The General Election

Election Special 

Someone has put a poster up in the window of their flat. It reads: ‘Think of the most vulnerable people you know. Then vote.’

It’s a powerful statement and cuts to the heart of this general election. If you bring to mind the vulnerable in society: the millions in poverty, the widespread use of foodbanks, cuts to disability benefits, an underfunded NHS or the precarious state of the planet, you simply cannot vote for the Conservatives.

To make matters worse, Boris Johnson treats the working class with disdain. His comment that working class men are “likely to be drunk, criminal, aimless, feckless, ignorant and hopeless” sums up his view but that's just for starters (keep reading). Of course, it's well known that he's made offensive comments but it's usually the ones that play to the right that appear in the media. What you don't hear is what he's said about the working class as they are the voters he needs.

Nottingham is steeped in protest, with the roundheads, dissenters, luddites, reformers, chartists, miners and more standing up to the establishment. Perhaps inspired by the legend of Robin Hood, our writers also have a history of rebellion and being on the side of the people. One example is Lord Byron using his maiden speech in the House of Lords to speak up for the frame-breakers, another is William Booth, the Nottingham born Salvationist and author of Darkest England and the Way Out, who wrote:

“When women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight.

While children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight.

While men go to prison, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight.

While there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, I’ll fight

I’ll fight to the very end!”

Many of the great Nottingham writers throughout the centuries would despair at the prospect of Johnson’s cruel Tories winning this election. That after nine years of austerity we could be getting a hard-right government that will slowly drag us out of a union set up to protect us. But then the Tories have never liked unions.

Byron once wrote: “Opinions are made to be changed – or how is truth to be got at.” And, as I write this, there is still hope. For efforts are being made to prevent the anti-Tory vote from splitting. Websites such as remainunited.org are offering advice on the best way to vote to keep out the Tories. This has seen people switch their voting intentions doing what needs to be done in order to kick the lying, cowardly piece of toerag out of Downing Street. Here’s how it all relates to Notts:

Ashfield

With a Labour majority of just 441 and a 69.8% Leave vote, the Tories may capture Ashfield, a constituency with some of the most deprived areas in Notts. Lee Anderson is the Tory candidate. He’s the guy who said that anti-social people should be put in tents and then faked a random doorstep encounter where he was caught on mic telling his friend what to say. Anderson is a liability and may lose votes to the Brexit candidate Martin Daubney, a former editor of The Sun’s page3.com.  They’ll face a tough challenge from Independent Jason Zodrozny who you might remember running for Police and Crime Commissioner. With the Lib Dems coming 5^th last time, it’s not surprising that that both the GetVoting and Remainunited websites are advising people to Vote for Labour’s Natalie Fleet. If she’s to win, not only will she need many would-be Green and Lib Dem voters to back her, she’ll need to convince Labour leavers that this election is about much more than Brexit. The anti-establishment stance is strong in Ashfield but many see the EU as the establishment when the true danger comes from the Eton elite.

Vote for Labour’s @Nataliefleet

Bassetlaw

With John Mann going the House of Lords, Labour’s 4,852 majority is being threatened in this leave-leaning constituency. Labour did quite well in the local elections so there hope they’ll hang on. Labour’s Keir Morrison is the only candidate to vote for if you want to keep out the Brexit Party and the Conservatives’ Brendan Clarke-Smith, who says the priority is to ‘Get Brexit Done!’. Clarke-Smith used to work in Romania as the Head of an International School. The lie that Brexit can be done by January 31^st needs calling out. Johnson’s withdrawal agreement is only phase one of years of negotiations, all to be done after Johnson pays the EU over £30 billion in January, and the no deal risk remains, it’s only delayed. The message must be ‘Don’t Get Done by Brexit!’ And don’t get me started on the years of playing lapdog to Donald Trump as a damaging trade deal with the USA drags on and on.

