CREWE & NANTWICH RESULT
Majority of 7,860
Conservative gain from Labour
Swing 17.6%
If you have any interest or involvement in any current or past by-election, then this is the place for you. Brought to you in association with British Parliamentary By Elections Since 1945
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Labour to Win - in Dead Heat?
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he's hoping to celebrate another unique treble on Thursday.
His United team added the Champions League trophy to their Premiership title in Moscow tonight. - Winning on penalties
Sir Alex says he'll be keeping a close eye on another Reds vs Blues clash in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election and he's backing Labour's Tamsin Dunwoody to win.
Sir Alex said: "This is a crunch tie between the Reds and the Blues and there's only one winner for me.
"Just like my team she's top of the league, a champion. I'd urge people to vote for Tamsin Dunwoody on Thursday."
Tamsin added: "It was great to meet him before the team flew out to Moscow, we both wished each other success in our battles in the next few days and let's hope there's two red wins at the end of it."
Well if the events in Moscow are to be repeated in Crewe, it will go to a recount and Tamsin will win when Timpson draws the short straw after a dead heat.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A LAST MESSAGE FROM ALL 10 CANDIDATES
The Flying Brick Loony
Hello, the Flying Brick here, Shadow Minister for the ‘Abolition of Gravity’. I was given this Loony title because I used to paraglide round the hills of Derbyshire, then I crashed.
So now it’s a vendetta against gravity and I am continuing my research into its abolition from the safety of my laboratory.
My first policy is it’s time for the passengers of the entire country to ‘all change at Crewe’.
I would open a huge train-spotting university sited in the Crewe station Basford Hall shed. Crewe and Nantwich would be declared a ‘no-car’ zone with every residence connected with their own private rail network.
Crewe and Nantwich Loonies would move the Westminster Houses of Parliament to our new headquarters, The Rising Sun, Earle Street, Crewe.
I will introduce piranha to the River Weaver as this will make fishing a spectator sport. Tourism would be increased tenfold and jobs increased in Leighton Hospital. I propose a new, world leading, ward opened specialising in fish bites.
The Euro. The Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a very old, established, political organisation. We cannot even start to think about the Euro as we have yet to recover from the shock of decimalisation in 1971. We would like Great Britain to reintroduce pounds, shillings, groats, pence and farthings.
Eventually Europe would be allowed to join our currency although we would expect a courtesy gift of large amounts of fine wine and cheeses. Whoever thought of situating Bentleys at ‘Pym’s Lane’ should be given a knighthood.
On my walk-about in Crewe town centre I have heard a lot about the unwelcome introduction of fortnightly bin collection. I propose that any citizen who actually manages to close the lid of their wheelie bin on the day of collection should be awarded a brand new Bentley. This will be paid for by a European grant.
On Thursday I hope that you will enter the voting booth with conviction knowing you are voting for the only candidate who makes any sense. Vote for insanity, vote for Nick Delves, the Flying Brick, vote Loony.
Tamsin Dunwoody Labour
My mum taught me about principles, about beliefs. She taught me to always stand up for what’s right. She would say you can sit back and do nothing in life or you can get up and fight.
I’m getting up and fighting. I’m a Dunwoody, after all.
And I’ll speak my mind on the things that matter to people in Crewe and Nantwich, especially crime and cracking down on yobs. There is a lot of talk about human rights at the moment. For me, one of the most important human rights is for people to feel safe in their homes and communities.
It is not good enough to talk about getting tough on crime, the people of Crewe and Nantwich deserve action. That’s why I’ve come forward with a plan of action to cut crime, with more police on the beat and a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.
I want the police to harass yobs, get in their faces. It is not good enough that people are scared to walk the streets because of under-age drinking. I won’t stand for it in Crewe and Nantwich.
Like you, I am angry that when you phone the police you don’t get a quick response. I have already contacted the Chief Constable of Cheshire to demand action in crime hotspots.
And as a mum-of-five, I know what it’s like to bring up a family. Even after the Minimum Wage, Child Tax Credits, higher Child Benefit and cuts to Income Tax, people are feeling the pinch. I’ll always stand up and help families who are struggling to make ends meet and fight for a fair deal for local families with well-paid, skilled jobs, and apprenticeships.
I have not seen anything from the Tories that would improve the lives of people here. It is a disgrace that the Tory council has not used the powers available to them to crack down on yobs making life a misery for local residents. The Tories have let you and your family down. They don’t understand what normal people face in their everyday lives.
This by-election is about looking to the future, having an MP who will carry on sticking up for the people of Crewe and Nantwich.
I’m a Dunwoody – I love the challenge and I’m ready to take on the immense privilege of being your champion, fighting for you.
Gemma Garrett Beauties for Britain
Gemma Garrett is the current Miss Great Britain. She has pledged to ensure that Westminster follows the lead of its fellow European legislatures by bringing more glamour to politics and to government through the election of more beautiful and intelligent women.
Her campaign has taken particular inspiration from the appointment of beautiful former topless model Mara Carfagna to the cabinet of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and from the wow factor which Carla Sarkozy has brought to French politics.
“I want Westminster to be the home of as many glamorous and confident people as any Parliament in Europe and I want an emphasis on beauty to extend into every aspect of British life,” she said.
Gemma is campaigning on a range of women’s issues with particular emphasis on making the cost of child care tax deductible to all working mothers.
She added: “I hope my standing in Crewe and Nantwich will genuinely fire up peoples’ interests in politics and help turn back the dull tide of cynicism which has dogged this country’s political life for so long now.”
Gemma is demanding immediate changes to the tax system to help working mums and wants Gordon Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling to act as fast and to find at least as much instant cash as they did in rewriting the Budget to rectify their 10p tax error.
She said: “Brown and Darling managed to suddenly conjure £2.7 billion out of a hat to put right their own mistake in making five million lower paid workers pay more tax. Only days before they had said there was no money available and then they managed to find a whole new Budget.
“If they can suddenly find billions to cover up their own incompetence and try and save their bacon politically then surely they can do the same on an issue which really matters to millions of women?
“Britain is held back in comparison to other countries globally by its failure to give working women a fair deal and a proper chance to contribute to the success of the UK. If I am elected I shall work full time to shame the sitting government into implementing the changes.
“I will do everything within my power as a woman to persuade the men in charge that women need a fair deal and that they need it now.”
Mike Nattrass UKIP
Generations have lost blood, sweat and tears keeping our country independent. Dishonest governments gave it away without consulting the people.
75% of our laws are made by the EU who take your money, spending it on wild projects instead of basic services and pensions. We currently have Dr Bob Spink MP and two members of the House of Lords trying to restore sovereignty and accountability to our parliament. They need your help.
I joined the fight when, as a consultant for industrial and commercial property, I saw EU rules and regulations destroying industry and jobs.
You have been let down by governments since the 1970s who pretend they are independent. I want to give you a voice in Westminster and represent you on the issues that matter most, our country, our pensions, our money, our local services. Not EU high flying schemes eating up your taxes.
The UK gives the EU £5.7m an hour! Spend it locally in this country not in Eastern Europe.
Due to EU policy, millions came from Eastern Europe to live here, more than any forecast. In Crewe & Nantwich this has caused problems in planning of healthcare, housing and education. These extra costs are picked up by you. Yes you, even if you don’t pay tax you get reduced services. UKIP says stop EU open borders policy, freeze all immigration for five years and issue work permits for those necessary to our economy.
Four post offices closed in Crewe and Nantwich because of EU regulations. This hits local communities and particularly the elderly. How dare they! The other parties pretend they fight such closures – but they voted for them in the EU parliament! The classic Lib-Lab-Con.
Fortnightly household waste collections are due to the EU imposing landfill tax on councils. A burden on you! This EU rubbish directive means incinerators are planned locally as blots on the rural landscape to spew toxins over Crewe and Nantwich. Stop it! We are in favour of recycling but there must be weekly collections.
The 10p tax fiasco shows how far Labour have moved away from the “Working Man”. UKIP has long advocated a Flat Tax policy which will make taxpayers better off – our policy takes a further 4.5 million lower paid out of Income Tax altogether.
We advocate a tax-free personal allowance of £9,000, merging existing Income Tax bands and employees’ National Insurance contributions into a single flat income tax at a rate of 33%. Reducing top rate for Capital Gains Tax to 33% and scrapping Inheritance Tax altogether. Less paperwork and less admin costs.
