Thursday, April 21, 2005
3 updates in one day...
(Sing above to 4 seasons in one day, if your daft like me)
Jamie Devlin has updated his website with news. (Still nothing on Jobs in the area and the scraping of the New Deal though....)
I'll list the stories and links below, but heres my run down of them.
(In reverse order)
First off we have Jamie Devlin talking about Rural communities, North West Durham is a strange area in my opinion. (He met the future Queen too, see picture below.)
You have lots and lots of old mining/industrial towns/villages which are traditional Labour areas and I'd guess don't give two hoots about the farmers etc. Then you have wear dale towns such as Stanhope and Wolsingham which are traditional farming areas and Jamie will have a bit of support from these areas. Problem is that the mining/industial voters will out number the rural voters in our area 2 to 1 at least..if not 3-1/4-1. So Jamie needs a high turn out from these voters to make a dent.
Next Jamie was in Newcastle throwing his "weight" behind a homeless charity tour bus (Did it need a push? ;-) Also are their many homeless tour buses? Must be hard to find homes for them, need a big garage...). Now I can comment about the areas I know, thats Crook, Wolsingham, Stanhope..I don't think their is a large homeless problem in those areas....I have asked a workmate who lives in Consett and he doesn't think their is a homeless problem either. Hardly a vote winner, all those floating voters will be rushing to the Tory party to help these homeless people! ;-)
Finally we have council tax, a proper vote winner! Right a couple of flaws in Jamies news release.
Jamie is quoted saying this:
The rest of the population (80%!) will save between £1.43 per week and £6.33 per week (Thats £30+ a month! Which would pay my petrol for a week, ace!)
The second flaw is probably not really a flaw more of a bandwagon. I can not find where it says in the Tory manifesto that they would stop the rebranding process. Howard has only just mentioned it, I am not the only person to notice this and even if you say it lots and lots of times doesn't make it true ;-)
The stories in full..
Rural Communities Let Down By Labour
Jamie Supports Big Voice Tour
Jamie Devlin has updated his website with news. (Still nothing on Jobs in the area and the scraping of the New Deal though....)
I'll list the stories and links below, but heres my run down of them.
(In reverse order)
First off we have Jamie Devlin talking about Rural communities, North West Durham is a strange area in my opinion. (He met the future Queen too, see picture below.)
You have lots and lots of old mining/industrial towns/villages which are traditional Labour areas and I'd guess don't give two hoots about the farmers etc. Then you have wear dale towns such as Stanhope and Wolsingham which are traditional farming areas and Jamie will have a bit of support from these areas. Problem is that the mining/industial voters will out number the rural voters in our area 2 to 1 at least..if not 3-1/4-1. So Jamie needs a high turn out from these voters to make a dent.
Next Jamie was in Newcastle throwing his "weight" behind a homeless charity tour bus (Did it need a push? ;-) Also are their many homeless tour buses? Must be hard to find homes for them, need a big garage...). Now I can comment about the areas I know, thats Crook, Wolsingham, Stanhope..I don't think their is a large homeless problem in those areas....I have asked a workmate who lives in Consett and he doesn't think their is a homeless problem either. Hardly a vote winner, all those floating voters will be rushing to the Tory party to help these homeless people! ;-)
Finally we have council tax, a proper vote winner! Right a couple of flaws in Jamies news release.
Jamie is quoted saying this:
The Lib Dems have also conceded that thousands of hard working families will be worse off under their flawed plans for a local income tax.Now I have done my own research (well read others) on the Libdems local income tax plans. The institute for fiscal studies have done an analysis of the council tax plans. Which I have given a good read (Download the PDF). Now from this study it claims that only the top 20% earners in the country will pay more per week under this plan. The rest of us (80% of the working population) will pay less per week. I am sorry Jamie but the hard working families thing is rubbish, the LibDems have said that working couples will probably pay more (Roughly £2.50 a week more) but generally working couples have high disposable income, they would have twice as much income as myself for example.
The rest of the population (80%!) will save between £1.43 per week and £6.33 per week (Thats £30+ a month! Which would pay my petrol for a week, ace!)
The second flaw is probably not really a flaw more of a bandwagon. I can not find where it says in the Tory manifesto that they would stop the rebranding process. Howard has only just mentioned it, I am not the only person to notice this and even if you say it lots and lots of times doesn't make it true ;-)
The stories in full..
Rural Communities Let Down By Labour
North West Durham Conservative Candidate, Jamie Devlin, today attacked Labour’s record on rural affairs in North West Durham and confirmed that only the Conservative Party would introduce policies to support our rural communities.
Read what Jamie Devlin had to say here.
Jamie Supports Big Voice Tour
Council Tax Bills Soar Under LabourJamie Devlin, Conservative Candidate in North West Durham, today pledged his support to end homelessness as a priority for the next Government.
Read more on Jamie Devlin and his homeless bus here.
Conservative Candidate for North West Durham, Jamie Devlin, today outlined Conservative plans to stop council tax bills soaring even further after the Election.
Read more on Jamie Devlin and council tax here.
