Differing Views on Debates in Folkestone and Hythe

Conservative and Labour parliamentary candidates have said the leadership debates have had a minimal effect on Shepway voters, while Lib Dems are unsurprisingly buoyed by Leader Nick Clegg’s good showing.

The staging of leadership debates has produced vast amounts of comment and speculation. Mr Clegg appears to have gained the most, although the he had the least to loose from the debates.

Riding high in opinion polls, with some showing the Liberal Democrats more popular than Labour, Mr Clegg regularly appears on the front pages of newspapers, has hit the number one spot in ‘trending’ on Yahoo and is getting exposure that previous Lib Dem leaders could only dream of.

An excellent report in today’s Herald, which carried out a poll of Shepway voters, appears to show a ‘Clegg effect’, although it is not thought to be decisive.

Shepway Lib Dems have remarked on Mr Clegg’s strong performances on their website and are the only local party to publicise the debates on their website, perhaps an indicator of how wary other parties are of Mr Clegg's performances.

Senior Lib Dem Tim Prater stated to FUTS that ‘the Lib Dems are already about 10% up in the polls from the start of the campaign and averaging around 30%. If we got to 38-39% on polling day (which is less of a rise than we've already seen) then we'd be looking not just at a big gain in seats, but Lib Dems as the largest party.

‘And that would include Lynne Beaumont as the next MP for Folkestone and Hythe.

‘Is it going to happen? Don't know. But I do know I've been a Lib Dem Party member and activist for 19 years. Until a fortnight ago, there had been literally 3 or 4 national polls in total in that time that had the Lib Dems as anything but third, and never ONE during a General Election campaign.

‘In the last fortnight, we've been fairly consistently 2nd and within 3-4% of the Tories, and occasionally even ahead of them. I've never seen that before. Something has changed.’

In response to questions from FUTS, Conservative Damian Collins stated; ‘To be honest, we've not seem any real impact from the debates one way or the other.

‘Our campaigning data shows that our support remains at the levels we would hope for it to be, so there doesn't appear to be any evidence that people are switching. We also get a positive response out on the streets.

‘Conservative supporters will often tell us that they think David Cameron did very well and that this wasn't reported strongly enough in the media.

‘There is more scrutiny of Lib Dem 'policy' now as well. I have had people bringing up the issue of keeping trident, and saying they don't agree with the Lib Dem position of getting rid of it.’

The Herald report also has the Conservatives predicting a reduced majority of 9,000 votes, down from almost 12,000. This is put down to Michael Howard’s standing down and the effect of this on voters in the constituency.

Labour Leader Gordon Brown is arguably the least media savvy of the three main leaders, and is the only of the three not to have worked in Public Relations.

Labour Candidate Donald Worsley decried the debates as reducing politics to a ‘Beauty Contest’ but feels the impact will be minimal.

‘Talent shows thankfully do not hold the final sway on the Election outcome. Policies do and now the initial novelty is starting to wear off people on the doorstep and at the Hustings are beginning to ask about policies and seeing through the veneer of presentation.

‘Yes people mention the debates but then when they ask about the Labour Party's policies the debates are very quickly forgotten.’

Labour Leader Gordon Brown is arguably the least media savvy of the three main leaders, is the only of the three not to have worked in public relations and yesterday suffered arguably the worst gaffe of the campaign when he called an elderly voter ‘bigoted.’

Recent polls show the Liberal Democrats moving into second place behind the Conservative party, although the Liberal Democrats forming the next opposition party seems unlikely without reform of the ‘first past the post’ voting system.

Worsley Apologises for Gordon's Gaffe

Folkestone and Hythe Parliamentary Candidate Donald Worsley has apologised unreservedly for Labour leader Gordon Brown’s widely publicised remarks about Gillian Duffy.

Mr Brown faced questions from Mrs Duffy while campaigning in Rochdale. Mrs Duffy asked Mr Brown about Eastern Europeans flocking to the U.K.

