Newsflash: Norfolk Tories backwards arseholes shock

I'm referring to this story in the must read Watton and Swaffham Times which describes how a Tory Parliamentary hopeful is facing a "quick fire" deselection in the South West Norfolk constituency.

The candidate in question, Elizabeth Truss, who is also a Greenwich councillor, is a right wing Tory who "advocates free market economics and public sector reform". Gulp.

Sadly she is not being ousted by a bunch of Red Tories determined to shift the Conservatives towards Bolshevik style revolution and compulsory Che Guevara shirt wearing.

Truss was only just selected for seat on Saturday but literally hours after the votes were counted she is facing a fast tracked deselection process because, it has been revealed, she had an affair in 2004-05 (which was in The Mail in 2006). She could be done and dusted by the end of the week.

You're right to look bemused. She isn't advocating a new law making affairs with Tory MP Mark Field mandatory, it's something that happened in her personal life some time ago that doesn't effect her ability to do the job in the slightest, then or now. It should be noted that no one has suggested the affair makes Mr Field unfit to be an MP. Although he is.

However, it appears that perhaps the issue is (slightly) more complex than a bunch of backward inbreds unable to cope with the social changes since we abolished public flogging for disrespecting the Queen's ducks. It seems there are also grumbles about the fact that some Tories felt pressured to choose a woman at all, with members citing arm twisting from national HQ to select the A-lister for the safe Norfolk seat.

So they are backwards on two counts. First, for having some sort of outdated bizarre morality that says a past affair is any of their business. Second, because at least some of them didn't want any woman at all. She'd probably get nail varnish all over the economy or something.

Alternatively, it could just be that they are a bunch of rural malcontents who have a history of confrontation with their candidates. One previous MP, Gillian Shepard won the nomination only after the initial selection was hoofed out, and then her successor Christopher Frasier won the nomination after a bitter row where his rival refused to make his main home in the constituency. Frasier is standing down after the expenses scandal revealed that he had claimed second home allowance on his Norfolk home just like he said he wouldn't. Naughty.

This time round the fuss is that she is a woman who has actually had a life. Whilst men can have affairs and be MPs apparently the Tories tolerate no such behaviour in their womenfolk. One local Conservative officer is quoted as saying "She must think we are idiots in Norfolk”. Well, she might not but I'm certainly moving that way.