Dawlish Discussion

Conservative General Election Campaign strategist and guruLynton Crosby should take note – the best way to defend a key marginal seat is to take a holiday! At least, that’s the way Newton Abbot’s Anne Marie Morris is beginning her campaign.

Anne Marie Morris squeezed home with a meagre 500 votes in the election of 2010. That was after spending thousands of pounds on her campaign, and exploiting the expenses scandal to its fullest.

Now, to defend those 500 votes, rather than hit the campaign running, she’s taken off from the General Election campaign proper to wing herself away to warmer climes.

http://www.theprsd.co.uk/2015/03/30/key-marginal-seat-defended-mp-holiday/

I can't get anything on that link you've given.

Is this any better? http://www.theprsd.co.uk/2015/03/30/key-marginal-seat-defended-mp-holiday/

Wow Lynne

what a nasty grubby article - I feel like washing my hands now. We will never have decent political discussion in the UK when this sort of "journalism" is peddled.  Shame on all concerned

Well you'll be washing your hands a lot more between now and May 7th!

Some might say politics is nasty and grubby at the best of times - so to expect it to be anything but that during election time.........     

I think it will only change if we all demand better, and challenge it when we see it

Well she has given Labour a chance to drum up a few votes by being away...she's not seen as being desperate.

Politics should be about values and ideas.  Too often now it is about character assassination of the opponent - I'd rather we discuss the bedroom tax, the crisis in social care, zero hour contracts

Not how Ed Miliband eats a bacon sandwich, whether Anne Marie Morris is having a holiday or if Nick Clegg and Vince Cable are quarrelling 

http://youtu.be/U76mluOWSf0

@Michaelclayson post(12.48). Well said Michael but unfortunatly that what happens. We should be talking about important issues.  

Of course we'd never see politicians being grubby would we?  They always speak clearly about policies so we are all clear what we are voting for.  Have you ever sat and listened to the rubbish they come out with on TV or listened to the behaviour on PMQs?  I'm sick to death of media talk, I can't get away from it listening to Politicians or at work.  'Going forward' (got I hate that phrase) evolution will mean soon we will be born with wool over our eyes.

I'm afraid, yes I am interested in individuals who are going to represent me.  I've not been impressed with AMM on a number of occasions, and she certainly plays up to media.  You get what you give.

No idea what Labour or UKIP are offering me so far.  Only Libs and Conservative have sent through letters.

I had a Labour party election leaflet delivered today.

@flo. i'm probably being idealistic but it seems to me that if we stop treating politics as soap opera there will be more focus on what the politicians are actually saying - to the disadvantage of those who need replacing

How would Churchill or Attlee cope with the wretchedness of the current political environment?

But who is the 'we' Michael? I can guarantee it's not Joe Public, it's the media and politicians not us. I don't hear my relative on zero hours laughing at Ed eating a bacon sandwich or gossiping about when Dave intends to step down. I don't hear my nursing cousin treating politics like a soap opera but I do hear the politicians treating me like an idiot.

Very interesting programme the other day about legal aid for example with the politician involved being extremely rude about the types of people requiring it. If the have nothing but disdain for us the feeling WILL be reciprocated.

Sounds like you and I are in agreement then Flo.  Politics should be about all the issues you mentioned and more.  I'm taking my own stand by leaving Twitter because it's full of gossip and snide attacks and very few facts.  Now if we can stop Jeremy Paxman obsessing about North London geeks we could be making progress .........

If you want to vote on policies the Beeb have a fairly good section under 'BBC News' entitled 'Election 15'. It gives a fairly good precis of who wants to do what.

Whether or not those 'policies' ever become 'practice' .... only time will tell!

As far as i am concerned the candidates are being interviewed for the job of MP now if A.M.M decides she isn't turning up for the interview then we are down to 3 it's that simple. 

This is a strange state of affairs, as I am not intending to vote Conservative.  However, I believe in fair treatment, so will share the following information I've just read on AMM's website

"As you know, Parliament has now dissolved and there are no MPs until the General Election on 7th May. I have had the privilege of representing the people of the Newton Abbot constituency as their MP since the last General Election in 2010 and I would very much like to continue to represent them for another five years.

