He was a thorn in the Labour Party's side for decades - then he joined them.Tributes were today paid to Norman Owen, the former leader of Salford's Liberal Democrats, who has died.Born and bred in the city, he once had a punch up in a town hall corridor and secretly helped out a Busby Babe who had fallen on hard times.Known as "Stormin Norman" for his brash, get things done attitude, he was behind an astonishing rise of the Lib Dems in a city which is a socialist stronghold.Always sharply dressed in a suit and tie he stuck to his roots - enjoying a pint in The Union pub on Liverpool Street and The Chandos Club, near his home in Weaste.At his peak in opposition he was in charge of ten Lib Dem councillors in 2008/09, the largest number the.
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