Ryedale candidates in final push to woo voters in postponed election

Toby Horton - UKIP

THE events surrounding the formation of our LibCon coalition Government must have reminded voters of an episode of Blackadder.

No one party obtained a sufficient majority, so some Baldrick within the system duly had a “cunning plan”– if you merge with the least successful of the three main parties, lock yourselves in for a fixed five-year term and demand an unprecedented 55 per cent of the vote in the House of Commons to remove you, then you’ll be safe.

The LibCon coalition represents nothing less than a coup d’etat by the political class to shore up its own position.

I suspect that this particular plan was at the back of David Cameron’s mind when he became leader of the Conservative Party five years ago. He already had in common with the Liberal Democrats a contempt for the grass roots of his own party. From the start, he described himself as a “liberal Conservative” and “the heir to Blair”. The Conservative Party was nothing more to him than a vehicle for his own ambition and, in order to achieve it, he happily gave away all that his grass roots held most dear.

The shape of the new Government is clear evidence of this. Nick Clegg, whose loathing for the Conservative Party is exceeded only by David Cameron’s, is in charge of “political reform”, a bit like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank. Theresa May, who infamously told her own voluntary arm that they were the “nasty party”, is Home Secretary and Ken Clarke, whose cheerful affability masks a loathing for Conservatism, is in charge of justice alongside four other LibDem members of the Cabinet.

The appointment of the Euro-enthusiast LibDem Jeremy Browne as Minister of State at the Foreign Office, placed there no doubt to check William Hague at every turn, is significant. It is here that the faultlines lie which will lead to the downfall of this ill-starred coalition.

As chairman of Richmond Conservative Association more than 10 years ago, I developed a genuine love for our grass roots Conservatives. Their kindness, humour, loyalty and enthusiasm will always stay with me. So I was surprised to hear Michael Gove, now education secretary, when asked by a member of the Question Time audience whether he and others could form a grammar school, answer with an abrupt “No”! What Michael Gove was saying was, “You do the work, you raise the money and we’ll tell you what kind of school”. So much for the Big Society.

The UK Independence Party draws its support from across the political spectrum, bringing together sensible people from all walks of life who are asking “Why did things go so wrong?” and “What must we do now to put them right?” I urge you to vote for UKIP on May 27.

Howard Keal - Liberal Democrats

VOTERS have the best opportunity in decades to upset the apple cart in Thirsk and Malton.

This is a two-horse race between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.

To win, I need Lib Dems to be joined by Labour supporters voting tactically and for those of you who are disgruntled Conservatives to lend me your vote.

This time it is not just about a party – it is about a person – and what I can offer you as a strong voice for you in parliament.

I have a record fighting for a better deal for our community such as the battle I led with my wife Di for flood defences.

We now have £9.5 milllion defences protecting Malton, Norton and Old Malton and I’m pressing to protect homes and business in Pickering, Filey and Thirsk.

I give you that same commitment in pressing for more affordable housing, jobs and guarding our health services.

Savings have to be made but we must invest where it matters – and nothing matters more than looking after our older people and children.

On the national stage, the voice of Liberal Democrat voters is being heard in Government for the first time in decades.

We have already scored major successes for you which would have never happened had a Tory government been left to its own devices.

We have booted out the inheritance tax give-away to millionaires and gained a commitment to bring in the Lib Dem policy of raising the tax threshold.

That will be worth £700 a year to low and middle-income earners. It’s better in your pocket and helping local businesses, not millionaires in the Bahamas.

Over the years, the gap between the very wealthy and the rest of us has been allowed to widen into a chasm in the workplace and outside it.

The link between pensions earnings was broken by Mrs Thatcher. Labour left it broken. Pensions are worth £60 a week less as a result. Liberal Democrat policy is to restore the link between pensions and earnings and stop pensions sliding in value.

We have also won a commitment to a referendum on reform of the voting system. The Lib Dems gained seven million votes, Labour nine, for which they took more than four times as many seats.

Nick Clegg has put Liberal Democrat policies centre stage. As soon as voters discover what Liberal Democrats are saying, the evidence is that more and more of you like what you hear.

Liberal Democrats dare to be different. It’s not the same old story. And I come to the table with clean hands – month after month my expenses claim as a councillor is zero.

A golden opportunity is being handed to all of us to shatter the old political mould.

I’ve lived here for 20 years. I have a record of campaigning on everything from maternity services to affordable housing and a fair deal for farmers.

I’m now putting a fair deal for all on the table – I hope you will decide to vote for me to achieve real change.

John Clark - Liberal

WHAT now?

The deferred election in Thirsk and Malton is going to be a judgement on the political games since May 6.

For the election on that date I wrote: “This election is not about what is promised, it is about what will happen and who will do what. It is about their record. Who do you trust?”

We, the Liberal Party, have often been confused with the Liberal Democrats. This is now unlikely. How many of the nearly seven million people who voted Liberal Democrat wanted a Tory government? For that is what they have got.

