Dundee East voting intention

[AlanG]

well, it does what it says on the tin.

People 18+ please for obvious reasons.

This thread is also the official Dundee East election discussion thread

[AlanG]

Just back from a hustings organised for the BBC 12 to 2 show and it was very lively, this election is gonna be pretty nasty.

What my impressions were from original order of introduction:

Chris Bustin, Cnservative
Came across ok, answered confidently and seemed aware of the Tory issues without needing many notes etc too. Got a bit bogged down in the 35billion tax cut issue. Said he thought Conservatives had a good chance of winning and only they or Labour were worth voting for as rest were wasted (yay breed more apathy)

Iain Luke Labour incumbent MP
Came across ok, seemed quite nervous and you get the feeling he knows hes in trouble and its gonna be tight. Tried to pop Iraq war down the memory hole and claimed that Tony Blair was welcome in Dundee when at the Labour conference he was greeted by massive boos and abuse from a very fierce crowd.

Stewart Hosie SNP
Came across the best out of all the candidates seemed very astute, and he had loads of notes with different figures etc prepared. Spoiled it by whinging about allegations of Alex Salmonds comments on an issue. I really think he'll be next MP for Dundee East, especially if he keeps coming across as he did in debates and on doorsteps.

Clive Sneddon Lib Dem
Seemed quite poor, although he did make a few good points, didnt cut in enough and admitted Lib Dems wouldnt do well etc, lacked confidence.

UKIP and SSP were theer but in crowd so didnt get in much at all

Donald Low UKIP
Absolutely pitiful. He really was atrocious and I think only actually made 2 short points.

Harvey Duke SSP
Seemed shocked he managed to get in as much as he did (4 or 5 times) so was quite slow off the blocks to start but made his points. Only really got asked in just before breaks so the others had little time to come back on the points he made.

Quite a big crowd with a large block of Labour and SNP activists and 1 Tory by looks of it. About 5 SSP, 2 UKIP and 2 Greens I think along with maybe 5lib dems. Others in audience too.

Downloading Real Player to see how it came across

I think I was the youngest there with average age of room about 40.

[alien_syndm]

If BNP stood I would vote for them. As they are not I probably will not vote.

[seonaid]

i'm not sure who to vote for. i usually vote green but not sure whether to vote tactically and put a big x next to the tories. i think it's possibly going to be the latter this time.

but i'm not in the dundee east constituency but thought i'd share my opinion anyways

[gav]

Originally Posted by alien_syndm

If BNP stood I would vote for them. As they are not I probably will not vote.

for the japes?

[kaiser_head]

SSP

[AlanG]

Chris Bustin - Conservative

Chris also says anyone wishing to contact him about the election/policies/answers hes given etc is welcome to do so via Chris_Bustin@ScottishTories.com

1. In terms of the general election I am confident that the Conservative Party will be the largest party at Westminster come May 6th. Coalition governments at Westminster are very rare. At Holyrood it is unlikely that any one party will have an overall majority of seats, and therefore coalitions are more likely. Scottish Conservatives are willing to work with any party on an issue by issue basis which supports our policies, however we are not willing to abandon Conservative principles for the sake of a Ministerial Mondeo.

2. Conservatives support PPP. There are several advantages to PFI. Firstly, it transfers risk to the private sector, who are better equipped to cope with it. Secondly, it allows a great many projects to be undertaken at the same time, which helps ease the large backlog in demand for such investment. Thirdly, there is a major incentive for the private sector companies involved to be innovative and thorough at the design and build stage, since they are the ones who have to pay for its maintenance and operating costs. Fourthly, and arguably most importantly, the projects are delivered on budget and on time, because the financial risk of an overspend or a late completion lies with the private sector.

3. Conservatives have a zero tolerance strategy on drugs. We would not leaglise drugs and have pledged to reverse the declassification of cannabis. A great deal of crime is caused by drugs. Too many families are touched by the blight and worry of drugs. It is essential that we break the link between crime and drugs by getting young people off drugs and stopping them turning to crime to finance their habit. Most addicts develop drug habits early in life. Currently, however, it can be many years before an addict receives treatment, and then only as an order of a court as a result of a serious crime. By then it is often too late. The great majority of drug addicts wish to come off drugs completely - not to have their habit 'managed' by state-supplied methadone. Conservatives will help people to live drug-free lives by ensuring that an increased proportion of funding is devoted to rehabilitation courses which offer a drug-free programme. In Scotland young people receive mixed messages from government. Much information provided by government agencies about drugs adopts a neutral stance on whether children should actually use them. Some even tells people how to take drugs safely, for example the images on the 'Know the Score' website. But there can be no equivocation on drugs. Conservatives will adopt a clear zero tolerance approach to drugs and a clear, consistent anti-drugs message.

