Second debate shows it’s a three-party contest

Once again Nick Clegg was judged the winner, following the second TV debate between the three party leaders last night. The debate focused on foreign affairs issues such as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the EU and our role in the world. Most polls reflected Nick as winning the debate.

With two weeks to go, Nick said that the election campaign is proving “one of the most exciting elections we have had in a very long time. People are beginning to hope we can do something different this time. Don’t let anyone tell you this time it can’t be different: it can.”

Still time for a proxy

Going to be away on May 6th? While it’s now too late to get a postal vote, you can still appoint a ‘proxy’ to vote on your behalf. The deadline to get a completed proxy application submitted to the Town Hall for the 6th May Election is 5.00pm on Tuesday, 27th April 2010.

There is a form you can get from the council’s website to appoint someone to vote on your behalf, or you can call 0161 342 3036. But hurry!

Find out more on the council website

Second Party Leaders’ TV debate: Foreign Affairs

The second Party Leaders Debate is taking place this Thursday starting at 8pm on Sky News. Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron will again be going head to head in a TV debate in the run up to the General Election on May 6th, this time leading on Foreign Affairs.

The first half of the 90 minute Election Debate on Sky News will be devoted to Foreign Affairs, with the rest on any topic. The debate comes from Bristol, and will be chaired by Adam Boulton. Sky are inviting questions before the debate, with more information at http://news.sky.com/skynews/Election/debatequestion

You can see the debate live anywhere that you usually watch Sky News: Sky Digital Channel 501, Virgin Media Channel 602 and Freeview Channel 82 and online at skynews.com Live Video Streaming. BBC 2 will also be showing the debate in full at 11.30pm after Newsnight.

The third debate will take place on the BBC on 29th April at 8.30pm, focusing on the Economy.

Nick Clegg is widely judged to have won the first Party Leaders debate, watched by 9.9 million people, with the ITV/ComRes poll after the debate giving Nick Clegg 43% of the vote. Over the last week, the Liberal Democrats have seen a massive surge in the opinion polls.

In polls published on Tuesday, the Liberal Democrats lead in two, and polled between 34-26% of the vote in all of them:

  • Angus Reid for PoliticalBetting: LIB DEM 33%, CON 32%, LAB 23%
  • YouGov in The Sun: LIB DEM 34%, CON 31%, LAB 26%
  • Populus in The Times: CON 32%, LIB DEM 31%, LAB 28%
  • ComRes for the Independent/ITV: CON 35%, LIB DEM 26%, LAB 26%

There are a number of ways you can show your support for the Liberal Democrats General Election campaign:

Local MEP welcomes Lib Dem surge!

Writing to party members today, Tameside Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies says: “The political situation is extraordinary. For the opinion polls to move by as much as 14 points overnight in favour of one party is unprecedented. And for it to happen in favour of the Liberal Democrats is a delight.”

“It reveals just how many people would prefer not to have to vote for David Cameron as an alternative to Gordon Brown, and just how much latent support there is for our party that comes to light only when we get the rare opportunity to be treated as equals.”

Nick Clegg Storms First Ever Party Leaders Debate

The polls following the first ever Party Leaders General Election debate on ITV are showing that Nick Clegg has won a convincing victory over David Cameron and Gordon Brown. The debate was the first ever Leaders debate during a UK General Election campaign, and the pollsters are giving it as a big victory for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats.

The ITV / COMRES poll held by ITV and announced shortly after the debate gave Nick Clegg as the winner by a huge margin:

  • Nick Clegg 43%
  • David Cameron 26%
  • Gordon Brown 20%

YouGov, Channel 4, Guardian, Daily Mail, The Times and Angus Reid polls following the debate also scored Nick Clegg as the clear winner of the first Leaders debate. Angus Reid said that 42% of voters were more likely to vote for the Liberal Democrats as a result of the debate.

The Daily Telegraph’s headline following the debate said “Clegg’s star rises in great TV showdown”.

The Times comment “Enter the Outsider: Nick Clegg seizes his moment in historic TV debate”.

Even Conservative commentator and blogger Iain Dale said “I think Nick Clegg won the day”.

In summing up the debate, Nick Clegg said Labour and the Tories have made the “same old mistakes over and over again. Despite all the problems and challenges we have, we can be hopeful about the future if we chose something different.”

First Party Leaders’ TV debate: Domestic Affairs

Tonight on ITV, Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron will be going head to head in a TV debate. This is the first of three debates that will be taking place in the run up to the General Election on May 6th.

These are the first of this kind of televised Party Leader debates in the UK. The first debate comes from Manchester, will chaired by Alistair Stewart and the first speaker will be Nick Clegg. Each leader gets a one-minute opening statement and a 90-second closing one.

