Optimism all round as Hartlepool decides

Matthew Tempest reports from a rainy Hartlepool, where cautious hope is the order of the day in today's byelection

As dawn broke over a wet, grey and rainy Hartlepool this morning, the lights were on in the Liberal Democrats' makeshift HQ as candidate Jody Dunn was enjoying a bacon sandwich and checking the weather reports.

"It's not THE most exciting day of my life," she said, "because I've had four children. But it is certainly one of the most exciting."

As scores of young and slightly bedraggled campaign activists milled around the former TSB bank around her, she expressed relief that nine weeks of constant campaigning were almost behind her.

She said: "I'll be glad to get the dirty tricks out of the way. I'm not a political naive, but it's been a nasty campaign." Talking of Labour's attacks on her living outside the constituency, she said: "You can choose to go on policies rather than the personal vitriol.

"That said, if Iain Wright [the Labour candidate] wins tonight, I shall shake his hand and wish him well - but we are quietly optimistic."

Lord Rennard, the Lib Dems' campaigns maestro, interrupted to joke: "And this rain just gives disaffected Labour voters one more reason not to vote."

Over at the Kingsley primary school, Mr Wright arrived to vote with his two-year-old daughter Hatty proudly wearing a large red Labour rosette almost the size of her head.

But there were ugly scenes as Mr Wright emerged from the polling station - the school he had attended as a youngster - when around 20 protesters from the Fathers4Justice group surrounded the candidate and heckled him with shouts of "how come you can see your daughter, but because of your government, I can't see mine".

As a chant of "shame! shame!" went around, Mr Wright's daughter was clearly upset and bewildered by the attention.

Mr Wright himself had nothing to say to reporters beyond repeating that he was "quietly confident - but not complacent". Asked if he had written his maiden speech yet, he joked: "Not yet."

Perhaps riled by the Guardian's declaration today for the Lib Dems, his press minder last night told this reporter: "There will be absolutely no cooperation with journalists writing a story at all. All we are concerned about is getting the Labour vote out, and if you turn up at the office you will be sent away with a flea in your ear and we won't even tell you where the candidate is."

That position later changed to allow the photo opportunity as Mr Wright cast his vote.

After two months' solid electioneering, Hartlepool almost feels like a town under siege. Avenues of placards line every road approaching the town, and the 14-strong field ensures that an image of batman, a cabinet minister, or George Galloway is never far away.

At 12.15pm, the Fathers4Justice group, whose candidate Paul Watson is standing, staged one of their customary stunts, with batman and robin figures climbing the town hall roof and attempting to hang a banner, watched by police and bemused local shoppers.

At around midnight tonight either the Lib Dems will end 40 years of Labour hegemony in Hartlepool - or Tony Blair will be able to claim that five days of intensive domestic policy announcements at his Brighton conference have reinvigorated Labour's core support.

At polling stations this morning, a steady flow of mostly elderly voters braved the drizzle to cast their votes.

Being a compact constituency, the candidates will gather tonight at the Mill House leisure centre for a result just two hours after the polls close at 10pm - unless, as is plausible, a close vote entails a recount which will delay the verdict of the voters of Hartlepool by at least an hour.

POSTCARDS FROM THE CAMPAIGN

This page contains 8 postcards from the Hartlepool by-election campaign. Hope you like them.

Catwoman, Batman & Robin do their thing...

Catwoman Pole Dance for the Soccer Crowds

A member of the campaign group Fathers 4 Justice from the East Anglia region protested on Tuesday evening during the game between Hartlepool United and Hull.

Nija Levis from Northwold, Norfolk dressed as Catwoman, handcuffed herself to the goal post and performed a short pole dance just before the start of the second half and was received with loud applause from the crowd. She was removed by police and released without charge.

The stunt was in support of the Fathers 4 Justice candidate in the Hartlepool by-election which takes place tomorrow (Thursday Sept 30).

Nija is the co-ordinator for the Purplehearts, a group within Fathers 4 Justice that supports Grandparents, new partners and extended family of F4J members took the action to highlight the fact that it is not only the father who is denied access to his children.

'Batman and Robin' in by-Election Protest

Fathers 4 Justice campaigner Jason Hatch is back on the protest trail just days after writing a letter of apology to the Queen for his stunt at Buckingham Palace.

The 33-year-old Batman protester and colleague David Pyke, 43, have scaled a historic ship in Hartlepool Marina ahead of the town’s by-election tomorrow night.

A spokesman for the group said the pair could remain on the ship until the by-election voting ends.

Dressed as Batman, the Fathers 4 Justice campaigner, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, used just a ladder to gain access to the Royal household and staged a five-hour balcony protest.

Today he has scaled HMS Trincomalee, a fully restored 1817 Navy frigate berthed in the town.

Mike Kelly, of Fathers 4 Justice, said the two men were prepared to stay up the masts until the election ends.

He said: “Batman and Robin have arrived in Hartlepool and their message is simple.

“Fight crime by voting for Batman.

“They intend to stay on the ship for a long time. The by-election ends tomorrow night and who knows, they could be up there until then.”

The protesters are campaigning in support Fathers 4 Justice candidate Paul Watson who is contesting the Hartlepool by-election.

Last week, other campaigners from the group, scaled the Transporter Bridge, in neighbouring Middlesbrough, to launch Mr Watson’s election campaign.

Source

Lib Dem candidate promises an upset in Hartlepool

Independent

It is 8pm on the evening before the last full day of campaigning in the Hartlepool by-election and the orange- encrusted headquarters for the Liberal Democrat campaign is a blur of activity.

Volunteers are coming and going, telephones are being worked, envelopes stuffed, lists of voters scrutinised. Their candidate, Jody Dunn, a barrister and mother of four, returns exhilarated from the battlefront; people round here don't like their doors knocked after dark, but there's still plenty of work to do.

They've been at it for eight weeks in an attempt to pull off a famous victory in a Labour stronghold now up for grabs following the departure of Peter Mandelson for Brussels and energy levels remain high. "We haven't packed up before midnight for weeks now," Ms Dunn says, "and some people will be here all night. A lot of people are making up their minds in the last 24 hours. We think we can do it.''Around the corner, in South Road, the headquarters of the Labour candidate, Iain Wright, the red metal shutters are pulled down. Mr Wright is watching his beloved Hartlepool United; everyone else seems to have called it a night. Is the Labour team simply displaying confidence their majority of 14,571 will hold up? Or is Mr Wright guilty of complacency? Today, the voters of Hartlepool will deliver their verdict. But there are signs they could be about to deliver a serious shock to Labour; getting close to a Labour defeat would be a serious blow, bigger than their recent victories in Brent East and Leicester, where they were helped by a sizeable anti-Iraq Muslim vote. Here the Muslim vote is negligible; victory would be stunning...

...Mr Wright was out canvassing earlier this week. Mick Hill, the party's regional organiser, maintains the vote is holding up but there's a suspicious lack of "Vote Wright" posters around.

Mr Wright himself, a personable individual and a father of three, looks like the young accountant he is. Word has it he was deliberately chosen as the candidate "most unlike Mandelson"; some local Labour councillors have declined their support, accusing him of being a lightweight puppet. His only shared characteristics with Mr Mandelson are a fashionable haircut and an ability to deliver New Labour platitudes on cue...

...Working the shopping centre yesterday, Ms Dunn impressed potential voters. But they too, despite the candidates' views that Iraq was not an issue, happily link distrust of Labour at local and national level: Bernard Robertson, 69, and his wife, Margaret, 64, lifelong Labour voters, will back her tonight. "We like her - and we don't like Blair any more. I don't think he's going to be leader for much longer.'' Another woman - "just call me Joan" - said: "I'm a lifelong Conservative and she's convinced me. I'm voting for her and so are my daughter and son-in-law. The war has done it for us." Dwayne Thomas, 23, a cable puller, accepted his orange sticker happily: "It [Blair's speech] wasn't much of an apology was it?''

Jason Alexander, 35, managing director of the local radio station and a former Labour voter, added: 'The town needs a change. I hope Jody will get in. She's her own person, she'll stand up and speak out and not be a poodle for anybody.'' In this fierce battle, Jeremy Middleton, the equally presentable Conservative candidate, a small business consultant from Newcastle, but chosen only in September, is struggling to be heard; his team recognises the soft Labour vote is more likely to go to the Liberal Democrats than to him, while Stephen Allison, the United Kingdom Independence Party candidate, will be expected to take some of his vote.

