General Local Elections and the New Stadium

Colin B

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This Thursday sees local elections in many areas, including Kidlington East, which is the location of the proposed new stadium at Stratfield Brake.

I know local elections are not normally the most exciting thing in peoples' lives, and turnout can sometimes be quite low, but this one is particularly important to our stadium aspirations. There are three candidates for one seat in Kidlington East, and they Sarah Stephenson-Hunter (Labour), Fiona Mawson (Green) and Nigel Simpson (Conservative).

Nigel Simpson is a regular at OUFC matches and spoke in favour of the stadium at the recent County Council Meeting when it was on the agenda. Fiona Mawson is the partner of Ian Middleton, and we all know his views on the stadium (even if he try's to claim he's undecided). There are currently three sitting councillors on the ward, and one of them is Ian Middleton. This election is for a fourth member. I feel it would be very harmful to our case if both Mr Middleton and his partner, Ms Mawson made up 50% of the four.

I'd urge people to put aside their wider political leanings and vote in this election on a one issue basis, the stadium. Nigel Simpson is the person we should get behind and I'd further urge people to either make sure they vote, or try to make sure any relatives or friends in the area vote, as we know the Greens are organised, and anti stadium. Sometimes these elections have quite low turnouts, so a few people could make all the difference, and I'd hate to think how awkward a Middleton/Mawson alliance would be for us.

Just for this once, COYB rather than COYY!
 
To echo @Colin B above, it is also worth mentioning that local councillors are usually far more responsive to local issues. By that I mean that contrary to national politics, local councillors deal with local issues on a non political basis. (I say usually, of course there are exceptions but, experience has shown that the connection to the electorate at a local level has far more swing with outcomes)
Put aside any pre-conceived ideas about party politics, Nigel Simpson is a Yellow and we need all the pro stadium voices we can get.
 
This Thursday sees local elections in many areas, including Kidlington East, which is the location of the proposed new stadium at Stratfield Brake.

I know local elections are not normally the most exciting thing in peoples' lives, and turnout can sometimes be quite low, but this one is particularly important to our stadium aspirations. There are three candidates for one seat in Kidlington East, and they Sarah Stephenson-Hunter (Labour), Fiona Mawson (Green) and Nigel Simpson (Conservative).

Nigel Simpson is a regular at OUFC matches and spoke in favour of the stadium at the recent County Council Meeting when it was on the agenda. Fiona Mawson is the partner of Ian Middleton, and we all know his views on the stadium (even if he try's to claim he's undecided). There are currently three sitting councillors on the ward, and one of them is Ian Middleton. This election is for a fourth member. I feel it would be very harmful to our case if both Mr Middleton and his partner, Ms Mawson made up 50% of the four.

I'd urge people to put aside their wider political leanings and vote in this election on a one issue basis, the stadium. Nigel Simpson is the person we should get behind and I'd further urge people to either make sure they vote, or try to make sure any relatives or friends in the area vote, as we know the Greens are organised, and anti stadium. Sometimes these elections have quite low turnouts, so a few people could make all the difference, and I'd hate to think how awkward a Middleton/Mawson alliance would be for us.

Just for this once, COYB rather than COYY!
Great post, the stadium will need all the help possible.

However, whilst candidates are running on an anti-stadium pledge none are running on a build-the-stadium pledge. Anti-stadium literature has gone through the doors of local residents in Kidlington but no pro-stadium literature has unfortunately just articles on the website and positive comments on here which all preach to the converted. I was expected some more engagement with Kidlington residents by now which bizzarely hasn't happened.
 
I doubt it'll make a huge difference to be honest, there will be OUFC fans who switch because of the stadium, there will be Tories changing because they are against the stadium, there will be Tories defecting over the Great Leader's actions and there'll be the vast majority clinging to their existing votes like limpets (and there'll be, what, 50 or 60% who won't vote at all).
 
I doubt it'll make a huge difference to be honest, there will be OUFC fans who switch because of the stadium, there will be Tories changing because they are against the stadium, there will be Tories defecting over the Great Leader's actions and there'll be the vast majority clinging to their existing votes like limpets (and there'll be, what, 50 or 60% who won't vote at all).
But on this occasion we need the OUFC supporters who are in your 50 or 60% to go along and vote Nigel Simpson Conservative. That really could make a difference.
 
Anybody on this forum from Kidlington East?
Yes and I'm affraid there is no way I can vote for a part of the Johnson support mechanism. Mr Simpson maybe a yellow but he's also very blue so mine and the wife's postal votes in the shredder yesterday to avoid temptation and ongoing shame.
Edit: I don't think we are alone
 
Yes and I'm affraid there is no way I can vote for a part of the Johnson support mechanism. Mr Simpson maybe a yellow but he's also very blue so mine and the wife's postal votes in the shredder yesterday to avoid temptation and ongoing shame.
Edit: I don't think we are alone
This is something that has always left me bemused. This election is for local representation, not Westminster. This is when you can vote for local policy and yet, so many see it as an opportunity to snub the national party. Nigel Simpson is part of the Local Conservative party. In such a time as now when we need all the support possible to achieve a new stadium, it is not the time to vote for national politics. Not voting at all is ignoring democracy and inviting apathy.
 
This is something that has always left me bemused. This election is for local representation, not Westminster. This is when you can vote for local policy and yet, so many see it as an opportunity to snub the national party. Nigel Simpson is part of the Local Conservative party. In such a time as now when we need all the support possible to achieve a new stadium, it is not the time to vote for national politics. Not voting at all is ignoring democracy and inviting apathy.
You are right but both the party’s and the media will use these elections as a barometer of how well or badly they are doing. This will be a confidence vote from the country on Boris like it or not.
Before Essex says anything sadly yes I do think the country will give the lying cheating moron the benefit of the doubt. Not because he’s any good but because the Labour Party keeps punching itself in the face.
 
Join the Tories, ya know ya wanna! Mr Simpson is yellow and blue!!!
 
This is something that has always left me bemused. This election is for local representation, not Westminster. This is when you can vote for local policy and yet, so many see it as an opportunity to snub the national party. Nigel Simpson is part of the Local Conservative party. In such a time as now when we need all the support possible to achieve a new stadium, it is not the time to vote for national politics. Not voting at all is ignoring democracy and inviting apathy.
I don't know. I'm glad I'm not in that position because I would struggle to vote for a tory. I would guess that if the shoe was on the other foot there would be plenty of people on here who would rather s**t in their hands and clap than vote green.
 
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