A key point of debate between the two main rivals in the North Devon general election sparked into life this week with one candidate claiming the other would be a “most powerless political creature”.
The Conservative candidate, businessman Philip Milton, is confident he can ride a surge of Tory support nationally and locally to take the seat from Lib Dem Nick Harvey.
At the last election, in 2005, Mr Harvey, first elected 18 years ago, won a 45.9% share of the vote ahead of his then-Conservative rival, who polled 36.3%.
Mr Milton believes electing him will be a huge boost for North Devon, if a Conservative Government is also formed, because he would be able to influence key decisions more effectively than would an MP from another party.
In an exclusive interview Mr Harvey told the North Devon Journal: “The very bottom of the food chain in Westminster are Government back-benchers. They are the most powerless political creature. They have no ability to protest or speak out. They are required to do the Government’s bidding.
“The area is far better served by an independent voice from a third party who needn’t be afraid to rock the boat, kick up rough as the occasion demands.
“We have had a Conservative MP under a Conservative government before and it didn’t do us a lot of good. “We had a Liberal MP in the 1970s and secured a new hospital and the North Devon link road as a result. People just need to study the history.
“The only person weaker and more powerless than a Government back-bencher is a new Government back-bencher, who doesn’t even have a network of friends and influence.”
Mr Milton said: “The Lib Dems would love to feel they are the ones to wield influence but I can see swathes of the South West going blue this time.”
He questioned whether or not Mr Harvey had made any great achievements in the past 18 years and added: “A Lib Dem MP and a minority opposition is not going to wield the influence at all.”
Asked about his chances of losing the seat to Mr Milton in May, Mr Harvey said: “I think because of the way the national tides are flowing, the Tories are up from where they were five years ago and that means we have to fight a lot harder.”
Mr Milton remained confident he could win North Devon for the Tories, who last took the seat in 1987.
● The candidates made their comments in exclusive in-depth interviews with the Journal which will be published on our website before polling day.
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Whoever gets in, the three main parties are advocating completely unnecessary cuts in public expenditure and we will have to fight through our trade unions and community organisations to stop or reverse them. Communists have a manifest that makes this more than clear. See other items and go to www.communist-party.org.uk to find out more.
ReplyDeleteUntil the consensus of cuts is broken and a true viable alternative is embraced the services people rely on stand little chance. Why are the three main parties so reluctant to admit that our deficit is less than Germany, France, Italy, Japan. . .
ReplyDeleteWhy do they feel the need to cut? Are they preparing the country for some sort of hostile takeover? UK plc. Now a subsidiary of Kraft