Mr Middleton's problem was summed up by Brian Chisholm, 69, a retired production engineer, whom he encountered yesterday in the seaside suburb of Seaton. Mr Chisholm, describing himself as a "classic floating voter", told him: "I don't think you have enough strength to get them out, so I'm making my protest with the Lib Dems.'' He said: "We've been lied to by Blair and there's no way did I believe his apology.''

On Wednesday night, Mr Wright saw his team draw 3-3 with Hull, but squeak through to the next round of the LDV Cup on penalties. Whether Mr Wright escapes defeat by a narrow margin, we will learn much later tonight.

All to play for in Hartlepool

Guardian

...The Lib Dems have flooded the town with activists and posters. And yesterday's final Lib Dem flyer, distributed to all 40,000 households in the town and adjoining villages, proclaimed a "photo-finish" and urged waverers to vote to save the local hospital.

For good measure, it carried a photo of George Bush with Tony Blair, though Iraq has not been as important as crime, antisocial behaviour and the NHS in this intensely local contest where a candidate's birthplace is an issue.

So much so that when Hartlepool United drew 2-2 with Hull this week, Labour flyers were handed out showing Mr Wright in local colours and Ms Dunn in rival Darlington strip because she used to live 20 miles away.

Labour also recycles her misplaced blog joke that locals are "either drunk, flanked by an angry dog or undressed". When she repeated the remark on BBC radio, it was put up on a special Labour phone line, its number circulated by text message.

In Labour's eve-of-poll flyer (also 40,000 copies) it is contrasted with Mr Wright's wholesome verdict: "hard-working, loyal and proud, with a great sense of humour".

Lib Dem officials admit Labour is still ahead by eight wards to seven, with two "too close to call".

The Tory candidate, Jeremy Middleton, is struggling not to save the second place the party held in 2001, but to beat Ukip's Malcolm Allison into third place.

Odds offered by William Hill confirm the cautious predictions of local journalists, with Labour the strong favourite at four to one on; the Lib Dems 11/4 against; and the Tories at 20/1, ahead of Ukip on 40/1.

Final push in Hartlepool

Read the full report at ePolitix.com

Campaigning in the Hartlepool by-election heads into its final 48 hours today.

....Labour has accused the Lib Dems of failing to select a local candidate.

The party claims Jody Dunn is not living in the constituency - in contrast to its man Iain Wright.

But Charles Kennedy says Hartlepool voters should use tomorrow's poll to send the prime minister a message.

"Tony Blair talks about winning trust and urges people to look back at his party's manifesto pledges. Has he already forgotten that he broke his promise at the last election not to introduce tuition fees?" he said.....

....The Conservatives, meanwhile, hope to retain second place in order to boost Michael Howard's flagging leadership.

Tory candidate Jeremy Middleton claims Lib Dem supporters are switching to the Conservatives as polling day looms.

The battle of Hartlepool

Following up the Guardian report on Tuesday, the letters section makes interesting reading today. Here is one letter, others can be seen at Letters

Wednesday September 29, 2004
The Guardian

If the energetic Liberal Democrat campaign in Hartlepool produces another spectacular success, it will be the result not only of the qualities of the candidate Jody Dunn, but also of Labour's extraordinarily risky battle plan (Labour faces byelection rift, September 28).

In Brent last year Labour ignored the Lib Dems, maintaining an absurd pretence that the fight was with the Tories and coming unstuck in a constituency with a large anti-war ethnic minority element whose support for Labour was far from visceral.

This might have been right for Hartlepool, typically white and old Labour; but a reversal of strategy has seen the persistent targeting of the Lib Dems with venomous publicity, for example parodies of diamond bird-of-liberty posters with such slogans as "Soft On Drugs". Labour leaflets consist largely of personal attacks on Dunn, accusing her, among other things, of not being a Hartlepool United supporter.

This probably reflects the tension between the constit uency party and the national leadership, which just assumed that Hartlepool was safe. Labour has campaigned negatively because, apart from reminding voters repeatedly of Iain Wright's local credentials, it couldn't think of anything else to do; if he wins, Labour may conclude that the end justified the means.
Andrew Connell
Appleby, Cumbria

Today Hartlepool, tomorrow ...

The Guardian has given us the the best by-election report - EVER - with this item from Tuesday's G2.

The web version comes in two parts and is a must read for anyone looking at this blog.

I have taken three chunks relating to the Labour, Tory and Lib Dem campaigns in Hartlepool and presented them below.

They give a good account of the goings-on in each camp, but it really is worth taking the time to read the full story.

PART ONE

PART TWO

Today Hartlepool, tomorrow ... Labour

A Wright local difficulty

Local Labour members have broken their silence about Wright in the closing days of the campaign. Not only are many not campaigning for him. They will not even vote for him, and are plotting to deselect him before the next general election.

"I predict," said Keith Fisher, a member of 30 years, "that regardless of how this Thursday's election goes, there will be a new candidate standing here for Labour in the general election."

The anger dates back to the candidate selection process in August. Members were given 24 hours to submit nominations by email. Twenty six were submitted, including several long-serving councillors, Mandelson's old election agent, and a former MEP. The NEC vetted them, and presented the local party with a shortlist of three. Wright was the only Hartlepool name on it. "Local, long-standing members, not even allowed to stand before their own local party? Judged unsuitable even to look at! How can that be? It was shocking - a disgrace," Fisher said. "We were given a choice of one. We felt railroaded into it, and we're seething. I can only assume the NEC had an image of what they wanted, someone who'd say yes to everything and wouldn't rock the boat. And that's Iain Wright for sure. He's a lightweight."

One of the rejected nominees, a Labour councillor called Robbie Payne, told me had offered to bet another member £1,000 that he could put the name of the winning candidate an envelope, before the entire selection process had begun. "It's hard to say anything about it without people thinking it's just sour grapes, but the truth is Iain's exactly what New Labour want," he sighed. "A typical puppet, so they can pull his strings. He's got no politics; he doesn't believe in anything." Others were praying" he would lose. Their anger had been stoked by an offer Wright's team had made last month to the local mayor, an independent. In return for the mayor's endorsement, Labour would stand a weak candidate against him at the next mayoral election. The mayor has declined to endorse anyone.

Labour won't allow me into their HQ, according to angry members, because the office has had to employ hired hands to stuff envelopes and carry out deliveries. Come the general election, when the budget for this is no longer available, Labour will need the support the local members currently boycotting Wright's campaign - and this will trigger Wright's deselection. "If he's really the right candidate for us, well then he'll win selection again, won't he?" shrugged Cllr Payne. Fisher said he "measured" Wright by the manner of his selection. But the NEC's decisions were not the candidate's, and there is a danger that with Wright so tightly chaperoned, the vacuum has been filled with unjust speculation. Wright has been a councillor for three years, so has his own record to stand on. Supposing he were elected on Thursday, I asked him what he thought he would be remembered for on the council.

"I think I'd say, being courteous and responsive to local issues. I've tried to be as local a councillor as possible."

But apart from being local, what else did he offer? The question seemed to throw him. "Well, I'm local-"

But so was the taxi driver outside - and many of the names rejected by the NEC. If he excluded being local, could he describe his other qualities?

"Well you see I don't think you can exclude it. You see, I'll live in the town." But Blair is seldom in Sedgefield, and presumably he didn't think the prime minister ought not be its MP. He looked blank.

"I think I'm bright." He paused. "I think I'm articulate. I've been to university. I can string a sentence together." Then he relapsed. "I think it's absolutely fantastic that one of our own could be going to parliament on Thursday."

Could he name a single Labour party policy he would be willing to argue against in parliament? "That's a difficult one." He thought about it. "I would say on a whole range of issues, like the economy, like education, like foreign policy, the Labour government is moving in the right direction."

Today Hartlepool, tomorrow ... Lib Dem

First woman to stand in Hartlepool since 1943

Jody Dunn is the first woman to stand in Hartlepool since 1943, and in the early days campaign workers were still sneaking stunned glances at her, as though fearful she might vanish into smoke. Her one disadvantage was geography, for she came from a village called Gainford, near Darlington (30 miles down the road), so was not technically a local. But no one considered this a serious problem - and, besides, she had moved into a marina apartment the day after her selection. Fordham seemed at a loss to articulate her qualities. "Well, you've met her," he would give up, spreading his hands. What else was there to say?

