Election battle is on for Oxford East (From Oxford Mail)
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Election battle is on for Oxford East
6:22pm Wednesday 7th April 2010
POLITICAL big guns will be wheeled into Oxford East in the battle for the city’s key marginal seat.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats – split by less than 1,000 votes in 2005 – will call on high-profile party figures over the next month to help boost their chances of victory.
Labour MP Andrew Smith held on by the skin of his teeth in 2005 but saw his 10,000 majority cut to just 963 by Liberal Democrat challenger Steve Goddard.
The marginal seat is a key target in the Liberal Democrats’ campaign, with party leader Nick Clegg and former leader Charles Kennedy likely visitors to the city in their bid for victory on May 6.
Mr Smith said high-profile Labour figures would also make an appearance.
The Oxford Mail asked all confirmed candidates in Oxford East to outline their three key issues in the election fight.
Dr Goddard said economy, education and health were at the heart of his campaign.
He said: “We have great ideas on tax and related issues and Labour has not addressed these issues.”
He also said university tuition fees were a big issue for the city.
“We would still abolish tuition fees but over six years because of the economic situation.”
On health, Dr Goddard said: “The NHS in Oxfordshire is facing cuts. Visiting the John Radcliffe Hospital, its problem is that money has been put in but it has not gone as much as it should have done to frontline services.”
Mr Smith outlined the economy, public services and the environment as key campaign areas.
He added: “We must secure and protect Britain’s economic recovery, with all that means for jobs in Oxford, including guarantees of jobs or proper training for young people. It is vital to keep up investment in hospitals, schools, childcare, pensions and policing.
“The Tories and the Lib Dems are arguing for savage cuts in public spending which would be especially damaging in Oxford.”
He said high-profile Labour figures would be visiting to boost his campaign, but he added: “I am keen to be out there making the case myself.”
Conservative Party candidate Ed Argar also outlined the economy, protecting public services and the environment as key campaign areas.
He said: “We need to balance the need to protect the environment with the challenge around housing, not just more housing but affordable housing of the right size.
“We want to give local people greater power over decisions in their area.”
Julia Gasper will stand for the UK Independence Party with restoring education standards and stopping the European Union damaging the NHS as her key issues.
Roger Crawford, who is standing for the Equal Parenting Alliance, said he would be campaigning on equal rights for both parents to see their children in cases of divorce or separation and a more open family court system.
The Oxford Mail was unable to contact Green Party candidate Sushila Dhall.
Oxford East candidates will debate the issues at an election hustings organised by campaign group Power2010 at East Oxford Community Centre on Wednesday at 7pm.
Comments are closed on this article.
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Comments (5)
11:42pm Thu 8 Apr 10
J_Gasper says...
UKIP is the only party that is promising to abolish university tuition fees and moreover, knows how to fund its promises. Labour and the Conservatives are squabbling about just how much to increase employer's NI contributions: only UKIP wants to abolish it altogether.
The Conservatives will talk about immigration now just to get votes and then do nothing about it later; Boris Johnson supports an amnesty on illegal immigrants.
More details can be found on my webpage http://oxfordshire.u
kip.org/articles/745
-julia-gasper-ukip-p
pc-oxford-east
and of course the entire UKIP manifesto is online at www.ukip.org
11:28am Sun 11 Apr 10
Darth Formby says...
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UKIP Leader Lord Pearson claimed more than £100,000 for his ‘second home’ in London, a £3.7 million second home. He also owns a 12,000 acre estate, with servants in Scotland.
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John Butterfield UKIP Branch Secretary Worcester Placing inappropriate adverts for UKIP in the centre of a poppy wreath at Worcester Cathedral
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Tom Wise UKIP MEP two years for Fraud
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Nigel Farage boasting of having claimed ‘pushing two million’ in expenses, also admits to visiting lap dancing bars although he is a married man.
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Ashley Mote UKIP MEP Jailed for Benefit Fraud.
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Clive Page UKIP Head of Communications convicted of Benefit Fraud.
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Godfrey Bloom UKIP MEP. Use of racist language and anti women comments. Tells tales of visiting brothels. Accused of sexual harassment. Lied about employing members of this own family. Pays three people from his parliamentary staff allowance, who also work at an investment firm where he is a major shareholder.
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The party offered to disband if the Tories offered a referendum on Europe.
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There were only 12 UKIP MEP’s elected in 2004 If other parties had the same percentage rates for criminal behaviour we would have to build a lot of jails to accommodate them.
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Mike ‘under the Mattress’ Nattrass UKIP MEP under investigation for Fraud.
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Peter Harper UKIP candidate Questioned by Police for harassment of Parish Council Clerk.
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UKIP: Too mad for the Tories, not Violent enough for the BNP
11:30am Sun 11 Apr 10
Darth Formby says...
Despite doing a more than passable imitation of the Tories on quite a few fronts, Mr Brown has lead the world in his management of the crisis caused by Bankers. Have we all failed to remember that this problem has been caused by stupid/greedy bankers - not by government mis-management of the economy - in fact the Labour government has delivered a "predictable" economic growth pattern for 10+ years....FANTASTIC!
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To all floating voters....DO NOT READ THE 'MAIL'
8:05pm Mon 12 Apr 10
Graham Jones says...
I was also disappointed that individual candidates were not called to account. Andrew Smith, for example, voted for the invasion of Iraq, which we now know was on a false premise and whose legality was only declared unilaterally at the eleventh hour after the Attorney-General had been sent to Washington to be leant on by George Bush’s lawyers.
He also voted for ID cards (Didn’t I hear him last night say he wanted to drop them?!), and against a 10% reduction in carbon emissions in 2010, despite telling an Oxford meeting only days earlier than he was in favour.
In fact he has voted with the government in 98% of Commons votes, I believe, including detention without trial, the smoke-and-mirrors PFI (which has added scandalously but off-the-books to our public indebtedness), and most if not all of the 3,000 additional offences created by this authoritarian, micro-managing government.
I look forward to him being challenged on this record!
Graham Jones
Liberal Democrat City Council candidate for St Clement’s
11:50pm Tue 13 Apr 10
oxbow says...