Whilst in his car after the encounter Mr Brown referred to the meeting as a “disaster” and called Ms Duffy “a bigoted woman”, comments which were picked up by a microphone still on his person, sparking a media firestorm.

In a press release sent out yesterday afternoon, Mr Worsley states:

‘On behalf of Folkestone & Hythe Labour Party I apologise unreservedly to the people of this great Constituency for Gordon Brown’s offensive remarks about Mrs Gillian Duffy.                    

‘His off camera remarks were unacceptable and shamed the whole Labour movement. Calling her a “bigoted women” was inexcusable, whether to an aide in the back of a car or in front of the cameras.’

Addressing the issues around Sangatte or illegal entry into the country by economic refuges is what we should all be concentrating on, not calling each other names or slagging off hard working foreign workers here lawfully to help our economy prosper.

Mrs Duffy and others that share her views have the right to be heard with respect at all times. To do otherwise would make us no better than Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia.’

This quickly became the lead story of the day. Mr Brown later visited Ms Duffy to apologise. This latest media frenzy will not help Mr Brown, who is noted for not having the smooth media presentation skills of rivals David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

Locally this may impact Mr Worsley’s share of the vote but his chances of winning in Folkestone and Hythe area at best remote, with Labour regularly finishing a distant third to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Conservative Damian Collins is the clear favourite for the seat.

All Go For Googies Cafe Campaign / Knives Out For Googies / Last Supper for Googies? / etc.

Popular Googies Art Café in Rendezvous Street is warning it faces closure after Shepway District Council refused an application for a late license on grounds of noise pollution.

However, a highly organised fight against the council's decision is emerging, with local promoters and politicians supporting Googies.The campaign appears to be off to a good start, with events promoter Louie Burns telling FUTS that South East News may film a piece and that the story will be front page lead in the Herald on Thursday (tomorrow).

A fundraising day of live music has been planned for May 3. ‘Googie Fest’ will have music outside from 2pm-5.30pm, and the entertainment will continue inside the cafe until 9.30pm.  A ‘Fight For Googies’ Facebook page has been set up which claims 'we want to cause the biggest stink Folkestone has ever seen.'

A press release states around 60 people attended a meeting at the cafe on April 17, organised and led by Louie Burns. Attendees were ‘clearly angry with the futility of the council’s decision and the clear disregard for them’ as speakers put forward the case for Googies. Louie Burns' promotions site 'Blueskypie' has held several events in Folkestone and has close links to Googies.

Mayor Janet Andrews spoke at the meeting, and Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Lynne Beaumont and Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Damian Collins both offered help. Although not part of the Creative Foundation, the cafe prides itself on promoting local art and acting as a hub for creative talents in Folkestone.

Mr Collins, an ardent supporter of the cultural regeneration of the town, emailed FUTS explaining that he fully supported the cafe, and had even taken Development Control Committee member Cllr Hugh Barker to the meeting to give advice to Googies owner Keith Holland.

‘Given that other bars and venues have late licenses, and there are many other restaurants in the area, I cannot see why the council can't resolve these issues with Googies, and I hope that they will work with them to resolve this,’ wrote Mr Collins.

Louie Burns agreed, stating; ‘With Stones bar playing music until 2am that rattles the windows, with fights, police and noise constantly outside, it seems totally ridiculous to refuse Googies’ request to play acoustic music.’

Ms Beaumont had not responded to questions about her support at the time of posting. FUTS understands Ms Beaumont sent a letter to council planners, though in the run up to the election council officials have to be extremely careful in responding to or promoting candidates and councillors.

It is known that several of the café’s licensing requirements have been broken, including playing loud music and cooking food on the premises. Complaints have been received from the residents above the café about the noise and it is thought relations with residents and a neighbouring café are fractious.

Writing to FUTS, Keith Holland admitted breaking licensing rules, but explained that ‘food and coffee are slow’ and the licensing requirements were forcing him out of business;

‘Initially we were breaking our licensed hours and remaining open until 12. It was reported to the licensing team and we immediately changed our hours to 10. After 2 weeks we noticed a huge drop in customers. Being asked to leave by 10pm has kept them away.

