Wednesday 8 July 2009

nominations close

today for the Norwich North by-election. I don't know if Ian Gibson will stand as an independent (he cannot as Labour of course). Personally I hope he does and if I did not have a day job to go to I would go and campaign for him, I think he is great. But he may not stand, for the reasons that I did not stand as an independent in Reading East in 2005 despite being encouraged to do so from many quarters. I, and I suspect also Gibbo, did not and do not want to be held responsible for a Conservative victory by the fact of standing and taking votes from Labour. Incumbency has a powerful effect on the voters, and by all accounts Ian Gibson has been a good and effective constituency MP. But hey, let's not think about what the voters want, they are an inconvenient interference with the real business, that of plotting behind closed doors. Meanwhile there is still poverty, still deprivation and still a lot to do.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tha candidates are:

Peter Baggs (Independent)
Thomas Burridge (Libertarian Party)
Anne Fryatt (None of The Above Party)
Bill Holden (Independent)
Laud Howling (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party)
Craig Murray (Put An Honest Man into Parliament)
Chris Ostrowski (Labour)
April Pond (Liberal Democrat)
Rupert Read (Green)
Chloe Smith (Conservative)
Glenn Tingle (UK Independence Party)
Robert West (British National Party)

Jonny said...

It's a real shame to lose one of the only scientists in parliament. And shouldn't Anne Fryatt of the None of the Above Party have changed her name to Zryatt, or has she just got some personal animaus against Baggs and Burridge?

Anonymous said...

Yeah - I'd campaign for him too. He is great.