I want to improve life for residents. I have known Crewe since a child visiting Crewe Works and railway sheds and I have family living locally.
Your problems may be parking, traffic congestion or controversial plans to install phone masts near schools. Let me know.
Stand up for Crewe and Nantwich, together we can get our country and money back.
David Roberts English Democrat
The English Democrats want a strong, democratic England, united and governed by her own people; an English Parliament with a First Minister for England and a Government, with similar powers to the Scottish ones. We also want an end to unfair subsidies to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We would like to make St George’s Day our national holiday so that old and young can come together to celebrate our national community England.
The English Democrats have strong environmentally-friendly policies. We believe that the way to tackle rubbish is to focus on reducing its creation by reducing packaging on products rather than just by penalising ordinary people and reducing the numbers of bin collections.
We want to fight for English equality where devolution has provided benefits not currently enjoyed by our people.
The best examples are in relation to free prescriptions, hospital parking and tuition fees; availability of Student Grants; access to expensive cancer drugs in Wales; higher public spending per head as is also the case in Scotland where long term care for the elderly does not require the sale of their home in order to cover costs.
We are also unhappy about the West Lothian question where Scottish MPs are able to vote on local English issues without being accountable to the English electorate. The Barnett formula is also out dated for Scotland.
This is where tax money is allocated at a ratio of 3:1 compared to the English, delivering better education and health care for Scotland.
We want a firm but fair immigration policy based upon the points system currently employed by Australia and Canada.
The English Democrats will seek referendum authorisation to decide this country’s future relationship with the EU. That referendum should include the option of leaving the EU and joining the European Free Trade Association, whose countries have a free trade agreement with the EU. We believe that this country should leave the EU.
If the people of Crewe and Nantwich put their trust in me and the English Democrats it will deliver a loud voice to the Government. It will make it very clear that the inequality for the English working people is no longer acceptable. I will also undertake to work hard on behalf of the constituency and use the MP influence for the benefit of local business and other local issues.
Elizabeth Shenton Liberal Democrat
Local people are telling me that they will be backing me on Thursday because they are looking for a strong campaigner and a genuine local voice that can truly reflect the area. That is what I am offering.
Electing a Liberal Democrat MP for Crewe and Nantwich will send a strong message to Gordon Brown that enough is enough.
Throughout my campaign local people have been telling me how disappointed and let down they are by Labour.
I share their feelings and, like them, believe it is time for a change.
I have spent many years in both my personal and professional life championing and speaking up for people on a local, regional and national level as a trade unionist and now as a local councillor. I am a fighter and a determined campaigner.
As a trade unionist I have worked to help people with issues such as pensions, job security and low pay. I’m also passionate about animal welfare and have worked actively on this.
I have lived near Crewe and Nantwich all my life and I understand local issues.
Labour’s 10p tax hike is hitting the lowest paid while crime and fear of crime is leaving people scared of leaving their house; now they have chosen a candidate who does not know the area and always backs Gordon Brown instead of standing up for local people.
Local people are angry about Labour’s tax hike on the lowest paid, Gordon Brown’s abolition of the 10p rate of tax will leave some people paying over £400 extra in tax each year.
I understand just how it is affecting people as I, like many people here, have personally lost out after the changes.
It will hurt the pockets of at least half the working people in Crewe and Nantwich and the Liberal Democrats are leading the fight locally and nationally to get compensation for local people who are paying more tax; we are the only party with a clear alternative policy on this issue.
On the doorsteps many people are also telling me that crime is one of their biggest worries. Labour look set to cut up to 129 police officers from our local force – after cutting 47 last year. I am supporting local police chiefs who are fighting to get an extra 35 police on our streets. The Conservatives on the council have failed to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on our streets.
I am also leading a campaign to stop further increases in parking charges at Leighton Hospital. Local people should not have to keep paying more to visit sick friends and relatives. Issues like these make a real difference for local people.
I will quite simply be a local MP who will listen to local people and always put them first.
Robert Smith Green Party
Standing as a Green candidate for this by-election gives people the opportunity to vote for an alternative to the three main parties.
My main focus is on transport issues. Having graduated with a town planning degree in 2007 and becoming a transport planner, I hope to follow in Gwyneth Dunwoody’s footsteps of promoting transport issues, particularly public transport.
Being a young candidate (23) doesn’t mean that I don’t have the political experience, however – having been in the Green Party for five years now, I have stood in local elections and helped across the country.
I’m standing in this election because none of the three main parties seem willing to tackle the big transport issues we face. I would like to see stronger regulation of bus services within Crewe, with the creation of bus contracts that deliver better services in the short term, and in the longer term look towards deregulation and being brought back under local control; Crewe rail station being redeveloped in its existing site rather than the suggestion of moving the station further out of the town.
For Nantwich, I would want to see more rail services stopping at the station, and a community group set up to promote its use. Longer term, I would campaign to get the railways renationalised.
I want us to live in a healthier society. Greens put the emphasis on prevention, not just cure. We shouldn’t allow junk food to be advertised or sold easily to children, and we should promote local food and local farms as a way to help local people eat healthier food at lower prices.
Greens also want people to take back their communities, with safer streets for children. A 20mph speed limit in all residential areas will cut the number of children killed in road accidents every year. We also believe that slower urban traffic will encourage more people to switch to cycling, which also helps us to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Alongside this are our traditional messages, promoting recycling, a reduction of carbon emissions and greater use of renewable energy.
You don’t need to vote for the least worst option any more. Vote for positive politics you can believe in and vote Green on Thursday.
Paul Thorogood Cut Tax on Petrol and Diesel
The problem is UK fuel duty for petrol and diesel is the highest in Europe. Indeed, UK diesel duty is double the EU average rate. We are calling for the tax on petrol and diesel in the UK to be cut by at least 50%.
The price of filling the average family car’s 50- litre tank of petrol is now £10 more than this time last year when a litre of petrol cost 87.5p. Petrol in the USA costs about £1.50 a gallon while ours costs three times as much. As we are oil- producing nations, we believe the extremely high levy on petrol and diesel in the UK is unjustified.
The principal aim of the party is to campaign for the abolition of VAT on fuel as this is effectively a tax on a tax. The Government adds VAT to the price of fuel and the fuel tax they have already slapped on. Oil companies currently charge around 35p for one litre of fuel, but the Government adds a tax of nearly 200% – that is why petrol now costs £1.11 per litre and diesel per litre is £1.21.
The Government blames global oil prices for the current price of petrol and diesel, but the fact is they could seriously reduce this financial burden if they had the political will. If our aims were achieved today petrol would cost less than 70p a litre. At the moment low- income families can’t afford to run their cars to get to work and British hauliers are going out of business and laying off workers because they can’t compete with continental rivals. It all adds up to higher costs on essentials such as food. It has got to stop.
We want less stick and more carrot. We aim to spend billions more of the revenue from motorists on public transport to increase and improve train and bus services and subsidise the cost of fares. This will encourage motorists to use their cars less. The Labour Party doesn’t want us to get out of our cars – the Government needs the tax we pay on fuel to pay for their expensive policies such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the introduction of identity cards.
We recognise the current Labour Government, and indeed Conservative ones before that, have steadily increased the taxation on motorists and hauliers but the amount spent on improving roads and public transport has shrunk. This needs to change.
Until the lion’s share of tax levied from fuel is spent on improving public transport, the British people and companies will not reduce their use of cars or lorries as a way of moving themselves or goods around as there is often no viable public transport alternative.
Edward Timpson Conservative
At a time when it is becoming more and more expensive to do the weekly shop, fill the car up, or pay the gas bills, Gordon Brown could have made life easier for normal people.
But, instead, he decided to hit the lowest paid in society by getting rid of the 10p tax rate. Add to this higher taxes on things like a pint of beer and a tank of petrol and it’s clear that Gordon Brown doesn’t have a clue what it’s like to live on a low income.
Even now, his by-election team claims that the 10p tax rate “is not an issue” for people here in Crewe and Nantwich. He still doesn’t get it.
When Tamsin Dunwoody and Gordon Brown boast about cutting crime, it just goes to show how out of touch they are. Violent crime in Crewe and Nantwich has trebled, while alcohol-fuelled crime and anti-social behaviour remain real problems. Meanwhile, Gordon Brown keeps our police stuck behind their desks filling in forms. They should be out on the beat, fighting crime – not tied up in red tape.
