Salford and Eccles
2010 Results:
Conservative: 8497 (20.46%)
Labour: 16655 (40.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 10930 (26.32%)
BNP: 2632 (6.34%)
UKIP: 1084 (2.61%)
English Democrat: 621 (1.5%)
TUSC: 730 (1.76%)
Independent: 384 (0.92%)
Majority: 5725 (13.78%)
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 18119 (56%)
Liberal Democrat: 7111 (22%)
Conservative: 5492 (17%)
Other: 1617 (5%)
Majority: 11009 (34%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 3440 (15.2%)
Labour: 13007 (57.6%)
Liberal Democrat: 5062 (22.4%)
UKIP: 1091 (4.8%)
Majority: 7945 (35.2%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 3446 (15.3%)
Labour: 14649 (65.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 3637 (16.2%)
Other: 782 (3.5%)
Majority: 11012 (48.9%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 5779 (17.4%)
Labour: 22848 (69%)
Liberal Democrat: 3407 (10.3%)
Referendum: 926 (2.8%)
Other: 162 (0.5%)
Majority: 17069 (51.5%)
Boundary changes: Major. This, the success seat to the underpopulated Salford seat, looses Broughton but gains part of the abolished Eccles seat.
Profile: An inner-city seat in Greater Manchester, sandwiched between the river Irwell and the Manchester Ship canal and pushing right up towards Manchester City Centre itself (the boundary between Manchester and Salford is the river Irwell, or parts of the this seat would undoubted be in Manchester).
This is a constituency of decline and redevelopment. The towns of Swinton and Pendlebury in the North were once thriving cotton mill and coal mining towns, the factories that LS Lowry (who lived and worked here, and is now remembered by the huge new Lowry arts complex in the redeveloped docks) were there, but had closed by the 1990s. The old Pendlebury colliery and power station have been partially replaced by a business park and a private prison.
Between the wars Salford was home to massively overpopulated back-to-back slums, they were cleared in the 1960s, being replaced by housing estates that by the 1990s had in turn also devolved into slums cursed by unemployment, shootings and gang violence. Since then there has been another round of redevelopment: the vacant rows of terraced houses in Langworthy have been redeveloped for young professionals and the old Salford Docks on the ship canal are the core of the massive Salford Quays redevelopment, which as well as the Lowry Centre includes the new MediaCity which will be the home of BBC`s sport and children`s television departments from 2011.
Current MP: Hazel Blears(Labour) born 1956, Salford. Educated at Wardley Grammar School and Trent Polytechnic. Solicitor. Salford councillor from 1984-1992. Contested Tatton 1987, Bury South 1992. First elected as MP for Salford in 1997. Diminutive, motorcycling and preternaturally chirpy loyalist. Served as PPS to Alan Milburn and then Andrew Smith in the 1997-2001 Parliament. Junior minister in the Department of Health 2001-2003, Minister of State at the Home Office 2003-2006, Labour Party Chairman 2006-2007, Secretary of State for Communities 2007-2009, resigning immediately before the European and local elections in a move widely seen as a attempt to destabilise Gordon Brown, having been criticised by him in the expenses row. Contested Labour deputy leadership in 2007 (more information at They work for you)
Matthew Sephton (Conservative) Hazel Blears(Labour) born 1956, Salford. Educated at Wardley Grammar School and Trent Polytechnic. Solicitor. Salford councillor from 1984-1992. Contested Tatton 1987, Bury South 1992. First elected as MP for Salford in 1997. Diminutive, motorcycling and preternaturally chirpy loyalist. Served as PPS to Alan Milburn and then Andrew Smith in the 1997-2001 Parliament. Junior minister in the Department of Health 2001-2003, Minister of State at the Home Office 2003-2006, Labour Party Chairman 2006-2007, Secretary of State for Communities 2007-2009, resigning immediately before the European and local elections in a move widely seen as a attempt to destabilise Gordon Brown, having been criticised by him in the expenses row. Contested Labour deputy leadership in 2007 (more information at They work for you)
Norman Owen (Liberal Democrat) Educated at Salford Technical College. Salford councillor. Contested Salford East 1992, Salford 1997, 2001.
Duran O`Dwyer (UKIP) 
Tina Wingfield (BNP) PA to Nick Griffin.
Stephen Morris (English Democrat) Born 1966. Educated at Wardley High School and Salford College of Technology. Manager at Metrolink public transport. Contested North West region 2009 European elections.
David Henry (TUSC) Member of the local Green party and standing as the candidate of the Hazel Must Go campaign, supported by TUSC.
Richard Carvath (Independent) Educated at Moorside High School.2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 95839
Male: 49.6%
Female: 50.4%
Under 18: 20.2%
Over 60: 21.6%
Born outside UK: 5.8%
White: 95.4%
Black: 0.7%
Asian: 1.6%
Mixed: 1.1%
Other: 1.2%
Christian: 77.8%
Muslim: 1.5%
Full time students: 8.1%
Graduates 16-74: 14.8%
No Qualifications 16-74: 35.9%
Owner-Occupied: 52.9%
Social Housing: 32.9% (Council: 26%, Housing Ass.: 6.8%)
Privately Rented: 10.3%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 8.3%
Lab maj 4,500
I’m amazed that Hazel Blears is even standing.
