It’s A Lonely Job….

…being a Labour councillor, as Iain Dale noted yesterday:

A bungling councillor has been revealed as the mystery author of internet postings that praised his own work.

Ben Grower has been logging onto a website under an unidentifiable username and leaving messages bigging himself up.

On the issue of the expansion of a dental surgery, the author, using the pseudonym 'Omegaman', wrote: 'Just shows the area does have councillors who care ...well done Ben Grower.'

On another issue of a housing plan, he said: 'I have friends who live in the area. They say councillors Ted Taylor and Ben Grower fought hard against the proposals.'

Well, if it was good enough for Jacqui Smith’s husband, why not just cut out the middleman…?

Investigations showed 'Omegaman' was registered to an email address containing Mr Grower's name.

When confronted with the evidence, the Labour councillor tried to blame somebody else for the postings before coming clean.

'It could be anybody. It could be me, it could be Santa Claus', Mr Grower said.

He later confessed to being the author but insisted it was within local government rules.

This guy’s showing the talent for obfuscation, deception and – when caught – sheer brass neck that ought to take him far in the Labour Party….

Mr Grower, a Bournemouth councillor, claimed many of his town hall colleagues used the same tactics to make them look good to the local electorate.

He added the comments were 'only fun that no-one took seriously'.

Hmm, I wondered if sockpuppet-obsessed blogger Tim Ireland would agree with him? Happily, he showed up in the comments at Iain Dale's Diary to once again make an idiot of himself...

And that’s some fantastic debate skills there – ‘Everyone else does it! Why are you picking on me?’ I guess the voters in Bournemouth like being represented by tantrum-throwing five year olds. No doubt Mr Grower will find out at the next election…

But Mr Grower's opponents described the stunt as 'tragic'.

Claire Smith, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: 'I think it's quite funny and tragic when you have to start praising yourself online.

'Your work should stand on its own.'

Yeeees, I think that’s what he’s worried about, actually…!