Who are the candidates and who's got your vote?

[wheels]

I don't actually see any of our our local candidate slaggin off other candidates. Labour and UKIP because they are totally silent about anything and the Tory and Lib Dem because they just haven't  so its totally misleading to imply they have

[Dave]

Traits that I would rather not see in a candidate:-
Trying to get ahead by slagging off the other candidates rather than promoting their own virtues

Am I expecting too much?

I'm afraid so.  But we have a prime minister who thinks it's OK to publicly label the leader of the opposition 'despicable and weak', so why should local candidates behave any better?

[simonesaffron]

As far as Nationals are concerned this year, I like to think that I started off with a completely open mind.

All the candidates were new (only one has experience of front line politics and that's at local level) so in a sense the contest lent itself to fairness. It also has the potential to be one of the most equal contests that there has been in HG for many a year, with parties that previously wouldn't have gained a look- in, now having an unprecedented opportunity and also all candidates having as close to a blank sheet as any of them they ever will.

There is still  time yet but so far I've neither seen nor heard very much (if anything at all) from Darren or Michael or anybody belonging to them. I've had no leaflets, no phone calls and I've not seen either of them in the flesh. In fact if it wasn't for this website, I wouldn't know what either of them  looked like.Though I have to say I haven't been to any political meetings. So have Ukip and Labour given up already?

Nor have I seen one single poster from Darren or Michael. I've seen one from William and several from Lisa although I suspect the recent/current weather may have something to do with that. 

Posters aside  If I contrast the rest of it, with Lisa and William the opposite is true. I have been bombarded with LibDem leaflets (far too many) and have had a steady delivery of Conservative literature. I've personally seen William Wragg all over the place, in fact I'm beginning to think that he's following me. If you are reading this William that's good. I've also seen Lisa around, in fact she was In Maple Centre on Saturday with Councillors Kev and Sue, and that's good as well. 

I have some reservations about Lisa's background and the LibDems portrayal of it. I also have some reservations about William's record on the Council but neither of these are conclusive in any way and in both cases are is little more than speculation and hearsay on the part of others, who reading between the lines, have obvious partisan interests.

We'll see what a couple of weeks brings forth.     

 

[Mellorite]

William Wragg is rather easier to pin down, as being a councillor means that he has to declare any and all interests.  You can find them all here:-

http://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=513

Those with time on their hands may care to trawl through the webcasts from Stockport's council meetings in search of pronouncements from Mr.Wragg. Alternatively, you could take my word for it that he has not had very much to say.

He is undoubtably a local chap through and through, and is even a governor of his old primary school. He is not currently employed as a teacher, his expenses being met by the local Conservative party (this is declared in the register of member's interests).

As the previous poster has pointed out, he's not very likely to win, but he does at least look like he's not hiding anything.

Unless another candidate's lack of candour were to catch up with them of course.....

[Bowden Guy]

Lisa Smart will almost certainly be our next MP. In the unlikely event that she loses, we will never hear from her again.

[Mellorite]

Sorry, Wheels, if I mislead you.

I didn't mean to say that Sir Andrew Stunnell lives or has lived at the address of his former party headquarters.

I was inviting others to make the same inference from the information that I do, namely that Lisa Smart does not appear to have permanently taken up residence in the constituency, but has merely registered a flat used by her party as her address for the purposes of the electoral roll.  In the event of her losing this election, how long could we expect her to remain a as a "local resident"?

[wheels]

I would have thought most people who want to know where Stunell lives and its not on Compstall.   In the same way the Leader of the Council is advised to give her address as Town Hall Stockport honestly she does not live there.  Do we really need to know where people live.  Are they in some way misleading for taking this advice.

[Mellorite]

I'm still sitting on the fence, but.....

For my part, I would like the electorate to return a hard-working MP who will represent his or her constituents and not just their own personal interests. The ideal candidate would be honest, have some real-world workplace experience outside of politics and the public sector, and have a genuine interest in improving the country in general and Hazel Grove constituency in particular. A good dollop of altruism, tempered by practical experience.

Where they come from doesn't matter to me, as long as they can convince me that they will do a good job.