‘I am now in personal debt and cannot sustain not taking a wage, being able to stay open late is essential for the success of the business. If I have to close I might open another Googies, but not in this town.’

A well placed source told FUTS that there might be a chance the license could be granted, though Googies would have to stick rigidly to the license requirements ‘for a few months.’
Cautioning that alterations would have to be made to the premises, including soundproofing, the source warned that generating lots of negative publicity for the council may backfire.

The source said; ‘It is then with the licensing board - if they see he has done the right things, if they see he regrets the previous actions, if neighbours et al support his application then he may get it. But nothing is guaranteed. Making a big noise in the Herald will not make that easier to achieve.’

In a statement to FUTS Shepway District Council wrote; ‘Obviously we welcome businesses that bring colour and vibrancy to our town centre. However, we also have to consider how a business such as this may affect people living near it.

‘Unlike other restaurants and bars nearby, there are six flats above Googies and we have already received complaints about noise.

‘Googies, can of course, appeal against our decision not to extend weekday opening hours to mid-night.’

Labour Candidate Blog Online

Labour Candidate for Folkestone and Hythe Donald Worsley has started a blog.

This is the first started by the Labour candidate. His Conservative and Liberal Democrat opponents both have active webpages.

Recently the Herald's gossip column reported that Mr Worsley missed the chance to attend a debate as he was too difficult to track down.

'Twit'ter

Perhaps tweeting after a few beers is not a good idea. Therefore this will be my last post for this evening - thanks Wetherspoon's Wifi!

Good to see the spirit of decency permeates the electronic ether.

Mum’s Probably Not Gone To Iceland (or anywhere else).

The dust cloud from the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Iceland has resulted in ‘travel chaos’ at Dover. With all flights grounded, Dover port and rail services have seen a huge increase in passenger numbers.

Extra staff have been drafted in at Dover Priory station to cope with the increased demand.

A member of staff said; ‘It was chaos in the morning. Normally I’m on the trains but have been posted here to help. The ticket office was snowed under. We’ve had people from all over Europe travelling through. Things aren’t so bad now.’

Taxis were doing a brisk trade carrying passengers to the ferry port, with a steady stream opting to walk to the docks.

The P&O website has been replaced with a single page due to heavy internet traffic as people look for alternatives to cancelled flights. P&O’s helpline is 08716 645 645 (Calls cost 10 pence per minute from a BT landline. Calls from other networks and mobiles may cost more)

A message warns travellers; ‘Dover-Calais - If you are planning on travelling as a foot passenger in the next 24 hours we have no space available. For bookings after this period, please call the contact centre for latest availability.

The Eurostar site also warns; ‘We would ask that you only come to our stations if you hold a confirmed reservation for travel'.

Latest reports from the BBC are that some air traffic restrictions may be lifted tomorrow morning, though it may take several days for the backlog of travellers to be cleared.

More on 'Monk'eying Around In Conservative Cabinet

Coming back from holiday, FUTS was delighted to see that the Herald had added info on Cllr Monk’s ‘ousting’ as deputy leader of the council - juicy stuff!

According to the Herald article, Cllr Phillip Martin - with Cllr Monk’s full knowledge - contacted ‘around half’ the Conservative councillors to sound out support for a possible takeover bid by Cllr Monk against council leader Robert Bliss, but found none.

Council Leader Robert Bliss was told of the attempt, and surprised everyone by coolly replacing deputy leader Cllr Monk with Cllr Rory Love at the Council AGM.

Cllr Monk retains his finance portfolio as Cllr Bliss ‘likes to keep his enemies close.’

In response to questions over the unity of the group, Chairman Russell Tillson denied any problems; ‘As Cllr. Bliss's political adviser, I know of no political enemies in our ranks. I would speak frankly and sharply to any I came across! Indeed, Robert is revered throughout the Group for the masterly way in which he has led it over several years.

‘Certainly Cllr. Monk was not involved in organising any coup.

‘Indeed, he is currently campaigning on almost a daily basis with David Monk to secure the election of Damian Collins.’

