Tag: elections

Here is komadori’s prediction for the political campaigns ahead of the 2015 general election.

Those in the blue Tory nest will claim that everything the coalition government did well over the last five years has been down to them, in the face of obstruction by their LibDem coalition partners. They’ll claim you should vote for them because they’re the only party with a realistic plan to eliminate the deficit quickly and to improve the economy, by cutting taxes to boost spending. They’ll claim to be the only party with plans to tackle immigration firmly but fairly. They’d also like you to believe that they’re the only party whose economic policies will protect the NHS.

Those in the red Labour nest will claim that what little the coalition government did well over the last five years were things they suggested first and would have done better if in power. They’ll claim you should vote for them because they’re the only party with a realistic plan to eliminate the deficit fairly and to improve the economy, by raising taxes to boost spending. They’ll claim immigration is not an issue, but that they’re the only party with plans to tackle immigration firmly but fairly. They’d also like you to believe that they’re, naturally, the only party whose policies will protect the NHS.

Those in the yellow LibDem nest will claim that everything the coalition government did well over the last five years has been down to them, in the face of obstruction by their Tory coalition partners. They’ll claim you should vote for them because they’re the only party with a realistic plan to eliminate the deficit quickly but fairly and to improve the economy, by changing taxes to boost spending. They’ll claim immigration is not an issue, and it would be nasty to campaign about it, except to say that they’re the only party with plans to tackle immigration fairly. Naturally, they’d also like you to believe that they’re the only party whose policies will protect the NHS.

Those in the mauve Kipper nest will claim that everything the coalition government did well over the last five years has been down to them, faced with the fear of electoral meltdown. They’ll claim you should vote for them because they’re the only party with a realistic plan to eliminate the deficit and to improve the economy, by ending EU taxes and boosting spending. They’ll claim immigration is an issue, and that they’re the only party with plans to tackle immigration firmly. Of course, they’d also like you to believe that they’re the only party whose policies — once they’ve worked out what they are — will protect the NHS.

Those in the eponymous Green nest will claim that nothing the coalition government did over the last five years was done well, faced with the fear of global warming and meltdown. They’ll claim you should vote for them because they’re the only party with a realistic plan to save the planet and improve the economy. They’ll claim immigration is not an issue, and it would be nasty to campaign about it, except to say that they’re the only party with plans for fair immigration. Of course, they’d also like you to believe that they’re the only party whose policies — by making life and the planet so much more healthy — will protect the NHS.

Those in the other smaller nests will claim that the coalition government has done nothing well over the last five years and their party’s one-track agenda would have solved all the problems before they even started. They’ll claim you should vote for them because they’re the only party committed to cutting the deficit, improving the economy, tackling immigration, and protecting the NHS.

[This post is based on another from April 2007, just before the local elections of that year.]

Having succumbed to the need for sleep just half an hour before the first Swindon election result came through, it was refreshing to wake up to blue parliamentary representation, but a disappointment that in the local council elections the administration had not been punished for the way it has frivolously wasted our money on vanity projects whilst having to makes cuts to other more important services, such as street cleaning. The local election results are, of course, not typical. In an average year turnout is never much more than 30%. Being at the same time as a general election bolstered that to over 60%. Despite that, the overall outcome, in terms of candidates elected, was almost unchanged from the last time these candidates stood.

From the Swindon general election results, it was apparent that local presence helped: Mr Tomlinson converted a notional red majority of 2,675 into one for him of 7,060 — a swing of over 10% — whereas Mr Buckland managed only a majority of 3,544 where before Ms Snelgrove had a notional majority of only 1,493 — a swing of ‘only’ 5.5%.

Our new MPs now need to prove themselves and their commitment to put constituents before party. Some of us have unfinished business with Swindon Borough Council for which their support is expected.

Whilst he’s not the first ever politician to suffer from this ailment, it’s disappointing that Mr Buckland — who claims not to be a career politician — in his latest leaflet struggles to distinguish positive campaigning from the negative.

Other parties in this campaign have spent a lot of time knocking their opponents. I am not interested in that. Our campaign has been positive and is all about what we want to achieve for our future.