On August 27, Dunn had written in her blog about a dispiriting evening out canvassing with Simon Hughes. "It didn't just rain last night, it poured," she wrote. "In fact the evening became one of the more farcical moments of the campaign. We'd picked what appeared at first to be a fairly standard row of houses. As time went on however, we began to realise that everyone we met was either drunk, flanked by an angry dog or undressed."

The blog had continued with a joke about how Dunn looked like Worzel Gummidge in the rain. Ed Fordham had checked the copy as usual before posting it online. Nothing he read had sounded alarm bells.

The Labour printing machines turned again, and this time Hartlepool woke up to the news on its doormat that Dunn had accused them all of being "either drunk, flanked by an angry dog, or undressed".

Yet gradually, before everyone's eyes, the town was turning orange. More and more Jody Dunn posters were appearing in Labour strongholds, eclipsing the spots of red in windows. The Lib Dems had simply refused to believe the NOP poll, and had marshalled an army of activists from accross the country.

The message was a shrewd conflation of disaffection with Blair, and concern for the hospital. Labour can't be trusted on the hospital, their leaflets insisted; Blair has lied before, and he's lying again. The canvassing line never wavered; if you're fed up with Labour, Jody Dunn is your first chance in 40 years for a change . . .

The Lib Dem printers hummed through the night: Labour can't be trusted on the hospital, the Lib Dem leaflets insisted; Blair has lied before, and he's lying again. Their message never wavered; if you're fed up with Labour, Jody Dunn is your first chance in 40 years for a change.

On the doorstep, she charmed and dazzled: "Give me a chance. If I'm rubbish, you can get rid of me at the general election next May. Just try me out." A woman opened one door and began screaming: "You've got a cheek coming here! I heard what you said about people in Hartlepool!" She jabbed a finger hysterically. "How dare you?" Ten minutes later, Dunn walked away, and a Lib Dem poster went up in the window.

Today Hartlepool, tomorrow ... Tory

"knock loudly" at the former beauty parlour

The Conservative party rented a former beauty parlour on York Road, so had to improvise the office around rows of old washbasins. To the hilarity of their rivals, a note on the door in the early days advised visitors to "knock loudly", and although it was soon removed, an ominously forsaken calm prevailed. The shutters were usually down by 7pm.

One might have expected the Tories to show more concern to make up for lost time. More than six weeks after Mandelson's announcement, their candidate had still been mysteriously unforthcoming. There was talk of a crisis, and rumours were rife - it was a Central Office plot to damage Liam Fox, notionally responsible for the campaign; alternatively, it was a plot to discredit Michael Howard.

When a name was finally announced, the party put the delay down to its concern to "make sure we had found absolutely the right candidate". Jeremy Middleton is unquestionably impressive; a self-made millionaire from Newcastle, 43, he is the only candidate to have previously stood for parliament. But his "rightness" was somewhat undermined by the string of names known to have declined the candidacy before him.

I called Central Office shortly after his selection.
"Yes, one of us will be appointed in the next 48 hours to run the show," a voice sighed. "Then they'll go and set up camp up there, I suppose, and put up the tents, and send up some outriders and redcoats and what not. And then I suppose we'll wait to be slaughtered."

Ghosts of grander days still graced the Tory HQ; the smart suits, the luxurious battle bus. Nothing of the sort elevated the Ukip campaign, which squashed itself into an old clothes shop at the other end of York Road, and had to make to do at first without even phone lines. The wild profusion of union flags suggested perhaps a village fete more than a political party, and the campaign got off to a wobbly start.

For the Tories to escape catastrophe, they had to convince their supporters that a vote for Middleton wasn't a waste. It was a feasible ambition, for local Tory voters are largely unfamiliar with tactical voting. As Kemp put it, "If you're going to be a Tory here, you might as well be proud of it, 'cause you ain't going to win anything." To this end, the Tory campaign settled on crime as its big campaign issue.

It wasn't a bad idea, for crime strikes a real chord in Hartlepool, and Middleton has a touch of John Major - a decent man, clearly clever. But out canvassing, his conversation often sounded like a business pitch to an investment bank, and matters weren't helped by his height. He had a tendency to talk down to voters, his nerves translating as impatience. The primitive challenge of asking poor, uneducated, elderly people for their support seemed to defeat him.

"What if I told you," he threw at them. "That I had a plan to take every single hard drug user off the streets of Hartlepool. Would that make a difference?" They nodded politely, and looked utterly perplexed. Fortunately for Middleton, few pressed him to explain how this policy would work, for when I did he soon unravelled on the detail. The more serious problem was that they did not appear to take it seriously.

SPOTLIGHT ON: IRAQ & DEFENCE

SPOTLIGHT ON: IRAQ & DEFENCE

Let's have a look at how the candidates shape up on the subjects of IRAQ & DEFENCE.

LABOUR
I believe that the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein and his murderous regime in power. Our ultimate aim is a democratic, free Iraq that can fully defend itself. I will continue to press for investment in our defence forces and I want our forces to be able to withstand any threat to Britain.


CONSERVATIVE
Iraq and the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein in power, but Iraq is an unnecessary mess. We want to leave a democracy in Iraq - not a country where barbaric, medieval acts of violence are the norm. The Lesson we should learn is that our armed forces serve our Country, not the whims of the Prime Minister of the day.


LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
While everyone agrees that Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator, the fall-out of the war has been a less stable Iraq & Middle East. Only the Liberal Democrats took an early and principled stance against the war. For those who feel let down by Labour over the war, this by-election is an opportunity to send a message to Tony Blair.


UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY
We should not be in Iraq. I would bring the troops home immediately. As MP I would support a strong defence of our country by land, sea and air. I could never accept the loss of sovereignty that would come with the surrender of control of our armed forces to the European Union.


RESPECT
Respect is proud to stand with the millions of British people who oppose the disastrous American-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. We are the only party to demand that the troops be brought home immediately. 66 young soldiers and countless Iraqi people have died to date. We must end this madness now.


ENGLISH DEMOCRATS
English Democrats believe in strong, well-funded armed forces to defend our country. We believe the Iraq war was badly executed and weakly justified. We oppose the Government's plan to hand power over our armed forces to the European Union Defence Force.


PHIL BERRIMAN
Manipulation of oil assets is top of the American and our agenda in Iraq. We turn a blind eye to human rights abuse when it suits us and make billions from arms we sell them to kill each other, it's no wonder they hate us. They use your money to control the oil that makes them rich from the tax, kills innocents and our misled military.


RONNIE CARROLL
Though millions of us took to the streets to say "Not in our name" with regards to invading Iraq, we have been led into one of the most shameful episodes in our history. Tony Blair has neither defence nor credence. He must be made to go, and quickly. The good people of Hartlepool can speed his departure. It would be wrong to vote Wright in this election.


SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY
Of all the spin, lies and deceit of this New Labour government, the untruths told to justify the illegal war with Iraq must be the most obscene. We believe Britain should abandon the aggressive military policies of a bygone imperialist age and divert resources to the welfare of our own people.


THE COMMON GOOD PARTY
What we are doing in Iraq is crucial for the welfare of the people of Iraq, the Middle East and the world. It is a watershed. We need to keep our nerve. I disagree with the prime minister in some other areas but I respect him for his courage and hard work in this operation and for his efforts to build international consensus.


GREEN PARTY
The Green Party opposed the illegal Iraq war from the start and continued opposing the warmongering governments even after the troops went in. The only way terrorism can be reduced is by declaring 'peace' and addressing the grievances and problems that generate it. It will take a long time but that's the way Northern Ireland's problems have been dealt with.


NATIONAL FRONT
Only use British troops for the defence of Britain and British interests. Retain the regimental system, preserving our established regiments local and historical roots. Britain should retain an independent nuclear deterrent. Our troops must be under the full control of the British government at all times.


FATHERS 4 JUSTICE
The Iraqi people have been freed from a tyrant ruler, responsible for the deaths of millions of people. Ironic then that 300,000 children have lost their father in the family courts since this government came to power. They ignored the people who marched to stop the war. If you are tired of not being listened to, give us the mandate and we will make them listen.


OFFICIAL MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY
Iraq is for stacking CD's - Defence is for sitting on - we would creosote all defences every month to stop politicians sitting on them.

Hartlepool will decide Blair's future

Yesterday Brown again proved why he is the natural successor to Blair. But this is not a new revelation. Everyone knows, and most Labour people still accept, that Brown is the leader in waiting. However, everyone also knows that Brown is extremely cautious - with the striking exception of last year's taunting speech - about forcing the issue.

