Has Caroline Righton fallen in with the wrong crowd?

It's said that things have been a bit glum for the Tory faithful in St Austell following the disastrous St Austell Bay by-election a fortnight ago, but it looks as though Conservative Central Office have sent in the clowns in an attempt to revive 'Life Auditor' (and campaign gaffe-magnet) Caroline Righton's bid to be MP for St Austell and Newquay after next year's General Election. The reinforcements have come in the form of an eyebrow-raising trio of chaperones sent to 'help' on the campaign trail.

Firstly we have the 'Shadow Minister for Cornwall' Mark Prisk (MP for Hertford and Stortford, a mere 260 miles from the Duchy) who showed up in the Clay Country this week to join Ms Righton for a photo-op at the proposed eco-town site and a snoop around St Austell. You may remember that the wild-eyed Mr Prisk found himself in a spot of bother earlier in the year for claiming expenses for his campaigning trips to Cornwall, even though there's no Cornish Ministry for him to Shadow. (I've no doubt at all that it was an honest mistake and that he was working within the rules.)

Next to be wheeled out was David "Two Brains" Willetts, Shadow Education spokesman. Aside from his Mandelsonian ability to put embarrassing resignations behind him, Mr Willetts is famed for his relative intelligence within the Shadow Cabinet. But it seems he's not quite bright enough to change his own light bulbs, preferring instead to bill that onerous task to the taxpayer. Mr Willetts was happily on hand this week to shepherd Ms Righton through a visit to Newquay Treviglas School.

The hat-trick is due to be completed later this week when fresh-faced Tory Housing spokesman Grant Shapps, friend of Bob 'The Agent' Davidson, rolls up in Newquay to hold Caroline's hand through a gawp at "eyesore" hotels.

So what do these three wise men have in common? None of them, despite a supposed interest in the affairs of Cornwall, were prepared to vote in the House of Commons for a Cornish tickbox for the 2011 Census forms. The box does no harm, and it won't cost anything, but it seems Caroline Righton's little helpers don't think it's important for Cornish people to be able to call themselves Cornish (although they do think it important that we should send more of their mindset to Westminster).

We can only hope that these fine gentlemen become more culturally enriched during their campaigning stops in Cornwall. And that they aren't pretending it's Shadow Cabinet business for the purposes of their claim forms.