4. Conservatives do not believe that a case has been made for redrawing council boundaries

5. Labour have failed to champion the interests of local residents. They have ignored the feelings of powerlessness and frustration experienced by those living under the threat of badly sited masts. The suspicious timing of this announcement suggests that the Government is back to its old tricks of 'burying bad news'. Only Conservatives have pledged a comprehensive action plan to strengthen planning rules on masts. On issues like monster masts, traveller camps and sprawling housing estates, we will give local people a greater say to help protect their environment. At the election, there is a choice - between Conservatives who will stand up for local people, or Mr Blair who will ignore them.

6. Conservatives have pledged to scrap the graduate tax at Holyrood and to scrap top-up fees at Westminster

7. If the Government really wants to help young people who have been left behind, it should stop defending failed policies and accept that we need a fresh approach. Only 39% of individuals on the new deal programme for young people entered employment on completion of the scheme in Scotland. This fell to only 26% of individuals on the New Deal 25 plus programme. These figures show how wrong ministers are to defend their bureaucratic employment programmes. The evidence shows that we need for a fresh approach to helping people get back to work. Conservatives will replace the New Deal with a New Programme - Work First. There will be no place for so-called training schemes which play such a cruel trick on the young unemployed by raising their hopes of a job only then to dash them again. And we will sweep away the cumbersome bureaucracy of traditional Job Centres. Instead we will work with charities and commercial providers to transform the opportunities facing our young people.

Conservatives also have proposals to help business thrive, which will in turn increase employment. We will lower business rates to at least the same level as in England. Currently business rates in Scotland are 9% higher, creating a competitive disadvantage for Scottish businesses. We will also be investing £100m in road improvements.

8. I am confident that a Conservative government will be returned to Westminster with a number of Scottish MPs included.

9. I do not think that we need to lower the voting age. Currently there is a great deal of voter apathy among young voters. Our priority needs to be to engage with this section of socity to increase their participation.

10. I know many people are concerned about stem cell research. They are fearful of meddling with what they see as the stuff of souls. I respect those concerns. But I also believe we have a duty to offer hope to the millions of people who suffer devastating illnesses like Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Alzheimer's - and as we saw in the paper's today now possibly heart problems. I believe that stem cell research offers a way forward. Of course, stem cells are still a recent discovery. More research needs to be done. But we must look at their potential in a responsible and grown up way. The hopes of millions of people rest on what could be achieved.

Conservatives remain very conscious of public concern about the use of animals in scientific experiments. The objectives of the new EU REACH legislation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) are to promote the safe use of chemicals and improve the protection of human health and environment from hazardous chemicals. This could involve large scale animal toxicity testing. In order to limit the need for animal testing to an absolute minimum, we would support measures to facilitate more data sharing within the EU and a greater commitment to alternatives to animal testing wherever possible. We are also opposed to the testing of cosmetics on animals.

It would not be appropriate for parents to choose the sex of their child

11. On Iraq we believe that the war was right, however we believe that Tony Blair did not tell the truth about the evidence about weapons of mass destruction. We believe that disbanding Iraq's security forces immediately after the end of the war was a grievous error and has contributed to the insurgency's virulence.If democracy is to take root in Iraq, it must be underpinned by the rule of law. The next stage is to draft a constitution. If it is to keep Iraq stable, this constitution must give all of Iraq's communities a stake in the new country. It is important that Sunnis, who did not, or could not because of intimidation, take part in the elections are not excluded from the new state.

12. It is of course important that the United Kingdom plays a role in responding to disasters, and generally helping on the global stage. That is why the Conservatives are committed both to increasing Britain's aid budget by a fifth in the next three years and to working towards the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of our GDP on overseas development. But however effective our aid programme is we have to recognise that on its own it will never solve the problem of global poverty. Good governance, free enterprise, free markets, fairer trade - these offer an end to the neo colonial world of rich donor countries handing out cash to dependent, poorer recipients.

