By Adam Wilshaw
THE Liberal Democrats in North Devon received thousands of pounds in donations from a multi-millionaire activist and the Endurance Rally Association, records show.
The Lib Dems, whose MP, Nick Harvey, won the seat at the May general election, before becoming Armed Forces Minister were supported with £3,500 from Betterworld Limited, according to accounts filed with the Electoral Commission.
Betterworld channels funding from Henry Tinsley, the former chairman of the Green and Blacks chocolate business, who is on the board of campaigning group 38 Degrees.
In November 2009, Betterworld gave the North Devon Lib Dems £2,500 and in May this year it gave £1,000. Betterworld made donations to Liberal Democrat groups in other parts of the UK.The Endurance Rally Association (NRA) gave the North Devon Lib Dems £5,000 in March.Mr Harvey said Betterworld and the NRA were small companies whose shareholding directors were œliberal sympathisers.
He said: "Betterworld makes donations to campaigning and charitable causes, largely in the developing world.
"But in the view of the directors, whose own money it distributes, a better world is also built by supporting political parties sharing its goals.
"Endurance Rally Association is owned by a former party employee, who has put a little of the money he has made through his professional rally-driving hobby back into his other hobby: the party.
"In both cases the money went into the local party general operating funds and were not ringfenced in any way."
Mr Tinsley told the Journal: "Betterworld is a private company I own. Before this year's general election we made donations to a number of Liberal Democrat and Labour candidates in tight contests with well-financed Conservatives.
"North Devon was one of these constituencies. We believe our funding helped deny the Conservative Party an overall majority at the general election."
Chairman Philip Young, emailing from Kazakhstan while on the Peking to Paris classic car rally, said: "I am a longstanding supporter of the Liberal Democrats, over some 30 years, and the donation of £5,000 came with my blessing. I have helped around a dozen local parties with sums up to this sort of amount in the past year."
The NRA president is senior Lib Dem Lord Steel.
Philip Milton, the Conservative candidate in North Devon in the general election, claimed the Lib Dem campaign had been based on well-funded "champagne socialism" whereas his had been founded on "compassionate conservatism".
He said his local party had received no comparable donations in the past 12 months, The Journal looked at all registered donations to political parties in North Devon and Torridge for the past 12 months.
Overall, the Lib Dems in North Devon received £19,700 and the Lib Dems in Torridge were given £7,373.
The Conservatives in Torridge were given £4,000 and UKIP in North Devon £2,500.Many of the donations were from individual supporters, including Mr Harvey himself, who gave £3,200 in December. The figures do not reveal how the local parties spent the money.
The donations were separate and in addition to donations specifically made for the general election campaign. There was no suggestion any candidate had broken any rules.In July the Journal revealed that general election candidates in North Devon and Torridge had spent a total of £137,670 on their campaigns this year.
The winner in Torridge and West Devon, Geoffrey Cox (Conservative), was the biggest spender, forking out almost £36,000 on his bid to remain MP.Mr Cox, a barrister, was also the candidate who provided the most financial assistance £17,329 to his own campaign.
In comparison, the biggest spender in North Devon, the winner, Mr Harvey, spent £26,574. His spending was met by his party.Mr Milton, who came second, spent £23,078. He used more than £6,400 from his local financial advice business to fund his efforts.
Monday, 20 September 2010
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
REVEALED: Election costs
Candidates reveal election costs
By Adam Wilshaw
BALLOON gas, car stickers and tonnes and tonnes of unsolicited material were recorded among the general election campaign costs in North Devon this year.
Every general election candidate is required by law to declare how much they spent on their campaign and how much they received in donations.Election spending is divided into two categories, which each have a maximum limit: the long campaign (maximum: £30,215), and the short campaign (maximum: £12,365).
The long campaign began on January 1, 2010 and ended on the date Parliament was dissolved, April 12. The short campaign covered the weeks between dissolution and polling day.A Journal analysis shows the three candidates in North Devon who took the top three positions in the vote were the top three spenders.Together, the candidates spent £68,859, but there were large variations among them — one candidate spent nothing at all.And while candidates spent tens of thousands of pounds on leaflet drops, the amount spent on debates was marginal.