On top of this, our public services are under pressure. They haven’t been given the support they need to deal with recent rises in population. In our schools, the gap between rich and poor kids’ achievements is widening and one in five parents can’t send their children to their first-choice school.
At Leighton Hospital, the maternity unit had to shut its doors to women in labour on two occasions last year while the number of midwives has also been cut. I love the NHS – my three kids were all born at Leighton and the staff were brilliant each time – but it hurts me to see it treated this way.
There shouldn’t be anything inevitable about losing our local services. I have fought to keep our post offices open and I will continue to do so; I ran a marathon for the new Macmillan cancer unit at Leighton; and I am the only candidate standing up for local shops, pubs and GP surgeries.
The local elections on May 1 showed that more and more people around here are voting Conservative, many for the first time ever. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, came a poor third place, and received less than a fifth of the votes.
Unlike the other candidates, I was born and bred in the local area.
The Liberal Democrats dumped their original candidate as soon as they realised there would be a by-election, and the Labour candidate lives 175 miles away in South West Wales. We know from her time in the Welsh Assembly that she is slavishly loyal to the Labour leadership.
If you want somebody who will stand up for the local area, and stand up to Gordon Brown, vote for me, your local Conservative candidate.
That’s the only way you can send Gordon Brown a message.
Mark Walklate Independent
I’m just an ordinary man raised in Crewe with the same dreams and ambitions as most people I know.
I want to be able to run a car without paying so much in fuel tax.
I want to be able to afford a house and be able to start a family with a home for them to live in.
I want them to feel safe at home and on the streets.
I want justice when a crime is committed.
I want an education for my children and jobs for them at the end of it.
I want an NHS service capable of taking care of all of us.
I want the security that I will be independent in my old age because I will have a pension to meet my needs.
I want to be able to save for a rainy day knowing where I put my savings is secure.
I want to know how much tax I really pay and what it’s spent on.
I want public servants who really serve the public.
I want my bins emptied weekly without an increase in tax.
I want teachers, nurses, doctors and police to be left to get on with the job and not used as a political football.
I want to go into Leighton Hospital if I’m ill and not worry about getting MRSA.
I want Queen’s Park to reopen to its former glory and councillors to stop messing about and playing games.
I want no privatisation of Royal Mail.
I want residents and visitors to be able to drive straight into Crewe without sitting in queuing traffic on Saturdays.
I want town centre car parking charges lowered.
I want to encourage and support small and medium-sized businesses.
I want no closure of Crewe Magistrates Court or relocation to outside Crewe.
I want Wulvern Housing rents to be fair and affordable
I want Crewe and Nantwich to preserve and be proud of its history, and historical buildings.
I want to live in a country and community where everybody looks out for each other.
From: Crewe Chronicle
Gordon Brown comes to Crewe!
Well, to Crewe blog. Thanks to Tamsin Dunwoody's campaign team who promised to grab some comment from the PM - and they delivered. Following Nick Clegg and David Cameron, a few words from no.10 for you.
You can see what he had to say at CREWE BLOG
Brown 'in by-election bunker'
David Cameron has accused Gordon Brown of hiding in "his bunker" - instead of going out to Crewe and Nantwich to explain axing the 10p tax band.
Mr Brown told MPs it was a prime ministerial convention not to campaign at by-elections and he had given £2.7bn to help those hit by tax changes.
Mr Cameron taunted him by saying his predecessor as PM, Tony Blair, "led from the front" at by-elections.
It came as all parties made a final push for votes in Thursday's poll.
Labour deputy Harriet Harman, shadow home secretary David Davis and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg are all in the area to support their respective candidates.
'Tax con'
The by-election was sparked by the death of Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, who had held the seat since 1983.
At prime minister's questions in the Commons, Mr Cameron accused Mr Brown of planning another "tax con" by making tax cuts introduced after the 10p U-turn for one year only.
The Tory leader, who has made several visits to Crewe during the by-election campaign, said it was a "huge issue" for voters and asked if the £2.7bn compensation package would be continued next year.
Mr Brown replied: "We've already said that we want to continue to help those affected by the 10p rate and the chancellor will announce that in the Pre-Budget Report."
But Mr Cameron hit back: "This is a one-off, one year only change. The government giving some people some money this September and taking it all back again in April.
"It is just one tax con followed by another."
Mr Brown rejected this, saying the government was giving a tax cut to those who needed it - people on low and middle incomes.
To which Mr Cameron asked why Mr Brown had not had "the courage to explain these points to people on the streets in these towns".
Mr Brown said it was convention that prime ministers did not campaign in by-elections, but Mr Cameron hit back that Mr Blair had done so.
"Instead of leading from the front, haven't you put yourself into your bunker?" he said.
Mr Brown said Mr Cameron wanted people to believe his party helped the poor, yet it had opposed tax credits, the minimum wage and maternity leave.
"You can get by without substance for some of the time, but you will never get by without substance all of the time."
From: BBC News
UKIP highlights EU impact at public meeting
THE UK Independence Party held its second public meeting at Nantwich Football Stadium last night.
Nigel Farage MEP party leader and the candidate Mike Nattrass MEP spoke to an enthusiastic audience of 80 local people.
Mr Farage pointed to the impact on the community of EU rules which the UK must obey, unlimited immigration from the other 26 EU states, closure of post offices and even a tax on rubbish which we must obey.
Mike Nattrass MEP, who had spent most of the day on the UKIP classic double decker campaign bus, said: "It is time to get our country back and govern it for our own people."
"The other three Westminster parties have the same single policy 'Let the EU Rule' -voting for them is like moving deckchairs on the Titanic, no change, more of the same, no point at all."
Mike pointed to the defence of the UK in two world wars and said: "It did not matter what party they were from, no one asked, they stood their ground and defended their country.
"UKIP are from all parties and will defend our right to run our country for the benefit of the British people."
"This campaign will show that the others are more interested in giving it all away to Europe and being governed from Brussels."
During the meeting, it was pointed out that the cost to the UK in contributions and costs on business exceeded £50 billion and that 75% of our law was made in the EU.
From: Crewe Guardian
Belfast's Gemma Garrett - The body politic
When Belfast beauty queen turned potential politician Gemma Garrett decided to campaign for a seat in the forthcoming Crewe and Nantwich by-election, she didn't realise how much hard work it was going to be.
Now, almost three weeks into her campaign, the buxom blonde beauty queen is exhausted. Still, Gemma is nothing if not bubbly and is soon enthusing: " Things have been going really fantastic. I've been getting up every morning at 7am and on the go until 2am the following day as we are canvassing in nightclubs as well.
"I've learned so much and I can say, hand on heart, I'm a totally different person than I was when I started out on May 1."
So far, says Gemma, the only party that has acknowledged her while out canvassing has been the Liberal Democrats — an attitude that she finds perplexing: "We're all human beings. I can't understand why we can't speak to each other and have a chat. I could tell them what I thought of their issues and how they could improve them and they could offer me advice too."
She adds: "I feel that if you want something to be done then politics is the road to go down.
"Even if people don't vote for me, if I can get them out of their houses to vote that would be an achievement."
So, how much does Gemma know about politics?
Find out from: Belfast Telegraph...
From: conservativehome.blogs.com
Please vote for Mike Nattrass
Generations have lost blood, sweat and tears keeping our country independent. Dishonest governments gave it away without consulting the people. 75% of our laws are made by the EU and take your money, spending it on wild projects instead of basic services and pensions.
We currently have Dr Bob Spink MP and two members of the House of Lords trying to restore sovereignty and accountability to our parliament. They need your help.
I am Mike Nattrass FRICS. I joined the fight when, as a consultant for Industrial and Commercial property, I saw EU rules and regulations destroying industry and jobs.
You have been let down by governments since the 1970s who pretend. I want to give you a voice in Westminster and represent you on the issues that matter most, our country, our pensions, our money, our local services. Not EU high flying schemes eating up your taxes.
The UK gives the EU £5.7million an hour! Spend it locally in this country not in Eastern Europe.
Due to EU policy millions came from Eastern Europe to live here (more than any forecast). In Crewe & Nantwich this has caused problems in planning of healthcare, housing and education, these extra costs are picked up by you. Yes you, even if you don’t pay tax you get reduced services. UKIP says stop EU open borders policy, freeze all immigration for five years and issue work permits for those necessary to our economy.
