Geraldine Smith Gone..

[CASS]

David Morris Conservative 18,035 41.5 +4.2
Geraldine Smith Labour 17,169 39.5 -9.5
Leslie Jones Liberal Democrat 5,791 13.3 -0.3
Mark Knight UK Independence Party 1,843 4.2 +4.2
Chris Coates Green 598 1.4 +1.4
Majority 866 2.0
Turnout 43,436 62.1 +0.5

[Posh]

And Tories win in Lancaster & Fleetwood by just 333 votes.

At least in Morecambe there'll be a pro-bypass MP but beyond that I can't think of any redeeming features about a man who spent over £200,000 on his campaign in Morecambe with a tax-dodgers money.

[MorecambeMickey]

A vision of things to come?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/poverty-and-injustice-in-david-cameronrsquos-model-borough-1962318.html

[Keith]

At least in Morecambe there'll be a pro-bypass MP but beyond that I can't think of any redeeming features about a man who spent over £200,000 on his campaign in Morecambe with a tax-dodgers money.

Oh come on Mike, you aren't trying hard enough. what about the obvious one?













He's not Geraldine Smith!

[P/T Indie]

We will all be voting again in 6 months anyway

[Bare bum]

Posh wrote

At least in Morecambe there'll be a pro-bypass MP but beyond that I can't think of any redeeming features about a man who spent over £200,000 on his campaign in Morecambe with a tax-dodgers money.

Who was the tax dodger whose money he spent then?

[Posh]

Posh wrote

At least in Morecambe there'll be a pro-bypass MP but beyond that I can't think of any redeeming features about a man who spent over £200,000 on his campaign in Morecambe with a tax-dodgers money.

Who was the tax dodger whose money he spent then?

Lord Ashcroft of Belize.

As a key target seat for the Tories they received a minimum of £150,000 in money direct from Ashcroft's fund and a further £50,000 from Conservative Central Office. It's possible that over a three year period they will have received as much as £400,000 to spend on campaigning in the constituency.

Compare that with St Geraldine whose campaign was pretty much spent with a couple of other people behind a fold-up table in places like ASDA, and bizarelly her spent holding up a big sign for a couple of hours on Euston Road. As I understand it she didn't knock a single door in the entire campaign and relied on her network and reputation.

One ridiculous extreme to the other.

[Bare bum]

Sorry Posh, I did know that. It's been a tiring day at work and I read your post wrong (thought you'd put an extra "a" in by error)................ I'm too excited*, I'll calm myself down.

*Not about the election, can't think about that, you know.

[Heysham_Shrimp]

Posh wrote

At least in Morecambe there'll be a pro-bypass MP but beyond that I can't think of any redeeming features about a man who spent over £200,000 on his campaign in Morecambe with a tax-dodgers money.

Who was the tax dodger whose money he spent then?

Lord Ashcroft of Belize.

As a key target seat for the Tories they received a minimum of £150,000 in money direct from Ashcroft's fund and a further £50,000 from Conservative Central Office. It's possible that over a three year period they will have received as much as £400,000 to spend on campaigning in the constituency.

Compare that with St Geraldine whose campaign was pretty much spent with a couple of other people behind a fold-up table in places like ASDA, and bizarelly her spent holding up a big sign for a couple of hours on Euston Road. As I understand it she didn't knock a single door in the entire campaign and relied on her network and reputation.

One ridiculous extreme to the other.

it is only to balance up the £11 million or so from the Unite Union etc.

[Christies Child]

It's his money, he can do what he wants with it.

As for being a tax exile or whatever...good luck to him if he can get away with it.

My understanding of Union funding is that it comes directly from its members, many of whom are not given the choice to object as to how the Union spends THEIR money!

[outsider]

CC I'm in Unite and you can opt out of part of your subs going to The Labour party

[Curly]

It's his money, he can do what he wants with it.

As for being a tax exile or whatever...good luck to him if he can get away with it.
Shame for Curtis Warren you weren't at the head of his appeal campaign, CC

My understanding of Union funding is that it comes directly from its members, many of whom are not given the choice to object as to how the Union spends THEIR money!