The combined cost of all the leaflets and fliers which poured through our letterboxes was £45,676 (66 per cent of the total election spend).While the combined cost of public meetings was £419 (0.6 per cent of the total election spend).The Lib Dem and Tory candidates were largely funded by their respective parties while other candidates relied on local donations.The sitting MP, Nick Harvey, who comfortably held the seat for the Lib Dems, was the biggest spender, recording £26,574 overall.But the Conservative candidate, Philip Milton, who came second, spent almost as much: £23,078.Mr Milton also used more than £6,400 from his local financial advice business to fund his efforts.Although the names of people who made individual donations above £50 are in the public domain, the local authorities which hold the information, North Devon Council and Torridge District Council, said their addresses must remain secret under Electoral Commission rules.The election results were: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat): 24,305;Philip Milton (Conservative): 18,484; Steve Crowther (UKIP): 3,720;Mark Cann (Labour): 2,671;L’Anne Knight (Green Party): 697;Gary Marshall (British National Party): 614; Rodney Cann (Independent): 588;Nigel Vidler (English Democrat Party): 146;Gerrard Sables (Communist Party): 96.And the total amounts spent by each candidate were:Nick Harvey: £26,574Philip Milton: £23,078Stephen Crowther: £8,717Rodney Cann: £6,821Mark Cann: £1,325L’Anne Knight: £980Gerrard Sables: £964Gary Marshall: £400Nigel Vidler: Nothing
AND IN TORRIDGE:
THE general election candidates in Torridge and West Devon spent £68,811 on their campaigns.
The amount, broadly similar to how much was spent in North Devon, contained large differences among candidates.Every general election candidate is required by law to declare how much they spent on their campaign and how much they received in donations.Election spending is divided into two categories, which each have a maximum limit: the long campaign (maximum: £30,215), and the short campaign (maximum: £12,365).The long campaign began on January 1, 2010 and ended on the date Parliament was dissolved, April 12. The short campaign covered the weeks between dissolution and polling day.A Journal analysis shows the winner in Torridge and West Devon, Geoffrey Cox (Conservative), was easily the biggest spender, forking out almost £36,000 on his bid to remain MP.Mr Cox, a barrister, was also the candidate who provided the most financial assistance — £17,329 — to his own campaign.In comparison, the biggest spender in North Devon, the winner, Nick Harvey (Lib Dem), spent £26,574. His spending was met by his party.Only one candidate failed to submit any election return documents: the BNP candidate, Nick Baker, who came last in the poll.And the UKIP candidate, who came third, did not declare any donations.The returns, and any discrepancies, will now be analysed by the Electoral Commission.The combined cost of all the leaflets and fliers which poured through our letterboxes in Torridge and West Devon was £36,457, or 53 per cent of the total campaign spend.While the combined cost of public meetings was £304 — just 0.4 per cent of the total.The election results in Torridge and West Devon were:Geoffrey Cox (Conservative): 25,234Adam Symons (Lib Dem): 22,273Robin Julian (UKIP): 3,021Darren Jones (Labour): 2,917Cathrine Simmons (Green): 1,050Nick Baker (BNP): 766And the total amounts spent by each candidate were:Geoffrey Cox: £35,928Adam Symons: £27,266Darren Jones: £2,906Robin Julian: £1,863Cathrine Simmons: £848Nick Baker did not file any documents.
By Adam Wilshaw
BALLOON gas, car stickers and tonnes and tonnes of unsolicited material were recorded among the general election campaign costs in North Devon this year.
Every general election candidate is required by law to declare how much they spent on their campaign and how much they received in donations.Election spending is divided into two categories, which each have a maximum limit: the long campaign (maximum: £30,215), and the short campaign (maximum: £12,365).
