Little Thurrock Blackshots
Alan Broad (UKIP)
Ben Maney (Cons)
Tracy North (BNP)
Mick Rankin (Lab)
IT SAYS something about the stranglehold that the Tories have on Little Thurrock Blackshots that the Lib-Dem candidate has defected to the Tories.
With majorities of 456 (’08) and 718 (’07) these two seats have been the property of Ben Maney and Joy Redsell for six years now and there are no signs that this will change.
Some people often ask us where our political affiliations lie. Basically, many people think if we are critical of a parties’ policies then we must be for the other side. Not true. Almost daily, we have had politicans from all sides ringing up and complaining about something. Sometimes they are wrong and sometimes they are right.
Want to know where we are at? Well, why did we get out of the car at a service station in Harlow to interview Cons candidate Robert Halfon. Because we have followed Robert’s campaign for ten years to be an MP. We have seen how hard Robert has worked and that is the rub.
In just one meeting, I know why Robert wants to be an MP and we genuinely believe it is to be a force for good and to serve his people.
Thurrock has a clique of councillors whose raison d’etre is quite the contrary. Their place in the political future of the borough may not be settled by the ballot box.
UKIP’s Alan Broad is enjoying another campaign as PPC for Billericay and Basildon and for local councillors. Steeped in the borough and a regular face at Thurrock Rugby Club he will enjoy the campaign but will be looking to get more than the 200 from 208.
Likewise young gun Labour candidate Mick Rankin is a very able and articulate young man, who like Orsett candidate Richard Speight will enjoy the battle first time out and may well develop a positive career in politics.
The thing is with most of the local councillors and candidates is they you never see or hear from them duing the course of their tenure and they only start appearing once there is an election looming.
It will certainly be interesting to see who actualy secures the seats this time around, my only hope is that the majority of people bother to turn out and vote unlike previous times when it has been sub 40% which then give the winner based on a majority of a minority vote.
Another ‘local’ UKIP candidate who is also standing for parliament this year is Kay Hipsey.
Although unlike Clive and Alan Broad and Kerry Smith who live in Essex and are fighting seats in Essex, Kay has decided to contest a seat a couple of counties away in Norfolk.
http://candidates.ukip.org/index.php?pg=show&eid=399
The photo displayed on the UKIP website is I believe Delia Hall who was due to be the candidate for the seat.