The vultures are circling; the press is the enemy within. I will not regurgitate the allegations about the News of the World or the rumours surrounding other newspapers, this has been recycled for the last 72 hours; nor will articulate the political fallout – both David Cameron and Ed Miliband hired former News International employees (both have allegations about them). And Labour and Tories were both guests at a recent dinner party, hosted by Murdoch.

Instead, I wish to raise one point. The press in general. Limited reports are suggesting ordinary journalists are witnessing hostility from the public. Andrew Gilligan noted a wave of e-mails, criticising his work and abilities as a journalists, something he has never witnessed. According to Mr Gilligan he is not the only journalist to experience this.

McCarthyism-esque inquiries will damage our reputation as a democracy – a free press is fundamental to holding the government to account. Regulation on their abilities to conduct investigation journalism would be a disaster for Britain. Yes, the hacking scandal was immoral, but it was a failure of the criminal justice system. It was the Metropolitan Police which warned against a public inquiry and turned a blind eye to criminality at a variety of news papers.

Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. You might find the press irritating. But as Edmund Burke elegantly pointed out, the press are the fourth estate and the true guardians of liberty.

Labour has a considerable distance to go before it can claim to be a political force in Kent.

Not my opinion but those of an increasing number of Labour figures who, in the cold light of day, have come to realise that gaining one council from the Conservatives on May 5 was hardly the breakthrough Ed Miliband tried to present it as.

Among those to offer his insights as to what went wrong is a former Labour councillor in Medway and now an MP, Bill Esterson. His analysis? That voters in Medway "accept the Tory argument and rejected ours." That's a devastating indictment but I suspect he's right. The Conservatives ought to have been troubled in councils like Medway but emerged relatively unscathed and in some - Dartford - actually increased their numbers.

Why Labour was rejected in Medway>>>

Bill's analysis is that while there was no lack of enthusiasm among candidates, Medway had no real support from the wider party and only a handful of volunteers. Part of this is that Labour lost all its MPs in Kent in 2010, leaving it without a natural organisational base and the lines of communication to the national party that make it easier to get big hitters down during election campaigns.

And his warning that the next general election could be tough is a salutary one. "Unless we put resources into Medway and dozens of  seats like it, we won't make enough progress at the next general election." In other words, we'll have another four years in opposition.

He's partly right about the organisation and need to build up an army of activists. But there's another equally important task: if Labour is to make any headway against the Conseratives, not just in Kent, it needs to present a coherent, meaningful alternative to the government's.

Taking an anti-cuts stance is fine as far as it goes but I don't sense that Labour has fully understood that is not enough. The party has endless policy reviews under way and while every party who is turned out of office is right to re-examine its policies, voters won't take much of an interest until Labour puts a bit of flesh on the bones.

As Bill Esterson rightly says, voters appear to have accepted the government's argument over the key objective of sorting out the economy. That may not last, of course, especially as I expect there to be much more pain to come from the spending squeeze before thigs improve. That might undermine the Conservative support among the all-impoertant "squeezed middle" that represents the heartland of Kent's parliamentary constituencies.

But relying on people to get even more disillusioned with the coalition does not strike me as presenting voters with a compelling political alternative.

I have been attending counts at elections since 1964.

Normally candidates get to bed just as the sun's rays are bursting over the eastern horizon, lulled by the dawn chorus. Not this time.

At 9am, the last result was finally declared after two recounts, after 11 hours of most local government counters twiddling their thumbs. 

The count was held up until 6am by some civil servant wanting to validate the AV referendum figures for the region. Every polling station was supposed to sit still and wait - and wait - and ......

It was the most ridiculous delay of the democratic process I have ever experienced.

What was even more ridicidulous was that the ward counts had taken place (otherwise we would probably still have been in Medway Park tonight!). Eventually Neil Davies, the Returning Officer and Chief executive of Medway Council, announced he had been given permission to tell the candidates the results - but not the people who had counted... and not the media (representing the general public, the voters if you prefer, 3waiting there to pass on the news to the world at large).

Ofcourse immediately he had given out the "confidential informal announcement" those sworn to secrecy told the rest of us.

Ridiculous? You bet.

***

Politicians are gathering in their private hideholes this weekend, trying to fathom out what happened to their campaigns in Medway.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had expected a kicking from the electorate. Instead, there was the shock of increased personal votes and an increase in members among the Tories - and virtual annihilation for the LibDems.

Labour, by comparison, finally got Adam Price back in the chamber after years in isolation.

Rodney Chambers, leader of the Conservative Group and currently Leader of the Council, became increasingly cock-a-hoop during the night.

By comparison, Geoff Juby's bright yellow jacket and tie covered in playing card images began to look sicker and sicker as he walked from table to table.

