Gentlemen, start your mowers!

In the dead of winter, it is good to see the grass is still growing, with the mowers are being readied to cut the grass from under soon to be ex-Labour candidates. Especially those who are not cunning enough to read the graffiti long writ on the wall.

New kid on the block in Napier, Mr Nash, has his mower fully prepped and has fired the opening shot toward replacing the current loser, party lister, Russell Fairbrother.

I would have thought that the shots Mr Nash has fired would have been regarded as not being cricket within political circles, but as expected when

he says he has been "encouraged" at high levels to stand

the gloves are off and we are witnessing the start of the rout within Labour.

Mr Fairbrother has been worse than useless during his recent term, being an unwanted party lister who managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a traditionally left seat at the last election and as the determined young buck Mr Nash puts it so well

I don't think Russell has shown the energy to win that back for Labour. It's not because of his age. It is just that in the five years he has been there he has never shown the energy necessary to win that back.

Fairbrother is not presenting himself as a party lister for the next round, though will not confirm where the encouragement came from.

Mr Fairbrother, in turn, claims the Prime Minister's backing and says he is confident of winning selection.

Mr Fairbrother should be looking for other employment, because her indoors on the 9th floor has made it abundantly clear with

the sitting MPs cannot expect the same protection of a preferential list place that almost all have had for the past two elections

Nothing could be clearer than that, but I suppose a few like Russell looking to fully fill up their pension funds will not see the mower coming!