The ballot papers have just arrived for the elections to Labour's National Executive Committee. Not that you need them as you can vote on a secure website or by phone. I've just voted for the people I think best represent the interests of real Labour Party members and activisits. People who will work hard and understand the importance of securing a third term of Labour government.

My not the Grassroot's Alliance slate for Labour's NEC elections is:

Louise Baldock - a very hard-working, talented and enthusiastic activist from West Yorkshire

Shahid Malik - now selected as Labour candidate in Dewsbury, but still eligible to stand whatever Tribune might say

Val Price - national co-ordinator of the Labour Women's Network

Ruth Turner - from Manchester with a strong track record in socially responisble business enterprises

Peter Wheeler - a longstanding Amicus member

Mari Williams - a hard working Welsh activist now living in London and working as a teacher

If you're a Labour Party member don't forget to use your vote before the deadline on July 2.

I'm angry. Charles Kennedy disturbed my sleep last night. As I retired to bed to watch Newsnight and sip my cocoa he appeared to spread his lies about postal voting. He wailed and he moaned about the problems that a few local authorities are facing and then had the nerve to lay the blame at John Prescott and the government. I was so seething I couldn't get to sleep.

Not a word about the real reason for the problems - the unholy alliance between Liberal and Tory peers in the House of Lords to frustrate democracy. Not a word about how the Liberals claimed that some ethnic minority communities couldn't be trusted with postal vote. The nerve of these people. They are going out in inner cities, using the issue of Iraq to campaign in local elections in order to try and win Muslim votes. They want ethnic minorities to trust them with their vote, and all the while they don't trust those voters to use their vote fairly and honestly.

If the Liberals hadn't tried to use the unelected Lords to frustrate the democratic wishes of Parliament then there would have been no problems. As it is thousands of hard-working council staff and working away to make this election a success, despite the efforts of the Liberal/Tory alliance to make it harder for people to vote.

Thanks to all those public sector workers who are working hard to ensure democracy.

The European and local elections were disastrous for the Tories, bad for Labour and disappointing for the Lib Dems.

The Tories fell far short of the 42% needed if they are to even begin to challenge Labour at the next general election. They failed to win a big council, where Labour remains the biggest party in Birmingham, and the only council they could find to crow about was tiny Trafford.

In Leeds they were beaten into a humiliating third place behind the Liberal Democrats. However, they did score two notable successes to mask there many failures. They took three seats in Roundhay where Labour had expected a hard-fought victory. Local factors to do with Roundhay Park played a significant factor.

Their other victory was closer to home and personal. In Garforth and Swillington my wife Karen Marshall lost her seat in a surprise Tory gain. The deciding factor appeared not to be dissillusionment with Labour but the combination of all-out elections and the postal vote. Many Labour voters failed to appreciate that they had three votes and simply voted for the first Labour candidate on the list. There was a gap of almost 500 votes between the first Labour candidate and the second two (with only 73 between the second two names). This, combined with the postal vote driving up turnout to almost 50%, was the deciding factor.

I'm disappointed not just because Karen is my wife, but for the people of Garforth and Swillington because I know how hard she has worked over the last six years. She put her heart and soul into it, especially delivering for young people and her legacy includes Yorkshire's first POD (portable youth hut) and a shortly to be completed skateboard park.

I agree with Tom Watson's analysis that this election was a defeat for all three of the main parties.

The local election results in Middleton Park were:

Barker (Conservative) 1146
Blake (Labour) 2111
Bruce (Labour) 2082
Day (BNP) 1123
Driver (Labour) 2173
Fenton (Lib Dem) 877
Larvin (Conservative) 981
McCormick (Lib Dem) 711
Paley-Smith (Lib Dem) 641
Smith (Conservative) 997