One or two people were vitriolic. No more so than in Watling Ward where Tory and LibDem ladies will be side by side.for the next four years.

The comment that "I want to work with her…" never sounded less truthful.

***

It was a damned close run thing in Allhallows where the old brigade narrowly lost out to those seeking a more open parish council.

The results were declared with three of the Old Brigade (led by the current chairman, Yvonne Forrest) and five of the "Change Brigade".

One of those to lose hisplace was Peter Apostel, the quiet voice of reason on the council, who had tried to bring sense and sensibility to the often ludicrous behaviour in the village hall. Dibley? - eat your heart out.

It meant the likely end of Cross Park Association influence. Three of the association's committee left the council.

It also promises to be an interesting few months for the clerk, for the borough council's legal officers and for the new chairman.

For example, how will the chairman unite the council?

Is there a fly with a video camera who could oversee the discussions with the clerk?

And will the promised training to be given by the borough council actually result in all in the parish council to attend?

That has been the biggest problem at Allhallows: a failure to know what the rules are under which the parish council, its members and paid officers, operate.

***

Well, the votes are in and counted. Kent has voted, it seems the turnout is up, and there has been a few changes. Predictably, the Liberal Democrat vote has capitulated in places (most notably Canterbury) and Labour has made gains.

Gravesham is a council Labour are championing this morning with a spectacular win, with Ed Miliband claiming ('the result proves' theory) his party 'are on the come back'. Alas, though; Dartford, Shepway and Medway have seen Labour fail to make any real gains; seats that were on the Labour target list. Conservatives have either maintained control or increased their representation. Thanet has fallen to No Overall Control (NOC), which is disappointing after Harriet Harmen and others visited this week. Labour failed to make, well, easy gains that they were expected to achieve.

Ed Miliband is touring the county and marching through the towns like a victorious Caesar, but it is covering up a modest night for Labour. And that is being kind. The infamous '+1,000 councillors easy' claim has proved to be false. The anti-cut message is not adequate due to Tory gains across the council. Cameron is the true winner in Kent.

More worrying, the Liberal Democrat vote did not move to Labour – it shows signs of the Tories benefiting. Canterbury, for example, has seen the Tories increase their councillors to over 30 with Labour (again) have no genuine presence on the council. Only 3 councillors.

Kent is still blue, and strongly blue, with a few spots of red and yellow.

note: Liberal Democrat leader at Canterbury City Council had this to say on twitter;

@ AlexCanterbury It was like sending your batsmen to the crease only for them to find their bats had been broken by the team captain #libdems

There is a golden opportunity to hear what the front runners have to say about the election issues tonight.

There is also a pretty good chance that the minor parties, the CCTV banners and the Get Rid of Everyone brigade will get a look-in, throwing in questions to try to unsettle the big boys.

I am talking about the Medway Messenger's hustings which are being held at 7pm tonight in the Pilkington Building at the Universities At Medway campus.

On the top table - ready to field the quizzers - will be the group leaders of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat groups, Rodney Chambers, Paul Godwin and Geoff Juby, together with the Green candidate, Trish Marchant.

Holding the chairman's gavel will be fellow blogger, Paul Francis, Political Editor of the KM Group and the only reporter to be Kent Journalist of the Year on three occasions.

We have already had some excellent questions, but the real excitement will come from the questions on the night.

So come along - ask your questions - or just listen as the sparks fly.

***

One of my colleagues discovered that not every candidate is necessarily enthusiastic about winning.

I do not intend to give the self-appointed foul-mouthed individual publicity, but suffice it to say he didn't care whether or not he won a seat, and if the electorate is foolish enough to put him in a position of responsible power he was unlikely to attend council meetings.

So, Mr Prospective Candidate, why bother participating in the first case?

***

The saga of the parishes continues unabated.

Allhallows has called an emergency meeting tomorrow night in a bid to fix the lease on the Brimp before the election next week while High Halstow joined the list of parishes which have avoided an election.

***

New buses are coming to Medway.

Five completely unique singledeckers have been ordered for the 116 route between Hempstead, Rainham and Chatham.

This is becoming the Arriva service to serve the new higher and further educational establishments in Gillingham and Chatham Maritime.

A temporary principal has been appointed at the troubled Bishop of Rochester Academy.

A three-day week might be great for some but it presents challenges for us journalists. News doesn't stop and we are still producing the same number papers and pages, web updates and radio bulletins as any 'normal' week. It's an incredible busy time with politics to the fore, a certain marriage, and the climax of the football season with Gillingham giving us fans the usual palpitations.

Gravesend has become an election battleground with Ed Miliband, Baroness Warsi and Ken Livingstone on the stump, as Labour bid to wrest control of Gravesham from the Tories. We're expecting a heavyweight visit today.

