking his site for his views over the next few days.

Just as an aside, I have very many happy memories of that 1995 by-election, when our Chris Davies beat Phil Woolas. Maybe I'll get the chance to visit Delph and Diggle and Uppermill again for this new election. It is a gorgeous part of the country so I'd recommend it.

More on Labour's new generation - tokenism on equalities and Phil Woolas

You may remember that I was none too pleased about Yvette Cooper not getting the Shadow Chancellorship last week. Now my anger is increased tenfold when I discover that new leader for a new generation Ed Miliband considers the equalities portfolio so irrelevant that he just dumps it on the top girl in the Shadow Cabinet elections. It's appalling tokenism.

And words fail me about the return of Phil Woolas to the ministerial team at the Home Office. This is the guy who refused to let the Gurkhas live here and was famously shown up by Joanna Lumley following a Lib Dem led defeat in the Commons on the issue.

Ed Miliband says Labour made mistakes on civil liberties:

"As someone who is liberal on social issues and civil liberties, I accept that in government we were too draconian on aspects of our civil liberties,"

We'll leave aside the fact that he voted for many of them for the moment.

Phil Woolas in 2001 wanted to remove state benefits from those who refused to register to vote as this Independent leader article shows.  By their deeds shall you know them, and all that. Appointing Phil Woolas to any role that has an impact on civil liberties is a bit like appointing Harvey Hawley Crippen to be a relationship counsellor.

To show such faith in someone who is awaiting the outcome of an election trial, ironically due on 5th November, could be seen to be questionable.

Follow the Phil Woolas Election Court at Nick Thornsby's blog

Remember Phil Woolas? He's the former Labour immigration minister who shamefully refused to grant the Gurkhas the right to live here and who was eventually forced to back down by a Commons defeat on a Liberal Democrat motion and the impressive efforts of Joanna Lumley.

Well, this week, an election court in Oldham is considering a complaint from the Liberal Democrat candidate in this year's general election this year, Elwyn Watkins. Mr Watkins is unhappy at the content of literature issued by the Woolas campaign and has made a complaint under Section 106 of the 1983 Representation of the People Act which deals with potentially defamatory statements by candidates.

Woolas retained the seat by a wafer thin 103 votes.

The reason for mentioning it here is to let you know that Liberal Democrat blogger Nick Thornsby (who I tipped for best new Liberal Democrat blog of the year)  has been given media accreditation for the case and to invite you to look for his updates here. His Twitter feed is here. Mr Lovely Doctor Chocaholic has written about all the various legal bits and pieces here.

It will be very interesting to see how it all works out.

Our New Cabinet?

There's lots of talk of Cabinet reshuffles at the moment. To be honest, the ideas (like ID cards and surveillance) are just as bad as the people and unless some of them change, there's no point in going through the pain of sacking Ministers.

With Gordon's political judgment the way it is at the moment, we could be in for some interesting changes....

As Home Secretary?



Phil Woolas, the Parliament defying Home Office Minister responsible for the Gurkha legislation.

As Department of Work and Pensions Secretary?



Tom Harris MP to unite the Labour Party and sort out all those single teenage mothers. And it would give him less time to be on that pesky blog of his.

And as Secretary of State for Scotland, maybe he'll bring someone so affectionately regarded by the Scots out of retirement:



That would be one way to deal with Alex Salmond

You heard it here first:-)

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Gurkhas - Ministers just don't get it

I can't believe that Phil Woolas, the haplessly incompetent Home Office Minister who not only thought up a set of legalistic settlement criteria designed to keep as many Gurkhas out of Britain as possible, but is still harping on about this potential 100,000 people coming into Britain and the £1.5 billion he says it will cost.

Nobody has come up with any justification of these figures and, to be frank, they appear to be a great big load of nonsense.

It's quite clear that not only do the public favour equal settlement rights for Gurkhas, but their democratically elected representatives in Parliament do too.

You either respect the will of Parliament or you don't. If you don't, you have no place in Government.

If you agree, and you haven't already, sign up to the Gurkha Justice Campaign.

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