THE Go Snow is already hitting Medway's salt mountain.

Just days after telling councillors there was enough for 19 days, and that they had increased stocks by more than 50 per cent compared with a year ago, the hunt is on for fresh stocks.

It could have something to do with the shock announcement yesterday by Gravesham council that the weather was so bad Father Christmas had cancelled his visit to Gravesend.

Can you imagine the grief experienced by children who had been so good in anticipation of the Jolly Red Giant's visit?

Can you imagine the explanations from mums and dads?

"Yes dear! You have been a good boy. There's still a few days to Christmas and I am sure that he will have found a way to visit you by then."

"But Daddy, why couldn't he get here today? After all, he flies everywhere on his sledge."

"Father Christmas decided to use an open-topped bus instead. It was very cold on top."

"Boo-hoo! Father Christmas shouldn't worry about the cold on the top deck! After all he races everywhere on his sledge and it's got no roof..."

"He was being kind to Rudolph, Donner, Blitzen and the others. After all they had a very busy time visiting the Dockside Outlet Centre in Chatham Maritime, and need to rest before Christmas Eve...."

Further floods of tears.

***

Meanwhile, further unfortunate problems in the snow.

The Highways Agency website has an apology on screen at present.

It can't cope with demand.

You'd think when there was snow 12 months ago, some of the lessons would be learned.

Seems not.

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WHAT on earth are the Liberal Democrats doing?

As their numbers shrink year on year they seem to make more and more questionable calls.

The latest is their decision to oppose city status - but only at this time.

They enjoyed stirring the pot with cries of money wasted (as though not spending £25,000 will save the council's taxpayers a fortune).

The truth is they are trying to find votes.

With their MPs stabled with the Conservatives, they have real grounds for fearing the electorate's long knives will be out of scabbards in May.

The only person with whom I agreed was their ex-Leader, Cllr Maureen Ruparel.

The Conservatives have further distanced themselves from beleagured pensioner, Nick Brice, following his unfortunate trip into red light land.

The Tory had been stripped of his Conservative membership.

He had been caught by police with a young lady in his company car. The trouble was she apparently decided to get in while he was thinking it was a mistake to keep touring round the prozzie prowl zone.

He is defiant, convinced he still has a future in the Conservative Party until his blemish after 50 years membership, refusing to resign but increasingly isolated from party, power and influence.

How he managed to gain admission to the by-election count sporting a large blue rosette should give cause for concern to those responsible for election security. Because someone smuggled him in.

That's beside the point.

He had guts to face the Standards Committee where two of the three members and the senior officer were all women, and admit he had made a mistake.

It will take an even braver man to stand up in the former church where council debates now take place in front of the public to admit he was in the wrong, and to defy increasingly angry, vitriolic calls for him to go.

He doesn't have to - but every meeting he attends will become increasingly painful for him and for his family.

There have been some harsh lessons for Cllr Nick Brice to learn.

One would appear to be that if you resort to prostitutes, don't get caught.

Another is that if you are going to get away with it, don't object to those who consider your behaviour is beyond the norm.

Cllr Brice was once a member of the Children's Committee. He (along with the other 54 councillors) therefore has a duty to protect and care for children - some of whom prostitute themselves.

A year ago he was caught by the police with a prostitute in his car. He accepted a police caution, paid £200 to attend a police-run kerb-crawlers convention in Medway, the council and his employers (the hooker hopped into his company car) were told, he lost his job months before he was to retire, he was reported to the Standards Committee and - after half a century's membership - he was thrown out of the Conservative Party.

This week he told the committee he had done his homework very carefully (a trait for which he was noted as audit committee chairman).

He had done wrong, but he had not got a conviction, and therefore whatever anyone thought, he couldn't be disciplined by the Standards committee.

With regret, they said, they agreed.

But in a cleverly worded statement the committee - two independent members and (by rote) a Labour councillor - damned him.

In 164 words they regretted failing to find he breached the code of conduct.

His behaviour was - and I paraphrase what they said - totally unacceptable. He should resign from the council having brought himself and it into disrepute. He acted improperly and without integrity, breached the principles of public life, lacked judgement, and should be banned from representing the council or sitting on any committee for whatever reason.

"We think the law should be altered to cover actions such as this when carried out by a councillor in any capacity," said Tony Dance, the independent chairman.

"We will be writing to the Secretary of State to bring this to his attention."

I fail to understand how that equates with Cllr Brice's comments after the meeting that the committee had vindicated him.

Most political parties prepare for elections about two months before polling day.

Not Rochester and Strood Conservatives.

Their 22 candidates were unveiled to the press last night - and half of them are new faces.

It was the start of the campaign to get them all elected.

Currently they have 18 seats.

Labour hold three and enforced Independent and shamed ex-Conservative Cllr Nick Brice has the other. Any hopes he has for a return to the party ranks have been firmly ignored by the association which is determined to get Rupert Turpin elected in his stead.

Out to grass go six wellknown Conservatives councillors, some defeated at selection meetings, others standing down to pursue retirement or a private life.

They include three former Mayors.

Out from next May are ex mayors Cllr Dickie Andrews (resigned), Cllr Sue Haydock (resigned) and Cllr Jane Chitty (dropped).

Also leaving are Cllr Mark Reckless (now the local MP so he hasn't got much time for council work), and Cllrs Janice and Ken Bamber (dropped).

Cllr Les Wicks, the architect of the primary schools reorganisation, has been moved to Strood North ward where he joins forces with Cllr Jane Etheridge and newcomer Paul Rai.

Cllr Phil Filmer will defend his seat on the Peninsula with the association's communications guru, Chris Irvine, and Tony Watson.

Miss Kelly Tolhurst hopes to fill Cllr Reckless' seat. She will certainly be noticed.

Organising Secretary, membership Secretary and Agent-in-Waiting, Chris Buckwell, insisted the association members had decided who would be selected.

"We are strong, we have over 300 association members and we intend to win all 22 seats in the constituency," he said.

Labour activists will need to get their act together if they intend to hold their seats, let alone go against the current national trend.

As for the rest the Liberal Democrats are non-existent across the peninsula.

The one party that might make a mark is the English Democrats. It might, but their candidates have an enormous mountain to climb.