7 CANDIDATES DECLARED AS NOMINATIONS CLOSE

Nominations have closed for the Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency in the forthcoming General Election at 1600 hrs today, Tuesday, April 20th. Labours Candidate Kathy Pearce - the key contender to the incumbent Tory MP Ian Liddel-Grainger , has 6 rivals to beat in this crucial contest for the future of the country.



The candidates are:-

PEARCE, Kathy – The Labour Party. Kathy is Bridgwater born and bred and works as a Family Support Worker. She is a District Councillor and deputy leader of the Labour group. Labour came second to the Conservatives in 2005 and the party has been campaigning since the start of the year in a bid to capitalise on the unpopularity of the Tory candidate in the wake of his total failure to get involved in the 'Save the Sedgemoor Splash' campaign which Kathy was a leading activist in trying to stop the Tories on Sedgemoor closing the popular local pool.



LIDDELL-GRAINGER, Ian – The Conservative Party ;- The Tory sitting MP with the 8,000 majority seems unassailable-especially at a time when Cameron and his Etonian cohorts are riding high in the Polls - but the Tory lead has been dropping as more and more people see through what they offer and fear a return to the disastrous 1980s when Thatchers Tories devastated working class communities, battled with Unions and tried to impose the Poll Tax on us. The Tories say they are the party for 'change' . Peoples chins drop . Led by old Etonians ? Liddel-Grainger a descendant of Queen Victoria...we know what change they mean!



BUTT PHILIP, Theo – Liberal Democrats;- Despite their so-called 'surge' Nationally the Lib Dems are in 3rd place in Bridgwater & West Somerset. As a party they have been wiped out at town and district elections over the past 10 years and are a spent force even having to import their candidate from Wells.However, the main danger is that voting Lib Dem will simply split the anti Tory vote and let Liddel-Grainger keep his seat!!


HOLLINGS, Pete – UKIP;- The far right UK Independence party are fielding a candidate whose election address opens with anti-Immigration sloganeering and doesn't go much further. UKIP - whose slogan 'straight talking' is a poor cover for downright rudeness as evidenced by former leader Nigel Farages recent abusive tirade against the Belgian people, and thinly disguised xenophobia. The only party led by a Lord they are far from the party of the people they claim to be and are largely based on the former Europhobic Far Right of the Conservative Party.

GRAHAM, Robert Charles – Green Party ;- Charlie Graham has thrown his environmentalist hat into the ring again and attached to it a proud and decent record as an anti war, anti nuclear and anti nazi campaigner - but with barely 2,000 votes last time round and no electoral success in the local elections his Party has a mountain to climb to make any impact and would benefit clearly from the PR system promised if Labour get back in.

TREANOR, Donna – British National Party ;- The far right BNP are standing for the first time in a Bridgwater Parliamentary election. Candidate Donna Treanor has never been to the town and knows nothing about it. A Scot who lives in Croydon she is well known for her anti immigrant tirades on the web . Oh and still dressing up as 'Madonna' for the Sun newspaper. Oh and on a recent visit to Somerset (she went to Yeovil instead) she announced she would 'reveal exactly how much the council spends on Ethnic Minorities' (oh dear....)

CUDLIPP, Bob – Independent;- Local man Bob has stood as an Independent Conservative in the past and is a thorn in the side of his former party.A last minute decision to stand it seems. Fairly described as 'a bit of a wild card' the best we can hope is that he takes dissilusioned Tories and doesn't distract serious voters......