Ironically, that dilemma may be taken out of Brown's hands on Thursday. For both Blair and Brown the most important scheduled event of the week takes place on the North Sea coast rather than the south coast. Thursday's Hartlepool byelection is the kind of contest that used to galvanise the whole of party politics and political journalism. Today, with byelections more ruthlessly controlled from the centre and hence less characterful, such contests are less high profile. But they still matter just as much as they used to.

It has been a long time since a party leader's future hung on the future of a byelection. But it is true of Blair and Hartlepool on Thursday. If the Liberal Democrat Jody Dunn manages to suck up the anti-Labour vote to defeat Labour's Iain Wright, then Blair's grip on power would be rocked. Blair has sometimes said that he would not hang around if he thought he was a liability to his party's electoral chances. Defeat for Labour on Thursday would leave him staring that conclusion in the face.

The more intriguing scenario, though, concerns the aftermath of a Labour victory. If Wright is elected to replace Peter Mandelson, then Labour will judge that the electoral sea-wall has held against the high tide of disaffection with the Blair government. A Wright victory will lead Labour to conclude that Blair is safe to lead the party into the general election.

It all depends on the scale of the Labour victory. Mandelson had a 38-point lead when he retained the seat in 2001. If Wright sees off the challengers with a win of that kind, then Blair is entitled to conclude that the worst is over. But if the lead is down to single figures, Labour MPs all around the country will be looking down the barrel of a gun. And that could start a process that even Gordon Brown's hard-wired caution may be unable to resist.

Guardian

Labour faces by-election rift

Local members threaten to oust candidate before general election if he wins Hartlepool poll

Labour party members in Hartlepool are threatening to deselect their candidate before the general election, even if he wins Thursday's byelection.

Unhappiness with the national party's control over the candidate's selection process has prompted some to boycott Iain Wright's campaign. Fewer than half of the town's 25 councillors have actively taken part.

Keith Fisher, a former president of the Hartlepool branch, and member for 30 years, said: "Regardless of how this Thursday's election goes, I predict there will be a new candi date standing here for Labour in the general election."

When Peter Mandelson announced in July that he would be moving to Brussels, the local party made it clear it did not want him to be replaced with another outsider.

Twenty-six nominations, including several town councillors, Mr Mandelson's former election agent and a former local MEP, were submitted, and then vetted by Labour's NEC. The NEC presented the local party with a shortlist, and Iain Wright was the only Hartlepool name on it.

"We were given a choice of one. We felt railroaded into it, and we're seething. Local, long-standing members, not even allowed to stand before their own local party? How can that be? It was shocking - a disgrace," Mr Fisher said. "I can only assume the NEC had an image of what they wanted, someone who'd say yes to everything and wouldn't rock the boat."

Ray Waller, a councillor for 41 years, said: "A number of us were surprised there was only one local candidate, and I think once we have got the election over with there will be a discussion, when we make our minds up whether or not to stick with Iain.

"I think it would have given Iain more credibility within the party if other local candidates had been on the shortlist, and that's a view that most party members would share."

Two-thirds of the local party stayed away from the meeting at which Mr Wright was selected.

Robbie Payne, a councillor for the last nine years and cabinet member for four, was one of the nominees rejected by the NEC, and is supporting calls for a new selection process after the election.

"Iain's exactly what New Labour want," he said.

Anger intensified last month when it became known that Mr Wright's team had offered the local mayor, an independent, a deal for his support. In return for the mayor's endorsement, Labour offered to stand a weak candidate against him at the next mayoral election. The mayor has declined to endorse anyone.

Many members are unhappy with the tone of Mr Wright's campaign, which has focused on attacks against the Liberal Democrat candidate's character, and on a promise to "clear the streets of yobs and thugs".

"I've worked in every general election since 1955," said Mr Waller, "and it's always been focused on the issues.

"I've delivered leaflets on a couple of occasions this time, and I'm not very happy with the way personality attacks have been the main focus." The budget for a byelection is £100,000, but in the general election the branch will be allowed less than £20,000, and have to rely on local voluntary activists.

This support will not be forthcoming, according to Mr Fisher, unless the selection process is allowed to take place again.

Iain Wright said the NEC's choice of shortlist was not a matter for him to discuss. "We are reinvigorating the party. We have 30 new members as a result of this byelection."

Guardian

COMMENT

I heard the same thing from Labour members in Hodge Hill.

UKIP sabotage poll

An online poll asking readers to vote for the best candidate for Prime Minister was scrapped today – after Robert Kilroy-Silk came top.

The Bruges Group, a Euro-sceptic think-tank, organised the ballot but earlier withdrew the results from its website saying they had been “sabotaged”.

One computer had voted for UKIP MEP Kilroy-Silk more than 1,400 times pushing Tony Blair into second place, said the group’s director Robert Oulds.

Before the results were scrapped, a UKIP spokesman said that Kilroy-Silk had 1521 votes, Blair 691, UKIP leader Roger Knapman 284, Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy 242, Conservative leader Michael Howard 119, and Chancellor Gordon Brown 92.

Scotsman

The real battleground is Hartlepool

...Mr Blair will undoubtedly have something special saved up for his conference speech. He is a gifted speaker, blessed with a biblical mix of modesty and self-belief. But if he fails to win over his audience, the spring wobble that never was may become a very real autumn one.

The real battleground for him, however, is not in Brighton, but Hartlepool, where voters will turn out for a by-election on Thursday. Labour's hold on the seat is under threat from the Liberal Democrats, Britain's third party and the only significant parliamentary opposition to the war in Iraq. Their vote against the invasion now looks like the smartest piece of decision-making in recent British political history.

Opinion polls put them at just a few a few points behind Labour and the Conservatives.

Labour Party workers think that they will hold the seat, but accept the electorate is volatile and could turn nasty. A loss would not be a fatal to Mr Blair but it would underscore the biggest question mark next to his name: Is he still an electoral asset? The next few days, in Brighton and Hartlepool, should go some way to giving the Labour Party an answer.

Sydney Morning Herald

"My Mam and Nan know about 90% of the town"

Labour's man, Iain Wright - "Wright from the town, Wright for the town" - is, as he is quick to point out, "Hartlepool born and bred".

"Your Mam used to do my hair," a woman proudly informs the 32-year-old accountant as he tours one of the town's sprawling council estates.

"My Mam and Nan know about 90% of the town. It is a very close knit town, with a strong sense of community," he says.

"I think Peter Mandelson was a huge asset for the town. He put it on the map politically and people are grateful to him for that.

"But now that Peter Mandelson has decided to go to Europe, I think local people want a local person representing them."

BBC News Online

Conservative leaflets and advertisements

Listed below are a selection of Hartlepool Conservatives' recent leaflets, fliers and advertisements.

They are in PDF format (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open).

Hartlepool News

Hartlepool Challenger

North East Assembly fails the business test

Standing up for Britain

Vote for what you believe in

If 25 extra politicians is the answer...

UKIP: Upset is still on the cards

A message from Roger Knapman MEP
Leader of the U.K. Independence Party
Dear UKIP Member/Supporter

I am writing to you to bring you up to date with the situation in the Hartlepool by-election campaign.

Our candidate, Stephen Allison, and his team have been working hard, with every house in the constituency leafleted at least twice, and with canvass returns completed for several wards already. Our telephone canvass teams have been calling local residents in Hartlepool for the past few days, and with very encouraging results. Of 1,600+ calls made, the definite UKIP vote represents in excess of 15 per cent proving that an upset is still on the cards.

UKIP

Latest Liberal Democrats canvassing

Hartlepool canvassing latest
(Message from Chris Rennard)

My Hartlepool canvass analysis confirms that the Liberal Democrat
conference has been a great success. We also made good gains in council by-elections last night in places as far apart as Basildon and Blyth Valley.

My reckoning now is that of the seventeen wards in Hartlepool we are
narrowly ahead in seven, behind in eight - and two wards too close to
call. More importantly, things are moving our way.

There is a fantastic spirit up here - and I am certainly not leaving
until after polling day.

The whole party is indebted to the people who have been working up here for many weeks now and to the hundreds of people who have been to help for a day or two or much longer.

But winning will not be a push-over. Labour have many members and
helpers in this part of the world who will be working hard to overcome the reluctance of their traditional supporters to turn out this time.

To make Jody Dunn our 56th MP (and what a superb MP she will be !) we
still need many more people to help identify and get out to vote the
growing number of people who want Jody to be their MP.

We have had three extremely close Parliamentary by-elections in the last year. Hartlepool will be the fourth. Labour are clearly desperate.

