Are you voting for Sheffield Labour MP's to lose their seats?

[fishy_taste]

No. It isn't conceivable Tony.

 

Angela Smith (Penistone & Stocksbridge)

Major boundary changes since 2005.

Swing required: 10.22%

Conservative target = No. 146

Lib Dem target = No. 131

 

Meg Munn (Sheffield Heeley).

Swing required: 16.34%.

Conservative target = No. 319.

Lib Dem target = No. 398.

 

David Blunkett (Sheffield Brightside & Hillsborough)

Swing required: 28.29%

Conservative target = No. 402

Lib Dem target = No. 566

 

Clive Betts (Sheffield South East)

Swing required: 21.68%

Conservative target = No. 340

Lib Dem target = No. 551

 

So, not even the Tories & Lib Dems think these seats are really winnable from Labour.

 

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/general-election-2010

 

From that list, given the percentage swing needed, then Stocksbridge and Penistone could possibly swing (stranger things have happened in elections past).

 

The others will probably have their majority's slashed, but I suspect they will remain Labour.

[Missdan]

Funnily enough, my present MP, Meg Munn was parachuted into Sheffield from York by Labour when the sitting Labour MP Bill Michie retired, and was elected with a large majority, even though the LibDem candidate had previously been a local councillor and even lived in the consitituency. I don't think it makes much difference to people where the candidate actually comes from when they're choosing who to vote for?

 

It does to me. If they're not good enough to live amongst the electorate, they're not good enough to get my vote

[slimsid2000]

MY sitting MP (well before the dissilusion) was a Lib Dem and he is likely to win again.

[Rupert_Baehr]

Funnily enough, my present MP, Meg Munn was parachuted into Sheffield from York by Labour when the sitting Labour MP Bill Michie retired, and was elected with a large majority, even though the LibDem candidate had previously been a local councillor and even lived in the consitituency. I don't think it makes much difference to people where the candidate actually comes from when they're choosing who to vote for?

 

It does to me. Particularly for council elections. It should be law to live in the place you represent. How may Sheffield MPs don't even live in Yorkshire never mind the city itself?

 

It does to me. If they're not good enough to live amongst the electorate, they're not good enough to get my vote

 

I agree with biotechpete and Missdan. I suppose in the end, it boils down to whether you hope to get an MP who will represent you; an MP who will champion your causes and fight to improve the lot of his/her constituents, or you are happy to elect a political party who will just do their own thing and ignore the voters. If you're happy to settle for that, then does it really matter whether your MP knows anything about the constituency? - (S)he will, after all, do what her party bosses tell him.

 

... It would be nice if candidates from all parties were locals rather than brought in career politicians that go from place to place just to climb the greasy pole of the political career path, would also be good if candidates had real jobs beforehand outside of the politics sphere such as doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, farmers, etc etc.

 

Wouldn't it just.

[slimsid2000]

If Elliot Morley was standing in my area I would vote for him. I am not a Labour voter but I admire him personally. Alas, he is not standing at this election.

[max]

Apart from wednesday1, Titanic99 and redrobbo is anyone actually voting Labour?

 

The majority of people I've spoken to while campaigning in 4 different constituencies in Yorkshire.

 

Despite what the press tell you most people are terrified of the Tories getting back in.

[wednesday1]

The majority of people I've spoken to while campaigning in 4 different constituencies in Yorkshire.

 

Despite what the press tell you most people are terrified of the Tories getting back in.

 

I agree, In Hallam I have yet to see a Tory poster! It used to be one of their safest seats!

[rubydazzler]

You are mistaken rubydazzler ... I am happy to have set the record straight for you.

I didn't realise she was living in Sheffield at the time she was selected, a long daily commute to York but she was obviously used to travelling. According to her Wiki entry, she's worked everywhere, man! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meg_Munn

 

@ biotechpete I think it is a requirement that local councillors actually live, or at least work, in the area they represent, ie, in our case, Sheffield. In 1999, all three councillors elected for SCC Heeley Ward were LD and actually lived within the Ward. And in my Ward, SCC Graves Park, at least two of the elected LD councillors live in it, one at Woodseats, one at Norton Lees, I'm not sure about the third, but he doesn't live too far out of it, Gleadless or Hollythorpe. iirc.

[Tony]

Despite what the press tell you most people are terrified of the Tories getting back in.

 

We'll find out what they are terrified of on Friday.

[esme]

In Britain, you have two problems with your voting systems:

 

1/. It's not compulsory; so the "confused" and "can't be bothered" let the election be won by a party which may not have real majority support (what percentage of voters will turn out? 30%, 50%, or a record-breaking 70%?)...

 

forcing people to the polls when they don't want to go will create an awful lot of resentment, and result in an awful lot of either unfilled or spoiled ballots papers

 

unfortunately not voting or spoiling your ballot is tutted over in public, the statistic is recorded thereafter it is ignored, someone will have won the election regardless and they no longer care if people didn't vote

 

if people don't vote they usually have a reason, you and I may not agree with it but it's a good enough reason for them

 

"I don't have a candidate who is worth voting for", "I don't have a party who is worth voting for", "my vote doesn't make a difference", "all politicians are the same", "they are all lying, backstabbing, thieving, scum it's not worth voting for any of them" and more

 

all of which, once it's filtered through the politicians cerebellum somehow becomes the voters fault and is described as "apathy"

 

which absolves the politician from any and all responsibility for this "apathy" and they don't have to make any effort to re engage the electorate, say by being honest and doing the job for which they were elected rather than seeing how rich it can make them