The long campaign began on January 1, 2010 and ended on the date Parliament was dissolved, April 12. The short campaign covered the weeks between dissolution and polling day.A Journal analysis shows the three candidates in North Devon who took the top three positions in the vote were the top three spenders.Together, the candidates spent £68,859, but there were large variations among them — one candidate spent nothing at all.And while candidates spent tens of thousands of pounds on leaflet drops, the amount spent on debates was marginal.
The combined cost of all the leaflets and fliers which poured through our letterboxes was £45,676 (66 per cent of the total election spend).While the combined cost of public meetings was £419 (0.6 per cent of the total election spend).The Lib Dem and Tory candidates were largely funded by their respective parties while other candidates relied on local donations.The sitting MP, Nick Harvey, who comfortably held the seat for the Lib Dems, was the biggest spender, recording £26,574 overall.But the Conservative candidate, Philip Milton, who came second, spent almost as much: £23,078.Mr Milton also used more than £6,400 from his local financial advice business to fund his efforts.Although the names of people who made individual donations above £50 are in the public domain, the local authorities which hold the information, North Devon Council and Torridge District Council, said their addresses must remain secret under Electoral Commission rules.The election results were: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat): 24,305;Philip Milton (Conservative): 18,484; Steve Crowther (UKIP): 3,720;Mark Cann (Labour): 2,671;L’Anne Knight (Green Party): 697;Gary Marshall (British National Party): 614; Rodney Cann (Independent): 588;Nigel Vidler (English Democrat Party): 146;Gerrard Sables (Communist Party): 96.And the total amounts spent by each candidate were:Nick Harvey: £26,574Philip Milton: £23,078Stephen Crowther: £8,717Rodney Cann: £6,821Mark Cann: £1,325L’Anne Knight: £980Gerrard Sables: £964Gary Marshall: £400Nigel Vidler: Nothing
AND IN TORRIDGE:
THE general election candidates in Torridge and West Devon spent £68,811 on their campaigns.
The amount, broadly similar to how much was spent in North Devon, contained large differences among candidates.Every general election candidate is required by law to declare how much they spent on their campaign and how much they received in donations.Election spending is divided into two categories, which each have a maximum limit: the long campaign (maximum: £30,215), and the short campaign (maximum: £12,365).The long campaign began on January 1, 2010 and ended on the date Parliament was dissolved, April 12. The short campaign covered the weeks between dissolution and polling day.A Journal analysis shows the winner in Torridge and West Devon, Geoffrey Cox (Conservative), was easily the biggest spender, forking out almost £36,000 on his bid to remain MP.Mr Cox, a barrister, was also the candidate who provided the most financial assistance — £17,329 — to his own campaign.In comparison, the biggest spender in North Devon, the winner, Nick Harvey (Lib Dem), spent £26,574. His spending was met by his party.Only one candidate failed to submit any election return documents: the BNP candidate, Nick Baker, who came last in the poll.And the UKIP candidate, who came third, did not declare any donations.The returns, and any discrepancies, will now be analysed by the Electoral Commission.The combined cost of all the leaflets and fliers which poured through our letterboxes in Torridge and West Devon was £36,457, or 53 per cent of the total campaign spend.While the combined cost of public meetings was £304 — just 0.4 per cent of the total.The election results in Torridge and West Devon were:Geoffrey Cox (Conservative): 25,234Adam Symons (Lib Dem): 22,273Robin Julian (UKIP): 3,021Darren Jones (Labour): 2,917Cathrine Simmons (Green): 1,050Nick Baker (BNP): 766And the total amounts spent by each candidate were:Geoffrey Cox: £35,928Adam Symons: £27,266Darren Jones: £2,906Robin Julian: £1,863Cathrine Simmons: £848Nick Baker did not file any documents.
Thursday, 6 May 2010
North Devon result in full...
THE Liberal Democrats have won an historic victory in North Devon by comfortably taking the seat in a fifth consecutive general election.
The party's candidate, 48-year-old Nick Harvey, was declared the winner of the constituency in the early hours of this morning with a total of 24,305 votes, giving him 47.3 per cent of the vote and a 5,821 majority.