Over the coming weeks I will be out and about every day in the constituency putting forward my case for re-election to as many residents as possible

I am holding a street stall outside Lloyds Bank in Newton Abbot tomorrow from 11am - 1pm. Please drop by for a chat"

So, she is in the constituency, not on holiday.

Personally, I won't vote Conservative as I believe that the current government (Aided and Abetted by votes from Liberal Democrats) has done immense damage to the social care system and the welfare safety net we all may need to rely upon.   The fact that Iain Duncan Smith refuses to gives details of where the further £12billion cuts planned in Welfare will fall makes me even more sure that the Conservative candidate will not get my vote.

I don't intend to vote Lib Dem because of their complicity in the above.  I'm not going to vote Labour unless they guarantee that their support for the Dawlish Avoiding Line will be matched with a future guarantee that our railway line through Dawlish will still be maintained.  I couldn't vote UKIP ever ever ever, and I wouldn't trust the ability of the Greens to deliver effective governance.

I remain to be convinced, but at the moment I have never been closer in my adult life to spoiling my vote as a protest against the poor choice being offered to us.

Pity we don't have a PR voting system. That might have helped.

I was shown this today and thought it appropriate for those that say that there's no point in voting. 

I will use my ballot paper - but still undecided whether to vote for a candidate or express my opinions otherwise.  There is a moral duty to partake but not necessarily to support any of the choices offered.  I think this but am open to persuasion

Might this help?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/katie-hopkins-promises-to-leave-the-uk-if-labour-get-elected-wins-ed-miliband-the-battle-for-number-10-10138526.html

That's certainly tempting :)

Doesn't she live in Exeter which has labour in locally?  Perhaps she ought to move somewhere else  Can't abide this woman.  Her recent views on dementia are truly revolting.

Scroll down to number 22 on this link

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/general-election-2015-marginal-seats-5423381

@flo.  Could you point me to where I can read what she said about dementia?  I've googled but haven't found it.  Thanks. 

@Lynne.  Hadn't realised UKIP HQ was Newton Abbot.  Anything to do with Trago?  Trash shop, trash politics. 

Contact - UKIP

www.ukip.org/contact - Similarto Contact - UKIP

UKIP, Lexdrum House, King Charles Business Park, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 6UT. Telephone: 01626 831290. Email: mail@ukip.org.

don't know about any official connection with Trago but I'd hazard a guess that the owner of Trago and UKIP have common political ground judging from the anti EU posters that are everywhere on the lead up to the shop.

'ave a read of this (especially the controversies bit)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trago_Mills

Had not realised they were that odious.   Thanks. 

Wasn't Newton Abbot the location of UKIP's freepost address? The one that thousands of people posted heavy items (amongst other things shall we say) to in order to cost UKIP as much as possible. Excellent entertainment until they closed the freepost account. 

@Dorian there's a lot online, this is the first thing comes up when i 'bing' it.

http://www.itv.com/news/2015-04-07/katie-hopkins-condemned-over-digraceful-dementia-comments/

Sorry Flo, my crossed wires. I missed the previous couple of posts and thought you meant Anne Marie Morris - thought it must have been a bit extreme, even for a Tory!

Well, if AMM ever was on holiday she isn't now.

Just got back from Newton Abb. via train and she is at Dawlish train station along with 2x tv crews. Is 'call me Dave' in the south-west toda?.

Dawlish on the local and possibly national news tonight then?  

he stayed in Exeter last night now in Torquay Lynne

Train times were up the wotsit today - wouldn't have anything to do with him being down here by any chance do you think?

For some reason the 10.48 train from Dawlish to Paignton became the 11.01

And then, when I was on the station at Newton Abbot waiting for the 13.26 back to Dawlish, I thought for one moment I was in a time warp as the announcer said (at 13.14) that the 12.38 train to London Paddington would shortly be arriving at Platform 3.

In neither case was any reason given for the time alteration.