Four post offices closed in Crewe and Nantwich because of EU regulations. This hits local communities and particularly the elderly, how dare they? The other parties pretend they fight such closures – but they voted for them in the EU parliament! The classic Lib-Lab-Con.
Fortnightly household waste collections are due to the EU imposing landfill tax on councils. A burden on you! This EU rubbish directive means incinerators are planned locally as blots on the rural landscape to spew toxins over Crewe and Nantwich. Stop it! We are in favour of re-cycling but there must be weekly collections.
The 10 pence tax fiasco shows how far Labour have moved away from the “Working Man”. UKIP has long advocated a Flat Tax policy which will make taxpayers better off (and Accountants and Civil Servants worse off due to less administration) our policy takes a further 4.5 million lower paid out of income tax altogether.
Tax-free personal allowance £9,000, merging existing income tax bands and employee’s National Insurance contributions into a single flat income tax at a rate of 33%. Reducing top rate for capital gains tax to 33% and scrapping inheritance tax altogether. Less paperwork and less admin costs.
I want to improve life for residents. I have known Crewe since a child visiting Crewe Works and railway sheds and I have family living locally.
Your problems may be parking, traffic congestion or controversial plans to install phone masts near schools. Let me know.
Stand up for Crewe and Nantwich, together we can get our country and money back.
From: Crewe UKIP
Regeneration assurances given
The Liberal Democrats have obtained assurances that the multi-million pound regeneration of Crewe town centre remains on track.
Manchester-based developers Modus responded to calls from Liberal Democrat Crewe and Nantwich by-election candidate Elizabeth Shenton to confirm that the current credit crunch would not adversely affect their plans.
While Elizabeth was assured the Delamere Place redevelopment scheme is set to go ahead, the current global financial markets could mean a slight slowdown in progress.
Elizabeth Shenton said:
“I am grateful to Modus for reassuring the people of Crewe and Nantwich of their continued commitment to this scheme.
“I have been told that there is far too much investment already committed and that the scheme is too exciting for it not to happen and that is good news for local traders and shoppers.
“I was given a clear response that Modus has every intention of pressing ahead, the plans are in place and some good tenants are already committed to the new development.
“The local Council must now work with Modus to ensure there are no more unnecessary delays or needless hold ups,” Elizabeth added.
From: Crewe Liberal Democrats
No womder the Tories are hiding Timpson away
Rob Flello MP, Labour’s campaign spokesman, following the BBC Radio Stoke debate, said:
“Having heard Edward Timpson this lunchtime, I can finally work out why his spin doctors have been trying to keep him away from the media and public.
“Tory boy Timpson today:
- Admitted he would not move to the constituency if elected
- Waffled on whether he would fight to keep Crewe railway station in the centre of town
- And refused to name any policies where he would stand up for Crewe and Nantwich instead of David Cameron.
“No wonder the Tories have tried to hide Timpson away from the media spotlight so much. Having lost that debate hands-down to straight-talking Tamsin Dunwoody, I would not be surprised at all if he refuses to do any live media again for the whole campaign.”
From: Crewe Labour
By-election - live coverage
THE fight to win the Crewe & Nantwich By-election has been grabbing the headlines both locally and nationally.
Its importance cannot be underestimated: a win for Labour would make life a lot easier for beleagured PM Gordon Brown; but a Tory victory could well put his future in jeopardy.
Chesterchronicle.co.uk will be bringing you live coverage right through Thursday night and Friday morning. With journalists feeding all the latest news and gossip directly into a live and interactive blog from the count - you will be right in the thick of the action.
We will also be adding pictures and video as the night draws on - and the winning candidate is revealed.
The live blog begins at 10pm on Thursday.
From: Chesterchronicle.co.uk
30 separate leaflets from five candidates
The Guardian, Tuesday May 20 2008
This article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday May 20 2008 on p31 of the Leaders & reply section.
I wonder if Rosie Edwards (Letters, May 17) and I are living in the same constituency - I feel besieged by local canvassing for the byelection.
A quick hunt through my waste paper baskets has turned up 30 separate leaflets from five of the 10 candidates - mainly Liberal Democrats (16) and Conservative (eight).
I have also had telephone calls from all the three main parties plus one, from Canada, from a market research firm which seemed to be working for the Lib Dems.
The two main leaflet-distributing parties have called on me, and I saw both the Labour and Conservative candidates during a short shopping visit to Nantwich on Saturday.
I regret to report that, in her leaflet, the Labour candidate has quoted, with clear approval, a criticism of the Conservative candidate for having "written about his travels in Outer Mongolia".
I had considered the Labour party's internationalism to be one of its attractions - perhaps the Conservative party really is changing.
Philip Lund
Stapeley, Cheshire
LibDems are fighting to win in Crewe and Nantwich
The LibDems are saying they can still win in Crewe and Nantwich.
Whilst I think this is a highly unlikely prospect, I do believe they will poll more votes than the polls suggest.
When we were out canvassing at the weekend there were voters willing to admit they were switching from Labour to the LibDems.
Some wouldn't commit.
Although I still think we are going to win, there is every chance the voters might turn the seat in to a three way marginal.
From: Andrew Allison - A Conservative View Blog
Lib Dems 'can still win in Crewe'
The Liberal Democrats have said they can win the Crewe and Nantwich by-election, insisting the race is "much tighter" than polls suggest.
A spokesman for Lib Dem candidate Elizabeth Shenton predicted a number of "hardcore" Labour voters would defect to the party on Thursday.
Leader Nick Clegg is visiting the constituency on Wednesday to campaign.
Recent opinion polls have put the Conservatives in the lead, with Labour in second place and the Lib Dems third.
'Positive campaign'
But Ms Shenton's spokesman said the party's own "on-the-ground" data suggested it was "within a few percentage points" of winning.
He added: "The Labour Party is no longer in the race... we have used traditional campaigning techniques - going out and meeting people.
"Elizabeth is very personable and we are trying to run a positive campaign."
Labour's portrayal of Conservative candidate Edward Timpson as a "Tory toff" has been criticised as a "class-war" tactic to hold the seat, vacant since the death of long-serving MP Gwyneth Dunwoody last month.
But her daughter, the Labour candidate Tamsin Dunwoody, has defended the slogan as "good visual imagery".
The latest poll, for the Independent newspaper, puts the Tories on 48%, Labour on 35% and the Lib Dems on 12%.
The survey company ComRes interviewed 1,001 people in the constituency from 15 to 18 May.
Ms Shenton's spokesman said: "What I think will happen is that a considerable hardcore Labour vote that hasn't already gone across to us will do, when they realise that to do otherwise could give Crewe and Nantwich a Tory MP for the first time in the seat's history."
From: BBC News
Sir Alex backs Tamsin for Reds win
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he's hoping to celebrate another unique treble in the next few days.
His United team will be looking to add the Champions League trophy to their Premiership title in Moscow tomorrow night.
Then on Thursday Sir Alex says he'll be keeping a close eye on another Reds vs Blues clash in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election and he's backing Labour's Tamsin Dunwoody to win.
Sir Alex said: "This is a crunch tie between the Reds and the Blues and there's only one winner for me. I knew Gwyneth Dunwoody - she stood up for Crewe and got things done and Tamsin is a chip off the old block.
"Just like my team she's top of the league, a champion. I'd urge people to vote for Tamsin Dunwoody on Thursday."
Tamsin added: "Sir Alex knew my mother and respected her as someone who was a fighter and spoke her mind.
"It was great to meet him before the team flew out to Moscow, we both wished each other success in our battles in the next few days and let's hope there's two red wins at the end of it."
From: Crewe Labour
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
GEM: I'LL SEX IT UP
BALLOT babe Gemma Garrett is sexing up the stuffy world of politics in her bid to become Britain’s newest MP.
And today Miss Great Britain Gemma unveils her eye-popping manifesto for change.
The 26-year-old blonde has been sneered at by strait-laced campaigners branding her a bimbo.
But Gemma is determined to prove she’s got beauty, brains – and policies – as she hits the campaign trail ahead of Thursday’s by-election in Crewe and Nantwich.
The Belfast beauty’s main aim is to boost the paltry wages for British soldiers risking their lives every day for their country.
It’s an issue particularly close to Gemma’s heart as two of her cousins – aged just 19 and 22 – are serving soldiers.