Jody has been campaigning positively on saving the hospital, getting a better deal for pensioners and taking effective action on crime. But all Labour have to offer are crude personalised attacks.

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR E-MAIL SOURCE

National Front Campaign Update

National Front: Hartlepool Campaign Update

Thursday 24th September

Our activists have covered several areas with secondary campaign leaflets in the last week. Royal Mail has now delivered nearly half of the 45,000 election addresses we delivered to them on Tuesday, with 100% delivery expected by next Tuesday.

The response has been very encouraging so far, but with 14 candidates standing we need as much help as we can get to obtain a good result for Jim.

National Front

No trains to Hartlepool?

Green Party news from the Hartlepool by-election:

26 September 2004

No trains to Hartlepool?

Iris Ryder, Green Party candidate for the Hartlepool parliamentary by-elections today criticised national and regional rail services that are keeping Hartlepool a peripheral backwater.

She said:

"People complain that Hartlepool is a hard-to-reach backwater, but in the Durham Coast Line, we have the second most important north-south rail link in the region passing through the town. A little thought and minimal investment in rail services could give Hartlepool the transport access it deserves without generating more road traffic."

She continued: "Regional planners identify the A19-Durham Coast Line as a key strategic transport corridor linking Tyne & Wear with Teesside to the point where they are prepared to invest a fortune in a new Tyne Tunnel - yet they are apparently happy to see train services on the route reduced to less than one an hour. We deserve a 30min local stopping service, or better, between Sunderland and Stockton"

She added: "And we deserve long distance services too. At the moment, we have one - just one - Transpennine Express service running from Sunderland giving Hartlepool a direct service to Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool - and that is under threat. There is absolutely no reason why we should not have a two-hourly Transpennine Express serving Sunderland, Hartlepool and Stockton."

"Pressure is already on to reduce the number of Virgin Cross Country services running from Newcastle through Darlington due to a reported lack of capacity on that section of the East Coast Main Line. It would involve minimal cost to start some of these from Hartlepool instead - giving the town direct rail services to Birmingham and Bristol."

"It is blinkered Government transport policy that refuses to consider rail service provision from a local or regional perspective that is making Hartlepool 'peripheral'. And it doesn't help to describe roads schemes as an 'investment' while rail funding is always a 'subsidy'"

She concluded: "I call on all local and regional politicians to challenge Government on why they are doing so little for regional rail services for Hartlepool and for the North East."

Hartlepool Greens

Non-voters are for us

GEORGE WEISS - ELECTION AGENT FOR RONNIE CARROLL

"We've always claimed that sensible people won't vote in elections and that the non-voters are for us. That way we have a sweeping victory every time. It could happen again in Hartlepool"

Northern Echo

SPOTLIGHT ON: EDUCATION

SPOTLIGHT ON: EDUCATION

Let's have a look at how the candidates shape up on the subject of EDUCATION.

LABOUR
Education remains a top priority for Labour and the success of our effort is really beginning to show in Hartlepool. If we returned to the Tory days of neglect we'd be betraying a new generation.


CONSERVATIVE
It is a scandal that Hartlepool has both high unemployment and a skills shortage whilst we have young people capable of acquiring the skills to do these jobs. We must train our young people for the jobs that exist in the North-East - not push them into a degree for the sake of it.


LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
Tony Blair came to power promising his priority would be education, education, education, but for students and teachers the reality has been SATS, targets and stress. We would scrap many of the Government's targets and let teachers get on with the job of teaching.


UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY
Education, education, education. We all remember that Labour promise. What we got is spin, spin, spin. Labour promised not to introduce top up fees, another promise broken. I wound fight to remove unnecessary bureaucracy and the social engineering which denies our children the education they deserve.


RESPECT
We believe in an education system that is comprehensive and which gives each child an equal chance in life, regardless of his or her family circumstances. We need to provide our young people with youth clubs and other recreational provision. We are resolutely opposed to "top-up" fees.


ENGLISH DEMOCRATS
Tony Blair's promise that the heart of his policy would be "education, education, education" has proved largely empty. We want an English parliament to ensure that the curriculum includes equivalent teaching of our culture and history to that which happens in Scottish & Welsh schools.


PHIL BERRIMAN
Bullies and persistently disruptive children should be sent to special schools with teachers capable of controlling them, leaving those who want to teach and learn safely with a chance! Education should be free up to degree level as long as a certain
standard of effort is attained.


RONNIE CARROLL
Too many kids are leaving school not knowing the difference between right and wrong and holding authority in contempt. School children should be financially rewarded for their attendance and good behaviour.


SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY
Public schoolboy Tory Blair and his cabinet all benefited from free university education. We believe that grants should be restored and fees should be abolished. We are also in favour of a return to traditional funding mechanisms and the ending of the private finance initiative.


THE COMMON GOOD PARTY
If as a nation, we were devoted to making the world a fairer place for all, we would gain a national sense of vision. Our youth would see the adult world doing something admirable and would want to be part of it. Apprenticeships would help deliver a skilled workforce within a buoyant economy.


GREEN PARTY
We believe that children should be broadly educated to ensure that they have the ability to make their own, informed decisions about topics. They could also readily adapt to a job change, rather than having your child's education pigeon-holed to fit in with whatever jobs are available locally.


NATIONAL FRONT
Our aim is to give control of schools and what is taught in them, to local people, particularly the parents. Provide free school meals for all. Provide nursery education from the age of three. End University top up fees and make entry to university on merit and not the ability to pay.


FATHERS 4 JUSTICE
100 children per day lose contact with their fathers in the family courts and we wonder why there are problems in our schools. Children who are denied the love of both parents regularly under-perform at school. Give our children a sound foundation then we can build a strong education system.


OFFICIAL MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY
Bring back the six R's - reading, writing, arithmetic, rock'n'roll and a wrap across the knuckles. Corporal punishment in school never did me any harm. I'm sure I grew up better for it.

LATEST PRESS COVERAGE OF HARTLEPOOL

Sydney Morning Herald

...Polls in several newspapers showed that Labour is either just in front of or narrowly behind the Conservatives and the resurgent Liberal Democrats, who could steal another supposedly safe Labour seat in the Hartlepool by-election this Thursday.

Guardian Letters


Green side of Hartlepool
Failing to mention the Green candidate for Hartlepool is a sad omission from a story about a byelection in which "the town wants a local, local MP" (Guardian Report, September 18). The Green party candidate Iris Ryder was born and bred in Hartlepool and has been a local activist for 30 years...

Guardian

Blow to Blair as Iraq vote looms
Tony Blair last night lost the first round of his battle to refocus Labour's energies on a vote-winning domestic agenda when the party conference in Brighton backed calls for an emergency debate on Iraq, the most divisive controversy of his premiership.

Unless party managers can broker a compromise resolution it could result in an embarrassing defeat when delegates vote on Thursday - the day of the important Hartlepool byelection - and some urge the early recall of British troops....

Guardian

Big guns turn their fire on Kennedy
Labour big guns yesterday insisted that Britain's historic two-party system makes the coming general election a contest between Labour and the Conservatives.

But they turned a lot of their fire against the Liberal Democrats ahead of Thursday's Hartlepool byelection.

Iain Wright, Labour's candidate in Peter Mandelson's old seat, is defending a 14,571 majority against the Lib Dems' Jody Dunn.

But he is fighting it like a marginal.

Signals from both sides - the Lib Dems say it will be close - suggest Labour is increasingly confident of victory.

But the party took no chances on the opening day of its Brighton conference....

One vote could make the difference

Hartlepool Lib Dems

Just one vote may separate Lib Dem Jody Dunn from Labour on Thursday: Labour themselves have admitted that one vote could make the difference.

Labour remain hopeful that local people will want a loyal servant for Tony Blair at Westminster.

But the future of Hartlepool's hospital has dominated the campaign. Doubts about Labour's commitment to the hospital have been confirmed.

Labour candidate, Iain Wright, lost support when he couldn't remember if he had signed the "Save our Hospital" petition. According to the Sunday Times (26 September), "Labour nerves rattled ... Labour's campaign to retain Peter Mandelson's seat in Hartlepool is showing increasing signs of nervousness."

Meanwhile, Hartlepool's Conservative Leader, George Morris, won praise for his honest admission that the Conservatives could not win.

Conservative and UKIP voters are switching to the Lib Dems. That could tip the balance Jody Dunn's way.

