The row among the LibDems in Gillingham North is rather reminscent of the Mount Helen explosion a few years ago - slowly growing and then suddenly blowing its lid.

The politicians haven't got to the big bang - yet - but it could be about to happen.

Briefly, three Lib Dems were elected to serve in 2007. It surprised many, and hurt the Labour group who were convinced they would win.

Among their successes was Andy Stamp, a young, enthusiastic and optimistic politician they quickly groomed for higher office. He soon became deputy leader of the party's council group. After being blooded against the deputy leader of the Conservatives he quickly learned to stand on his own feet.

Then things started to go wrong within the group.

One of his colleagues, Cllr Cathy Sutton, had formed a relationship with a member of another party - a situation always open to suspicion.

Stamp was selected as the Lib Dems candidate for the Gillingham and Rainham constituency.

The constituency party covers two seats. The other is Rochester and Strood where the Group Leader, Cllr Geoff Juby, was the candidate (again).

The way this particular constituency party works is in keeping with the party name - democratically. Members could chose who they supported. Some helped Juby, some aided Stamp, and some worked for both. Others nodded sagely and stayed at home. The constituency chairman, a tough bird, hardened on Gillingham politics, is Alan Jefferies. His personal time was given to Cllr Juby's campaign.

Cllr Stamp considered he had a better chance of winning.

Neither did win, but there had been rows over where the election funds to support the campaigns should go. It led to regional investigations into any unfairness. They were pretty informal from what I understand happened, and they eventually rejected Cllr Stamp's allegations.

Meanwhile Cllr Sutton's friendship had broken up. She felt she urgently needed to find a new home.

The third member of the ward triumvirate, Cllr Maureen Ruparel, became involved. The two women went to see the council's housing chief, and were advised of a number of private landlords. Cllr Sutton moved out a few days later.

Cllr Stamp was unhappy at the process, and complained to the Standards Committee of Medway. It grinds through the processes exceedingly slowly. It has still not decided whether the two councillors should have taken a different course of action.

Unfortunately for the councillor, he had also lost the deputy leader's job, after putting all his effort into the race for the Leader's position. He resigned the group whip shortly afterwards, and then decided to resign from the party. In turn, it considers he is suspended - and therefore subject to disciplinary action.

May will soon be here: an election is looming.

The Lib Dems have not yet announced their team.

It would not include Cllr Stamp: he has formed an independent grouping seeking election. All three are ex-LibDems (a second is believed still to be a Lib Dem member).

You'd think that would be enough. Think again. Silently watching this scenario are the Labour candidates. Their grins are wider than the Cheshire Cat.

There were some surprised looks on faces - not least among cabinet members - at the full Medway Council meeting.

Protestors were out in strength to protest about the toilets - or lack of them - in Chatham.

At the centre of their campaigning was the 20p to have a pee revelation from the Pentagon Shopping Centre management.

They have taken over the council's toilets, accepted a regeneration dowry of £200,000 to rebuild and run the toilets, and now plan to charge.

The fee is being introduced by the management in a bid to stop needle-pushing and other anti-social behaviour (including the occasional druggie death).

Meanwhile there could be hope for the desperate, the elderly and nursing mums: Cllr Alan Jarrett told me the toilets in the new bus station should be free.

At least, they were going to be free until the scale of the economic crisis called that into question.

***

Cllr Les Wicks did a startlingly good impression of General de Gaulle last night.

The councillor was facing a call - some would say a suggestion - that he should resign over the way the Schools Adjudicator recently ruled against some of his primary school closure and merger plans.

There was a very firm, if anglicised, "Non!" to the call.

Nor was there an apology.

Meanwhile the handful of mums from St John's certainly knew how to make their views known.

Cllr Wicks lives to fight another day.

So do the schools.

***

One would think that if you were in power for the first time for 80 years politicians would be queuing up to make a name for themselves.

But Andy Stamp - one-time deputy leader of Medway's Liberal Democrat councillors, defeated general election candidate and popular character in the community - suddenly announced he was no longer recognising his party whip.

He has, instead, joined the Independent councillors.

It's not so much a walk across the chamber, more, a slide across from one table to the adjacent one.

But it is significant, and comes hard on the heels of grouses that he wasn't getting the support he expected during the election campaign.

***

It costs £140 to buy a first class ticket from Rainham to Birmingham by train - and a similar sum to come back.

But if you chose an offpeak train it can cost almost the same just to go to London.

Comparing trains on June 28, a check of the website, Raileasy, shows a return ticket on the HS-1 service to St Pancras at 10.15am costs £17.80. It costs just £1.20 more to carry on by the tube and Virgin Trains to make the return trip Birmingham.... using the same trains.

Something is radically wrong with our rail system.