She says: “I’m campaigning on lots of different issues but the main one is about pay for British troops.
“They should be on a premium salary when they’re in war zones and away from their families, even when they’re in Northern Ireland.
“Instead they are scraping by on barely more than the minimum wage.
“This issue is especially important to me as I have two cousins who are soldiers, one serving in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
“I know first-hand how poor the pay is – when they are risking their lives to serve their country – and it’s something I feel really passionately about.
“Just like many other families across Britain we worry about our lads out there and I feel it’s only right they should be well compensated.”
The caring babe is also determined to improve conditions for working and single mothers, who struggle to pay for childcare and hold down a job.
“I want the cost of childcare to be tax deductible,” says Gemma. “My sister, who’s a mum, finds it so hard. By the time she has paid the childminder or nursery fees, is there any point in her going to work?”
Sexy Gemma is standing for the newly-formed Beauties For Britain party and wants to wipe out politics’ sleazy image.
To those who dismiss Gemma’s bid for Parliament in the Cheshire seat as a joke or publicity stunt, she has this to say: “I want people to know I am campaigning on proper politics and real issues.
“It drives me mad how much people stereotype. Just because you’re a beauty queen people assume you’re thick – but I am determined to put them straight.
“I don’t expect to win but what I want more than anything is to put my issues out there. Hopefully other people will take them on board.”
Gemma was appalled to discover how many people in their teens and twenties don’t vote and haven’t even bothered to register for the right to vote.
She says: “I want to make politics more exciting and sexy. There are so many people who don’t vote because they find it all so boring.
“I went up to Crewe and visited some bars and nightclubs to talk to people aged 18 to 30 about my campaign. I was talking to this 27-year-old guy. He’d never voted and his name wasn’t even on the electoral roll.
“It made me realise how lots of people don’t have any interest in politics and I want to change that.
“People have to realise they can’t complain about what’s wrong with the country if they don’t vote in the first place.”
But Gemma is already finding herself caught up in the dog-eat-dog world of politics.
“I was verbally attacked in the street by a Labour campaigner,” says shocked Gemma.
“It was an elderly woman. She shouted at me: ‘Do you even know how to spell Britain?’ I couldn’t believe it.
“I just walked away even though I was quite angry about it. I thought that was the best way for an ambassador for Britain to behave.”
From: Daily Star
Tories set to crush Labour in Crewe
Labour is heading for a crushing defeat in Thursday's parliamentary by-election in Crewe and Nantwich, according to a ComRes poll for The Independent.
The survey puts the Conservative Party on 48 per cent, Labour on 35 per cent, the Liberal Democrats on 12 per cent and other parties on 5 per cent. The projected 14 per cent swing to the Tories would easily allow David Cameron's party to overturn the 7,780 majority Labour enjoyed at the last general election.
Such a humiliating setback for Gordon Brown would revive the debate inside Labour as to whether he should lead the party into the general election. Labour MPs believe their party's portrayal of the Tory candidate Edward Timpson as a "toff" has backfired and many admit the abolition of the 10p tax rate has alienated Labour voters.
There is more bad news for Mr Brown. ComRes found that only 13 per cent of people in Crewe regard him as an asset to his party, while 60 per cent see him as a liability. Only 9 per cent of women and 16 per cent men view the Prime Minister as an asset. Labour supporters are evenly split, with 33 per cent regarding him as an asset to the party and 34 per cent a liability.
In contrast, 82 per cent of those polled in Crewe believe Mr Cameron is an asset to his party. More Labour supporters (37 per cent) see him as an asset than think he is a liability (28 per cent). So more Labour supporters view Mr Cameron as an asset to the Tories than believe Mr Brown is an asset to Labour.
People have not yet formed a clear view about Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader. By a two-to- one margin (22 per cent to 11 per cent) they believe he is an asset rather than a liability to his party, but 33 per cent say he is "neither" and 34 per cent say they do not know. Less than half of Liberal Democrat supporters (45 per cent) think he is an asset, 7 per cent a liability.
Sixty-two per cent said they were "absolutely certain to vote" on Thursday, higher than the 60 per cent turnout in Crewe at the 2005 election. But only 22 per cent of 18- to 24 year-olds are certain to vote. Some 80 per cent of Tory supporters are certain to vote, compared to 71 per cent of those intending to vote Labour and 67 per cent of Liberal Democrat supporters.
The ComRes findings suggest the Tories have extended their lead in Crewe. Nine days ago, an ICM survey put the Tories four points ahead. On Sunday, another ICM poll suggested the lead had doubled.
Although by-elections are seen as one-off events, if the ComRes share of the vote figures were repeated at a general election, the Tories would win an overall majority of 112.
Stephen Ladyman, a former Labour minister, said the party's attack on Mr Timpson been "a little crude" and the party's campaigning should become "a lot sharper" before the general election.
From: The Independent
Monday, May 19, 2008
Greens hit out at excessive rail fare rises
THE Green candidate in the Crewe and Nantwich byelection and transport planner, Robert Smith, has attacked the privatised rail companies for excessive price rises since privatisation.
He said: "On Virgin services, prices have gone up by 135% since privatisation.
"This is unfair on ordinary people who want to travel by rail. It forces people onto already congested roads, when we should be doing everything we can to get people back onto our public transport system."
The Greens have criticised the main parties for running a "phoney" campaign, claiming there are very few differences left between the red, yellow and blue parties any more.
Peter Cranie, regional spokesperson for the Greens in the North West added: "People are being given a false choice. On issues like public transport only the Greens are offering a different vision of how we should run the transport network.
"Privatisation has failed, and big rises in fares mean that ordinary people are paying out for shareholder profits, instead of seeing that money reinvested back into better services."
"People deserve better value public transport, not an identical choice of continued privatisation from the three main parties."
Mr Brown will do anything to stay in power
On Saturday, Gordon Brown was telling the Church of Scotland about his "personal commitment" to the "vision of the good society". Over the past few days, the inhabitants of Crewe and Nantwich have been learning a lot about the nature of that commitment. Voters have been woken up at 4am by callers pretending to be Tory canvassers. Four-by-four vehicles festooned with blue balloons have been careering through council estates: more pretend Tory canvassers. Above all, there has been a succession of smears and lies about the Tory candidate, Edward Timpson, and his family.
If Gordon Brown had any genuine interest in a good society, he could learn a lot from the Timpsons. Edward Timpson's father built up a successful business. As Mr Brown has always claimed to be in favour of hard work, thrift and enterprise, why is he not applauding the Timpsons? Gordon Brown also believes in good works. The Timpsons actually perform them. Over the years, they have fostered 86 children. That is not merely good; it is saintly. Last year, Edward Timpson's mother received an OBE for her work with children. Few awards have been more richly deserved.
Yet the main plank of Labour's Crewe campaign has been an attempt to portray the Timpsons as rich idlers. Early on, a Labour poster showed a photograph of Edward Timpson in a top hat. It was a fake; he has never owned a top hat. So the Tories complained. Labour then produced the same poster with Mr Timpson's face blacked-out and the slogan: "The Tories won't let us show their candidate's face. What else is he hiding?"
"Vision of the good society": Gordon Brown did not choke on his own hypocrisy. The only vision he has is the one that haunts him: electoral defeat. In his desperation to avoid that fate, he has instructed his associates to grovel in the gutter in search of muck to throw at their opponents. While he was oiling up to the Kirk, his associates were behaving like rabid weasels. Forget visions, forget values, forget ideas: forget a serious political programme. Above all, forget truth. Gordon Brown will do anything to stay in power. He will spit and snarl and claw all the way to the next election. It is going to be a profoundly demeaning process and, if there is any justice, it will not only bring down abiding discredit upon Gordon Brown, but also on the party which tolerated him.
So there is one obvious conclusion. It is in Labour's best interests to lose this week's by-election. A number of decent people in the Labour Party – they still exist – are thoroughly dismayed by the tactics adopted in Crewe. They are holding their tongues until the polls close. Then there will be calls for a court of inquiry. But if Labour scrapes home, Gordon Brown will conclude that class hate, smears and lies can work. Anyone who cares about standards in public life should be praying for a crushing Labour defeat.
But the significance of the Crewe campaign goes wider than Gordon Brown's repudiation of taste, decency and morals. It enables us to draw two conclusions about the current Labour Party. Labour no longer knows what it believes while many of its supporters are full of anger, which they substitute for thought.