So just what is positive about implying that the current incumbent in South Swindon is ‘tainted’?

I represent a fresh start for South Swindon, untainted by the discredited politics of the recent past.

I’m also sure that he’s well aware of Ms Snelgrove’s reputation for being the government’s representative in South Swindon when he makes a final plea.

Please give me the chance to serve as your new MP, who will be your representative at Westminster, not Westminster’s representative in South Swindon.

Mr Buckland may not yet be a career politician, but he’s clearly more than content to use the ‘skills’ from his barrister career to practice the politicians’ black art of spin.

I’ve been rather inundated by election leaflets today. One came this evening from Mr Buckland, claiming that he called, though it clearly wasn’t him — he was doing t’other side of the street. This morning it was the turn of the reds, one leaflet for Ms Snelgrove making many claims for how she’d like to spend our money, but nothing about how to bring down the crippling government debt her party has left us with; and another leaflet for Mr Wright.

I’m not sure whose campaign Mr Wright is fighting, his own or Ms Snelgrove. Almost half of the text is devoted to what Mr Cameron would do in government — a vote for Mr Wright could have no effect on that. And surely if, as Mr Wright believes, the blue-run Swindon Borough Council has wasted our money, surely we should delighted if, as Mr Wright believes, Mr Cameron is proposing they should have less of our money to waste?

I like my local politicians to stick to local issues, and a councillor such as Mr Wright advising me on who to vote for in a general election is no more welcome than the pointless yah-boo motions criticising national government pushed through Swindon Borough Council by the local blues.

Today I received my first ever election leaflet from Mr Leakey and it’s amazing how electoral necessity can change opinions. Only a few months ago his comments on the refurbishment of the old GWR Barracks were mildly scathing.

[W]ho ever designed and agreed to the new entrance and stone work, must have suffered a momentary loss of their senses, for they most certainly bypassed any thoughts of preserving the historical character and appearance of the building…. Would it not have been beyond the capabilities of someone to have designed an entrance sympathetic to the fabric of the building and made it of wood and glass?

However, now his leaflet describes the building as “wonderfully restored”.

I also note that the leaflet claims that a blue council will “Improve street cleaning & graffiti removal” Seeing as the said party in Swindon Borough Council have only recently pushed through a budget that removes one of the thrice daily street cleaning rounds in the town centre, it’ll be more a case of undoing their own damage.

But the overwhelming impression of this leaflet was that the Mr Leakey-specific parts — the three paragraphs on the outer page and the captions beneath his photographs — bear no resemblance to the actions locally of the party he purports to represent.

You would think that Ms Tomlinson would have sufficient confidence in her son Mr Tomlinson — well known for his assured media performances — not to heckle his opponents during a public debate. You’d think that the likes of Ms Tomlinson and Ms Foley would recognise Mr Tomlinson’s ability to defend his own record against an unjustified attack by the government’s representative in South Swindon, Ms Snelgrove, on scrutinising Mr Bluh’s wifi deal and not feel the need to indulge in a slow hand clap of his opponent. You’d be wrong.

At last night’s question time event at the Wyvern Theatre chaired by the Adver’s Mr King, the lesser lights of the blue nest were on their most puerile and infantile behaviour. Mr King may not have been the best chairman in the world — allowing the candidates to make speeches in place of answers and allowing Ms Snelgrove to waffle on for as long as all the others put together — but the blue rent-a-mob heckling from the back were doing their candidate no favours. The public were there to hear a debate, not to have one side of it drowned out.

And what did we learn from that debate? Aside from the rowdiness of the blues and the willingness of Mr King to allow many questions from the reds own party members, very little. Both Mr Tomlinson and Ms Snelgrove were well practiced, well briefed public performers — no surprise there. Mr Hooton and Mr Hughes were less confident but reasonably well informed, though Mr Hooton claims to disagree with rather a lot of his party’s own policies. The other two candidates that were on show last night seemed to know neither their own policies nor Swindon very well. I now know that all six candidates can read from a pre-prepared script; I also know that two can do little else. In short, I have a better idea of who I definitely won’t vote for, but nothing to convince me that one of the others should get my vote.