Today, the Conservative co-chairman even told the News of the World that, "The Liberal Democrats are destroying Labour". He was commenting on a Populus opinion poll for the paper which saw the Liberal Democrats' support soar by seven points, while Labour dropped by eight.

BY-ELECTIONS BLOG REPORTS FROM HARTLEPOOL

By-elections Blog has been in the thick of the action in Hartlepool on the final Saturday of the campaign.

We approached Hartlepool from the South along the A689. The fields were full of orange and black diamonds which must be worrying for Jeremy Middleton.

As the fields gave way to the houses, the diamonds had to compete for space with some huge photo-posters proclaiming "Wright on your side", while the bill boards had been bought up by UKIP.

I did see two Conservative posters and even one yellow Loony party poster caught my eye.

All of this wet my appetite for what was to come as we moved along York Road.

The curbside barriers near the Middleton Grange shopping centre had been hi-jacked by Batman and UKIP, who had tied large yellow banners to them.

If these had failed to grab your attention then the noise from three or four loud hailers and the sight of Batman & Co. battling for space among the stalls of half a dozen other candidates could leave nobody in any doubt that the by-election circus was in town.

We parked the car and walked to Middleton Grange. Cat women handed us a leaflet followed closely by Batman & Robin. They were all supporting Paul Watson, the Fathers 4 Justice candidate who was
mingling among the shoppers, wearing a purple suit and carrying a large purple flag.

The next encounter was with a chap from UKIP. His leaflet said:

"Vote UK Independence Party and get our country back"
and
"Vote for Stephen Allison - The local man with Hartlepool's best interests at heart"

Next came the first of the stalls, One man from the Middleton camp, sat at a poster covered table, was handing out leaflets:

"And remember, according to a recent opinion poll for Channel 4 News, the Lib Dems are 33% behind Labour in Hartlepool. They can't win here, so a vote for them is a wasted vote"

I'm not sure that says much for what a vote for the Conservative would be worth given that the same poll put them 40% behind Labour, but there you are.

The next stall was Respect. They had stickers, badges and a large newspaper style leaflet proclaiming

"VOTE JOHN BLOOM - SAVE OUR HOSPITAL"

Other issues covered include: "Make Hartlepool a NO GO area for toxic dumping" and "Bring the troops home". There is also a message from George Galloway about Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Opposite the Respect stall we found Iris Ryder, the Green Party candidate, who was being careful only to hand out leaflets to those who asked for them. Given that most of the other leaflets being handed out were ending up on the ground, this seemed like a good idea for the party most associated with saving the planets resources and recycling.

She had a few words to say about this and also talked of "dirty tricks" by her opponents, such as disappearing placards while her back was turned. The leaflets set out the Greens policies on The Ghost Fleet, Hospital Closure, War & Terrorism, Migration, Europe, Jobs and Nuclear Power.

Next came Labour and the Lib Dems, who seemed to be fighting for the same spot. The Lib Dems were handing out leaflets about the Hospital:

"Labour's former Council Leader admits that they will not rule out closure of the hospital in the long term"

This was combined with collecting more signatures for their

"Save Our Hospital" petition.

Labour's approach was to hand out CD's containing the "Drunk, flanked by an angry dog or undressed" message from "Jody come lately".

Last but not least there was the English Democrats candidate, complete with his England flag and coffin. "Your Country Needs Your Vote" he shouts while handing out leaflets calling for an English parliament and a St. George's day bank holiday.

It was time to take a look at the party offices, which are all to be found in, or just off, York Road.

We started at the UKIP office, then came the Greens and Labour, which is in South Road. Here we found some demonstrators from the Pensions Action Group, with placards and leaflets. They were protesting about their treatment under the Labour government.

"Labour stole my pension" said one board while others depicted Tony Blair as Dick Turpin.

Next comes the Respect office complete with a double decker bus, which spent most of the afternoon driving up and down the main street blasting out that old Blues Brothers song - "Respect".

They were keen to advertise their evening of film and discussion, with film director Ken Loach and George Galloway, to be held on Tuesday evening.

Only two offices to go and next was the Liberal Democrats. Here we found Batman in action again. Fathers 4 Justice were protesting about Jody Dunn, who works in the field of Family Law in her job as a barrister. The empty building across the road has been taken over by the Labour Party who have decorated it with a series of large posters attacking the Lib Deems as being soft on yobs, drugs and crime.

The final stop was the Conservative office. No protests here, maybe this message to Batman did the trick?

LATEST PRESS COVERAGE OF HARTLEPOOL

THE LATEST PRESS COVERAGE OF HARTLEPOOL

The horrors of Baghdad haunt Blair's seaside stage-show
Telegraph.co.uk,
... Last week, it emerged that Labour's pollsters believe that three million voters have deserted Mr Blair because of his preoccupation with Iraq. Small wonder that Charles Kennedy, in his own conference speech last Thursday, called on voters to make the general election "the ultimate verdict" on the Prime Minister's conduct before, during and after the war. Indeed, a preliminary verdict will be delivered by Thursday's by-election in Hartlepool. ...

Sorrowful Blair urges unity in face of Iraq terror threat
Observer-Guardian,
... The BBC is also unlikely to screen extensive coverage of a potentially difficult Iraq debate on Thursday, following complaints from the Tories that endless film of Labour would unfairly affect the Hartlepool by-election due that day. ...

Fanatic Holds His Party Hostage
Sunday Herald,
... There is a real danger that Labour could lose the Hartlepool by-election this week – though to talk of the electoral consequences after the past terrible week seems almost indecent.

But such are the times. What is not in doubt is that when he rises to speak on Tuesday, the Prime Minister will face a bewildered and confused party, many of whom believe that their own leader has blood on his hands.

Lib Dems predict photo finish in Hartlepool
Independent,
Liberal Democrats are predicting a photo finish this week in the by-election contest to choose a successor to Peter Mandelson as MP for Hartlepool.

"Labour's share of the vote has fallen to about 40 per cent, and I believe our vote could rise to 40 per cent," the Liberal Democrat campaign director, Lord Rennard, claimed yesterday.

The Liberal Democrats believe their candidate, Jody Dunn, has picked up support through a campaign to save the town's hospital from being downgraded.

Last week, the Labour candidate, Iain Wright, was jeered at a public meeting to discuss the hospital's future....

Blair's bid to save face at Brighton
The Scotsman,
... The Liberal Democrat conference this week has sought to highlight the divisions over Gulf War Two and prise the traditional Labour vote in Hartlepool away from Mr Blair in next week’s by-election.

In calling the poll for next Thursday - the last day of the Brighton gathering - the Government high command has taken a huge risk. Only a convincing victory following a magnificent performance by Mr Blair will advance Labour’s cause.

If the Liberal Democrats follow up their local and Euro election successes - most notably winning the former Socialist stronghold of Newcastle City Council - with a triumph north of the River Tees, whatever happened in Brighton will be irrelevant.

Mr Blair and Labour will be left high and dry as they attempt to launch a seven-month General Election campaign.

Even a narrow Labour victory will suggest that the party’s urban strongholds in the north of England are under threat from the hated third party raiders who ridicule Mr Blair’s "third way". ...

Heartache led me to bridge protest
ic Teesside.co.uk,
... Meanwhile Fathers 4 Justice activists have promised more direct action in the run-up to the Hartlepool by-election in which they have a candidate. ...

SPOTLIGHT ON: GHOST SHIPS & ENVIRONMENT

Back to the Hartlepool by-election campaign...

SPOTLIGHT ON: GHOST SHIPS & ENVIRONMENT

Let's have a look at how the candidates shape up on the subject of GHOST SHIPS & ENVIRONMENT.

LABOUR
Every single extra job that comes to the area must pass two tests: First there must be no risk to the health of the worker who takes the job. Second, there must be no risk whatsoever to the people of the town. I will fight ant proposals - ghost ships, chemical waste in the salt mines, or anything that could be unsafe.


CONSERVATIVE
At present we are in the worst of all worlds - with Labour's ghost ships haunting Hartlepool's dock. First Margaret Beckett said yes they are safe - come in: Then Alistair Darling said no they are not - go away: Then four turn up anyway. You cannot trust a word Blair's Government says.


LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
Hartlepool must not be Labour's dumping ground. Too little progress has been made in clarifying the legality of the ghost ships still festering off the coast, but the community must be involved in the decision making process. Hartlepool should not be expected to deal with toxic waste from the United States.


UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY
Hartlepool didn't want the ghost ships and doesn't want them now. I know the ships would create jobs, but this is short-term gain. The price would be too high if it turned Hartlepool into a dumping ground for the world.