In Medway tonight we're gathering the three party group leaders on the council as well as a Green Party candidate to ask the simple question: Who should run Medway? Also joining them on the panel is Professor Tim Luckhurst of the Centre for Journalism at Kent University, which is hosting the hustings meeting. Chaired by our political editor Paul Francis, it takes place at the Pilkington Building at the University's Medway campus in Chatham.

While we'll be concentrating on local issues, the little matter of AV might come up. There's a view that there is widespread ignorance of the system and how it works. Our reporters are putting this to the test today in a major exercise to establish how Medway is likely to vote and do they understand what AV is about.

It's Olympic deadline day for ticket orders tonight and we're asking people have they applied and if so, what have you bid for. Have you taken a punt on being one of the lucky few to watch Usain Bolt defend his 100m title or have you chosen a less mainstream competition like synchronised swimming? It will be interesting to see if the folk of North Kent really take advantage of being on the doorstep of the 2012 games.

Like I said, there's a lot going on ...

There was no sign of contrition on the part of Cllr Jane Chitty when she was told she had been rude and aggressive to a council member of staff last night.

Mrs Chitty spoke for 40 minutes justifying the 30-second outburst.

Not once did she say she was sorry, or that she regretted her outburst.

What happened left the employee, Labour political officer Laura Steward, in tears, and an education manager shocked by the behaviour.

It was an extraordinary incident that happened in an extraordinary location.

It was also extraordinary how long it took the council to investigate the allegations, dumping one lethargic investigator and briefing another who never interviewed Miss Steward or the witness.

Mrs Chitty is no shrinking violet. She is boisterous, an in your face councillor, and practices a no-holds-barred attitude to political opponents.

She forgot that she is an elected representative of the community. For half a minute - possibly less - she had blown her lid. The diminutive officer had to stand there and take it.

Yet throughout her defence, Mrs Chitty blamed a string of incidents that surrounded the debate on school closures - an emotive issue that did more to split the council than any other plan in Medway's 14-year history.

After the hearing, she continued to protest justification for her actions.

This was the second of three investigations into her behaviour that the standards committee is undertaking. It's One - All at the moment.

THE next stage of the run up to May 5's local elections has just come to an end with the closure of nominations.

Candidates had until midday today to get their nominations in - along with lists of supporters who can vouch for their standing in the community.

The Conservatives were boasting last week that all their candidates in the 22 wards had been cleared of any blemishes (at least their nomination papers were correctly completed).

Labour was less lucky, and still searching for official supporters to complete nomination papers at the weekend.

Papers were handed in this morning - just before the deadline.

Staff were already trying to sort out papers belonging to several of the smaller parties.

Electoral officers are currently checking the entries, but all three major parties are said to have candidates in virtually every ward, there are plenty of independents in the offing and it looks as though the parish councils are about to get a wake-up call with at least two polticial parties - Conservative and Liberal Democrats - putting in nominations on the west bank of the Medway.

***

If the parishes do have an election, it will be the first in Medway since there was a stand-off in High Halstow in 2003, and only the second since the beginning of the 1990s.

The row at Allhallows (which has spilled on to this blog site and the Medway Messenger's web pages) seems to have sparked renewed interest in the principle of democracy. The practice of the same should follow later.

***

One of the names in the borough council hat is that of Dan McDonald, the chief executive of the Medway CItizens Advice bureau.

Mr McDonald had a good airing yesterday on The Politics Programme on BBC-1 sparking a few angry comments from the Liberal Democrats.

Mr McDonald is an interesting character.

He has variously been a Labour Party member and a Lib Dem (he was press officer for their most successful candidate in the 2010 Gneeral Election.

These days Dan is with the Andy Stamp independent group.

Interesting to read recently that when he worked for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in North Devon as a housing manager he was known as Rory.

***

I understand one of the Lib Dem candidates is a fellow with the name Jasmin. The Bosnian barrister pronounces it Yasmin in case there was any doubt.

***

On a more mundane level, I hear Derrick Singleton, the former housing chief who was moved sideways, has now left the council. The sound of the door clanging shut was (I undestand) delberately silenced.

***

Among the many who will not be standing for election next month are the two MPs who have also been councillors, Reh (call me Rehman) Chishti and Mark Reckless. They are going to concentrate their efforts in Westminster.

***

A regular correspondent has taken me to task for having the temerity to suggest that most parish councillors are unelected.

If you don't face the election ballot, and get more votes than someone else, that is not an election. It is a sham, shames the community , and is certainly not a democratic process.

If, as then happens, the rest of the council is selected from "volunteers" that is even more disgraceful. Interviews were held at one peninsula parish council to decide who fitted in with the rest of the council - and who should be excluded. It saved an election. It did nothing for democratic rights.

Elections? - stand up and be counted!