While I share your joy at the prospect of Tom Watson and his extended family continuing to ride the gravy train, let's be less parochial and remember that it's going to be a general election. With that in mind, the real threat from the Tories is the prospect of them putting up serious candidates over the border in Edgbaston, as well as other constituencies in the West Midlands which they used to win and regularly hold in the pre Blair years.

Which is why it is good they appear to have given up and are putting up no-hopers in Sandwell to give more time for us to dedicate to the marginals.

Ho hopers in Sandwell:

I thought your council was in the bottom 4 worst performing councils in England. Mr Liddle of the Times kindly informs me of this and the continued harassment of mothers and children feeding the ducks outside the designated area/pond.

No hopers indeed.

Ah, but that is what you get for believing Rod Liddle. Most grown up people realise that that is a very silly thing to do. Our borough may well be one of the most economically deprived in the country, (and you can thank the Thatcher deindustrialisation of Britain for that) but the Council is nothing like one of the four worst performing in the country.

The fine for feeding the geese (if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck I suppose you can be forgiven for not knowing the difference) was overwhelmingly supported by the local people on the basis that they didn't welcome people feeding rats outside their homes. I don't know where you come from, and perhaps they welcome that sort of infestation, but around here it is not encouraged.

Where is your council in the league table of good/bad performing councils?

No idea, look it up for yourself you lazy sod!

I did.

No hopers indeed Bob.

Well if you did, you now know how stupid your first comment makes you look. Quit while you're losing.

Ok I lost.

Humility and the ability to be forgiving is in my DNA. I know why Iain links to your web site. So do you. Keep up the good work.

Honk Honk Honk Honk Honk..........(goose speak for ` why is that man giving you a fine for me feeding the ducks mummy. I don`t know darling perhaps he is employed by the labour council and I am a criminal. I know you don`t know what is a Greylag from a Shellduck but you are doing wrong because the man says so. Rat pest problems should have been solved before now. Rent a Kill or someone could have helped. No money in the coffers I think. By the way darling never ask Bob any embarassing questions, espically regarding his standing in the world, he gets upset and, well, calls mummy names).

Hey... I didn't get upset. You made a stupid assertion, I told you it was stupid. That's all. I was simply taking the piss out of you... gently, of course. Live with it.

As for the bit about "Iain", I really have no idea what you are talking about, but I don't suppose that matters, because I suspect you don't either.

I am allowed a point of view. You may call it a stupid assertion but I do not.

Please do not take the piss out of me again gently or otherwise.

As for the Iain Dale subject. I link to your site via him. I suspect, and I am perfectly prepared to be wrong, but he does so because you are the archtypical labour counciller who will fly off the handle at any perceived sleight and will resort to abuse, call people stupid, tell them to quit etc. It all just reinforces the steriotype he wants to promote.

Why do you think John Prescott is held in the regard he is. He punched that fella in the nose. It does not matter if he was right or wrong (yes) but there was the impression, a Labour thug who cannot take critisim, Mandleson did in the egg incident, TB did in the Chamber with the purple dye. Iain has you nailed to a T and has the link to show the blogosphere how "I was simply taking the piss out of you... gently, of course. Live with it" : You have said this. Read that again and think if you would speak to a constituent in the street like that.

If it was a constituent who made a stupid remark about ducks which were geese, and an even more stupid remark that our Council was amongst the four worst performing in the country, I would probably tell him he was being stupid, yes, and take the piss out of him, (gently of course). It's called being honest with people.

As for Iain Dale's motives, I have no idea. Ask him if you wish, rather than acting as some sort of half-wit psychotherapist... because I don't care why he links, frankly, that's his business.

Well Bob it could have been worse we could have had some of our lot contesting the seats and even scarier if one of them actually won. What are the tories thinking. I know "are you thinking what I'm thinking".