Cllr Monk was not present at the official launch of Conservative Candidate Damian Collins’ campaign, although Cllr Tillson explained that Cllr Monk had longstanding commitments and was away in London.

A well placed Conservative source confirmed to FUTS there was an attempt to garner support for a leadership bid as per the Herald account, and even inferred this had happened before.

‘Cllr Martin phoned around, suggesting we need someone more forceful leading the group. I like David [Monk], but I’m not sure he has the skills to unite the group. Robert Bliss has a much softer style that unites, though he can be tough when he wants to be,’ the source said.

‘It was a shame as they are good friends. I’m not sure how Robert will take it, though they were together on the Saturday after the AGM and the story, and getting along fine. David’s replacing came as a total shock to everyone, but he took it well and congratulated Rory afterwards.’

All will have breathed a sigh of relief as the Herald described the attempt as a ‘bloodless coup’, as opposed to Cllr Monk storming the council chamber, machine gunning half the cabinet and imposing martial law across the district.

FUTS Biased? A 'Dirty Red' Responds...

FUTS has been asked about bias / political leanings of the author – i.e. me! In a pleasant email, Cllr Sam Matthews (Hythe Town Lib Dem) writes;

‘I'm interested if you were going to declare your 'very conservative' political view as stated on Facebook. Although I think your blog is not a Conservative blog, I think the readers might be interested.’

How keen! FUTS is more than happy to set the record straight.

Firstly, the ‘very conservative’ line is a joke. On my profile this comes above my religious orientation which I ‘hilariously’ put down as ‘Communist’.

Neither is true. I am ‘very conservative’ perhaps only in dress sense (having lost an earlier taste for Hawaiian shirts), and I am not a Communist. My profile pics have included the following 5 images, none of which is particularly serious.

I have never set up an ‘official’ Facebook page for contacts that I blog about, though I did consider this - looks like I should have considered it more! This also means the politicians and councillors I have befriended on Facebook can probably find some ‘none too professional’ images of me without much hassle.

The thing is, would they use them out of context to discredit me? We’ll see. I wouldn't do it to them...

Anyhow, I hope that clears things up. Thanks to Cllr Matthews for getting in touch (apologies for the delayed response) and remember kids, I’m not a nasty Conservative, nor am I a dirty Commie - sleep easy!

*edited and marginally less dull version of longer previous version. Any questions please feel free to email.

Howard - 'I was Treated Unfairly Over Expenses'

Having handed in his passes and cleared his parliamentary office, and shortly before officially introducing candidate Damian Collins at The Grand hotel on Wednesday evening,  Mr Howard kindly spent several minutes chatting to FUTS before answering some brief questions over various aspects of his 27 years in power.

Mr Howard gave several examples of local achievements he is proud of. ‘There are so many battles I’ve fought and won. The battle to keep the magistrates court here, to keep the minor injuries unit open at the Royal Victoria Hospital open. I can’t pretend I won them all, but I won quite a few.’

Mr Howard rejected criticism over not giving enough time to Shepway as a result of being a top minister and having other directorships.

‘I don’t think you will hear that from ANYONE locally except my opponents. I think when they have made [these criticisms] they have been told in no uncertain terms by residents that it is simply not true.’

Talking about the 2005 attempt by the Liberal Democrat attempt to oust him, Mr Howard put his survival in that election and over the years to always working hard - ‘people recognise that'.

Mr Howard denied that his reputation may have fallen as a result of the expenses scandal. Mr Howard suffered embarrassing revelations in national newspapers that he claimed £17,000 on gardening and house maintenance. It was later revealed that Mr Howard had lost an appeal to Sir Charles Kennedy against a request to pay back £7,000, although at the time Mr Howard did not comment on the proceedings.

‘I don’t feel [my reputation] has fallen. I don’t know of any other walk in life where someone has put in a claim for expenses had it authorised entirely in accordance with the rules, and then been told we are changing the rules, retrospectively, and you have to pay some money back.

‘If it happened in any other walk of life there would be a complete outcry.’

