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What's your choice?

Tryphena Absent

12:27 / 07.04.05

I'm registered to vote in South West Herts and I get to choose between these candidates:

David Gauke. He seems pretty involved in local issues. The long time MP, Richard Page is retiring this year so there's a chance the constituency might change hands if the other parties pull themselves together. However I noticed the Conservatives standing outside the local train station handing out election leaflets two days ago so I think they're canvassing a bit more than the other parties. Obviously whether to vote Conservative is a non-issue for me, I totally disagree with their policies and their electoral campaign makes me cry inside.

The Lib Dem candidate, Ed Featherstone runs a bookbinding business so obviously he's already a few points above Gauke in all manner of ways. He's really not targetting the area in the right way though and I'm a little disappointed already... the Lib Dems always disappoint me. Still he has a vague chance of getting in provided no one votes for the Labour party, who are represented by...

Kerron Cross who is frankly too young to be elected in South West Herts. Plus he's a bit over the top, not only does he go in to long descriptions about how much the Labour party has done for employment but, well, Pope John Paul was a great man, universally respected. Universally respected? I don't think so.

The hard truth is that in 2001 the Tories won by a huge margin as is shown to us by this pretty little
graph.

14:10 / 07.04.05

I've somehow ended up with a postal vote for sleepy old Pembrokeshire in SW Wales.

It's still a safe Labour seat I think, and most locals pretty much vote on the basis of their trust in the established local candidate (whose name I've conveniently forgotten).

So probably not much exciting, government-toppling action for me sadly. I'll probably vote Lib Dem by default.

lord henry strikes back

14:24 / 07.04.05

I vote in Islington North, and be honest, my mind is already made up. I am going to vote for:

Laura Willoughby (Lib Dem). She has already held several positions on islington council, including chief whip, and was the candidate for parliament in 2001, coming in 2nd. She joined the Lib Dems when she was 14 and has worked for a number of charitable organisations including Stonewall. Like most people, I'm voting for the party and not the individual, but Laura looks like she would be up to the task.

Saddly, none of this really matters. To win Islington North you have to get passed Jeremy Corbyn (Lab). An ex-trade union organiser, he has held the seat since 1983. In 2001 he was returned with a majority just shy of 13,000 votes. Even if I start today I don't think I've got the time left to steal and alter enough postal ballots to make a difference.

The only other name in the game is About Nicola (Con). At only 29 she is not a serious contender and has limited political experience. But frankly the Tories might as well put a goat up for election. In 2001 they polled only 10% of the vote, and any swing this time around will be from Labour to the Lib Dems.

As a final kick in the teeth, in 2001 turnout was less than 50%. God I'm depressed.

lord henry strikes back

14:25 / 07.04.05

Sorry, the Tory candidate is actually called Nicola Talbot.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

17:13 / 07.04.05

Well, my constituency has Andrew Dismore as MP and his support seems fairly solid, so that means I don't have to vote Tory (who are in a distant second place) and can give my vote to a candidate who won't get in either, but isn't Tory. Thus democracy is satisfied!

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:36 / 21.04.05

The choice in Holborn and St Pancras is between this lot:

Frank Gordon Dobson - The Labour Party Candidate
Jill Eileen Fraser - Liberal Democrats
Margot Cathleen James - The Conservative Party Candidate
Adrian John Oliver - Green Party
'Rainbow' George Weiss - Vote for Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket

I will be voting for Jill Fraser, despite the fact that I am thoroughly unconvinced by the Lib Dems' current claim that "Many people will remember the principled and consistent Liberal Democrat opposition to the war in Iraq" - that's not how I remember it, Charlie boy - and there are some Lib Dem policies with which I'm not in agreement (increased numbers of Officer Po on the street, a ban on smoking in public places). In the absence of a Respect candidate, Jill will do. I can't really explain why I'm not going to vote Green, but I'm not.

Compared to some Labour cronies Frank Dobson isn't too bad - but he's hardly one of the people fighting the good fight, is he? A mixture of for and against Labour's anti-terrorism laws; A mixture of for and against the Iraq war; Moderately for introducing ID cards - he can fuck off and die, essentially.

I trust nobody needs me to explain why I won't be voting for 'Rainbow' or the Tories. Finish this sentence with any crime of misdeed you like: "Voting Tory is worse than ________." This is a fact.

Not in the Face

15:12 / 21.04.05

Lord Henry - without breaking confidences, Willoughby, in my personal experience is an extremely two-faced person, willing to screw over her principles and stated beliefs for the sake of getting ahead in the party - much like the entire Lib Dem party in Islington to be honest, but then she'll be great for Parliament. Mind you so did Nicola 'I'll misquote you to score points' Talbot. While I generally agree with voting for parties not people, when I could vote in Islington I was happy with Jeremy Corbyn because at least he did seem to follow through on his statements.

Of course free advice on the internet isn't worth the paper its printed on etc

Flyboy - I'm with you, if only to try my best to whittle down the Conservatives; given the lead Frank has its unlikely to do anything else.

22:01 / 21.04.05

Who's my boy in Crosby come May 5th?

Meet Jim; a top bloke with a top mustache.

22:45 / 21.04.05

The list of candidate standing my consitituency based one campaign leaflets (no one has doorstepped me yet) is

Jef Foulger - Liberal Democrat
Liam Curran - Labour

There is an independant candidate - Rod Reed - but He has not leafleted.

Neither has the sitting MP, and loyal Tory, Jacqui Lait, who, with her majority of just over 5,000 seems to be taking her constituency's support a bit for granted...

lord henry strikes back

11:30 / 22.04.05

Howard, I must admit that I've not really heard anything about the candidates themselves. Could you direct me to anything concete regarding Willoughby? To be honest I can't see it swinging me at this stage, but if she annoys me enough I might just throw my vote over to the Greens.

Flyboy, I think I've managed to complete your sentence in a way that makes a lie of it. How about:

Vothing Tory is worse than stealling a load of postal ballots, having them filled in by party activists, and using the to rig an election.

Not in the Face

12:22 / 22.04.05

Re: Laura Willoughby; nothing I could mail I'm afraid - its more an antipathy generated by meeting her and watching her in action. So the best I can do is say that she's not evil or lying in her expressed opinions, just that in her work in the Council she comes across as someone who would put her career first, while Corbyn has shown as MP that he is willing to speak up for his beliefs in parliament and go against the party line.

However it doesn't really change the fact that you don't know either of them and have the fairly reasonable argument of voting for the party and not the person so I would go with your gut instinct