Mr Harvey, who lives in Horwood, near Barnstaple, first won North Devon for the Lib Dems 18 years ago, in 1992, and he held the seat in 1997, 2001, and 2005. He was the odds-on bookmakers' favourite to win again this year.
And, as in all those previous elections, the Conservatives were once again beaten into second place, this time polling their lowest number of votes for many years.
This year the Tory candidate, local businessman Philip Milton, was the runner-up with a total of 18,484 votes, a 35.9 per cent share of the vote.
Speaking after the general election result was declared to cheers from a crowd of party supporters at the North Devon Leisure Centre in Barnstaple at 3.20am, Mr Harvey, who is the Lib Dem defence spokesman, said: "I would like to thank the people of North Devon for putting their trust in me and asking me to serve as MP for another term. It's a great honour to do this job."
Mr Harvey thanked his campaign team, particularly local councillor Joe Tucker, but he warned that North Devon should be "apprehensive" about a possible Conservative victory in the national election.
Mr Milton said after the result was declared: "With the resources we had available we fought the very best campaign we could. It's clear from the result a bit of tactical voting took place and that's our problem."
And he said the Conservatives had "really worried" the Lib Dems in North Devon judging by the scale of the Lib Dem campaign effort locally.
UKIP were in third place with 3,720, their best ever placing in North Devon.
Labour's candidate Mark Cann was fourth with 2,671 votes. It was the first time in many years that Labour had not been in third place in North Devon.
All the other candidates polled well below 1,000 votes each.
The Green Party was fifth, the British National Party (BNP) sixth, independent candidate Rodney Cann seventh, the English Democrat Party eighth, and the Communist Party ninth.
There were nine candidates in North Devon, one of the longest lists ever locally.
The full results were:
Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat): 24,305
Philip Milton (Conservative): 18,484
Mark Cann (Labour): 2,671
Steve Crowther (UKIP): 3,720
Rodney Cann (Independent): 588
L'Anne Knight (Green Party): 697
Nigel Vidler (English Democrat Party): 146
Gary Marshall (British National Party): 614
Gerrard Sables (Communist Party): 96
All candidates paid a £500 deposit to stand and that is lost if the candidate polls fewer than 5% of the votes cast. Only the top four candidates retained their deposits.
There were 82 spoiled ballot papers.
There were 84,719 electors in North Devon for this year's general election and and the majority, 51,412, visited local polling booths which were open in the constituency between 7am and 10pm on Thursday. Turnout was 69% per cent.
About 14% of votes were cast by post, the highest number ever.
Mr Harvey won North Devon for the Lib Dems in 1992 (majority: 794, 1.36%), in 1997 (majority: 6,181, 11.28%), in 2001 (majority: 2,984, 6.1%), and in 2005 (majority: 4,972, 9.57%).
Mr Harveys’ total number of votes were 27,414 in 1992, 27,824 in 1997, 21,784 in 2001, and 23,840 in 2005.
The Conservative vote in North Devon was 26,620 in 1992, 21,643 in 1997, 18,800 in 2001, and 18,868 in 2005.
The Tory share of the vote in North Devon was 45.73% in 1992, 39.48% in 1997, 38.2% in 2001, and 36.33% in 2005.
For full general election coverage see next week's North Devon Journal.
The Torridge and West Devon election results will be counted and declared on Friday morning.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
HOURS TO GO: Bookie's odds narrow...
MORE than 160,000 people in North Devon and Torridge will have the opportunity to change the course of history by voting in the general election tomorrow.
There are 84,719 electors in North Devon and 75,930 in Torridge and the majority will visit local polling booths which are open between 7am and 10pm on Thursday, May 6.
Voters who were newborn babes when John Major beat Neil Kinnock in 1992 will be able to vote for the first time, while the oldest voters will remember when Winston Churchill was prime minister.