Traits that I would rather not see in a candidate:-
1) Disingenuous election literature
2) Trying to get ahead by slagging off the other candidates rather than promoting their own virtues

Am I expecting too much?

[Dave]

I don't care where any of them live does it matter.

No, it doesn't matter.  What matters is candidates being open and honest with us, and it does appear that Ms Smart is trying very hard to pretend she's local when she isn't. 

[wheels]

I don't care where any of them live does it matter.

I think on balance I prefer they have moved about and made a considered decision to represent an area rather than just wanting to represent because they live there. Modern communication means they can live anywhere in the EEC as far as I am concerned.

[Mellorite]

And another thing.......

Following on from the comments above, I thought I would examine Lisa Smart's campaign claim to be a local resident.

The electoral roll lists Ms. Smart's address as:-

FIRST FLOOR FLAT
68 COMPSTALL ROAD
ROMILEY
STOCKPORT
SK6 4DE
CHESHIRE

The record I accessed using www.freeelectoralroll.co.uk also lists one Margaret Bewes at the same address. No idea who she is.

A quick Google reveals that the same address also appears linked to Andrew Stunnell as

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT HEADQUARTERS
68A COMPSTALL ROAD
ROMILEY
STOCKPORT
SK6 4DE
CHESHIRE

According to the land registry online data, the property has not been sold in the last 15 years. One might infer that it is an address of convenience for the duration of the election campaign.

If like me you are wondering where your prospective MP used to live, just Google Lisa Smart SW15 2QT and you will find that 9a Schubert road is listed as the headquarters of Putney's local candidate for the London Assembly Elections and Wandsworth Borough Council by-election.

If you are feeling really mischievous, you may want to look at archived versions of your candidate's website here:-

http://web.archive.org/web/20110929165109/http://lisasmart.org.uk/

Check very carefully that you are looking at the right page, because if you delete Putney and insert Hazel Grove, the content is pretty much the same.

And if you're really nosey.....

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/9a-schubert-road/london/sw15-2qt/30707400

I'm still no clearer to understanding why Ms. Smart wants to be the MP for Hazel Grove.  My rather cynical father has suggested that upon election, her interest in potholes and local issues may wane rapidly in favour of matters of international development and London-based banking/charity activities (see my post above).

I think it would be great to have a wider debate on this. What do other users think?

In the interest of balance, I'll start digging on Mr. Wragg next.

[simonesaffron]

No surprise there.

The LibDems could put forward a dead donkey and the people of Hazel Grove would vote for it. Which, in my opinion, is why, after failing to get into the London Assembly, Ms Smart was advised to move to this area.

Somebody, who knew that Andrew Stunnel was going to retire, wanted to help Ms Smart with her political aspirations.

You obviously don't think much of the LibDems Harry, nor the people of Hazel Grove either.

[Dave]

I can easily see a situation whereupon we have a Conservative government propped up again by a rump consisting of LibDems (depleted certainly but still big enough) and an Irish contingent if needed. 

Yes, that's another possibility, although it almost certainly wouldn't be a formal coalition.  But for the Tories to form a minority government with informal support from the heavily depleted LibDems and the DUP, I think they would have to win between 290 and 300 seats, and that's not looking very likely at the moment.  A lot depends on the UKIP vote, obviously. 

[simonesaffron]

Most of the England seats that the LibDems lose will be Tory gains simply because that's the way they are facing. The Libdems will possibly lose all their seats in Scotland to the SNP, but that's only 11 seats. Most of the seats that the SNP win in Scotland should be off Labour so surely that is a plus and minus situation. For me it all hinges on how many Tory seats Labour win.

I can easily see a situation whereupon we have a Conservative government propped up again by a rump consisting of LibDems (depleted certainly but still big enough) and an Irish contingent if needed.   

So if you are a Labour voter don't let PaddyPower lull you into a false sense of security.     

[Harry]

Meanwhile the latest news from the bookies is that Ms Smart is still firm favourite to win here.

No surprise there.

The LibDems could put forward a dead donkey and the people of Hazel Grove would vote for it. Which, in my opinion, is why, after failing to get into the London Assembly, Ms Smart was advised to move to this area.

Somebody, who knew that Andrew Stunnel was going to retire, wanted to help Ms Smart with her political aspirations.