May 2015 be our best, General Election ever!
It seems some time ago that I wrote anything for our website, but then I thought, just about everything that we’ve done has been well chronicled throughout the year anyway. So you’ve missed ‘Howlings Prowlings’ have you, or at least I have missed writing them.

Anyway let’s pick out some highlights, I started the year in Malta as usual, keeping in touch with our friends over there, arrived back here and whisked myself off for my yearly scrub at the ‘Bath Ball’. Whilst in Malta a by-election was announced, I was in no position to do this one. It was in Wythenshaw, Manchester, but we had no need to worry, Captain ‘Chaplington Smythe’ stepped forward and without any hesitation said “The force is strong with this one.” What a great candidate!

March and April saw many of us, at different times attending various ‘Co-ALE-ition’ launches. We have nine beers in this range and six market leaders doing very well.

May saw in the local town Elections, and I was returned unopposed to the local Town Council of Fleet in Hampshire , and was elected Vice Chairman of the planning committee!
It was a very busy month for me, doing all sorts of Loony things, guesting here, appearing there, in so much so that when another by-election was called in Newark Notts, in early June, the intrepid ‘Flying Brick’ offered to be the candidate, and so we all converged on Newark.

One of the Party’s proudest moments happened in June, one of our Co-ALE-ition range of beers was on sale at the House of Parliament bar. Me and other party members were invited along for the launch and a very successful day it was.

July, once again very busy, but the highlight was the launch of our very own ‘Monster Mash’ if you ain’t tried it, well you ain’t drunk nothin’ yet!
They drunk the Mash, they drunk the Monster Mash, at your next bash order Monster Mash, some beers are trash, but not the Monster Mash. There’s a song there somewhere!

August was a quiet month, apart from the odd beer festival or two, which was very handy because early September saw our Co-ALE-ition Ale first year anniversary, quite a landmark. Plus it was leading up to our Party Conference in Wales in late September. ‘Llandridnod Wells’ to be precise, and what a success ‘that’ was.

We were up to our usual tricks in October with another by-election at Clacton-on-Sea. I was the candidate this time, along with the usual suspects. We converged upon this very lovely, lonely, seaside town, until the election caravan rolled into town centre. Clacton became a different town overnight, what good fun.

And then November, yet another by-election, this time in Rochester and Strood, Kent. I considered doing it, but before committing myself, I thought that I would sound out any Kent members to see if they wanted too. Well “out of the woodwork came Hairy Knorm”. He won’t mind me saying that because he owns a logging firm and he is the Chief Chopper. It was a good job it wasn’t in December because he would have been too busy.
Nevertheless, another good result, and raised a few eyebrows when Lib-Dems only got 198 votes more than our Knorm.

Well there tis, and in Devon as they say, “it’s not likely to get any tisser!”
This is just a general roundup, and thank you to all those who took part throughout the year. It’s a pleasure to be your leader, it’s been 15 years now, and long may we all reign.
Yes off to Malta again in January, but a bit later this time, and unfortunately will miss my Bath Ball, the first time in 30 years!

Have the Looniest Christmas
And the Merriest of all New Years.
The Howling ‘Laud’