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25Jun09

BY ELECTION IN NORWICH NORTH

Having worked in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election in May last year, which saw a 17.6% swing, I knew that the Norwich North by-election would also be an animated election to help in - and it was an historic result.

A Labour majority of 5,000 turned into a Conservative majority of over 7,000. A 16.5% swing.

We should all be proud of the way the campaign was fought by the Conservatives - not just because of what it achieved, but because of how it was conducted.

Chloe Smith fought this campaign in a positive way, on her character, on her judgement, and on the issues that really matter to people. In contrast, her opponents got personal and consistently threw mud at her and the Conservative Party. The Labour campaign was full of lies and half-truths. They still haven't learnt the lesson: trying to scare people by lying about your opponents does more damage to you than it does to them.

We saw a Labour campaign that was, in the words of David Cameron, "and I chose my words carefully, utterly distpicable."

What they said about us was untruth after untruth: that we would scrap pensioner TV licences, that we would scrap free travel for pensioners, that we would scrap the pensions credit. All utter nonsence and unadulterated lies.

Gordon Brown talks about courage and a moral compass, yet he never visited Norwich North, where's the courage in not wanting to face voters. And where is the moral compass when he allows a Labour campaign that is based on lies and untruths.

But people don't just want straight talking on a local campaign level. They also want politicians to tell the truth about the challenges facing us as a country. They want to see that we recognise the change we need to bring to politics, society and the economy. That's why the Party that was frank and open in this by-election was the Party that won it.

And that's why we need a General Election, so the rest of the country can have a chance to vote for the Party that will bring that change.

Mark Versallion

 

NOTE

Share of the vote:

	2009 By-Election	2005 General Election (notional)
Con	39.5%, up 6.5%	33%
Lab	18%, down 27%	45%
LibDem	14%, down 2%	16%
UKIP	12%, up 10%	2.4%
Green	10%, up 7.3%	2.7%