About 14% of votes have already been cast by post, the highest number ever. And there are nine candidates in North Devon and six in Torridge (full list below), one of the longest lists ever locally.
In the past two months the bookmaker Ladbrokes has narrowed the odds between the two favourite candidates in each constituency.
In February, Ladbrokes had North Devon’s Lib Dem candidate Nick Harvey as the clear favourite to win on 4/6 and his main rival, the Conservative Philip Milton, on 11/10.
Those odds would have meant a £67 payout on a £100 bet on Mr Harvey winning and £110 on Mr Milton winning, meaning Mr Harvey was more the more probable winner.
Now Ladbrokes has Mr Harvey on 1/4, which would net a payout of £25 on a £100 stake and Mr Milton on 5/2, which would bring a £250 win.
The change in odds mean Ladbrokes believes Mr Harvey has become more likely to win.
The Torridge Lib Dem candidate, Adam Symons, has also seen his odds of winning improve in recent weeks.
In February, Ladbrokes had Mr Symons on 7/1 which would have meant a £700 payout on a £100 bet if he won. Conservative candidate Geoffrey Cox was at 1/20, meaning a £100 bet would have netted just £5.
But now Mr Cox has slipped down to 2/7, meaning he is still the favourite but his win would now result in a £29 return on £100.
And Mr Symons is now on 5/2, meaning a £100 bet on him to win would result in a £250 payout if he won.
The change in the odds means the bookmaker believes Mr Symons now has a better chance of winning than he did in February.
All the other parties have remained at 100/1 to win; if you put a £100 bet on any of them, and they won, you would get £10,000.
The North Devon candidates are, in alphabetical order:
Mark Cann (Labour)
Rodney Cann (Independent)
Stephen Crowther (United Kingdom Independence Party, UKIP)
Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat)
L’Anne Knight (Green Party)
Gary Marshall (British National Party, BNP)
Philip Milton (Conservative)
Gerrard Sables (Communist Party of Britain)
Nigel Vidler (English Democrats)
The Torridge and West Devon candidates are, in alphabetical order:
Nick Baker (British National Party, BNP)
Geoffrey Cox (Conservative)
Darren Jones (Labour)
Robin Julian (United Kingdom Independence Party, UKIP)
Cathrine Simmons (Green Party)
Adam Symons (Liberal Democrat)
There are 84,719 electors in North Devon and 75,930 in Torridge and the majority will visit local polling booths which are open between 7am and 10pm on Thursday, May 6.
Voters who were newborn babes when John Major beat Neil Kinnock in 1992 will be able to vote for the first time, while the oldest voters will remember when Winston Churchill was prime minister.
About 14% of votes have already been cast by post, the highest number ever. And there are nine candidates in North Devon and six in Torridge (full list below), one of the longest lists ever locally.
In the past two months the bookmaker Ladbrokes has narrowed the odds between the two favourite candidates in each constituency.
In February, Ladbrokes had North Devon’s Lib Dem candidate Nick Harvey as the clear favourite to win on 4/6 and his main rival, the Conservative Philip Milton, on 11/10.
Those odds would have meant a £67 payout on a £100 bet on Mr Harvey winning and £110 on Mr Milton winning, meaning Mr Harvey was more the more probable winner.
Now Ladbrokes has Mr Harvey on 1/4, which would net a payout of £25 on a £100 stake and Mr Milton on 5/2, which would bring a £250 win.
The change in odds mean Ladbrokes believes Mr Harvey has become more likely to win.
The Torridge Lib Dem candidate, Adam Symons, has also seen his odds of winning improve in recent weeks.
In February, Ladbrokes had Mr Symons on 7/1 which would have meant a £700 payout on a £100 bet if he won. Conservative candidate Geoffrey Cox was at 1/20, meaning a £100 bet would have netted just £5.
But now Mr Cox has slipped down to 2/7, meaning he is still the favourite but his win would now result in a £29 return on £100.
And Mr Symons is now on 5/2, meaning a £100 bet on him to win would result in a £250 payout if he won.