RESPECT
There is a danger our town is getting a reputation as the toxic dustbin of the North East. We need to plan our future around cleaner, safer industries, such as marine engineering and renewable energy enterprises. We must have Respect for our environment.


ENGLISH DEMOCRATS
Can you imagine the Welsh and Scottish parliaments allowing a situation such as the saga of the ghost ships to develop in one of their towns equivalent of Hartlepool? We need a parliament and government for England to proudly care for us and our environment!


PHIL BERRIMAN
Peter Stephenson of ABLE UK is a true, self-made, Hartlepool-born success story spanning over 30 years in business. Greenpeace supports ABLE after successfully recycling BRENT SPAR, more hazardous than the ships. Get a grip Hartlepool! you've nothing to gain from voting for anybody destroying a local man's local company.


RONNIE CARROLL
The question of the ghost ships and the environment is a classic example of how direct democracy should work. This is surely a question that should be debated between and decided by the people of Hartlepool.


SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY
Global warming continues unabated while the governments of Britain and the USA bow the knee before the multi-national corporations and the oil companies who put profit before the well-being of the planet. We are resolutely opposed to these ghost ship toxic time-bombs.


THE COMMON GOOD PARTY
The ghost ship issue needs calm consideration. We don't want pollution of the environment and health hazards for our population and workforce, but the North-East does need jobs and industry. If the ships can be dismantled safely then the work should be done in Hartlepool.


GREEN PARTY
I helped expose the contempt shown for the law on both sides of the Atlantic by ABLE's contract, and demand that the Government return the ships to help Hartlepool shed its image as the world's toxic dump. Only the Greens offer policies based on social justice and ecologist sustainability.


NATIONAL FRONT
Protect our existing green areas particularly in our cities, our immigration policies will stop a lot of unnecessary new house building. Make maximum use of recycling, apart from protecting our natural resources it will cut down on imported new raw materials.


FATHERS 4 JUSTICE
The ghost ships issue highlights the problem of jobs V's alleged environmental pollution. Let the people of Hartlepool decide. Stop telling the people of Hartlepool what is good and what is bad for them, Give them the facts, not the spin, and let them make up their own minds.


OFFICIAL MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY
The only ghost ship I knew was the Marie Celeste!

SPOTLIGHT ON: HEALTH

SPOTLIGHT ON: HEALTH

Let's have a look at how the candidates shape up on the subject of HEALTH.

LABOUR
Iain Wright says he will fight hard to make sure Labour's investment keeps improving healthcare services in the town, both in our hospital and in the other new health centres that are on their way.


CONSERVATIVE
We are opposed to any proposal to close or reduce services at our hospital. We want to give people the kind of choice that today only money can buy and our aim is to eliminate waiting lists within our first parliament.


LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
Jody Dunn says I am convinced that Hartlepool deserves a full district general hospital with consultant-led accident and emergency, paediatrics and maternity services. We deserve genuine answers from the strategic health authority and the Government.


UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY
Along with John Bloom, the Respect candidate, I was on the marches, carried the banners, attended the rallies and collected signatures on the original petition. Saving the hospital requires a strong voice in Westminster, someone who will not toe party lines or use the hospital as a political football.


RESPECT
Shamefully, through the private finance initiative, New Labour is handing over ownership of our hospitals to huge private corporations who always put profit before our people's health. John Reid says our hospital won't close while he is health secretary. Who do you trust, a here-today-gone-tomorrow politician or John Bloom and the Save Our Hospital campaigners.


ENGLISH DEMOCRATS
Blair's government has such contempt for England that the health minister is a Scottish MP who has forced through foundation hospitals for England (rejected in Scotland), using Scottish MP's votes to do so! The only answer to this is a parliament for England.


PHIL BERRIMAN
Leave the hospital as it is. Make the health service administration transparent on a virtual site for all to scrutinize on line. Your billions are shared out by the old-boys' network to the old-boys' network. Use some of the money saved to set up centres to treat drug addicts.


RONNIE CARROLL
We need what we haven't got, namely a quality health service with hospitals to match, managed by their own doctors and nurses,


SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY
New Labour has already announced privatisation of forensic services. Withdrawal from the EU and cutting defence spending would give us the cash needed to re-build our NHS. Make polling day NHS day - Vote Herriot.


THE COMMON GOOD PARTY
I am a medical doctor and have worked in hospitals for many years. Hartlepool hospital is a good hospital - If it's not broke, don't fix it.


GREEN PARTY
From the start Iris Ryder has opposed the hospital and services being removed. We need a health service that will help people to lead healthier lives. Such investment will eventually save money.


NATIONAL FRONT
Jim Starkey contracted MRSA after a routine knee operation 2 years ago and is appalled at the current state of our NHS. He will oppose any decision to close Hartlepool hospital in the future.


FATHERS 4 JUSTICE
FATHERS 4 JUSTICE would like to thank all the hard-working and dedicated staff that work in our health service. When we say OUR health service, we mean OUR. It does not belong to the political parties, it belongs to us, the ordinary people. Family breakdown and the way family courts treat our children has a massive impact on the health service.


OFFICIAL MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY
All hospital wards should be surrounded by mirrors to make them look bigger. The NHS should be funded bt the National Lottery and all betting money from the Grand National.

Is this all Labour have to offer Hartlepool?

We would like to bring you some sign that the party of government had something new to offer the voters of Hartlepool.

We have tried looking in the most likely place ...

... but why bother with your own website if someone else can do it better...

So it's a case of "If at first you don't succeed ..."

RESPONSE TO COMMENTS

It seems that the item above has upset the wrong people...

It is not meant as a criticism of the Guacamoleville blog but is a comment on the fact that the Labour Party choose to use that site rather than post these items on their own website.

However, this might help to explane why Labour have chosen to bombard Guacamoleville with press statements. (and why other candidates have chosen not to)

I have been consistent in criticising several candidates for not having, or not updating their websites and will continue to do so.

The Guacamoleville blog is always the first place I look for news of the by-election and between us I think we are covering just about everything that is going on in Hartlepool.

Best wishes,

By-elections Blogger

PS: The Greens have now changed their Elections page to reflect the fact that they do have a candidate in the Hartlepool by-election.

They have also added a new page dedicated to covering their campaign in Hartlepool

Another victory for By-elections Blog?

VOTE BATMAN

Click the picture to see the Fathers 4 Justice leaflet, featuring Iain Wright as "The Joker" and Jody Dunn as "Poison Ivy".

No mention of Jeremy Middleton - comments welcome on what character he should be?

Fathers 4 Justice Press Release - 23rd September 2004
'Kpow! It's Batman VS Blair in Hartlepool'

Just hours before they launch their first election campaign in the Hartlepool By-election, campaign group Fathers 4 Justice revealed last night that the Prime Minister has invited the groups North East Co-ordinator and Hartlepool Candidate Paul Watson for talks about access rights for dads.

In a letter to Mr Watson the Prime Minister said 'You are an impressive and persuasive campaigner. We acknowledge that the system isn't working and suspect our current proposals do not go far enough for you however we are genuinely striving to resolve this issue.'

Mr Blair also said that he had read the groups 'Blueprint for Family Law in the 21st Century.'

Fathers 4 Justice launch their Hartlepool 'Fight Crime - Vote Batman'
Campaign tomorrow (Friday) morning outside Hartlepool Police Station where Jason Hatch (aka Batman), F4J Founder Matt O'Connor and Candidate Paul Watson will be linking the explosion in young offending in Hartlepool with fatherlessness.

F4J's campaign will poke fun at other candidates portraying Labour's
candidate Iain Wright as 'The Joker' and the Lib Dem's Jody Dunn who is a Family Law Barrister, as 'Poison Ivy' in light of the bitterness of some of her poetry.

Said Matt O'Connor 'Our aim in Hartlepool is to dabble in politics and see what happens. We will bring humour, theatre and controversy to a pretty stale campaign. If F4J can spice things up a bit that has to be good for the democratic process.'

Street Star Backs Election Candidate

Scotsman

Coronation Street favourite Vera Duckworth was back behind the bar today to help a Parliamentary hopeful win the forthcoming Hartlepool by-election.

The Corrie star and staunch Labour supporter visited the Central pub in the town’s Headland area to show her support for the party and its candidate, Iain Wright.

Actress Liz Dawn mixed with regulars in the pub and signed dozens of photographs – and even one young girl’s coat – as locals turned out in force to meet her.