Asked if he felt he was treated unfairly, Mr Howard said 'I do. When I appealed the person in charge of the appeals procedure said ‘I’ve got a great deal of sympathy with you and if my terms of reference allowed me to I would grant your appeal. It’s in the report.’'

Mr Howard was never accused of breaking any rules, though the rules themselves were criticised as suffering from a ‘culture of deference’ in the fees office awarding expenses to MPs.

Leaving the past behind, asked if he felt he was leaving the Shepway Conservative party in good hands, Mr Howard said; ‘I certainly do. Damian will do a great job.’

Conservative Campaign Kicks Off in ‘Grand’ Style

Shepway Conservatives officially kicked off their election campaign on Wednesday night at the Grand Hotel.

Attended by local party members, long-serving MP Michael Howard gave a speech thanking the local party for their support and friendship during his 27 years as MP for Folkestone and Hythe.

Giving a glowing introduction to Damian Collins, Mr Howard said; ‘In Damian we have an absolutely first rate candidate who is going to be an absolutely first rate Member of Parliament.

‘I announced my decision to stand down 4 years ago to give Damian time to dig in and get to know the constituency. The way [Damian] has got to know the people and the area has been absolutely outstanding.’

Paying tribute to Mr Howard as a ‘great mentor and friend’, Mr Collins said the Conservatives ‘have often been called on in a time of great crisis to come to the aid of the whole country and pick up the pieces of a Labour government.

‘There has probably never been a more serious time for the election of a Conservative government.’

Vowing to fight for the ‘law abiding, tax-paying, hard working people of our country...[who] feel the government cares least about them and looks to them to pick up the tab for government failures,’ Mr Collins repeatedly attacked Labour failures and outlined key Conservative pledges.

Thanking local activists for their hard work, Mr Collins vowed to immediately start working should he be elected, promising to continue Mr Howard’s scheduled surgeries without break.

To murmurs of ‘hear hear’ from the audience, Mr Collins said ‘Everything I do as a MP will be grounded in this constituency and the interests of the people here, which is why I will be lobbying the government for a new power station.’

Mr Collins vowed to support the council over their decision to grant permission for Lydd Airport expansion, saying ‘we must send a message that this council and constituency are open for business.’

Mr Howard and Mr Collins also highlighted the ‘absolutely key’ seat of Dover. Although Mr Collins is viewed as a near certainty for the Folkestone and Hythe seat, current Labour MP for Dover Gwynn Prosser is defending a slim majority of around 5,000.

Lib dems Defend 'OK-Style' Leaflet

Senior Shepway Lib Dem Tim Prater has defended Lib Dem promotional material ‘Kent View’.

Containing promotional material about candidate Lynne Beaumont, 'Kent View' edition 2 is currently being delivered to Shepway residents and is appearing in cafes around Folkestone.

A ‘lighthearted’ letter posted on the Hawkinge Gazette website criticises the leaflet for ‘duping’ readers into believing it has been independently produced and asks ‘why can’t these Lib Dems be upfront and put ‘Shepway Lib Dems’ on the front page?’

Printed in the style of a glossy magazine, the Lib Dem logo and contact details are given at the foot of the last page. The editor is Season Prater, wife of Cllr Prater, although her membership of the Lib Dems is not given.

When tackled on the issue Cllr Prater defended the leaflet, stating; ‘The idea of magazines / newspapers has been used by all parties and is intended to present information about candidates, people and policies in a way that they will read, engage with, and feel comfortable with'.

Giving several examples of Conservative parties which do the same (though none from the Shepway Conservatives), Cllr Prater stated ‘in each case, I'm not in any way saying they were wrong to do so.

‘They are trying to get a message across, and not put off those people who might not open a "Labour" or "Conservative" branded leaflet immediately. I have no problem with that.’

This is not the first time the parties have clashed over promotional material. Recently accusations were thrown by both sides over materials produced for a by-election in Hythe.

Lydd Airport Appeals Stalling?

The future of the Lydd Airport applications to enlarge the current airport remains in doubt.

