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Oldham a marker for the political year ahead
Date published: 30 December 2010
By-election: 14 days to go
A PREVIEW of what may happen in a year of UK elections in 2011 comes on January 13 in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.
This is now a crucial contest for both Tories and Lib-Dems, but with Lib-Dems’ nationwide popularity slumping, Labour is also facing fall–out locally from the row over campaign tactics.
Every area of the UK will be involved next year in the biggest mid-term voting test in its history.
The results of contests on May 5 — almost a year after the general election that led to the Conservative–Lib-Dem coalition coming to power — will be regarded as the voters’ verdict on the Government’s first year.
The main polling day on May 5 will see:
::Polls for 279 councils in England including Oldham, currently controlled by a Lib-Dem/Tory alliance
::Elections for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly
::Contests for the Northern Ireland Assembly
::Voting for elected mayors in Bedford, Mansfield, Middlesbrough and Torbay
::A UK–wide referendum on whether there should a switch to the alternative vote system in elections to the Commons.
The only previous date which could have matched this was May 3, 1979, when there was a general election combined with those for local councils, of which there were many more than now.
Councillors up for re–election next May last faced the voters in 2007 when Conservatives made more than 900 seat gains with over 500 Labour losses.
In May, Labour’s metropolitan council targets include Oldham, Bolton, Leeds, and Wolverhampton
Comments
I agree to an extent about the apathetic behaviour of the parties, but to withold your vote is surely not the answer. If large swathes of the voting community did the same, wouldn't that potentially open the door to the damaging possibility of a far left or far right candidate gaining the seat?
Flake. Please give most of the political parties some credit for not intruding into residents lives during the festive season which should be politics free. Mr Watkins and his Lib/Dem team have sent me 12 different leaflets since early December, so be grateful you have been left in relative peace. I somehow think you will receive plenty of leaflets and calls from 2nd to 13th Jan
I've never seen a councillor round here, never mind an aspiring MP.
From what I see of Watkins, he never ventures out of Saddleworth.
Watkins will adopt the traditional Liberal Democrat tactic: look after the areas where you think your supporters live and ignore the rest. That's what the current Liberal council is doing, and Saddleworth is still not satisfied. More, more, more is all that you hear from the hill villages, especially the incomers. Those whose families have lived there for generations are not so selfish.
I, too, have been deluged with leaflets from the Lib-Dems. None of it explains why the coalition Government is ignoring the advice of the IMF or the wishes of their voters. For one who wishes to draw a line under his previous election defeat, Mr Watkins seems eager to bleat on about it at the least provocation.
Have Your Say
You'd hardly know there was a by election where I live. I've had the odd leaflet pushed through, and a half hearted canvasser who wanted to know which way I'd vote, but didn't want to discuss anything. If this is the best our sorry political parties can do then none of them deserve my vote & I shall withold it in protest & disgust.
By Flake @ 30/12/2010 17:31:30