A duck island and a postal primary

Democracy by humiliation. The people of Gosport, near Portsmouth in Hampshire, knew how to get rid of their current MP Sir Peter Viggers when his expense claims became the very icon of the scandal at Westminster.

Yes, it was Sir Peter who attempted to claim £1,645 for a floating duck island for his garden. And it was Sir Peter's constituents who then took it upon themselves to paint yellow ducks on the side of the Gosport ferry. Plonk duck islands on Gosport's roundabouts. And even drop a giant inflatable duck in Gosport's harbour.

Public ridicule on this scale doesn't do much for an MP's standing, even when they've represented their home town since 1974. Neither, come to think of it, does a less than gentle word from your party leader that retirement might be your best option. Sir Peter took the hint.

But for Gosport, that was only half the job. With Sir Peter Viggers saying he'll stand down at the general election, the duck island constituency needs a new MP - and a new Conservative candidate to replace Sir Peter. With the stench of the expenses scandal as strong here as anywhere else - and believe you me the whiff is unmistakable - the Tories need a political deodorant. Make no mistake, the newspapers might not have as many stories about MPs' expenses now as a few months ago. The news bulletins on radio and TV might be focusing on other issues. But the depth of the anger about the expenses scandal here is very, very clear, whoever you talk to.

It's impossible to get even half way through the first sentence of a chat about politics without the subject of waterborne homes for mallards cropping up. Yes, there's a funny side to it, and the sense of humour of people in Gosport arguably contributed to Sir Peter Viggers' demise. But beyond humour there's anger, and anger fuels cynicism. On several occasions when I was speaking to people out and about on the street, they would passionately grab my microphone straight out of my hand and tell me exactly what they thought. Often in unbroadcastable Anglo-Saxon.

So the Conservatives are holding what's called a 'postal primary.' It means everyone in the constituency gets a vote on who their Tory candidate should be - not just paid up members of the party.

Several hundred people turned up at the Thorngate Halls in Gosport to listen to the four hopefuls. The candidates - two men and two women - are all in their thirties or early forties. And all are keen to secure the nomination for what is a pretty safe Conservative seat.

For many, the hustings achieved their purpose. Many people I spoke to arrived undecided, but left knowing who they would vote for. But what is arguably more intriguing is what other voters will make of this experiment. Will they vote at all? And if they do, what will motivate how they vote, if they wouldn't normally vote Conservative? And how should other political parties here react to what the Tories are doing? It's very difficult for Labour, the Liberal Democrats and others to criticise the principle of enfranchising the local population, but they are taking issue with the practicalities of it. There's been a delay, for instance, in some people receiving their postal vote.

Councillor Peter Chegwyn, a prominent local Liberal Democrat and former council leader, summed up the dilemma for other parties and the mood in Gosport:

"I think it is a good move to have an open selection. I credit the Conservatives for that. I just find it sad from the viewpoint of someone who has lived in this town for 30 odd years that a local choice wasn't put up and all the candidates actually seem much the same," he told me.

"But I don't think the Conservatives had any choice but to have a contest like this because the feeling in Gosport against the retiring MP Peter Viggers over the duck house scandal. There is such a feeling of real anger in the town from people who voted for him for all the time he has been an MP but would never do so now. The Conservatives had to draw a line under that."

The result of the postal primary will be announced on Friday 4th December.

The expenses scandal continues to make waves here. And if the voters in this part of Hampshire are anything to go by, it'll still be making waves come polling day at the general election.

Chris Mason is a politics reporter for BBC News