More from the Horton election
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Jul 17 2007 at 1:08 PM
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Polling day is just two days away yet the whole of the Sedgefield constituency still seems gripped by total apathy. Perhaps it is because this is a campaign completely devoid of any mention of politics.

Nowhere has there been any significant mention of immigration, Iraq, Europe, taxation or the NHS. There has been no debate between candidates or anything in the media to help the voters make an informed decision. It is as though we are selecting an MP for the Newton Aycliffe Shopping Centre rather than a proper politician for Westminster.

Last night I was at a public meeting organised by the union of Public and Commercial Services. This is one of the biggest unions in the country yet amazingly the Labour candidate declined to attend. He claimed he was tied up with the Home Secretary on her Ministerial visit. However that visit was early in the afternoon and the public meeting did not start until 7.30! Oh, and the Tory did not bother either. However the Lib Dems the Greens and I had an interesting time...

UKIP has complained to the Returning Officer over the flagrant breach of the election laws. Only the Labour Party have put up posters on telegraph poles and light standards; everybody else obeyed the rules. This was real Old Labour-just ignore everybody else-it's our area and we make our rules.

Back to the run down Newton Aycliffe shopping centre. Unbelievably the Lib Dems brought Nick Clegg up to the area and guess what—showed him the centre. And guess what again... Yes, he thinks it should be regenerated.

Whatever the outcome of this election I shall be making a request under the Freedom of Information Act about the cost of so called Ministerial visits to Sedgefield during the campaign.

Yesterday the Home Secretary—whom one might have thought had more pressing matters to attend to right now—was here to "inspect a CCTV police van". Are there none in London for her to look at? It is such a flimsy excuse to cover the cynical visit to support a Labour Candidate. It is not the first such visit.

I shall be asking for the costs of these visits—whether they can be justified and, if not, should they be included in the Labour campaign costs. Don't hold your breath.

Joined by John Bufton from Wales and Paul Nuttal and John Pettley from our Brussels staff, I have been canvassing in tradition Labour strongholds. I must say the results have been encouraging. Old Labour is alive and well here and they hold New Labour and Blair in contempt—ironic in the former PM's own constituency. Be interesting to see where their votes go. It won't be to the Tories who they still detest as a result of the 1984 miners strike.

The BNP had a large advert in the local paper today. Above it were the words:

"Editor's Note: The BNP is legally entitled to field a candidate in the election and to campaign. However publication of this advertisement by The Northern Echo is not an endorsement of the party or its views."

I was going to say that they shouldn't have taken the money but I have learnt that the paper has donated it to a local hospice.

Spent some time at the Newton Aycliffe market (as opposed to the £$*^%$ shopping centre). Quite lively for a change. Liam Fox on parade for the Tories and, more entertainingly, the Monster Raving Looney Party in full flow with their demands for a 99p coin.

Ain't politics grand?

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