Mark Ashwell - Independent - Wokingham

My eye has caught the website of Mark Ashwell. He is standing as an Independent in Wokingham against John Redwood. What makes the difference in 2010 is that a person like Mark takes the campaign seriously. The internet gives him a better chance than ever before. With Twitter as well! Gone are the days of Bill Boaks on his bicycle contraption. This is voter choice with a vengeance.

How will Mark do? I don't know, but his lie detector tests for would-be politicians could liven up the election. Perhaps the three main party leaders could be offered a test before the televised debates?

I give Mark Ashwell's Campaign Site a Voter Friendly 6/10 for Election Information.

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General Election 2010 - The Campaign starts!

Seeing as the General Election is now under way I thought I'd use this "second" blog of mine (it's been in a kind of hibernation) as a pick of the candidates election campaign websites and take a different look at the election. Whilst the BBC and other media groups will be concentrating on the three main parties, I will include some of the best sites on the internet at the moment.

This campaign will be interesting for several reasons. First, we could get a "hung" parliament. Or we may get a party winning the popular vote but losing the seat count in the House of Commons. The largest grouping may yet be the Abstentionists. They could muster an armchair army of over one third of the electorate. Then there could be sizeable votes for the minor parties. Could they achieve 20% between them?

So far the indications show that this election will have a bumper crop of candidates. The last straight fight was in the dim and distant past. This election will seem a poor show if a consituency can't provide at least six candidates for the voters to choose from. It will be four weeks of electoral fun, political showmanship and nerve-racking involvement with those very people who have been so frustrated by it all this past year - The Electorate!

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Glasgow North-East results in Labour win

Glasgow North-East is being hailed by Jim Murphy, under-employed Secretary of State for Scotland, as a tremendous victory. Murphy is the best, the very best, at arguing a case and convincing the entranced listener that black is white. He believes this to be a victory. On paper it could look that way, but actually two-thirds just put their feet up or went to watch the Christmas lights being switched on. The voters who were switched on voted for Willie Bain. In that, there was a victory.

No mention of MPs expenses, no mention of Gordon Brown's stewardship as Prime Minister. Just a Labour candidate suggesting he was an underdog opposition man fighting the cynically cash strapped SNP government in Holyrood. It worked well. Credit where credit is due!

The result -

Willie Bain (Labour)- 12,231 (59.39%)
David Kerr (Scottish National Party) - 4,120 (20.00%)
Ruth Davidson (Conservatives) - 1,075 (5.22%)
Charlie Baillie (BNP) - 1,013(4.92%)
Tommy Sheridan (Solidarity) - 794 (3.86%)
Eileen Baxendale (Liberal Democrats) - 474 (2.30%)
David Doherty (Scottish Greens) - 332 (1.61%)
John Smeaton (Independent - backed by the Jury Team) - 258 (1.25%)
Kevin McVey (Scottish Socialist Party) - 152 (0.74%)
Mikey Hughes (Independent) - 54 (0.26%)
Louise McDaid (Socialist Labour Party) - 47 (0.23%)
Mev Brown (Independent) - 32 (0.16%)
Dr. Colin Campbell (Individuals Labour & Tory Party - TILT) - 13 (0.06%)

The Labour Majority was 8,111

The BNP just failed to achieve their magic mix of coming third and saving their deposit. Interestingly, the BBC last night flagged up that they came "third" and then tried to engage the pundits in a conversation about racism in Scotland. Today they are flagging up the lost deposit. Not much mention of the LibDems lost deposit and being beaten by Tommy Sheridan. Seeing Tommy in chatty mood with Mikey Hughes and John Smeaton it is clear he is pleased at having trounced the other two socialist parties.

As a footnote, the minor parties got 2,695 votes in total or 13.09%. There is a clear indication from by-elections now that the main parties have lost around 10-20% of the electorate. In marinal seats this could be a deciding factor at the general election.

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