Election defence (From Warrington Guardian)

Party was right to select 21-year-old to fight by-election

2:11pm Tuesday 16th August 2011 in Fearnhead By Gareth Dunning

POULTON North councillor Graham Friend says his party was right to select a 21-year-old to fight last month’s by-election despite a defeat to the Lib Dems.

Labour lost the seat by 211 votes with student Ashley Pemberton defeated by Clr Colin Oliver.

But Clr Friend, who was elected to one of the other seats in the area in May, says it was right to choose Mr Pemberton.

He added: “There’s no doubt in my mind – Ashley Pemberton was absolutely the right man for this by-election for Labour.

“The Lib Dems and Tories used his age as a platform from which they could criticise him – but they couldn’t have been more unjustified.

“Look at the pattern that their two parties are following – they attack Clr Dan Price in Great Sankey for his age, they attack Chris Vobe in Culcheth for the same, and then they attack Ashley Pemberton in Poulton North.

“Why? Because the fact remains that more and more young people, who want to serve their communities and help build a better future for our town, are not choosing the Lib Dems or the Tories to help them do that – they are joining Labour.”