The first half of the 90 minute Election Debate will be devoted to domestic affairs, with the rest on any topic. ITV are inviting questions before the debate, with more information on their special debate website at http://www.itv.com/electiondebate/

If you have a question for the first half of the debate on issues such as the NHS, Education, Immigration, Law and Order, the Family, the Constitution, Trust in Politics or Political Reform you can email them to [email protected]. You can also send a question for the second half of the debate on other election issues.

The second debate will take place on Sky on 22nd April at 8pm focusing on Foreign Affairs, and the third on the BBC on 29th April at 8.30pm on the Economy.

Fairness – The Liberal Democrat Manifesto Launch

Nick Clegg MP

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg MP

Nick Clegg has launched the Liberal Democrat General Election manifesto. The manifesto sets out four clear priorities of fair taxes, a fair chance for every child, a fair economy, and a fair deal by cleaning up politics.

At the launch, Nick Clegg said:

“Every manifesto needs to have an idea at its heart. The basic idea that animates this manifesto is something I have always believed. I believe every single person is extraordinary.

“The tragedy is that we have a society where too many people never get to fulfil that extraordinary potential.

“My view – the liberal view – is that government’s job is to help them to do it. Not to tell people how to live their lives. But to make their choices possible, to release their potential, no matter who they are.

“The way to do that is to take power away from those who hoard it. To challenge vested interests. To break down privilege. To clear out the bottlenecks in our society that block opportunity and block progress. And so give everyone a chance to live the life they want.

“There’s a simple word for those ideas, and it’s a word this manifesto is built on: fairness.”

The Liberal Democrat manifesto outlines 4 steps to a fairer Britain:

Fair taxes that put money back in your pocket

  • The first £10,000 you earn tax-free: a tax cut of £700 for most people
  • 3.6 million low earners and pensioners freed from income tax completely
  • Paid for in full by closing loopholes that unfairly benefit the wealthy and polluters

A fair future creating jobs by making Britain greener

  • Break up the banks and get them lending again to protect real businesses
  • Honesty about the tough choices needed to cut the deficit
  • Green growth and jobs that last by investing in infrastructure

A fair chance for every child

  • Ensure children get the individual attention they need by cutting class sizes
  • Made possible by investing £2.5 billion in schools targeted to help struggling pupils
  • Give schools the freedom to make the right choices for their pupils

A fair deal by cleaning up politics

  • Put trust back into politics by giving you the right to sack corrupt MPs
  • Restore and protect hard-won British civil liberties with a Freedom Bill
  • Overhaul Westminster completely: fair votes, an elected House of Lords, all politicians to pay full British taxes

You can download the Liberal Democrat manifesto at http://www.libdems.org.uk/our_manifesto.aspx along with summary documents and videos for each of the key areas, order a paper copy and find audio and easy read text versions.

Apply for a Postal Vote Now: Deadline 20th April

With the General Election on 6th May, there is still time to arrange a postal vote. Voting by post is an easy and convenient way of voting if you are unable to get to the polling station on polling day – for any reason.

Applications to vote by post must also be received no later than 11 working days before Polling Day. With the General Election taking place on Thursday 6 May the deadline to apply for a postal vote, or to amend or cancel existing postal or proxy voting arrangements, will be 5pm on Tuesday 20 April.

All eligible electors have the right to organise to vote by post rather than attend their allocated Polling Station.

A postal vote can be sent to your home address or to any other address that you give. Postal votes can be sent overseas, but you need to consider whether there will be enough time to receive and return your ballot paper by election day.

Postal votes are usually sent out about a week before election day (the exact date will vary depending on your local Council), to give you time to complete it and send it back so that it arrives by close of poll (10pm on May 6th).

The Liberal Democrats have created a tool to make registering for a postal vote easy. Available online now at https://www.libdems.org.uk/vote_by_post.aspx all you need to do is:

  • Complete all the fields marked with an asterisk (*)
  • Print, sign and date the form generated
  • Send the application form to the address provided on the form

Make sure of your vote

If you aren’t registered to vote, you have just two weeks left to make sure you have your say. The last day to register to vote is 20 April – and that’s also the deadline to get a postal vote or assign someone to vote as your proxy.

You may register to vote if you are:

  • living at an address in Tameside
  • 18 years old or over (but you can register when you are 17 to make sure you get a vote as soon as you are entitled)
  • a British or Commonwealth citizen
  • a citizen of the Irish Republic or other European Union state not otherwise disqualified from registration

If you are unsure as to whether you are registered please ring Tameside town hall elections office on 0161 342 3036.