Graham Stuart Re-elected as MP for Beverley and Holderness

Congratulations to Graham Stuart on his re-election as Member of Parliament for the Beverley and Holderness Constituency.

The results of the poll are as follows:

• Graham Stuart – Conservative - 25,063
• Craig Dobson – Liberal Democrats – 12,076
• Ian Saunders – Labour Party – 11,224
• Neil Whitelam – British National Party – 2,080
• Andy Horsfield – United Kingdom Independence Party – 1,845
• Bill Rigby – Green Party – 686
• Ron Hughes – Independent - 225

Majority 12,987 (24.4%)
Turnout 53,199 (66.8%)

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General Election Candidates on local issues

THE GENERAL ELECTION Prospective Parliamentary Candidates have all being asked the following two questions by the Hedon Blog:

1. What are your views on the building of a waste burning incinerator at Saltend near Hedon?

2. If elected, then what will be the major changes you would like to bring about that would improve lives of people living in the towns of Hedon, Preston and Paull? What difference would you hope to make as an MP?

See their responses over on the Hedon Blog: Who to vote for?

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"I have left the nasty party and joined the nice party" states Euro MP

AFTER 42 YEARS as a Conservative and 25 years as a Member of the European Parliament representing Yorkshire and Humberside, Edward McMillan-Scott MEP has  joined the Liberal Democrats. He claimed the move was because he could not get a fair hearing from Tory leaders in a dispute over Europe.

The Yorkshire and Humberside MEP was expelled from the Tory Party in September 2009, after challenging David Cameron's decision to take his Euro MPs out of the pro-EU European People's Party, and put them in a new eurosceptic group, alongside the Polish "Law and Justice Party".

Mr McMillan-Scott had made claims about alleged homophobic and anti-Semitic tendencies of Michal Kaminski, now leader of the resulting "Conservatives and Reformists" group, which apparantly embarrassed Conservative leaders and prompted his expulsion.

Despite planning to take the matter to the High Court the MEP has decided that he would not get a fair hearing and has withdrawn from the Conservative Party and begun discussions with Nick Clegg the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

He had this to say on the move:

I have left the nasty party and joined the nice party. I will continue to sit in the European Parliament as an independent MEP, and not for the moment as a Liberal Democrat. I am keeping my options open on that, with the agreement of Nick Clegg."

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Hyperlocal General Election 2010

THE NEXT SIX MONTHS will see a general election taking place. The results of this election will set the style and substance of Government for the new decade. The election campaign will be over-shadowed by the affects of the global recession and by the discontent generated by last year's MPs expenses scandal. Within this shadow the crucial issues of health, crime, education, cuts in services, etc, must not be lost and still need to be debated and discussed. The issues that really matter to people must not be overlooked; the election should not be just about the sensationalist media headlines.

This will be the first UK election fought in the glare of millions of people using the internet and social networking. For the first time the tiniest details of policies, campaigns and candidates can be made available to all those that choose to seek them. People do not have to rely solely on what the traditional media tells them, but can use search engines, Twitter, Facebook and Blogs to find their own debates and answers to questions. E-democracy is here and citizens using the internet can help shape the looming election campaign and participate like never before!


The Hedon Blog hopes to play a neutral part in the local Beverley and Holderness election campaign with the mission to ensure that Hedon and its political, economic and social issues are not overlooked. Through this Blog it is hoped that local residents will have another route to put questions directly to the political candidates with opportunities given for them to respond. The Hedon Wish List acquires a new local importance in relation to the local election: Some of the issues on the list can be raised directly with the political parties.

The Hedon Blog will follow the election campaign closely and draw out the issues that relate to the town. It will provide online opportunities for discussion and debate; speak to the candidates; speak to Hedon folk about the issues that matter to them and report on the political campaigns.

NOTE: The Hedon Blog is non-party political and will play a neutral role in this election campaign only. It will not recommend or suggest how people should vote.

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