Green Candidate website update

Just a quick update to say I have changed the main website link for Andy Chase (on the right hand side of this page) from his biog on the York Green Party site to his View from the Castle Green Blog as it gives more details on his own views.

Lib Dems Start Campaigning

Christian Vassie and the Lib Dems have started sending out election literature. Under the tag line Community, Sustainability, Liberty, Equality they reference a bunch of issues including MP's expenses, the transition to a post carbon economy and Christian Vassie's record as a councillor.

One of the repeated themes of the leaflet is that Christian Vassie is an outsider not tainted by the same brush as career politicians (he has been on York Council for 6 years). The leaflet includes a cartoon suggesting that most MP's are just empty suits and poses the question "Do you want an MP who will do more than sit there drawing a salary?"

The "outsider who can make a difference" is of course a tried and tested political campaign strategy and it doesn't seem that Christian Vassie will be alone in claiming this status in the 2010 general election. Indeed the York BNP end their most recent blog with the statement
"We are the real alternative to the LIB-LAB-CON crooks". It will be interesting to see if UKIP and the Conservatives try and use the same tactics once the campaign proper gets under way.

BNP stirring up fears over paedophiles

The York BNP blog is continuing to try and stir up fears about paedophiles in the local area. Specifically it suggests that convicted paedophiles being housed at the Southview Bail hostel have been filming children playing at Poppleton Road Primary School.

Helpfully the York BNP blog includes images of what appear to be official BNP leaflets entitled “Paedophile Scum out of our Community”.

The address given on these is PO Box 669, YO32 2WB. This is the same as the contact address provided by the York BNP blog. Why does this matter? Well the York BNP blog claims that

We are an independent Community Voice Group in York that supports the British National Party. Please note that these posts are entirely the opinion of the author/s and not the British National Party.

So the York BNP blog claims not to represent the opinions of the BNP but it is based at the same address as the BNP in York. So are the York BNP confused about their opinions, or their address or both?

John Upex - UKIP

John Randall Upex was born and raised in Leeds. He has had a long career in engineering and owns and runs his own manufacturing company. He is 63, married with two grown up children. He has lived in Harrogate since 1984.

John Upex has stood in a number of elections in recent years. In the 2005 General Election he stood in the Wakefield seat for UKIP, finishing in 6th place with 1.1% of the vote. In 2008 he stood as an independent in the Haltemprice and Howden by-election gaining 0.2% of the vote. Also in 2008 John Upex stood in the Nidd Valley Ward of the Harrogate Borough Council Elections where he got 2.6% of the vote.

As one would expect John Upex's main concern is with Europe. In election literature attributed to him during the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election he likens the EU to Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union and claimed that if he was elected he would overthrow the government and lead a peasants revolt in order to remove Britain from the European Union.

Jeff Kelly - BNP

Updated 24/01/10 with picture of Jeff Kelly

Jeff Kelly stood in the recent council by-election in the Heworth ward of York gaining about 6.7% of the vote and finishing in 5th place.

Jeff Kelly also stood in the Rydale Distict (Norton Division) of the North Yorkshire County Council elections in June 2009 where he got over 10% of the vote and beat Labour into 4th place.

Jeff Kelly's website doesn't contain any biographical information on him and none seems to be available from the official BNP website. Jeff Kelly's website does not contain much in the way of policies. Instead it concentrates on the unfairness of the York Press Newspaper not publishing his letters.

The BNP did not field a candidate in the York constituency in any of the last three general elections (1997, 2001 or 2005).

Contact Details

The Secretary, PO Box 699, York, YO32 2WB

Telephone: 07531 339238

email: Heworth_BNP@live.co.uk

Eddie Vee - Monster Raving Loony Party

Elvis impersonator Eddie Vee is the official Monster Raving Loony Candidate for York Central. Eddie stood for the Monster Raving Loony Party in York in 2001. He officially stood as "The Yorkshire Elvis, Minister for Yorkshire Tea, Yorkshire Puddings and Elvis Music", with one of his main aims to get an Elvis Presley Memorial Garden set up in the Museum Gardens in York.

Alongside his political and musical careers Eddie has appeared on numerous TV shows including The Weakest Link, Trisha and This Morning.

Check out Eddie Performing

Andy Chase - Greens

The Greens got 4.5% of the vote in York in the 2005 General Election (up from 3.1% in 2001 and 1.5% in 1997).

Andy Chase is 37 years old. He has previously stood for election to York City Council. In May 2007 he beat both Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidates to finish in second place to the Labour candidate in the Micklegate ward.

Andy Chase has lived in the Micklegate Ward for over 10 years and has been active in a number of local campaigns, particularly on planning issues. He opposed the Coppergate II shopping mall scheme and plans for the former Terrys chocolate site. He spoke out in favour of re-opening the Barbican centre as a non-profit community run venture. He has also been vocal in opposing the introduction of ticket barriers at York Railway Station.

His blueprint for the City of York includes introducing congestion charging, increasing the number of night buses and promoting independent retailers.

Contact Details

York Green Party, Basement, 22A Fishergate, York YO10 4AB

Telephone: 01904 636239

e-mail: yorkoffice@greenparty.org.uk