Vote for Labour’s @MorrisonKeir 

Broxtowe

Another tough seat to call with the Conservatives the current favourites. Anna Soubry won here last time by 863 votes and has since left to become leader of The Independent Group for Change. She is standing again, hoping to snag the remain vote. Despite the Lib Dems standing down for her, Soubry has little chance as Remainers are turning to Labour and their promise for a People’s Vote. So much so that Gina Miller’s website remainunited.org have changed their advice from ‘Vote Soubry’ to ‘No Advice’. Labour’s Greg Marshall will have to work hard to win here though. The Brexit Party were the largest party in the Euro elections and their lack of a candidate will help the Tories as would a strong Green vote. Kat Boettge would make a good MP but Green voters need to lend their vote to Labour on this occasion. Much will depend on Beeston’s Marshall getting his strong message for protecting public services across to the voters. Come on the people of Broxtowe, vote for hope and not more of the same. Broxtowe needs a new party and a new MP.

Don’t split the vote, go for Labour’s @Greg4Broxtowe

Gedling

Vernon Coaker is well-liked in Gedling and won here two years ago with a 4,694 majority. Despite his popularity and strong record as an MP it’s another close call. 55.6% voted Leave and the Brexit Party were clear winners at the Euro election. The Brexit Party’s Graham Hunt believes the mood to ‘leave’ is as strong as ever in Gedling, and the Tory, former Oxford law student Tom Randall, will be hoping he’s right. Coaker may win enough leave voters to remain MP, the constituents would be doing themselves a disservice not to keep him.

Vote for Labour’s @Vernon_Coaker

Mansfield

This is the Conservative Party’s to lose. Ben Bradley’s 1,057 majority may be slim but the 70.9% leave vote and The Brexit Party’s lack of a candidate could return him. The only person with a chance to stop this happening is Labour’s Sonya Ward, a former youth worker who also worked in the NHS. Ward will take heart from Labour winning the latest mayoral election with the Tories back in 4^th place. When Bradley - who voted remain - won in 2017 it was the first time Labour had not held Mansfield since 1923. If Labour are to win back Mansfield it’s unlikely to be done by trying to convince leavers that remaining is the better option, it will be by showing them what a Labour government can do for them. There’s been anger here directed at the EU as well as the Conservative government making it a key seat, one which has some of the highest levels of deprivation in the county. Boris Johnson has written that the UK's poorest communities, like some of those in Mansfield, are made-up of 'chavs,' 'burglars,' 'drug addicts,' and 'losers'. if there’s any justice he won’t be welcome.   

Vote for Labour’s @Sonya_Ward

Newark

The safest seat in Notts as far as the Tories are concerned. Robert Jenrick, a Notts resident of six years, will win here unless there’s a major shock. Jenrick serves as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. He consistently voted for a reduction in spending on welfare benefits and voted against many measures to prevent climate change. James Baggaley is the candidate best placed to pull off a surprise victory and he deserves your vote.

Vote Labour’s @JamesBaggaley

Nottingham East

Labour’s Nadia Whittome is rightly the favourite to win and the 23-year-old former care worker has said that she will only be accepting a "worker's wage" if she becomes MP donating half her wage to good causes. Chris Leslie won last time with the largest majority in Notts and he’s standing again. Leslie left to team up with Anna Soubry but he’s hoping to eat into the Labour vote. He’s even using Labour’s colours on his campaign leaflets. The better Leslie does, the more danger there is that Labour will lose this seat, but it won’t be to Leslie.

Vote for Labour’s @NadiaWhittome

Nottingham North

Two years ago, this seat had the lowest turnout in the county - just 57.3% compared to the national figure of 69.1%. Alex Norris should win here for Labour but voter complacency and a high leaver turnout could be a concern so make sure your vote is cast.

Vote Labour’s @AlexNorrisNN

Nottingham South

Lilian Greenwood is one of the county’s best MPs and she will be hoping to win for a fourth time for Labour. In a majority leave voting constituency, professional fundraiser Marc Nykolyszyn (Tory) and The Brexit Party’s Julian Carter (the self-styled ‘Robin Hood of Brexit’ WTF?) will be hoping to challenge.

