MORE HARTLEPOOL LEAFLETS

All of the available election leaflets from Hartlepool are now on our by-elections website

HARTLEPOOL ELECTION LEAFLETS

Most of the election leaflets from the Hartlepool by-election are now available at our by-elections website

The rest will be added in the next few days.

Hartlepool - English Democrats view of the result

Source

A Message from the EDP candidate Ed Abrams Dear Friends



As your more than aware, last nights by-election result was disappointing for me personally and for the party, we do however need to hold onto the following thoughts

That those who voted for us believed in the English Democrats and they trusted us to represent them in Westminster.

That the name of the English Democrats has now reached a large number of the population and we've had enquiries from all over the country.

Our web site has had a large increase of hits over the last month.

That we are forging forward more or less alone, with little media coverage and with little money other than the hard earned cash from our wonderful members.

We have also made a statement on national TV that England should have the right for self-government and that we demand an English Parliament and that we want the abolishment of the outdated Barnett Formula

Please never forget that this is a journey my friends and not a destination. The road was always going to be long and hard, for we have a mountain to climb but I and the National Council believe that with your help we can climb it and climb it together.

Rather than being despondent, I feel 1000% more committed to our cause today than yesterday for I now know that its going to take even more hard work, talking to even more people, handing out more leaflets, going to more towns but we must always remember that its not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.

So finally, I ask all of you to feel proud of our achievement yesterday, feel proud that we are moving in the right direction and its time to go that extra mile for this wonderful and beloved country of ours.

Thanks to all of you for being so supportive.

Ed (not quite yet an MP) Abrams
Regional Chairman - North West England
& National Council Member
English Democrats

By-Elections Blog - Awards

The Hartlepool by-election is over and It's time for the credits to roll - so here they are...

BEST CAMPAIGN WEBSITE
This Blog is run in association with British Parliamentary By Elections Since 1945 which is all about bringing you the election literature used by the candidates in their campaigns.

For this reason the best website award must go to the Conservative website which gave us the chance to see a selection of 10 leaflets, fliers and advertisements from the campaign.

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BEST PRESS COVERAGE
This has to be The Guardian with a special mention for this report from Hartlepool.

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BEST SPEECH AT THE COUNT
This goes to Ronnie Carroll, if only because he has made it available for all to see and hear.

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... More suggestions welcome via comments

Campaign ends as it started - in chaos

The Guardian

As soon as the winning candidate's acceptance speech became drowned out by a thunder of abuse, it was clear that this bitterly fought byelection was not going to end quietly. When Ronnie Carroll, a music hall crooner and independent candidate (45 votes; finished 13th of 14), chose to sing Danny Boy rather than make a speech, a charged atmosphere slipped into the anarchically surreal.

Rumours swept the hall that the Fathers4Justice supporters in Superman suits were planning to storm the podium. Police and security closed in. But the stunt, when it came, was as predictable as it was shocking - a purple powder bomb flung at Jody Dunn, by the Fathers4Justice candidate, Paul Watson.

The Lib Dem candidate struggled to continue with her speech, but it was lost in the heckles, and she was led from the podium in tears. In the stunned hiatus, Mr Watson was allowed to deliver his speech, before being arrested and led away. When Ms Dunn, a family law barrister who believes she may have represented the ex-wife of a Fathers4Justice activist, returned to give interviews in the press gallery, police had to block the stairwells to prevent the cartoon superheroes pursuing her.

But by yesterday morning attention had shifted to the night's more enduring shock. The Tories had become the first official opposition party since the second world war to come fourth in a byelection....

see the full story here

Hartlepool By-election Result

The Hartlepool Result

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Iain Wright (Labour) 12,752 (40.66%, –18.49%)

Jody Dunn (Liberal Democrats) 10,719 (34.18%, +19.15%)

Stephen Allison (UKIP) 3,193 (10.18%)

Jeremy Middleton (Conservative) 3,044 (9.71%, –11.15%)

John Bloom (Respect) 572 (1.82%)

Iris Ryder (Green Party) 255 (0.81%)

Jim Starkey (National Front) 246 (0.78%)

Paul Watson (Fathers 4 Justice) 139 (0.44%)

Christopher Herriot (Socialist Labour) 95 (0.30%, –2.09%)

Richard Rodgers (The Common Good) 91 (0.29%)

Philip Berriman (Independent) 90 (0.29%)

Alan Hope (Official Monster Raving Loony) 80 (0.26%)

Ronnie Carroll (Independent) 45 (0.14%)

Ed Abrams (English Democrats) 41 (0.13%)

Majority 2,033 (6.48%) - 18.82% swing Lab to LD

Turnout 31,362 (45.77%, –10.47%)

2001: Lab maj 14,571 (38.29%) – Turnout 38,051 (56.25%)

RE-COUNT FOR THIRD PLACE

Looks like they are having a re-count to see who will be third.

The best guess of the result is ...

Labour Win
Liberal Democrats 2nd
UKIP 3rd by 150 over
Conservatives 4th