The decision to approve the expansion was the most controversial planning application of recent times and any decision was widely tipped to be appealed to the secretary of State and go to public enquiry via the Government Office for the South East (G.O.S.E.).

The RSPB says (also linked on the Shepway Lib Dem site) that G.O.S.E. have received 'many letters requesting that the applications for the expansion of Lydd Airport are called in'. Calling in means a decision would be reconsidered by higher authorities.

However, the site then quotes correspondence from G.O.S.E. which appears to cast doubt on the possibility of an enquiry;

'The Secretary of State is currently considering whether or not to call in the applications and your comments and reasons for your requests will be taken into consideration.

'Parliament has entrusted [local planning authorities] with responsibility for the day to day planning control in their areas.  It is right that in general they should be free to carry out their duties responsibly, with the minimum of interference.'

This could be a major blow to anti-airport campaigners. It is difficult to see that a Conservative government at the next election would lead to a change in approach. Conservative MP Michael Howard supports the application, Conservative candidate and favourite for the seat Damian Collins supports the application. The G.O.S.E. under a Labour government look unwilling to call-in the decision.

Local Lib Dems are campaigning strongly against the Lydd Airport but look unlikely to win the seat and less likely to return a national government.

General Election Opening Announcements

Conservative and Lib Dem parties have been quick to react to Gordon Brown’s announcement that the general election will be on May 7.

Conservative Association Chairman Russell Tillson has posted a lengthy article on the Shepway Conservative's website, running to over 1,100 words.

Cllr Tillson urges members to ‘do everything in our power to evict this decomposing muck heap of a government and its failed prime minister’ and asks members to 'dig deep' to ensure Conservative Candidate Damain Collins wins the seat.

Towards the end of the article the Lib Dems are described as ‘the bindweed of politics – once they are allowed to invade territory, they are very hard to displace until people finally realise that empty cans make the most noise.’

The article also shows the Conservatives’ greatest worry - the danger of UKIP splitting the Conservative vote, as happened when Shepway District Leader Conservative Robert Bliss lost his Kent County Council seat to Lib Dem Tim Prater.

Shepway Liberal Democrats have posted a smaller press release, stating ‘Lib Dem Lynne Beaumont is predicted to be the only serious challenger to the Conservatives ... with bookmakers Ladbrokes rating both UKIP and Labour as 100-1 rank outsiders.’

As of April 6, Ladbrokes rate Ms Beaumont as 14/1 with Mr Collins the clear favourite at 1/100.

Ms Beaumont says ‘I've already pledged to be a full time MP for our area with no other paid job, and to accept no second homes expenses if elected: an MP can and should commute from here to Westminster.’

The Liberal Democrats are making the most of Ms Beaumont’s ‘local’ credentials over rival Mr Collins, who previously stood in Northampton North. Ms Beaumont has attacked Mr Collins for being a ‘wannabe MP’. Mr Collins has become involved in local issues and has told FUTS he believes an increase in the Conservative share of the vote is possible.

Funding appears to be a concern for both parties, with appeals made in Cllr Tillson’s article and by several prominent Lib Dems on Twitter. Labour, a distant third, appear to be in turmoil with not enough local members supporting candidate Donald Worsley's attempts to canvass and campaign.

It is unlikely the Conservative majority of over 11,000 votes will be overturned, but with the scandals of recent times reverberating around Westminster neither candidate is taking anything for granted.

Sounds of the Underground II

Update on previous post.

From a cursory glance of the cover of the Folkestone Herald while getting lunch it appears that current Folkestone mayor and People First councillor Janet Andrews has supported Lib Dem councillor Tom MacNeice as the next mayor of the town.

People First is a Lib Dem splinter group formed during the much publicised Lib Dem meltdown.

People First leader Brian Copping reportedly protested against her vote as it went against a previous agreement that would have seen Rodica Wheeler become mayor.

Sadly my skimming stopped at this point as I had to pay. If interested look in the Herald, also notable for not leading with a story about peeling tattoos.