Ballot Paper shockers – UKIPWars in Bris, while Stockwood's guaranteed two non-resident councillors

Instead of standing in the council election for Stockwood (of which more below) I'm the Green Party candidate in Brislington East this time round. It looks like being a colourful election, because there's another of those bizarre UKIP 'misunderstandings'.

One Phil Collins has been busy putting his 'independent' leaflet out, complete with the union flag, explaining that he's a UKIP member and intends to form a UKIP branch in the ward. But he's not just up against the usual electoral suspects, including me and the sitting councillor Mike Wollacott. There's also an 'official' UKIP candidate, John Langley, competing with him for whatever anti-European, anti immigrant votes the ward can muster.

The clash might be partly explained by this news item from last year. Collins used to be UKIP's branch chairman, but like so many of their spokesmen he was embarrassingly candid with his anti-immigrant opinions, so they dropped him. Or did they? A footnote to the Post story, added in an unusually sober style by regular 'Post' commenter/ranter UKIPBristol, said the ban had been withdrawn by the local UKIP branch.

You have to wonder whether they've managed to sort it out over the last year. Looks like they've not.

In Stockwood, May's ballot paper is looking remarkably different, with new faces – including Issica Baron for the Greens – filling the list. Except, that is, for long-time Tory councillor David Morris, who – much to many people's suprise – has decided to run for another term in spite of poor health. If David should be re-elected, we'll continue, as we have done for ten years and more, to have a couple of councillors who (presumably) quietly get on with whatever ward casework is required, but otherwise don't keep us informed, refuse to expose themselves to public debate, and who unfailingly vote with the Tory group on the council. You get what you vote for.  Or what you fail to vote against

One reason I've abandoned another stab at the Stockwood seat is that history shows I may well fail yet again. In itself that would be bearable - but by standing down I won't have to worry that the elected local councillors won't in future find cause to hamper and delay my every attempt to get improvements in the ward, in case I should turn it to electoral advantage. Such is the tribalism of party politics.

I hope that if elected in Bris E , I wouldn't fall into the same trap. But it's a big factor in taking my name off the Stockwood ballot paper. And I'm confident I could represent Brislington East every bit as well as Stockwood.

Eurotrash

Our Green Party freepost leaflet for the European parliamentary elections may be low budget... but at least it's honest, it's about what's really in the tin.



Unlike the other three leaflets that have hit our doormats this last couple of weeks.

UKIP's jingoist message is summed up as 'say NO to European Union' and a few similar lines, while asking us to appoint them to represent us in a Parliament whose validity they don't recognise. They hope to pick up votes from the 'Westminster' parties in the wake of the expenses scandal - although their own sleaze record is, frankly, pretty awful, and they rate bottom of Open Europe's rankings, just published, of British MEPS performance in promoting transparency and reform in the last 5 year term (Greens are top). The UKIP leaflet proudly shows a picture of Winston Churchill, who was in truth a great enthusiast for closer European ties. Not for nothing are this lot called BNP-Lite

The BNP's core fascist agenda isn't of course mentioned in their own message to us voters. But they have contrived to picture an elderly couple of 'this country' putting their own interests ahead of those seeking asylum - although the couple pictured are really Italian, and knew nothing of how their photo would be used!
An emotive list of past British 'triumphs' is linked to earning 'British Jobs for British Workers'. Hmmm.... Trafalgar? There were 18 nations represented in the crew of the 'Victory'. Dunkirk... D-Day? Does the BNP realize that Britain was fighting AGAINST everything their evil little party represents?

Labour. You'd really expect better from Labour, even now. Sitting MEP Glyn Ford is strongly featured. You'd think he'd tell us something about what he's achieved in Brussels, and what he hopes to do if re-elected. But no, there's next to nothing about him or even about Europe. Instead we get negative campaigning against the LibDems and Tories, and populist appeals to lock up even more young offenders, and (a la BNP and UKIP) to get tougher still on immigrants.

So what's missing... not considered even worth a mention? The greatest challenge facing the human race, that's all. Climate Change. And Europe is the key player, representing us in the desperate search for international agreement.