Instant Karma

The British may be somewhat bemused to see a slightly known former Minister effectively kicked out of politics for telling lies about his opponent.

On closer view we see exactly while Phil Woolas's political career has come to a dramatic halt. Phil approved of his campaign literature asking questions of his Lib-Dem opponent, Elwyn Watkins,"Why are the extremists urging for a vote for Watkins?" Woolas also insinuated there was some murky foreign funding going on and that he was probably gay.

Such campaigning may be fairly commonplace in US. But not only are there limits to their acceptability over here and there is also a law which punishes candidates who dish out deliberate mistruths. Woolas was supported during the case by Labour and it cost them £400k in fees. Harriet Harman made clear there is no more funding for pointless appeals. When she said the party was accepting the judgement and would not put up candiates who had been found to be "telling lies" Woolas should have known he was toast.

He is attempting a judicial review which seems the wrong legal avenue - if any appeal is heard it will just lose him his house.

After his grubby and distasteful performances defending the deportation of ghurkas and locking up children at Yarl's Wood, it is hard not to feel a little shadenfreude at his rapid descent into oblivion.