Vote for @LilianGreenwood

Rushcliffe

With Ken Clark gone and calling Johnson ‘extreme’ and Brexiteer Ruth Edwards standing instead, this seat could be up for grabs in a remain-voting constituency. However, there is likely to be a split in the Remain vote, letting the Tories back in. The Lib Dem and Labour candidates are polling similar numbers. Tactical voting, such as the advice given on remainunited.org, is telling people to Vote Labour. Their candidate is the former Raleigh worker Cheryl Pidgeon and two years ago she slashed Clark’s majority in half. There will need to be some large-scale tactical voting to beat off the cruel Conservatives in Rushcliffe but it’s achievable.

Vote for Labour’s @cheryl_pidgeon

Sherwood

Mark Spencer is a loyal Tory. He was pro Remain when Cameron then May told him to be, then pro Leave when May then Johnson told him to be. Spencer is, unsurprisingly, the government’s Chief Whip. He’s a brash, heartless glutton, a defender of fracking and the cruel benefits system. Spencer caused offence with his comments regarding a local jobseeker with learning difficulties who was left without food or electricity after being four minutes late for a Jobcentre appointment. Spencer has consistently voted against raising welfare benefits (even in line with prices) and has voted many times for a reduction in spending on welfare. Sherwood deserves better than this and has a chance to remove Johnson’s whip. Standing in his way is Labour’s Jerry Hague, a candidate for real change. The alternative to Labour is more of the same and an awful right-wing MP.

Don't Vote for Mark Spencer (above). Vote for Labour’s @jerryhague01 instead.

We need to talk about Boris.

This election is the most important of my lifetime and I must turn to Boris Johnson. Not the "cuddly," "funny," “he lies but I like him,” media-friendly Boris, the real man, in his own words:

Boris Johnson is a racist, writing that seeing a "bunch of black kids" used to make him "turn a hair" and run away. Boris Johnson is Islamophobic, writing that Muslim women look like “bank-robbers” and “letterboxes”. Boris Johnson is homophobic, criticising “tank-topped bumboys”. And he dismisses the environmental concerns of the young. Not only did he fail to turn up to the leaders’ debate on climate change, he voted against measures to prevent climate change and, in April, he said he was sympathetic to the aims of Extinction Rebellion but described the young climate change activists as “smug” and told them to “lecture” China instead.

Boris Johnson is a misogynist, calling Cameron a “girly swot” and Corbyn a “big girl’s blouse”, and his advice to a man on how to best handle his female publisher? “Pat her on the bottom and send her on her way”. In criticising men, he spoke of their “reluctance or inability to take control of his woman and be head of a household.” He added: “Something must be found, first, to restore women’s desire to be married.” He also labelled single mums as “irresponsible,” but won’t say how many children he has!

30% of the Conservative candidates are women, 31% of Lib Dems candidates are women, 53% of the Labour candidates are women. 

Boris Johnson hates the poor, saying that “500,000 women have chosen to marry the state” but that men were “responsible for a social breakdown which is costing us all … and which is producing a generation of ill-raised, ignorant, aggressive and illegitimate children who in theory will be paying for our pensions”. He also hates the working class, writing that the “modern British male is useless” and working-class men are “likely to be drunk, criminal, aimless, feckless and hopeless, and perhaps claiming to suffer from low self-esteem brought on by unemployment”. He went on to say that the UK's poorest communities are made-up of "chavs", "'burglar", "'drug addicts" and "losers".

Only this year Johnson said that spending police budgets on historical child abuse cases was "spaffing money up the wall" and, on the NHS, he has written that that free healthcare should be only for "those who are genuinely sick, and for the elderly." He added that "if people have to pay" for NHS services, "they will value them more" but since becoming PM he's more careful with his words, avoiding difficult interviews and trotting out slogans written by Dominic Cummings, the Brexit mastermind, who can be heard in this short video saying what he really thinks of the Tories.

We are the 5^th richest country in the world and yet millions are forced to use foodbanks, and since the Tories took power homelessness has gone up 165%. Something is badly wrong. I urge you, in this festive season, to think of the most vulnerable in society when you cast your vote on the 12^th of December.

John Bishop once asked Jeremy Corbyn, “If you get into number 10, what's the one thing that you would make sure happens?”

Corbyn took a second to think, then replied: “That nobody is homeless.”

Ignore the right-wing media. Listen to your heart and your conscience.