In forthright fashion, she said: “I have always voted Labour and after what the Tories did, I can’t imagine people voting owt else.

“I’m sure Iain will get in and he’s a local lad so people should support him.”

Jody Dunn at the Lib Dem Conference

The Telegraph

Despite some concern that a mood of excessive euphoria has been
generated this week, Mr Kennedy appears confident that the Lib Dems are in sight of a decisive breakthrough.

Jody Dunn, the party's candidate in next week's Hartlepool by-election, was given a standing ovation by the conference after declaring there was "no such thing as a safe Labour seat any more".

Mr Kennedy will make clear that the Conservatives are in the party's
sights - and that over the coming months he will seek to convince voters that the Lib Dems rather than the Tories now have a better chance of replacing Tony Blair.

He will claim that in most of the country "voting for the Conservatives is now a wasted vote". It was an argument once used against the Lib Dems.

"It's a two-horse race"

The Herald

Jody Dunn, the LibDem candidate for Hartlepool, predicted yesterday that next week's by-election was a "two-horse race" between Labour and the Lib Dems.

With just eight days to go before the poll to decide who should succeed Peter Mandelson – the former Labour cabinet minister who gave up his seat to become a European commissioner – the LibDem contender said: "We are in very close second. We are the clear challengers to Labour. I am confident we can win it."

Mark Oaten, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman, yesterday unveiled plans to allow communities to decide how some minor offenders are
punished. Panels of local people would decide punishment for offences like graffiti and antisocial behaviour.

Under Mr Oaten's "tough liberalism" plans, teenage joyriders could be sent on go-karting courses to cut re-offending and vandals forced to repair property they damage. Victims of crime would have a say in
the punishment of offenders.

Mr Oaten told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the idea of recruiting residents to the panels was a "tough option" against offenders. "They would often have to face the person they committed a crime against and they would also have to pay back the community," he said. "I think it might actually reduce offending and make the community feel they are getting justice done in their area."

Hi-flying Jody

Airborne MP Opik taking controls
Daily Post

Lembit Opik will take Charles Kennedy to heaven and back today when he pilots a plane carrying the Liberal Democrat leader.

The Montgomeryshire MP, who gained his pilot's licence five years ago, will jet Mr Kennedy to Hartlepool immediately after his closing speech to the Bournemouth conference.

Yesterday, Mr Opik flew the twin-engined plane from Welshpool to Teeside to whisk Jody Dunn, the Lib Dem candidate in next week's Hartlepool by-election, down to Bournemouth.

SPOTLIGHT ON: CRIME

SPOTLIGHT ON: CRIME

Let's have a look at how the candidates shape up on the subject of CRIME.

LABOUR
With the Anti-Social Behaviour Act, Labour has introduced new powers to tackle the menace of nuisance neighbours, kids causing trouble and drugs in our communities.

Iain Wright wants more ASBO's against yobs and fines on litter louts. He has launched a "Shop-a-Yob" hotline to encourage local people to report troublemakers and anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhood.


CONSERVATIVE
Hartlepool has some of the highest crime figures in the country. Violent crime has increased by 225% since 1999 and drug addiction in the town is double the national average.

Jeremy Middleton claims to be the only candidate committed to tackling crime head on. "My 5 point contract with the people of Hartlepool promises real action. 460 more police for the Hartlepool area, a zero tolerance approach to crime, a choice for hard drug users - rehab or prison - a clamp down on drunken yob culture and tougher use of prison sentences."


LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
Local people will be shocked to learn that there are as few as 12
police officers on duty of a weekend for the whole town. It therefore comes as no surprise that so many people say that they have not seen a police officer for over six months.

Jody Dunn has today called for more police on the beat to make Hartlepool a safer place. "If elected as your MP, policing in Hartlepool will be at the top of my agenda - more police, greater personal security, making people feel safer."


UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY
ASBO's take up police time, cost public money and less than three were issued in Hartlepool last year.

Stephen Allison believes the answer is that parents should bring up
their children to respect other people's rights and property. If they can't then they should bear the cost and the consequences.


RESPECT
Resources must be provided to help young people to turn their lives around. What if instead of youths on street corners, we had youth clubs and community skate parks.

We must find sensible and practical ways to live harmoniously together. Let's start by giving everybody Respect.


ENGLISH DEMOCRATS
Criminals should be deterred by appropriate punishment without Blunkett-style anti-libertarian gimmicks.

If English taxpayers didn't have to pay a subsidy to Scotland, there would be more money available to fund our police.


PHIL BERRIMAN
City crime is sophisticated fraud by educated suits, we don't fear it but it amounts to billions.

Hard drugs fuel most crime. The only solution is FREE, supervised heroin in centres for addicts. We'll never stop drugs but can take addicts/crime off the streets.


RONNIE CARROLL
We need to switch from parer money to a secure cashless society.
Those who engage in anti-social behaviour must be made to see the error of their ways.


SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY
Every other political party supports capitalism, a system based on the legalisation of theft. For "profit" read "theft".

All the robocop zero-tolerance gimmicks of the day will not challenge the root causes of crime. Social and economic regeneration, allied to community-based policing will.


THE COMMON GOOD PARTY
The answer to drugs and anti-social behaviour is for people to find something to devote their lives to which is more satisfying and wholesome than the kick of taking drugs.

We need a disciplined society and a new spirit of service with Britain playing a full part in making the world a fairer place.


GREEN PARTY
People are entitled to feel safe on the streets and in their own homes.

Iris Ryder has completed a Home Office Crime Reduction course in order to help in a Community Safety Partnership in Hartlepool.


NATIONAL FRONT
Hartlepool has the highest number of hard drug addicts and highest crime rate in Britain. These two statistics always go hand in hand and are problems directly caused by social deprivation in a long forgotten and neglected area, the net result of lack of government investment.

I demand zero tolerance policing to cure the crime and drugs problem and funding for a rehabilitation and education programme.


FATHERS 4 JUSTICE
One hundred children per day lose contact with their fathers in the family courts and we are now suffering the consequences, with an increase in crime, anti-social behaviour and drugs problems.

We will make sure there is a legal presumption of contact with both parents and their extended family and stop the rot.


OFFICIAL MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY
?????

Now stick an ASBO on Labour in Hartlepool

Yes I know it's old news but there is not much press coverage at the moment and it links in with the item above...

CRIME BECAME a key issue in the Hartlepool by-election in an unexpected way last week.

Local police had to intervene when a row between Labour and Lib Dem supporters threatened to turn nasty. Incredibly, the two sides were raging at each other over which party was the toughest on crime.

The Labour Party have been accused of bussing staff up from their central London office to hold a “protest” outside the Lib Dem offices in Hartlepool on Tuesday of last week.

The “protesters” waved placadrs accusing the Lib Dems of being soft on criminals. A huge row ensued. The police had to break up Labour’s crime picket and “had words” with senior figures from both parties.

Newspapers are reporting that among the Labour “protesters” were Labour officials who played key roles in the Hodge Hill by-election in July.

Labour won the Birmingham Hodge Hill seat, but their campaign disgusted many by its vitriolic abuse of “teen gangs” and asylum seekers.

A local paper, the Hartlepool Mail, ran a picture of last week’s undignified scuffle.

Respect press officer Peter Smith responded by having this letter printed in the paper:

“The clash between Labour and Lib Dem supporters on York Road requires a response. Rival political parties can surely find a more mature way of settling disagreements than engaging in a street ruckus.

“It beggars belief to think that this unseemly row was over the party’s respective law and order policies.

“We in this office were pleased that a close examination of the photograph clearly shows that, with the exception of the police officers, most of the demonstrators were not from the town.”

Labour Party figures are now threatening legal action against the Liberal Democrat candidate for naming them as getting on the wrong side of the police on her website.

Socialist Worker Online

Left, right and centre?

If the press have any influence on the voters of Hartlepool, the Liberal Democrats have got it made...

The Centre minded voter will love this...

The Independent found Mr Kennedy "charming, nimble, almost capable".


While those on the left will be won over by this...

The Sun did not, printing a picture of him alongside one of a snake - "Spot the difference" it asks, saying "one's a spineless reptile that spits venom. The other is a poisonous snake."


And for the right wing Thatcherites we have...

The Mirror is not much kinder. Its department of creative photography has produced a picture of him as a flame-haired Lady Thatcher, the headline reading: "Orange Tories".

I'm not sure if that was what the newspapers concerned really wanted.