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By RICHARD OSLEY
 

Cllr John Thane
Election fight ‘gets personal’

SENIOR Labour councillor John Thane last night (Wednesday) claimed his election fight in Highgate had turned “personal” after a parking fine protester delivered hundreds of leaflets urging voters to dump him at the polls.
Alex Henney, the man behind the leaflet drop, has intervened in the campaign despite not being one of the candidates or being publicly affiliated to a political party in his handout.
He wants residents to vote out Cllr Thane (pictured) in protest at his stewardship of the environment department and in particular unpopular parking policies. Mr Henney has been incorrectly visited at his home by council bailiffs chasing a fine. The two men are near neighbours – Cllr Thane lives in Highgate West Hill, while Mr Henney lives in Swain’s Lane – and they have been communicating with notes passed through each other’s letterboxes. On Saturday, Cllr Thane posted a message in which he threatened to call police and the electoral commission. Yesterday (Wednesday), Cllr Thane said that he was likely to drop the case after taking further legal advice. He said: “The leaflet is clearly trying to influence the election but I have taken legal advice and it does not appear to be unlawful. Tony Blair and national issues are a bigger problem on the doorstep at the moment than Alex Henney.”
Mr Henney says he has done nothing wrong and argued this week that Cllr Thane was using scare tactics including the threat of police action to “suppress free speech”.
He said: “I suggest that before Mr Thane threatens to call police he make sure he knows what he is talking about.”
Meanwhile the Green Party have accused the Lib Dems of dirty tricks in the must-win target ward of Kentish Town.
Green party candidate Elizabeth Wilson, standing in Cantelowes but helping canvass in Kentish Town, was door-knocking for the party in Montpelier Grove – when she was told by a supporter that Lib Dem canvassers had been spreading unfounded rumours of a pact between the two parties.
She said that while canvassing, a Green supporter had been told by Lib Dem canvassers that the Greens were ‘lending’ the Lib Dem votes, “because they can get in but the Greens can’t”.
Lib Dem leader Keith Moffitt strongly refuted the allegations and said he believed the comments on the doorstep must have been misconstrued.
He said: “There is no way they spoke of a pact. Canvassers have found the term tactical voting is a turn off so we have used the term ‘lend’ instead.”
But Kentish Town Green candidate Sian Berry said she would gather evidence and report the matter if it was found to be true.
She said: “Even if the canvasser got their wording wrong, they should be more careful.”
 
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