POLITICAL minders go to extraordinary lengths to make sure their leaders avoid being pictured next to or beneath signs that might be exploited by newspapers.

The hapless former PM John Major was photographed more than once making an important speech with either an "exit" or "way out" sign as the backdrop.

But did aides responsible for organising Tony Blair’s visit to Kent last week miss a trick?

They appeared to have overlooked the possibility that photographers might see the potential of securing a shot of the Prime Minister under the word "over" by carefully cropping the slogan "Dover - Forward not Back." Perhaps we will have to wait until May 6 to find out whether they got one.

* OVER to Labour parliamentary hopeful Alex Hilton, who e-mailed journalists and supporters to let them know of his intention to launch "his manifesto for Canterbury on Monday, May 25"

That’s a full twenty days after polling day.

Still, Alex was quick to recognise his unfortunate error, saying that if elected, he might "still want to get a good head start for the the 2009 election."

* POLITICAL leaders don’t get much time for rest and relaxation during election campaigns and it seems Michael Howard has had to forego one of his own occasional pleasures.

Since campaigning began, he tells our reporter, he has had no time for a game of table-tennis with his wife Sandra - which may be of some kind of relief, as a recent TV profile appeared to suggest she tended to come off worse.

* SITTINGBOURNE and Sheppey Conservative hopeful Gordon Henderson can expect a nervous night on May 5 awaiting news of whether he has managed to overturn Labour’s majority of 3,509.

Still, as a lifelong season ticket holder at Gillingham, he will know all about results going down to the wire.

"I’d love to be going to the Cardiff game at Priestfield but the campaign has to take priority," he bemoans. "I know all about the highs and lows and I’ve a nagging suspicion it will go down to the last game with Nottingham Forest."