The Tories promised ‘cuts now’. The Liberal Democrats promised ‘savage cuts’. Combining the two we will get ‘savage cuts now’.

Compare this with the position of the Liberal Party: “We will never lean towards Labour or Tory but rather we will stick to Liberalism.”

So what are the choices in the election in a week’s time? Labour, when last in opposition, opposed the sale of council houses, championed the low paid, promised to increase the state pension, called for the redistribution of wealth and heralded an ethical foreign policy. How did New Labour measure up? Council house sales continued and the number of council houses built was less than the number of prison places. The low paid got a minimum wage, which was good; unfortunately it is so low that people cannot live on it. As for the state pension it is at half that of the European average (don’t forget the 75p per week increase). The gap between the rich and poor has widened considerably more under Labour than it did under John Major.

As for an ethical foreign policy, going to war several times leaves that in tatters. Not to mention student loans and top-up fees. Many of these policies are more Tory than the Tories.

The UKIP candidate for Thirsk and Malton is a past chairman of William Hague’s constituency party.

The Liberal Democrats are nationally supporting the Tories.

As a result, the four candidates are; Pink Tories, Ex Tories, Pro-Tories and Tory Tories.

As a Liberal Party candidate I do not lean towards the Tories.

Anne McIntosh - Conservative

YOUR vote still matters in this election; use your voice and have your say on who represents you in Parliament.

Having been elected in 1997 as the MP for the Vale of York, my achievements include; a roundabout at Easingwold, flood defences at Boroughbridge and a bridge at Rainton over the A1. I have been a Shadow Minister since 2001 for various briefs, including children and early years, foreign affairs, work and pensions, culture, media and sport and most recently, the environment.

I have a home near Thirsk with my husband John; I was educated at Harrogate Ladies College, studied Law at the universities of Edinburgh and Aarhus in Denmark and as a Scottish Advocate, I practised law in Edinburgh and Brussels.

I want to be the champion of the farming community and the voice of the countryside, fight rural crime and work to remove funding inequalities in the delivery of health and education in rural areas. I will strive to facilitate small businesses, encouraging tourism and safeguard rural post offices and village shops.

I am committed to improving flood protection and support regeneration in coastal and market towns, help the elderly and the most vulnerable, encourage strong families and increase social responsibility.

Locally I have taken a keen interest in transport, employment, business and tourism. I enjoy swimming, reading, films and country pursuits.

I will base myself in the constituency with a local office with local staff and will take my surgeries around the constituency. I have the knowledge and experience to bring your concerns to the attention of Westminster. If you elect me, I will be a strong local champion able to directly influence Government policy by taking your concerns to the prime minister David Cameron. Your vote really matters in this election and I do hope you will support me.

Jonathan Roberts - Labour

A WEEK is a long time in politics. No doubt about it. The coalition between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives has provided some stability, but it has left thousands of people who spent their lives devoted to those parties concerned as to what their vote means in this new political era.

I know that the Liberal Democrat and Conservative candidates have political differences, and I respect that. But the truth is that the decision has been taken for them. The deal done by David Cameron and Nick Clegg is way above the pay grade of all candidates.

So whether we like it or not, a vote for the Liberal Democrats is now a vote to prop up the Conservatives in Number 10. Whatever the rhetoric of the other parties, and however the boundaries may shift, Labour has come second in our Parliamentary seat for many years. So for all those who are uncomfortable with Conservative representation, now is the time to vote Labour, a party which is the only remaining progressive, centre-left party in mainstream politics.

Labour is the party of the Winter Fuel Payment, Sure Start, tax credits, free bus travel for pensioners, lower hospital waiting lists and increased numbers of doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers. With cuts likely to come from the Tory-Lib Dem Government, we need an MP who will fight for local people, not one who will be too busy fighting to keep the coalition alive.

Furthermore, it has never been more vital for candidates to prove that they are individuals worthy of office. I am the only candidate of any party to launch a website specifically focused on restoring integrity to British politics. No wishy-washy statements, no empty promises, just real, honest detail. Find it at www.integrityfirst.org.uk.

I have laid out the most comprehensive manifesto of how I would conduct myself as an MP. I will hold quarterly public meetings in every town in the constituence and weekly surgeries too. I will not disappear for the summer recess, but I’ll be here working full-time in the constituency. I’ll have a constituency office open throughout the week, and you will be guaranteed a reply to correspondence within 24 hours. My rivals in this seat have not come close to matching these promises.

So my message to Liberal Democrat supporters, Conservative supporters and floating voters alike, is this: we may not agree on every single policy area, and that’s OK, but our core values are the same. I’m born and bred in our community, I’ve seen its fantastic successes, and its difficult challenges, because I’ve been living through it with you.

Ours is the community that has given me everything I have, and my deep desire to fight relentlessly for it has never been greater. Now is the time to vote for change you can really believe in, and if you come on this journey with me, then you will finally be served by the hardest working MP in the country.