SEE THE FULL REPORT AT THE INDEPENDENT
Labour scale down 'class war' attacks
Labour is to scale down its "class war" attacks on the Tories before Thursday's crucial Crewe by-election - after polls showed the tactic is backfiring.
The party's high command has been split by a high-risk strategy to mock the Conservative candidate as a "toff who lives in a mansion".
Cabinet ministers tried desperately to rein in the negative campaigning yesterday as a poll suggested Labour's 7,078 majority would be overturned on Thursday.
The ICM survey in the once-safe Labour seat of Crewe and Nantwich indicated that the Tories had doubled their lead to eight points in a week.
Mr Cameron's party had 45 per cent to Labour's 37 per cent, enough to give the Tories their first by-election gain in 26 years.
Since the campaign began, activists dressed in top hats and tails have been shadowing Tory candidate Edward Timpson - son of the founder of the shoe chain.
A picture of his Cheshire home is reproduced on Labour leaflets with the slogan "Tory Boy Timpson's mansion house", while other campaign literature asks: "Do you think that regeneration is adding a new wing to your mansion?"
Labour's candidate Tamsin Dunwoody - daughter of ex-MP Gwyneth, whose death led to the by-election - has even referred to her rival as "some rich Tory kid".
Gordon Brown's chief strategist Stephen Carter and senior ministers have been dismayed by the tactic and are adamant it should be abandoned.
Cabinet Office minister Ed Miliband yesterday tried to play it down, telling Sky News: "In by-elections you always have stunts, you always have people campaigning in adventurous ways. The central part is the issues that matter to people in that area, like anti-social behaviour and the 10p tax rate."
Deputy leader Harriet Harman admitted to the BBC that it was "not the most positive campaign", although she also insisted that the class issue was not the main theme.
Defeat in the by-election would be devastating for Mr Brown, who last week borrowed £2.7billion to fund a surprise tax cut as part of a compensation package for workers made worse off by his decision to scrap the 10p starting rate.
The ICM survey indicates that more than half of voters think the deal was an election bribe, while nearly two-thirds believe Labour should dump the Prime Minister before the next General Election.
There was more bad news for Mr Brown with a national YouGov poll for the Sunday Times putting the Tories on 45 per cent, 20 points clear of Labour, on 25 per cent, with the LibDems on 18 per cent.
If, as Labour fears, Thursday brings defeat, it appears unlikely to force the Prime Minister from office. He is expected to attempt a fightback over the summer.
But David Hill, Downing Street communications chief under Tony Blair, admitted: "This is a low point. The Government is in serious difficulties and no one is pretending otherwise."
He added: "The odds have got to be against Labour winning the by-election. What has happened in the campaign is that something supposed to be relatively light-hearted to kick off the campaign has taken off and campaigners have not been able to rein it back in as they should have."
The strategy to paint Mr Timpson as a privileged outsider was cooked up by Labour's by-election campaign team, headed by Government whip Steve McCabe, MP for Birmingham Hall Green.
A source said last night: "We are not winding it up but our last days' message is not about that. Our message is going to draw the distinction that Tamsin is one of you, talking about local issues, and Timpson is one of them."
Labour also accused the Conservatives of carrying out their own dirty tricks campaign, including posing as Labour backers to infiltrate Miss Dunwoody's campaign, rifling through her dustbins and tearing down Labour posters in the middle of the night.
From :Daily Mail
Ahead on the cupcakes...
We went to Nantwich first. I detected a mood change since the last time I was there - more people were coming up and approaching us for a chat rather than us having to approach them.
We went into the indoor market where we heard that there was a lady selling cupcakes in the three different party colours.
She told me that so far that day she had sold 12 blue, 5 red and 2 yellow. Not bad. I bought another half a dozen blue while I was there.
Then we went over to Crewe and had a walk about in the market there.
From: Crewe Conservatives
Tamsin Dunwoody - One of us
People forget what it was like under a Conservative government. Timpson is not up to it, don’t elect a Tory boy to do a Dunwoody job. Our Tamsin will stand up for local people. She’s a Dunwoody, after all.”
Alex Ferguson
From: Crewe Labour
Sunday, May 18, 2008
TORY LEAD GROWS IN LATEST POLL
The News of the World carries a second ICM poll on the Crewe and Nantwich by-election.
Voting intention figures, with changes from the ICM/Mail on Sunday poll in Crewe and Nantwich last week, are
CON 45%(+2),
LAB 37%(-2),
LDEM 14%(-2).
CREWE BLOG - Latest poll results
Shenton (Lib Dem) 324 (23%)
Dunwoody (Lab) 322 (23%)
Nattrass (UKIP) 322 (23%)
Timpson (Cons) 298 (21%)
Garret (Beauty) 35 (2%)
Walklate (Ind) 19 (1%)
Brick (Monster) 15 (1%)
Smith (Green) 13 (0%)
Roberts (Eng Dem) 6 (0%)
Thorogood (Petrol) 1 (0%)
From: Crewe Blog
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Labour haven't given up hope in Crewe
The Labour party hasn't yet given up hope of holding on to Crewe and Nantwich seat in the byelection next week.
Steve McCabe MP, who is masterminding the party's campaign believes Labour's support is gathering pace.
"There is still a mountain to climb but even the Tories admit their share of the vote here is on the slide," he said.
"David Cameron has been up here three times and every time he does, the Tory vote goes down - I'm hoping to get him up here every day next week."
While insisting the Labour campaign is doing "quite well", McCabe says the outcome could be too close to call.
"I don't know what's going to happen," he said. "But we are not going to see quite the Conservative triumph that David Cameron promised at the start."
Much depends on whether the Liberal Democrat votes holds up. If their vote collapses Labour believe the Tories might clinch it.
But with the prospect of scraping a win very much in site, Labour is throwing almost everything at the seat that the late Gwyneth Dunwoody secured with a 6,999 majority just three years ago.
Although the prime minister is not expected to put in an appearance (McCabe bats away suggestions that Gordon Brown has become an electoral liability) - there has been no shortage of Labour activists on the ground.
More than 200 grassroot members descended on the constituency last week and that number is expected to reach 300 in the final few days of the campaign.
Jack Straw, Ed Balls, Douglas Alexander, Harriet Harman and Andy Burnham are among the Cabinet ministers who have been up knocking doors. James Purnell has been there twice. Former ministers Charles Clarke and Frank Dobson also made the trip north.
It remains to be seen whether their efforts turn out to have been worthwhile.
From: Guardian
Gordon Brown orders 80 ministers to join surge
Gordon Brown has ordered his entire Government to Crewe and Nantwich this weekend in a last-minute campaigning "surge" aimed at averting a disastrous by-election defeat next week.
About 80 ministers, whips and parliamentary aides have been told to visit the Cheshire seat amid growing signs that the Conservatives will overturn Labour's 7,000-vote majority there on Thursday.
"It's all hands to the pump – they've all been told they have to be there unless they have a good excuse," said a senior source. "We need everyone we can get."
Following this month's disastrous local election results and a string of rows with his party, Mr Brown's fragile political authority could be badly hurt by a by-election loss.
The Labour surge comes after David Cameron flooded the seat with Tory MPs and shadow cabinet members. The Conservative leader has visited Crewe three times so far, and will return next week.
Cabinet ministers including Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, Geoff Hoon, the chief whip, and James Purnell, the Culture Secretary, have all visited Crewe in recent days and been used as the focus for Labour campaign events.
But more junior ministers and MPs will be ordered to "roll up their sleeves" and start knocking on doors.
The Tories are fielding Edward Timpson, a barrister and part of the family that founded the Timpson shoe chain. Labour has focused on what the party says is Mr Timpson's privileged background, depicting him as a "Tory Toff" who can't relate to ordinary voters. As part of the campaign, Labour activists wearing tailcoats and top hats have shadowed Mr Timpson.
The campaign has drawn accusations that Labour is fighting a class war and even some Labour MPs are uncomfortable with the tactics.
Despite the "surge", senior Labour sources are privately talking about the campaign as a damage limitation effort. One said: "The important thing for us now is that we make sure the Tories don't get the walkover they probably thought they'd have a few weeks ago."
Read the full report at: Daily Telegraph
Miss Great Britain unveils national plans
MISS Great Britain Gemma Garrett has unveiled plans to extend her Beauty for Britain movement into every Parliamentary seat.
