No Richard I didn't miss the obvious my friend but I appreciate why you have said it. It was just so obvious I didn't bother to say it I suppose. Fortunately the people of Cadishead 'saw the light' and made the right tactical decision. That smug look on the Houltons' faces must be rapidly disappearing by now but I know the pair of them from old and the last thing either of them are interested in is the interests of the people of Irlam, Cadishead or Lowton East but only themselves and their own finacial interests. Heaven know, I could write a book on their dubious antics. Cllr Edward Houlton is already under investigation and his brother Richard may well also become embroiled in that investigation with referenece to their actions whilst 'electioneering', if that's what you could call it. The truth about the pair of them WILL come out eventually but the wheels of Government investigations against their own grind 'exceeding slow'. Nevertheless these two will get their just desserts you can rest assured and quite rightly so as there should no room in politics for peole who behave the way these two have. The people of Irlam deserve far better but they have to take the consequences of their actions and not getting to know their candidate and not voting at all, to me, are cardinal sins.

   I think you might be missing the obvious Irlam Realist. The Irlam electorate are not, as you suggest, "expecting big things" from Cllr. Houlton.

Most of those people who voted CAP were not voting for CAP but rather were using a CAP vote as a vote against Labour/Roger Jones. The CAP victory was down to a protest vote. I suspect it will prove to be a 'one hit wonder' in Salford because people will soon see through a party like that.

Given the national political circumstances and that Roger Jones was the public champion of the hated proposed toll tax what CAP pulled off (especially given the tactics it employed) in Irlam was really not so remarkable.

Cllr. Houlton will find himself isolated on Salford Council; he will have little or no influence over Salford policy-making; he is unlikely to be able to deliver substantial benefit to the Irlam electorate (given such wild, utopian promises); the ruling Salford Labour group will especially be out to get him and frustrate Houlton's attempts to deliver (which means Irlam will suffer as a pawn in a political game) in order to show that he can't deliver the goods. Houlton will quickly be marginalised and have no recourse other than to be a maverick shouting from the sidelines in the council chamber whilst his opportunities for making any positive contributions - if he has anything constructive to offer (and not just slagging off Labour) - to Salford politics will be slim to none.

The Irlam electorate would've done much better to register its protest against Labour/Roger Jones by voting Conservative - and it would've got much better and more credible representation on the Council had it done so - but the electorate chose the loudest in-yer-face naysayer and having made its bed it will now have to lie in it.

Mindful of the old adage 'the people get the politicians they deserve', one wonders whether some of the Irlam electorate are just stupid, quite frankly. The CAP will do nothing for Irlam because it has offered nothing that it can deliver (except the opportunity for a two fingers to Labour) and it will be quickly frozen out of the action by the other political parties and just as importantly by the various public sector organisations. It's very sad for Irlam.