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On Thursday morning the House of Commons agreed to hold the Oldham East and Saddleworth on January 13th.

The early date is a behind-the-scenes victory for the Liberal Democrats.

The Lib Dems believe this gives them a tactical advantage because their candidate, Elwyn Watkins, is in place and his campaign is well underway.

Labour's candidate, Debbie Abrahams, has been selected very quickly. But she is not yet well known in the constituency.

The Lib Dems want people to vote before Labour's campaign is properly established.

It's a bit like the fable of the hare and the tortoise. The Lib Dems are the hare. Rather than being pipped to the post by Labour's tortoise, they are trying to shorten the race.

This is a surprise because by convention it would be for Labour to move the writ for the by-election.

But the Lib Dems have argued that the way Phil Woolas was forced out has put this race into unprecedented political territory.

In this they were backed by the Conservatives, otherwise Nick Clegg would not have been able to force the issue.

But it's less clear why the Tories are so keen on a shorter race.

They could have been campaigning for weeks. Instead, Kashif Ali, was only officially confirmed as their candidate on Tuesday. The official launch is on Saturday.

Even the minor parties have been more nimble than this.

Visits by senior politicians are planned and underway. The parties will fight particularly hard for victory in Oldham East and Saddleworth.

Voters may find the streets even more crowded than usual over Christmas.

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