The change in the odds means the bookmaker believes Mr Symons now has a better chance of winning than he did in February.
All the other parties have remained at 100/1 to win; if you put a £100 bet on any of them, and they won, you would get £10,000.
The North Devon candidates are, in alphabetical order:
Mark Cann (Labour)
Rodney Cann (Independent)
Stephen Crowther (United Kingdom Independence Party, UKIP)
Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat)
L’Anne Knight (Green Party)
Gary Marshall (British National Party, BNP)
Philip Milton (Conservative)
Gerrard Sables (Communist Party of Britain)
Nigel Vidler (English Democrats)
The Torridge and West Devon candidates are, in alphabetical order:
Nick Baker (British National Party, BNP)
Geoffrey Cox (Conservative)
Darren Jones (Labour)
Robin Julian (United Kingdom Independence Party, UKIP)
Cathrine Simmons (Green Party)
Adam Symons (Liberal Democrat)
- You do not need your polling card to vote; you can just turn up at the polling station.
- The count in North Devon starts as soon as the ballot boxes start arriving after 10pm and a result is expected at around 3.30am.
- Torridge will start counting on Friday morning and a result is expected late morning.
- The Journal will be at the counts and will publish the results and reactions when we get them on our website at www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk and in next week's paper.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
UPDATE: Anti-BNP message from Labour...
The British National Party has come under fire from Labour general election candidates.
Darren Jones, who is standing for Labour in Torridge and West Devon, told me: “There’s a fine line between the views of these people and the parallels between the rise of Nazi Germany and I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but it’s true.
“Britain has a proud tradition of being welcoming to diverse populations.”
And Mark Cann, Labour’s candidate in North Devon, said: “Classically, extremist parties have sought to prosper at times of great economic uncertainty, often peddling simplistic and racist views about how we can solve our problems, which I totally reject.
“The Labour Party role is to counter that and to talk to the people who are those on whom the BNP campaign, often the white working class.
"Labour is still the party that represents the ordinary person in this country and don’t be misled.”
Gary Marshall, the BNP general election candidate for North Devon, admitted his party had a racist history but he claimed it had changed and he denied he was a racist or a fascist.
He said: “To say I’m a Nazi, that I support Nazi ideology, or anything stupid like that, I find incredibly offensive.”
The BNP, which believes there is an “indigenous” white British race, has called for a “British resistance” and claims there has been an “overwhelming extinguishing of Britain and British identity under a tsunami of immigration”.
The BNP also believes in corporal punishment, the death penalty, chain gangs, paying immigrants to go back to their country of origin, withdrawing from the EU, and stopping all foreign aid.
Darren Jones, who is standing for Labour in Torridge and West Devon, told me: “There’s a fine line between the views of these people and the parallels between the rise of Nazi Germany and I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but it’s true.
“Britain has a proud tradition of being welcoming to diverse populations.”
And Mark Cann, Labour’s candidate in North Devon, said: “Classically, extremist parties have sought to prosper at times of great economic uncertainty, often peddling simplistic and racist views about how we can solve our problems, which I totally reject.
“The Labour Party role is to counter that and to talk to the people who are those on whom the BNP campaign, often the white working class.
"Labour is still the party that represents the ordinary person in this country and don’t be misled.”
Gary Marshall, the BNP general election candidate for North Devon, admitted his party had a racist history but he claimed it had changed and he denied he was a racist or a fascist.
He said: “To say I’m a Nazi, that I support Nazi ideology, or anything stupid like that, I find incredibly offensive.”
The BNP, which believes there is an “indigenous” white British race, has called for a “British resistance” and claims there has been an “overwhelming extinguishing of Britain and British identity under a tsunami of immigration”.
The BNP also believes in corporal punishment, the death penalty, chain gangs, paying immigrants to go back to their country of origin, withdrawing from the EU, and stopping all foreign aid.
UPDATE: Tory candidate attacks abortion and sex education...
The Conservative general election candidate for North Devon told me the number of abortions in the UK “is a reflection of the gross deterioration in our society generally”.