With less than three weeks to go until the local elections on 6 May, campaigning by the candidates in Central ward is distinctly lacking. Even the local blue nest website carries a paltry amount of information on their candidates. So far only Mr Wright of Western ward has been leafleting. Of the known local (i.e. resident in Central ward) candidates, official information on Mr Leakey is limited — Ms Leakey has told us more — and neither Mr Evans nor Mr Cox have yet had anything to say — though you can still read Mr Evans’ views from three yeas ago.

Of the other less local candidates, Mr Chadfield of Eastcott Ward has said nothing. Ms Spencer, also of Eastcott Ward, has been presented rather more eloquently, but nevertheless is largely uninformative.

So of those that have expressed an opinion, what do we know of their future intentions. Mr Leakey wants more investment.

If elected, Kevin’s priority will be to improve investment in the residential areas of Central Swindon. He wants to offer people a fresh start, as a new Councillor who lives and works in the Town Centre and actually cares about it.

So, apparently, does Ms Spencer, as well as changes to residents’ parking.

Kathryn wants to be involved with the proposed regeneration of the town centre and working with local business as investment will have tangible benefits for those in Swindon Central. Kathryn also puts reform of the failed residents parking scheme at the top of her agenda.

And Mr Wright, well he has rather a long list.

Resident priorities I am working on include: Return Residents Parking back to residents control; Protect Urban spaces and gardens; Reduce Centrals Residential roads down to 20MPH; Ensure local accountability and fair charging for council services; Press for more Central School places for Central children; Work for a sustainable solution for the Mechanics Institute; Correct the Tories mistakes on Street Cleaning and Waste.

All worthy stuff. It’s just rather a shame that all bar one haven’t made much effort yet to tell us more.

Today Mr Wakefield has been reported as supporting the government’s representative in South Swindon, Ms Snelgrove.

Anne asked me to come along today, not to endorse her in the traditional way, but in recognition of the fact that Anne as been a very good constituency MP for Swindon.

But he’s also been reported as helping her opponent Mr Buckland with canvassing.

Thanks to Steve Wakefield for giving me a hand with canvassing today.

Even though he somewhat disputes that, it’s refreshing to see Mr Wakefield taking such an independent, non-partisan approach. Whether Ms Snelgrove will find the ambivalence of one of the two star exhibits at her campaign launch so refreshing is another matter.

One thing puzzles komadori in Ms Snelgrove’s plea for re-election.

We moved to Swindon in 2004 and my husband Mike and I live in the centre of town. Mike teaches English at Cirencester Sixth Form College and has taught many Swindon students.

Information komadori has from late that year suggests an address west of Stroud in Gloucestershire, rather than central Swindon.

This year’s election in Swindon’s Central ward has one unusual feature for recent years: a councillor seeking re-election. Recent turncoat councillors have done a runner from Central when the time has come to seek another term. Today I have thus received the novelty of a leaflet from a councillor not only seeking re-election based on their track record as a councillor for Central ward, but also still in the same party for which they were last elected. Unfortunately for Mr Wright he’s little of note to shout about.

In addition to striking a traditional politician pose, pointing at something he’s done nothing about (a pothole in this instance), Mr Wright lists several things he claims to have either helped, opposed or campaigned for. But not just him, oh no.

Over the past 4 years I have worked closely with Anne Snelgrove and my colleagues on the council in delivering for the residents of Central.

Mr Wright may well have fought for Central — tho’ there’s little evidence of him putting up much of a fight; half of what he lists were failures — but the government’s representative in South Swindon, Ms Snelgrove, certainly has not and her recent interest in wifi doesn’t make up for four years of non-interest.

If Mr Wright has done all that he claims, the results of his efforts are all but invisible. He’s had some success in stopping things; he’s been far less noticeable when it comes to getting things done.

Forget politics. For Swindon, this wasn’t the day a General Election was called; it was the day that the scaffolding-clad façade of the BHS store fell down. With nobody hurt, it’s likely to be one of the less significant diversions that political campaigners in Swindon face over the coming month.