A bit like football clubs then CC.

[Christies Child]

CC I'm in Unite and you can opt out of part of your subs going to The Labour party

My wife is in a union but doesn't have that privalage.

Obviously Unions differ.

[NeilG]

As for being a tax exile or whatever...good luck to him if he can get away with it.

What a horrible attitude.

[Posh]

CC I'm in Unite and you can opt out of part of your subs going to The Labour party

My wife is in a union but doesn't have that privalage.

Obviously Unions differ.

No they don't differ Neil. It's the law that any union member can opt out of making political subs. She can also leave the union.

However no one gets the choice to stop a billionaire based in Belize bribing the electorate of Heysham. A man who contributes nothing financially in tax to pay for schools, hospitals etc. Etc.

[Christies Child]

As for being a tax exile or whatever...good luck to him if he can get away with it.

What a horrible attitude.

If you or I could get away without paying our taxes, wouldn't we?

I openly admit I would.

That's why some pay accountants.

Others deal only in cash.

[Stewie]

Well he spent some of his money locally, getting brochures printed, signs printed, local staff etc. So in a way he is paying taxes, just indirectly.

Its always been a case of the Labour Party and its followers being sore losers, If Mr Cameron gets in as PM look out for Labourite unions calling for unnecessary strikes.

[Keith]

As for being a tax exile or whatever...good luck to him if he can get away with it.

What a horrible attitude.

If you or I could get away without paying our taxes, wouldn't we?

I openly admit I would.

That's why some pay accountants.

Others deal only in cash.

I think the issue is less about choosing where to live and pay/not pay taxes and more to do with still influencing the governance of a different country. If you chose to pay less tax by moving away from the UK to Belize... or The Isle of Man even, then you should lose the right to influence the UK election. For a decade after moving here, I had the right to a vote in UK elections. Despite being a 'political' person, I never took this up because I believe that is wrong. I have never missed voting in any election that took place where I live, either when in the UK or here.

[Mark S]

Doesn't stop you going on and on and on about it though, does it?

[Wild Bill]

Dark day for Lancaster & Morecambe politics if you ask me.

Can level much of the blame with the candidates though. Tory voters will always crawl out to vote come hell or high water. With such a tight contest you might have thought someone would have gone knocking on doors or drumming up some support at local events. Don't believe Clive Grunshaw even left Fleetwood!

Ah well, at least Geraldine gave a shout out for the Shrimps. Lets turn Morecambe back red tomorrow!

[Keith]

Doesn't stop you going on and on and on about it though, does it?

When I posted that, I knew this would be the response...




I didn't expect it to be you though Mark!

[Mark S]

I honestly think Ms Smith lost the election on the Bypass issue. I didnt vote for her because of her lack of support for it.

I didnt vote Tory either just for the record, just a non Geraldine vote.

[Gnasher]

Geraldine gone and Archer voted off the town council. Time to buy a lottery ticket

[HALMA 1983]

I don't mind admitting that I voted for Geraldine yet again because she actually listened to what you had to say and acted on it (helped ofcourse by being on the same level as she comes from a working class Irish family who live on the border of our beloved West End)
Our daughter has cerebal palsy and we needed help on a matter we felt unsure on how to act.........No problem for her to meet us face to face and put over our concerns and no doubt many other people in the same position as us when she headed off back to Paliament.

Could Morecambe be going back to a faceless M.P who didn't even know you from Adam? Because he wasn't on the same level, didn't seem to have the time because most of the time he wasn't there and had different values like being loaded!

Yep we had a time like that before during the reign of one Mr Mark Lennox Boyd.........................Voice of the people? Not a chance he was only bothered about eating his cavier on melba toasts washed down with vintage Dom Perignon.

Today is a very sad day for Morecambe

[Gnasher]

It's a bit harsh criticising someone before they've had chance to prove themselves. Did Geraldine do anything for your family before she became your MP?

At least if our new MP is swigging champagne, it will be at his cost.