Asked how his Christian faith, which he has highlighted during campaigning, will influence his politics, businessman Philip Milton attacked sex education in schools and abortion.
He said: “I shall be pleased to vote for a reduction in the number of weeks in abortion cases, based on the evidence, likely to be 20 weeks.
“However, my biggest principle will be to hope we can reduce the number of abortions, that is the bigger fear to our country, and of course it is a reflection of the gross deterioration in our society generally.
“There are now 174 pregnancies to teenage mothers every day. We have the worst record for teenage pregnancies in Europe. We have one of the worst records for relationship breakdown in Europe.”
He said a Conservative Government would employ 4,000 extra health visitors in the UK and recognise marriage and civil partnerships as a stable base for society.
He added: “I am against the rolling-out of sex education to children at an ever-younger age and despite the clear evidence of even more problems as a result of more sexual activity liberal policy says instead that we must tell children more about it and not less; have they lost the plot?”
He said his faith also drove him towards care for the weakest in society and he had been part of the “visionary leadership team” at Croyde Baptist Church, which he joined as a teenager.
Asked how his Christian faith, which he has highlighted during campaigning, will influence his politics, businessman Philip Milton attacked sex education in schools and abortion.
He said: “I shall be pleased to vote for a reduction in the number of weeks in abortion cases, based on the evidence, likely to be 20 weeks.
“However, my biggest principle will be to hope we can reduce the number of abortions, that is the bigger fear to our country, and of course it is a reflection of the gross deterioration in our society generally.
“There are now 174 pregnancies to teenage mothers every day. We have the worst record for teenage pregnancies in Europe. We have one of the worst records for relationship breakdown in Europe.”
He said a Conservative Government would employ 4,000 extra health visitors in the UK and recognise marriage and civil partnerships as a stable base for society.
He added: “I am against the rolling-out of sex education to children at an ever-younger age and despite the clear evidence of even more problems as a result of more sexual activity liberal policy says instead that we must tell children more about it and not less; have they lost the plot?”
He said his faith also drove him towards care for the weakest in society and he had been part of the “visionary leadership team” at Croyde Baptist Church, which he joined as a teenager.
UPDATE: Quote quiz!
For light relief, can you match the following quotes to the right local candidate?
Here are the potentials: Mark Cann (Labour) Rodney Cann (Independent) Stephen Crowther (United Kingdom Independence Party, UKIP) Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat) L’Anne Knight (Green Party) Gary Marshall (British National Party, BNP) Philip Milton (Conservative) Gerrard Sables (Communist Party of Britain) Nigel Vidler (English Democrats) Geoffrey Cox (Conservative) Darren Jones (Labour) Robin Julian (United Kingdom Independence Party, UKIP) Cathrine Simmons (Green Party) Adam Symons (Liberal Democrat).
Answers below.
1. “You’re in a British country. If you insist you want to wear a Burka then I suggest if you’re not happy here, go home.”
2. “I would like to see our politics be a bit more bold and more radical. The public are not stupid. I hope in our manifesto we are in difficult times but are offering a vision of the future that does reflect the values of our party and it’s relevant to the vast majority of people in this country today.”
3. “If standing up for the people of England means that I am a Little Englander then so be it.”
4. “Under the form of dilute socialism you have had for the last 13 years in which everything has been centrally controlled, in which means- tested benefits have been seen as the solution to everything, you have not increased your social mobility, you have not achieved any better gains since in 1997.”
5. “The nearest thing we have now to the Blair style and the Blair machine is David Cameron. He’s fashioned himself on the Blair rise in 1997, although he’s a diet version of it, not quite as good as the full fat Tony Blair.”
6. “However, our overall principle is it’s better to have people elected than appointed. The driving force for us is the realisation that professional government is overtaking amateur government in this country.”
7. “What is it that the Conservatives are offering to change? To my mind the Conservatives simply offer more of the same; they are saying they can operate the same system Labour operate but we’re invited to believe they can operate it more efficiently.”