Gemma is standing as an independent candidate in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election on a platform of making Westminster sexy not sleazy.
She said that scores of beautiful and intelligent women have signed up to her manifesto to make Westminster politics as glamorous as their European counterparts.
advertisement
The Beauty for Britain movement will be unveiling a candidate for the Henley-on-Thames seat to be vacated by the newly elected Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.
And it will follow this with the placing of a candidate in every by-election between now and the next General Election when it will unveil a raft of candidates nationwide.
Gemma, aged 26 from Belfast, said: "This is a movement which is growing by the day and which could literally change the face of British politics forever.
"The leaders of countries such as Italy, France and Spain have shown that they understand the power of attractive women to make things happen by promoting brilliant and glamorous women into their cabinets.
"Even traditional female politicians like chancellor Angela Merkle in Germany and our own Jackie Smith seem to be trying to inject some of the Sarkozy factor into their personal politics.
"Our movement is all about giving beauty the chance to make a difference in a way which will help voters on really important issues like child care, the National Health Service and proper pay and conditions for our servicemen."
Gemma's political adviser and the co-founder of the Beauties for Britain movement, Robert de Keyser, added: "For too long British voters have had the dreary choice between three parties - Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem - whose policies now contain so much copycat thinking that voters are left with no real choices.
"The predictable result is that they are becoming cynical and are turning away from politics in their millions. Beauty for Britain's candidates will ensure a genuine fourth party candidate for all voters."
The Fourth Way will be the beautiful and effective way of cleaning up British politics, making politicians accountable again and guaranteeing that the voters' voices will be heard."
From: Crewe Guardian
Labour set for defeat
Elizabeth Shenton and the Liberal Democrats are gaining ground fast in Crewe and Nantwich.
With Labour support plummeting, local people are set to choose between Elizabeth Shenton and the Conservatives for our new local MP.
Gordon Brown’s Labour Party are out of the race. Local people are angry at Labour’s failure to listen on issues like crime, 10p tax and the war in Iraq.
Liberal Democrat campaigner Elizabeth Shenton has seen her support rise fast in recent days - gaining support from both Labour and Conservative voters.
Most people agree that Elizabeth Shenton is the best person to stand up for Crewe and Nantwich.
From: Crewe Liberal Democrats
Byelections comment:
A Liberal Democrat victory might seem to be a wild claim but it would not be the first time they have come from also-rans to victors.
Remember Dunfermline in 2006, when they came from 27% behind Labour to win a seat that everyone said would be a fight between Labour and SNP.
Labour tried to play down the Lib Dem threat by talking up the SNP challenge, in the hope of making voters think a vote for the Lib Dems would be a wasted vote.
Final result was Lib Dems 12,000 - Labour 10,000 - SNP 7,000
Could the same thing be happening again?
Friday, May 16, 2008
Tamsin & Andy visit Nantwich Town FC
Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s cabinet minister for sport has joined Tamsin Dunwoody on the campaign trail at Nantwich Town football club.
Nantwich Town FC were promoted at the start of the month to the Unibond Premier Division, their second promotion success in as many years.
Tamsin Dunwoody said:
“Nantwich Town is clearly a club on the up. Having moved into a new stadium and won promotion two years in a row, its no wonder more and more people want to watch them play.
“I was really pleased to bring Sports Minister Andy Burnham here to see such a great local success story. This club, like the Alex, is a vital part of our community.
“I just hope that their winning streak rubs off on me!”
Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said:
“I was really pleased that Tamsin brought me to Nantwich Town to meet the club. They have done fantastically well to win back-to-back promotion. They are a real example to lower league clubs across the country.
“The money Nantwich won from the Football Foundation has been instrumental to the success of this team and I was pleased to come and view the new stadium today.
“It is clear to me that Tamsin cares passionately about this community and, just like her mum, will stand up for local people.“
From: Crewe Labour
Mark Walklate - A truly local candidate?
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From: Crewe Blog
"THE most local candidate was Mark Walklate, standing as an Independent.
He's lived in Crewe since he was a young child, was educated at King's Grove and lives and works in the town.
I caught up with him last weekend when he was busy handing out leaflets and chatting to the public.
Unlike some of the other candidates he wasn't simply shaking a hand and moving on, he was getting them to talk about local and national issues. From what I heard, he's pretty clued up on most topics.
He wants what most of us do - fair taxes, access to affordable homes, safe streets etc etc. The usual.
But could he deliver without the backing of a major party? He was involved with the Conservatives until last year, but decided to stand as an Independent.
Would you vote for Mark?"
Thursday, May 15, 2008
CUT TAX ON PETROL AND DIESEL
To the voters of Crewe and Nantwich: You are about to make history. The by-election on May 22nd is effectively the first referendum in the UK asking whether the Government should Cut Tax On Petrol And Diesel.
Blockades don't work.
The ballot box does.
Vote for our candidate PAUL THOROGOOD.
Your country is counting on you - don't waste this chance.
It's over to YOU...
From: CUT TAX ON PETROL
Tamsin gets 10p Tax Action
You told Tamsin your concerns. She put them directly to the Chancellor. She stood up for you.
This week the government took action and increased personal tax allowances for basic rate tax payers. A family tax cut at a time when fuel and grocery bills are rising.
The choice at the by-election on 22 May is between a Dunwoody who listens and takes action and a Tory party which has offered nothing on the 10 pence tax rate except a cruel con.
Tamsin Dunwoody, like her mum, will fight every day for you and your family.
People in Crewe and Nantwich are angry that Timpson’s Tories are conning local people. When asked if they would reverse the 10 pence decision, last week Cameron told a dismayed Crewe voter: “I can’t promise that.”
Labour has listened. We’ve cut taxes by increasing the personal allowance so more people can retain more of their income before paying tax at a time when fuel and grocery bills are rising.
What it means for people only paying the basic rate this year:
A £120 family tax cut for people on low and middle income
A £120 tax cut for single people
A £120 tax cut for couples with or without children
A £120 tax cut for women aged 60-64
£250 Winter Fuel Payment for over 60s this year, £400 for the over 80s
600,000 lower income people taken out of paying income tax altogether
Labour’s Tamsin Dunwoody listened to your concerns. She stood up for you and fought for you.
She will always fight for you and your family – she’s a Dunwoody after all.
From: Crewe and Nantwich Labour
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The 10p 'fix'
So, has a key plank of the Conservative campaign in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election now been sawn in half and thrown into the wood chipper?
Tory party leaflets here focus heavily on the rising cost of living and the scrapped 10p tax rate.
But now, with re-imbursements all round, there is a chance the issue has been neutralised.
The Conservatives certainly think the Treasury has been spurred into action by this by-election, and Labour canvassers in Crewe will be glad to have clarity on the question of compensation.
The fact that Labour's candidate, Tamsin Dunwoody, spoke to Alistair Darling just before the chancellor's announcement will be sold on the doorstep here as evidence of her clout.
But, after talking to two disillusioned life-long Labour voters in Crewe's town centre, it seems the party still has more to do.
Life-long Labour supporters on their plans to vote for others
In their view it was the original decision to scrap the tax band without proper compensation that was the final straw.
If others here share that view then the issue could still cause big trouble for Labour.
And the Conservatives are confident that 10p has acquired a symbolic significance far beyond the 5.3 million people directly affected.
Some of their strategists say it has become the cover, the policy excuse, for people to now turn against the government for a whole variety of reasons.
The main campaigns continue to circle each other here without really locking horns.
It is a local focus for Labour, national discontent for the Conservatives, a mixture of the two for the Liberal Democrats. One tactic that has caused a skirmish is Labour's decision to highlight the wealthy background of the Tory candidate, Edward Timpson.
The Conservatives took out a writ stopping Labour using a photo-shopped snap of Mr Timpson wearing a top hat.
From: BBC News
Boris ‘two jobs’ Johnson still an MP
On May 1st The Times reported that "Boris Johnson will remain an Oxfordshire MP for up to a year if he becomes Mayor of London"
This has not stopped Henley Liberal Democrats from selecting Stephen Kearney to be their candidate for the expected Henley-on-Thames by-election. Stephen Kearney, 49, is Chief Executive of an international development charity (Action to Regenerate Community Trust - www.regeneratetrust.com) that works in Africa and the UK.