The growth of free markets has done more to lift people out of poverty than all the aid programmes in the world multiplied many times over. Far from the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, the spread of liberal markets enables the poor to lift themselves out of poverty.

The failure of many politicians to grasp this fundamental truth has left millions of people stranded in poverty. In my opinion if we really want to help the poor and extend opportunity then the path is clear: establish the rule of law, protect private property, and constrain the power of politicians. Good governance creates the stability essential to attract investment and for free markets to flourish - a virtuous circle. Debt cancellation and rescheduling also have a role to play, We believe there must be faster and deeper debt relief. When he was Prime Minister John Major was the architect of the 'Trinidad Terms' which were designed to reduce the debt owed by the poorest and most indebted countries by two thirds. However we must ensure that such action does not inhibit developing countries from accessing credit in the future. Conservative MSPs have signed a motion in the Scottish Parliament outlining these commitments.

13. Housing

The Antisocial behaviour Act 2003 introduced registration of landlords to prevent the sort of problems you are describing. On a personal note, I was President of Dundee University Students' Association in 2003/4 - I therefore know very well the problems you are talking about and tried to use my position to highlight bad landlords and to improve the system.

14. There are a number of issues that you have not asked me about - crime, health, education, taxes all of which are important issues that matter to the people of Scotland. The following outlines the Conservatives' proposals on these issues:

Crime - Under Labour, a crime is committed every 78 seconds and there are only 140 police officers on the beat in Scotland at any one time. We will fund the recruitment of 1,500 more police officers to deter and detect crime, restore honesty in sentencing by ending automatic early release and ensure that there are enough prison places to meet the demands of justice and protect the public

Health - Under Labour there are now 9,064 more patients on hospital waiting lists in Scotland than there were in 1997. We will create a truly national health service by giving patients the right to choose where to be treated. Conservatives will ensure that health professionals are free to respond to the individual needs of their patients. We will keep hospital wards clean by putting Matron in charge and guarantee local access to healthcare by giving patients power to keep local services open

Education - One third of 14 year olds don't meet national standards for reading, two fifths don't meet the standards for maths, and half don't meet the standards for writing. That's partly because violence and disruption in our classrooms is spiralling out of control. A member of staff is assaulted every 12 minutes of the school day - a 900% increase since 1997. We will improve discipline in our schools by giving head teachers the right to permanently expel violent and disruptive pupils. Parents will be given the right to choose the best school for their children and schools the freedom to set their own priorities and run their own affairs in accordance with parents' wishes

Tax - Labour have raised taxes an astonishing 66 times. Council tax alone has increased by 55%, punishing pensioners and hard-working families. Conservatives believe in lower taxes and value for money, therefore we will cut council tax for everyone by an average of 35% across Scotland, give pensioners a further 50% council tax discount and reduce taxes across the UK by £4 billion.

[AlanG]

heard last night that the candidates I mentioned in the General Election thread are the only ones to have picked up nomination forms but there has also been an enquiry from an independant in the East.

Wether this is an independant who hasnt stood before or the "lawyer" di Stefano is unclear, watch this space for further news.

[chrono]

Hehe! Or just send him a private message by the looks of things! That's cool... welcome to UGS, Chris.

[alien_syndm]

I wouldn't vote for BNP, I was just curious as to whether Alan G would delete it or not
I've never voted in my life, don't really intend to start now. Bad attitude when people die for just the right to be able to vote you may say.
Are any of the politicians worth voting for ? Not in my eyes.
Dictatorship with 2 dictators, labour or tory. Which dictator this year ?
Probably labour again.
As far as the whole labour/tory debate goes. You can vote for labour who supported the iraq war, or you can vote for the tories, who also supported it.
What's the difference ?
If you want to learn about politics without being bored to death I suggest Rory Bremner !

[AlanG]

Bremner is indeed fantastic, his portrayel of Michael Howard is brilliant.

I also heartily endorse Private Eye (the new issue out today has an expose of Gio di Stefano too) for a cynical view of whats going on. you learn a lot more from these two sources than most newspapers.