General Election – Campaign News
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general electionElection Agent and Candidate submitted Nomination papers and Deposit yesterday. So we are go.. Cde Colborn is doing well with letters but the more input the better.I will take this opportunity to thank Cde Colborn for his efforts in the face of his severe physical restrictions, I have nothing but admiration for him. Well done M8 Branch Sec vin
Busy day of activity in Oxford yesterday, two hustings and a street stall. Six of us did a stall in Broad Street in the centre from 5pm to 7pm organised by the Oxford Communist Corresponding Society. Also present, handing out his own pamphlet and a bit of nuisance, was Ernie Reynolds who stood as an "Abolish Money" (but only in one country) candidate in Swindon in 2005.Our candidate in Oxford West & Abingdon represented the Party at the hustings in St Barnabus church (actually more a basilica) in Jericho organised by the Oxfordshire branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England. An audience of 100 or so. All the other candidates (first time we'd seen the Tory, who wants to bring back the killing of foxes for pleasure) were there except the UKIP one who withdrew because of alleged "death threats" following the exposing of his prejudiced comments a year or so ago on facebook. Mainly local issues. Mike's introduction can be found here. His vision differed from William Morris's in News from Nowhere which is partly set in Oxfordshire but where it never rains. The event was filmed by three TV companies. A report on it should be on BBC South local news at 6.30pm and 10.30pm today if anyone here is that catchment area. One of the others was Brookes TV, an internet TV station run by and for students of Brookes University in Oxford. Still trying to track it down.Our candidate in Oxford East was not invited to a hustings in Headington organised by the local churches. This was in effect a selective hustings as only 5 of the 9 declared candidates were invited, the fig-leaf selection criteria being parties which had had MPs. When the moderator introduced "the candidates" it turned out that 3 of them weren't actually candidates but their representative. Two of us at the back heckled him on this. So, in fact, there were only 2 candidates on the platform with a further 2 excluded ones (not ours) in the meeting hall. The moderator rather let the cat out of the bag when he declared an interest: that he was a member of the Labour Party. He would want to exclude candidates which the Labour Party might think would take votes from them, wouldn't he? And could it be a co-incidence that of the 5 hustings organised by local churches, this was the only one not to invite all the candidates? In any event he wasn't like Ceasar's wife. Both us and the TUSC candidate made certain everyone of the 80 or so present had our respective leaflets.
What made ER a " bit of a nuisance" if i can ask?Was it the confusion of his literature being a distraction or was it something more?
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-32234567http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/149729/List-of-electoral-offences.pdfSomething to watch out for with our customary free refreshments pledge at all our meetings. I must say i think it is a bit selective accusing the UKIP. Who remembers any complaints when Red Wedge was campaigning by providing free entertainment and a platform for the Labour Party?
Candiates and agents should be aware of the rules around treating, and should avoid food of any sort at election events. Sadly, this is why I can't get my round in for the duration of the election… It's a hard life.
Just recieved confirmation of Validity of Nomination as to candidature for Easington. Also confirmation as to use of Emblem on Ballot Paper.
Quote:Also confirmation as to use of Emblem on Ballot Paper.Is this the same emblem that the Electoral Commission said was invalid and does it mean different returning officiers now have different interpretations?
ALB wrote:Editorial from the Abingdon Herald (1 April):Quote:The Greens, the Labour Party, the National Health Action Party and the Great British Socialist Party are all fielding candidates for the same "ultra-marginal" seat.Unfortunately, it wasn't an April fool.
Ooops! Patriotic name confusion. Well I never!
Oxford Communist Corresponding Society leaflet here.One of our candidates will be speaking at their election meeting on Thursday 30 April.
alanjjohnstone wrote:Quote:Also confirmation as to use of Emblem on Ballot Paper.Is this the same emblem that the Electoral Commission said was invalid and does it mean different returning officiers now have different interpretations?
No, the same revised emblem approved by the Electoral Commission (after they belatedly rejected the original one), containing the maximum six words, (i.e. without the banner strap line bearing the words 'World Socialism') will appear on all ballot papers where we have candidates standing. This compromise was clearly very unsatisfactory from our point of view and will need to be addressed before contesting any further elections.
Ten candidates in Vauxhall. Besides the Whigs and Pirates there's also the Cannabis party:http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/ec-vauxhall-candidates-and-notice-of-poll-2015.pdf
ALB wrote:Our candidate in Oxford East was not invited to a hustings in Headington organised by the local churches. This was in effect a selective hustings as only 5 of the 9 declared candidates were invited, the fig-leaf selection criteria being parties which had had MPs.Comment received from someone who stayed for the whole meeting:
Quote:It was a complete farce, I'm so sorry I wasted your time by telling you about it.The chair was a Labour Party member and made sure he didn't give Artwell and James any chance to speak.There were only two candidates and three substitutes and they'd all rehearsed endless platitudes.Another hustings in Brighton this evening.https://meetyournextmp.com/event/453-brighton-lgbt-hustingsThe organisers wanted some advanced copy of what was going to be said. This is what they got:
Howard Pilott wrote:Good evening voters of Brighton and thanks to the organisers for arranging this event and inviting me, and thank you all for coming to listen to us here.My name is Howard Pilott and I am the candidate for the Socialist Party of Great Britain. We are unique in that we are the only party standing at this election demanding an end to capitalism. We believe the market driven system we suffer today is unjust and irrational, operating in the interests of a tiny minority who are doing very well thank you, while many others endure real hardship and deprivation.All the other parties here tonight will offer you some variation of the current system – a bit more or less tax or spending here or there; more or fewer regulations on this that or the other – but they will not really change the balance of power: the system will still operate in the interests of the elite, whose wealth and influence will grow. This highly dysfunctional society creates widespread alienation and emptiness as evidenced for example by the epidemic of young male suicides, running at around 100 per week, by high levels of anti-depressant prescriptions, and wide spread alcohol and drug consumption. Large numbers of people are feeling empty in the world full of materialist stuff: you cannot shop your way out of society’s meaninglessness.The relentless focus on competition and acquisition destroys the collectives and communities which we need to feel at home. This turbo capitalist consumerism, mostly fuelled by debt, is unsustainable for both us and the planet and it has to been stopped. Only by democratic control of our world will we be able to reverse this terrible slide into ruin. We can envisage the end of the planet but somehow cannot imagine a change to the economic order: this is ridiculous. Vote socialist to show you value yourself, the planet and the future.Thank you.Another hustings last night in Oxford, this time in Cowley in Oxford East. These are becoming run-of-the-mill affairs now with some of the candidates making the same speeches, that is, those who turn up themselves and don't just send a representative. We've never seen either the LibDem or Tory candidates (the Tory is vice-chair of nextdoor Cherwell council). We did see the Independent candidate, Artwell, this time wearing his controversial golliwog (see Daily Mail report here). He is calling for "Interest Free Loans from the Banks to the Treasury to End Austerity and Bring Us Prosperity" as a payback for having been bailed out. He doesn't explain where the banks are to get this money from but is probably one of those who mistakenly think that banks can simply create money out of thin air. Which they can't, one reason why his plan won't work or even get off the ground. But his is only slightly less realistic than those of the other parties who think they can make the capitalist economy operate for the benefit of all.Before the meeting we held a stall at the nearby Cowley shopping centre and distributed a few hundred leaflets, also to the 50 people at the hustings.
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