8. “To say I’m a Nazi, that I support Nazi ideology, or anything stupid like that, I find incredibly offensive.”
9. “I’ve got higher level qualifications than Vince Cable for example and more experience as well.”
10. “George Osborne said at the beginning of the recession “we’re going to cut lots of money”; I despair with the idea he could be chancellor because he doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.”
11. “We want to up the pension level to £170 for single people and £300 for couples.”
12. “We believe in a planned economy which means public ownership and every Journal reader would agree the water prices are too high here since privatisation. Electricity and gas: they’ve really ripped us off.”
13. “ I feel people like myself could well be at a premium in the parliament and hold the balance of power.”
14. “We are a single issue party but not the issue perceived by the general populace.”
Answers:
1 Robin Julian, 2 Mark Cann, 3 Nigel Vidler, 4 Geoffrey Cox, 5 Darren Jones, 6 Steve Crowther, 7 Nick Harvey, 8 Gary Marshall, 9 Philip Milton, 10 Adam Symons, 11 Cathrine Simmons, 12 Gerrard Sables, 13 Rodney Cann, 14 L’Anne Knight.
Here are the potentials: Mark Cann (Labour) Rodney Cann (Independent) Stephen Crowther (United Kingdom Independence Party, UKIP) Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat) L’Anne Knight (Green Party) Gary Marshall (British National Party, BNP) Philip Milton (Conservative) Gerrard Sables (Communist Party of Britain) Nigel Vidler (English Democrats) Geoffrey Cox (Conservative) Darren Jones (Labour) Robin Julian (United Kingdom Independence Party, UKIP) Cathrine Simmons (Green Party) Adam Symons (Liberal Democrat).
Answers below.
1. “You’re in a British country. If you insist you want to wear a Burka then I suggest if you’re not happy here, go home.”
2. “I would like to see our politics be a bit more bold and more radical. The public are not stupid. I hope in our manifesto we are in difficult times but are offering a vision of the future that does reflect the values of our party and it’s relevant to the vast majority of people in this country today.”
3. “If standing up for the people of England means that I am a Little Englander then so be it.”
4. “Under the form of dilute socialism you have had for the last 13 years in which everything has been centrally controlled, in which means- tested benefits have been seen as the solution to everything, you have not increased your social mobility, you have not achieved any better gains since in 1997.”
5. “The nearest thing we have now to the Blair style and the Blair machine is David Cameron. He’s fashioned himself on the Blair rise in 1997, although he’s a diet version of it, not quite as good as the full fat Tony Blair.”
6. “However, our overall principle is it’s better to have people elected than appointed. The driving force for us is the realisation that professional government is overtaking amateur government in this country.”
7. “What is it that the Conservatives are offering to change? To my mind the Conservatives simply offer more of the same; they are saying they can operate the same system Labour operate but we’re invited to believe they can operate it more efficiently.”
8. “To say I’m a Nazi, that I support Nazi ideology, or anything stupid like that, I find incredibly offensive.”
9. “I’ve got higher level qualifications than Vince Cable for example and more experience as well.”
10. “George Osborne said at the beginning of the recession “we’re going to cut lots of money”; I despair with the idea he could be chancellor because he doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.”
11. “We want to up the pension level to £170 for single people and £300 for couples.”
12. “We believe in a planned economy which means public ownership and every Journal reader would agree the water prices are too high here since privatisation. Electricity and gas: they’ve really ripped us off.”
13. “ I feel people like myself could well be at a premium in the parliament and hold the balance of power.”
14. “We are a single issue party but not the issue perceived by the general populace.”
Answers:
1 Robin Julian, 2 Mark Cann, 3 Nigel Vidler, 4 Geoffrey Cox, 5 Darren Jones, 6 Steve Crowther, 7 Nick Harvey, 8 Gary Marshall, 9 Philip Milton, 10 Adam Symons, 11 Cathrine Simmons, 12 Gerrard Sables, 13 Rodney Cann, 14 L’Anne Knight.
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