And the Conservatives are getting worried that the delay might let the Liberal Democrats building up a head of steam.
Even the Official Monster Raving Loony Party have selected a candidate, Peter Owen a.k.a. Top Cat a.k.a. TC a.k.a. Bananaman has been selected as the prospective OMRLP candidate for the Henley by-election (if it happens). He is the deputy leader of the party, and got the largest Loony vote in the UK in the 1997 and 2001 general elections in Wokingham.
'By-election budget' is a failure, say Lib Dems
THE so-called 'by-election budget' will still leave thousands of people in Crewe and Nantwich no better off, according to the Liberal Democrat candidate.
The Government this week announced its intension to increase the personal allowance by £600 to compensate those who have lost out in last years budget.
However people earning between £6,500 and £12,800 will still pay more income tax as the personal allowance increase is insufficient to compensate them for their losses.
According to the ONS annual survey of hours and earnings 25% of Crewe's 37,000 strong workforce falls into this bracket - meaning that about 9,250 people will still be worse off.
Lib Dem candidate Elizabeth Shenton said: "I want to ask Tamsin Dunwoody if she agrees with the Chancellor that 9,000 of the poorest people in Crewe should not be compensated for 10p tax losses.
"She should let the voters know where she stands, with them, or with the Government.
"With such a hike in Government borrowing there can be not doubt that Gordon Brown has lost his reputation for economic competence."
Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor Vince Cable added: "This Government's tax policy has descended into a complete farce.
"The abolition of the 10p rate was designed to help Labour win the election that never was.
"Now this by-election budget is designed to help them cling on to Crewe and Nantwich in next week's vote."
From: Crewe Guardian
English Democrats want English Parliament
THE English Democrats said they want a strong, democratic England, united and governed by its own people.
The group's by-election candidate David Roberts said he wants an English Parliament with a First Minister for England and a Government with similar powers to the Scottish ones.
He said: "We also want an end to unfair subsidies to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
"We would like to make St George's Day our national holiday so that old and young can come together to celebrate our national community England!
"The English Democrats have strong environmentally friendly policies.
"We believe that the way to tackle rubbish is to focus on reducing its creation by reducing packaging on products rather than just by penalising ordinary people and reducing the numbers of bin collections.
"We want to fight for English equality where devolution has provided benefits not currently enjoyed by our people.
"The best examples are in relation to free prescriptions, hospital parking, tuition fees and access to expensive cancer drugs in Wales.
"Higher public spending per head as is also the case in Scotland where long term care for the elderly does not require the sale of their home in order to cover costs."
Father of two Mr Roberts, aged 53, lives at Tushingham in Cheshire and attended Manchester Metropolitan University.
He is an experienced chemist and was recently elected Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
He twice been a local council candidate for the English Democrats.
From: Crewe Guardian
Gordon Brown snubs Crewe and Nantwich
Gordon Brown has today confirmed that he will not be bothering to visit Crewe and Nantwich to meet local people. His admission followed a letter from Edward Timpson yesterday inviting him to Crewe and Nantwich and a question put in parliament today. He is the only Party leader not to have made the time to visit the people of Crewe and Nantwich and it will be seen as yet more evidence that he is taking local people for granted.
Yesterday Edward Timpson wrote to Gordon Brown to invite him to the constituency to meet local residents and discuss their concerns on violent crime, the rising cost of living and Gordon Brown's decision to abolish the 10p tax rate.
In his letter to Gordon Brown, Edward Timpson said:
“Many people feel that you are just ignoring their concerns and refusing to listen. A decision by you to come up to Crewe and Nantwich in the next few days and to actually meet real people face to face and explain your reasons for increasing their taxes would be the first small step towards addressing some of their concerns.
“I know that the job of Prime Minister is a busy one – but I really think it would benefit you to see what people here in Crewe and Nantwich are going through and you could find the time if you wanted to. With a by-election here now well under way, people want to discuss their concerns with you. There could not be a better time for you to visit us.
“Crewe and Nantwich has received a visit from both David Cameron and the Liberal Democrat leader. You are the only Party leader not to have come up here yet. I sincerely hope that you will take the opportunity to put that right.”
In an interview on More 4 news yesterday, Gordon Brown’s Labour Party candidate repeatedly refused to answer the question "is Gordon Brown an asset or a liability?"
From: Crewe and Nantwich Conservatives
Our Vera in Crewe
Liz Dawn (Vera from Coronation Street) was in town around lunchtime, chatting to shoppers alongside Tamsin Dunwoody.
SEE THE FULL REPORT AT CREWE BLOG
Miss Great Britain attacks Labour
MISS Great Britain Gemma Garrett hit the campaign trail in Crewe and Nantwich this week and launched an attack on Labour for dirty tricks'.
Amongst the Belfast model's policies are increased wages for our Armed Forces serving overseas and all childcare benefits for single mothers becoming tax free.
Gemma, who is standing on a platform of bringing beauty into politics and turning back the tide of sleaze which has dogged successive Westminster administrations, is pledging to meet as many of the 78,000 voters as possible.
She marked her arrival in the constituency with an attack on the smear campaign launched against her by her Labour opponents who she believes are already rattled by the direct charm of her appeal.
Last week she signed the book of condolences for Gwyneth Dunwoody whose death created the by-election.
She said that within hours, Labour sources were claiming that Gemma had misspelt the Britain in Miss Great Britain.
Gemma explained: "This is precisely the low, petty and underhanded sort of action which contributes to the overall impression that politics is a sleazy and grubby business.
"It is ironic that Labour, which is supposed to cherish the rights of women, created this cheap, wrong and stereotypical image of me intended to suggest that any girl who happened to be blonde and to look good cannot spell.
"It is risible and sad that they have stooped to this level of personal abuse which even included a barrage of verbal abuse directed at me by party workers.
"It all tells me that we need a new sort of politics which will engage peoples' interests and help turn back the dull tide of cynicism which has dogged this country's political life for so long now."
From: Crewe Guardian
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
David Roberts - English Democrats
The English Democrats are pleased to announce that our candidate’s nomination has been accepted to stand in the high profile Crewe and Nantwich parliamentary by-election. The election takes place on 22nd May.
David Roberts, who is of Tushingham, Cheshire said:- “I am delighted to stand for the English Democrats. The English Democrats are the English equivalent of Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party. In this election only the English Democrats are standing up for England and English interests"
"I am optimistic that the people of Crewe and Nantwich will want to use this opportunity to deliver a message to the political establishment about how unfair their treatment of England is." "The Crewe and Nantwich constituency is in the same district as the village of Audlem which recently voted by c.70% to become Welsh in order to get access to all the benefits available to the Welsh people,
The English village that would rather be Welsh - This Britain, UK - The Independent
"Local people are now well aware, and the Labour candidate, Tamsin Dunwoody, should be well aware, of the different treatment of Wales and England - because she lives in Wales and was until recently a Labour member of the Welsh National Assembly!"
"The English Democrats do not advocate Cheshire becoming Welsh but they do argue that the people of Crewe and Nantwich, Cheshire and England should have fair and equal treatment with the people of Wales. This can only happen for England if we have our own Parliament, First Minister and Government, which is what the English Democrats are campaigning for”.
English Democrats
The great 10p tax rip-off
Labour Government DOUBLES tax rate for lower paid pensioners and families
Anger at Gordon Brown’s decision to abolish the 10p tax rate costing the low paid hundreds of pounds a year won’t go away.
Just days after Labour MPs voted through the tax hike, Labour was handed its worst local election result in forty years.
Local campaigner Elizabeth Shenton said, “Labour are robbing the poor to pay the rich. It’s the kind of move we might have expected from a Conservative Government.”
The Liberal Democrats are leading the fight against the tax rise that is hitting thousands of people in Crewe and Nantwich.
Elizabeth Shenton said, “This tax hike hits the people that Labour used to stand up for.
“Pensioners, low paid families and many other people who can’t afford to lose hundreds of pounds a year. It is a heartless and cruel tax rise.”
Facing a rebellion from his own MPs, Gordon Brown has been forced to announce that some of the people who lose out might get compensation. But no one will get anything for at least six months. Even then it’s not clear how many people will get their money back and how they will receive it.
Elizabeth Shenton said, “Labour are completely out of touch with real life if they think the least well off can wait six months or more to get back money that belongs to them. This is too little too late.”
From: Elizabeth Shenton