Endorsements

Further to my discussion of who newspapers may back at the next election, today's Guardian leader backs Jody Dunn in Hartlepool:

Today the voters of Hartlepool have the chance to send a message about the kind of parliament this country really needs. Such chances do not come often. Today, though, their town is in the spotlight and their message can make a difference. If they want to elect a 407th Labour MP, to add to the 406 already on the Labour benches at Westminster, then that is their privilege. On the basis of the domestic policies promoted at Brighton this week, there would normally be logic in such a choice. But before they do that, do the voters of Hartlepool not need to ask themselves whether one more Labour MP will make a difference?

If this newspaper had a vote in Hartlepool today, it would go to the Liberal Democrats. It would go to them not because we have a view about the candidates' personalities. Nor because we think that Liberal Democrat policies for Hartlepool are demonstrably preferable to those of any other party. That is not the case either. Nor because we think that Britain should have a Liberal Democrat government. We still support most of the aims of this Labour government. The Liberal Democrats, though, are the one party to have consistently opposed the war and to have consistently tried to hold the executive to account. This election is about the effectiveness of parliament. Only the Lib Dems have provided any kind of effective opposition over Iraq. It would be a win they deserve. If you want a parliament that is a bit more worthy of this country, then Hartlepool should today send Jody Dunn to Westminster as its Liberal Democrat MP.

Of course, I'm sure Comical Tommy will tell us how the people of Hartlepool get all their information from the local voices in their heads, rather than disgustingly non-local 'newspapers'.