THE Conservatives will continue to target Manchester in a bid to prove themselves the true `national' party, William Hague said in a visit to the city.
Shadow foreign secretary Mr Hague, speaking after a talk to students, said the Tories had proved they could take seats in urban areas of the north.
But he refused to say whether he thought his party would win seats in Manchester in the May 1 elections. He said: "I certainly hope so but I don't make predictions.
Of course it matters to us but there are now more local authorities with no Labour members than no Conservative members, even in the north of England."
The former Tory leader added: "When you are bringing the country together you don't want the cities to be left out."
Mr Hague's Q&A session, held at the Kro Bar on Oxford Road, was attended by dozens of students who quizzed him on a range of subjects including human rights in Tibet and his infamous claim to have drunk up to 14 pints a day when a teenager.
The Conservatives have one seat on Manchester council - `won' through the defection of former Lib Dem Faraz Bhatti.
A third of seats will be up for grabs on all 10 Greater Manchester councils on May 1.
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Princess_Pam, Crumpsall (16/04/2008 at 11:29)
I've looked on Manchester City Council's website at the election Candidates for next month's elections and I see that I have 5 parties standing, four of them right wing and one to the left so I'll be voting Green. I wish I was in a neighbouring Ward as then I could vote for Respect Renewal.
On Mayday, don't stay at home, if you don't like any of the candidates, go to the polling station anyway and mark a cross in every box to spoil your paper. It stops people fraudulently using your vote, stops parties from claiming a low turn-out as the reason for them doing badly, and registers a vote against all the parties to show that some difference in attitudes is needed from politicians instead of them all jumping on the same bandwagon.
If it's not edited out, the Manchester City Council Candidates list can be found at www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=3507
Laura Norder, Didsbury (16/04/2008 at 11:41)
I did well (still do) under the Tories led by the 'Milk Snatcher', but would, and could, never vote for them.
The Fib-Dems are clueless; the Greens are full of good intentions, but without the wherewithall to fund their schemes... so it's a big, red rosette for me again.
The Rt Hon Dr Rev MC Spanner MP QC FCA FRICS JP OK (16/04/2008 at 11:46)
Thank you for that fascinating yet completely trotskyite blinkered lecture on why we should use out vote. What ever happened to secret ballots?
Why didn't you stand for "Respect-Renewal-Unity-Socialist Workers-MAB-Stop the War-George Galloway's ego - Can't make our mind what we are called becuase we have had another argument" Party if you feel so strongly about it?
Personally I think they are as extreme as the BNP so the more people that come out and vote against scum like them or the BNP the better.
The Rt Hon Dr Rev MC Spanner MP QC FCA FRICS JP OK (16/04/2008 at 11:54)
Shouldn't you have a positive reason to vote for a party?
Even if it is for this election alone to get the CON Charge scrapped.
Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (16/04/2008 at 12:06)
Why not vote for the Tories - this lot in power are doubling income tax for the low paid, have presided over huge rises in food and fuel prices, have failed to give us the EU referendum they promised - and many of their MPs are tacking liberties with expenses.
They need kicking out of power urgently - the only way is to vote Blue.
citycentre, manchester (16/04/2008 at 12:32)
war in iraq: they voted for it; fatcat salaries for the city, creeping privatisation of the NHS
it seems labour has just become a clone of the tories, so we cant really change anything
The Bobelesque, MANCHESTER (16/04/2008 at 12:46)
gerts (16/04/2008 at 13:12)
Black Flag (16/04/2008 at 13:16)
That is probably a counterproductive thing to do. Politicians fear a low turnout as it brings their mandate to govern into question. After all, you can't really claim to speak for the people if only 25% of them voted.
Even worse, as there is generally no separate reporting of spoilt papers, but they count as part of the turnout, a spoilt ballot is effectively a vote which benefits whoever wins.
For example, if 2000 people turn-up to vote, 1999 vote for candidate A and 1 spoils their paper, the result will be reported as "turn-out: 2000, winner: candidate A, share of the vote: 100%."
If you want to protest, you're better off staying at home.
The Bobelesque, MANCHESTER (16/04/2008 at 14:01)
"After all, you can't really claim to speak for the people if only 25% of them voted"
Never stops the government - of any stripe. How many of the British public 'voted in' Labour last time? It certainly wasn't anything approaching 51%
The Bobelesque, MANCHESTER (16/04/2008 at 14:05)
Thu 5th May 2005
Lab 355 seats 35.2% of vote
Con 198 seats 32.4% of vote
Our system stinks
Black Flag (16/04/2008 at 14:20)
You're right, it doesn't stop them trying, but I've seen plenty of politicians try to get on their high horse and get put in their place by somebody reminding them that only a small minority of the electorate actually voted for them.
