will i stand

[popleyoldcodger]

I have been asked would i put my hat in the ring and stand for M.P in basingstoke. well at the moment there is a lot to think about, the money side is no problem as my backers are willing me on. they have done a small survey and the poll is very encouraging. What i have to think of is my health and could i do the job that others fail to do, i think i can give the people of basingstoke what they want and not be told what they can have. we will see over the next month and her in doors will have to have her say.

[basingstokeroyal]

Great to see you wanting to try, but advice to you is save your deposit, and i am afraid you dont have a cat in hells chance for reasons which are probably all to obvious.

Councillor maybe, so focus your attentions to that.

[Della]

Great to see someone prepared to stand. However, I would also say no.

Firstly, your health should come first. Commuting to London is strenuous, commons debates can go on until late at night, the job is very demanding and not ideal for a person in your situation. You would do far better campaigning for another candidate and helping them to get in.

Secondly, I have to agree that you won't stand a chance. The MP's constituency is huge and your notoriety and accompanying respect does not really extend beyond Basingstoke. Maria Miller will walk to victory as this is such a safe Conservative seat although the Basingstoke vote may not entirely go her way.

You would do well in a local election though. Perhaps your backers would put you forward for the local council. If you do stand, you'll get me vote.

[popleyoldcodger]

Thanks Della
I did not want to stand when i was asked at the last elections and our M.P HAD A REDUCED VOTE. I have been in talks for over two months now on this subject, As you have said local could be a better way forward, then try for county in the next round of voting. we will have to see i do not want to see the way things are going in the town at the moment and i just feel i could help more than i do now but time will tell. thanks again all.

[Chester]

My advice would be to concentrate on local politics first and then look to parliament when you got a bigger local profile. Much more chance of being one coucillor out of 60 than the sole representative in a town where the majority of people haven't heard of you.

[Xtro]

Boundary changes mean that Basingstoke is now almost entirely an urban seat - nearly all the surrounding villages will go to nearby constituencies.

On a more positive note why not stand? Now is probably the best time for independent candidates - a lot of people are disillusioned with the main parties. This could be your best chance.

Will you get elected? Realistically no, but it is not impossible. In 2001 in Kidderminster a local GP standing as an independent defeated a government minister and was re-elected in 2005. The original campaign centred on a closure threat to the local hospital.

Can you save your deposit - you need to get 5%. Difficult, but I reckon you would have a fighting chance if you ran a good campaign that struck a chord with voters. Around 2,000 votes would be needed.

Good luck whatever you decide.

[Della]

Voting results from the last election:
Conservative: 19955 (41.5%)
Labour: 15275 (31.7%)
Liberal Democrat: 9952 (20.7%)
BNP: 821 (1.7%)
Green: 928 (1.9%)
UKIP: 1044 (2.2%)
Other: 148 (0.3%)
Majority: 4680 (9.7%)
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-...oke?cp=all

With the boundary changes, it may not be such a safe seat as it was before. The real issue is whether you health would allow you to carry out your duties were you to win. It is tough in the public eye and 'They work for you' voting records give the public a black-and-white account of attendance and voting with no allowance for mitigating circumstances for absence.

[Chester]

It's still a safe seat for an opposition party. Labour's share will go down which means the only true competition are the LDs and they had less than half the vote.

[popleyoldcodger]

there are many issues in basingstoke that have not been adressed by not only council but county, i just feel we in basingstoke should not be the poor relations all the time. we know that basingstoke is one of the richest councils in the country, but time and time again they tell us it is for a rainy day, it is about time they took some of that money and used it to cut our council tax or give the residents in the town better transport systems. They tell us that money is tight but again we have that year after year coming up to our council tax rises. i feel when they say that it is just a warning to say you are getting a big rise in your bill. yet you look at the south of the county and see how well they do for things like good parks for our kids with good money spent on them. if we want good parks we have to get it from things like the 106 money.

[Chester]

Some good points but to be fair the majority of our bill goes to the county and that is the bit that goes up by the biggest percentage every year - always more than inflation. B&D's share is a lot lower and has gone up by approx. the RPI in recent years.

When you say the south of the county do you mean Portsmouth and Southampton? If so those areas are covered by unitary authorities ouside of the control of HCC. If your observations are correct then I reckon it's another reason we should have single-tier local government in north hampshire. We had the opportunity to vote for one a few years ago and the people said no.