I agree that our electoral system stinks. The system in Ireland, which uses the Single Transferable Vote, is just about the best I've seen. If we switched to that, I think it would be a vast improvement.
paul teeque (16/04/2008 at 14:22)
Thats who should get the votes.
I'm struggling to make ends meet with fuel, gas, electric, food, council tax, water price hikes, - inflation 2.5%? more like 9%!
I certainly cannot afford to fork out an additional £2800 a year to get to work! :- (
Paul
didarunna2spain, Tarragona Spain. (16/04/2008 at 15:04)
Labour used to be the party for the workers.Now it is the party for the unemployed and criminals!
Princess_Pam, Crumpsall (16/04/2008 at 20:21)
At the moment, people don't really have a choice with the big three and those who can be bothered to go out and vote are scared to vote for smaller parties in case it's a wasted vote. But how many councillors will have less than 50 % of the vote next month?
Our whole system stinks and it's about time we demanded change. And it's about time our government stops lecturing other countries about Democracy. The Hamas Government in Palestine has more legitimacy than our government.
Uncle Buck, Burnage (17/04/2008 at 00:19)
Mr Angry, Bury (17/04/2008 at 09:01)
The opinion of the electorate is unimportant and they basically all talk to us as if we are children.
Examples ; If there was a referendum on bringing back the birch and hanging, there would probably be a majority in favour of it so it will never happen as it would upset the liberal elite mafia.
Likewise, most people (Black Flag excepted) would be in favour of public transport and utilities being back in public ownership, this would upset their greedy fat cat friends in the city, result, wont happen.
Both main parties are right wing on the economy, which I strongly disagree with and liberal on crime, which I also strongly disagree with so why should I vote?
I am not a blind party loyalist,(party identification voting model) I am an issue voter.
For the record I have voted as follows in general elections:
1979- first time old enough - Labour
1983 SDP
1987 Labour
1992 Labour
1997 Labour
2001 UKIP
2005 did not vote
I would NEVER vote Tory, too many bad memories of the 1980s/early 90s, New Labour I have grown to dislike almost as much, The Lib Dems are just, well, Liberal, The Greens are not a party at all, just a boring bunch of one issue obsessives who irritate the pants off me
Le Comte Bobelesque d'Ancoats, MANCHESTER (17/04/2008 at 10:31)
I adored the Blessed Margaret. She finally released this country from the grip of the neo-communists. Where's Arthur Scargill and the miners these days
The Rt Hon Dr Rev MC Spanner MP QC FCA FRICS JP OK (17/04/2008 at 10:37)
What a moronic thing to say although pretty typical of the sort of half-wit that would vote for Galloway or the BNP.
If you think it's a more legitmate government go and live there. BUT BEWARE - If you are Gay, they will kill you. If you want to join a union such as the Union of Palestinian Journalists - you will be imprisoned. If you want to speak out against them, they will kill you. They support suicide bombings - very legitimate. I can see your logic.
Maybe they system isn't great and since postal voting came in, the system has been delegitimized further. But it has kept people like Galloway and Griffin out of government so it will do for me.
Black Flag (17/04/2008 at 10:44)
When it comes to utilities, that isn't quite true. As the utility networks tend to be natural monopolies, I think they should be under public control (preferably as consumer co-operatives) and provide open access.
As for your comment that: "The Lib Dems are just, well, Liberal." I wish that were true; unfortunately they seem to have abandoned liberalism and followed the SDP approach.
Mr Angry, Bury (17/04/2008 at 11:24)
Dont get me going on Thatch, she makes me seethe....
I would vote for Scargill though...
Princess_Pam, Crumpsall (17/04/2008 at 11:33)
The Rt Hon Dr Rev MC Spanner MP QC FCA FRICS JP OK (17/04/2008 at 12:27)
Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit but then again somebody he would rather live under a terrorist, facist, homophobic, government than in this fine country of ours is the lowest form of humankind.
Ash (17/04/2008 at 13:27)
I worked counting votes on the night of the elections last year and we had loads of these voting slips where people had put an 'X' in every box. I just assumed the people that did this were a bit simple and didn't get how voting works, i had no idea it was some kind of protest! No idea what my point is but anyways, carry on.
The Rt Hon Dr Rev MC Spanner MP QC FCA FRICS JP OK (17/04/2008 at 13:42)
I think you were right in the first place. Anybody who spoils their paper like that is simple!!!!!!