It was clear that she would not have the dignity or decorum to stand down, but why on Earth did the constituency Labour Party not deselect her?
Being realistic, Norman Owen, the Liberal Democrat, is the only candidate who can overtake Hazel Blears.
Let’s hope that all of the voters who are highly unimpressed with Blears’ behaviour realise that fact and vote Lib Dem.
Can it really be possible that Hazel Blears will win? Let it not be so ye Gods!
(I wonder what the turnout will be here.)
LAB HOLD
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I thought the Tories would have capitalised on the Hazel expenses issue. Is there a local reason why over 10% voted BNP/UKIP/EngDems/Ind instead?
Because amongst at least three-fifths of the UK population, concentrated in seats such as this, there remains a visceral hatred of the Tories and everything they stand for? Just a wild guess.
Yes, that could be it.
This seat is now a better propect for the Conservatives than East Renfrewshire.
The Labour lead over the Conservatives is under 20%, over 20% in ER.
“Because amongst at least three-fifths of the UK population, concentrated in seats such as this, there remains a visceral hatred of the Tories and everything they stand for? Just a wild guess.”
Though with over 70% of the population having a visceral hatred of Labour and everything it stands for it seems we will never have a Labour government ever again.
“Though with over 70% of the population having a visceral hatred of Labour and everything it stands for it seems we will never have a Labour government ever again.”
Utter nonsense. Nowhere near 70% of the population “viscerally loathe” Labour. You’re confusing members of the public with the editors of rightwing foreign-owned rags.
The Labour party, without a leader, is currently neck and neck with the Tories in the polls and Labour policies and aims are still widely supported. Meanwhile, the Tories haven’t won a governing majority for eighteen years and the party is widely loathed in large swathes of the UK. To claim that the Labour brand is as toxic as the Tory brand amongst the public at large is demonstrably false.
‘Utter nonsense. Nowhere near 70% of the population “viscerally loathe” Labour. You’re confusing members of the public with the editors of rightwing foreign-owned rags.’
Of course they don’t, just as over 60% don’t visceraly hate the Conservatives.
Just because you don’t vote for a party doesn’t mean that you viscerally hate them.
Stop looking at things through the goggles of your personal hatred.
Of course there are many people who hate the Conservatives just as there are many who hate Labour or indeed the LibDems or Nats of other parties.
Do you have any evidence that the Labour brand is less toxic than the Conservaitve among the public at large?
Of course you don’t and before you say it the opinions of your friends isn’t evidence.
It’s very easy on the other hand to give evdence that Labour is more hated than the Conservatives – take a look a election results, where the lows of Labour have always been lower than the lws of the Conservatives.
Dearest Richard, as you well know there are significant amounts of polling evidence to suggest that David Cameron is far more popular and has a far higher approval than the Tory party. There were dozens of polls also that consistently showed the Labour party far outpolling the ratings of Gordon Brown (and indeed Tony Blair towards the end of his leadership). As you also know, the Tory party has spent more than a decade trying to shed its “nasty” (copyright then party chairman) and “toxic” image – nobody seems to think such a masochistic strategy is necessary for the Labour party, whose ethos and principles remain as popular as ever. The main reason people vote against Labour in wealthy areas like Surrey and Chelsea are the same as ever – naked self-interest – and nothing to do with a visceral hatred of the Labour party. The difference relates to the fact that the Labour party have never been radical enough to make a significant dent into the lifestyles of the (real) middle class and rich, whereas the Conservatives, particularly Thatcher, are held responsible for decimating large portions of the nation and destroying millions of lives. I wonder how many Tony Blair death parties will be held in the Home Counties?
Richard, in a constituency like this it is clearly true that a majority of the electors have extremely negative views of the Tories, even if it may not strictly be true that 60% of the country viscerally hate them. The idea that we will never have a Labour government again is surely fanciful, and probably wishful thinking.
“It’s very easy on the other hand to give evdence that Labour is more hated than the Conservatives – take a look a election results, where the lows of Labour have always been lower than the lws of the Conservatives.”
Richard is spot in with that point.
I think the real point is that a large proportion of the electorate are persuaded by the elephant in the room “Vote for us to keep the other lot out”.
This isn’t based on hatred -it’s based on fear.
Labourites don’t generally hate Tories they fear them.
Tories don’t hate Labourites they fear them.
And neither of them really trusts the LibDems and are afraid of what they might do.
The LibDems encourage people to vote tactically so that people of both complexions in their hopeless seats will support them to keep the other lot out.
No hatred – just an encouragement of fear all the way round.
Well speaking personally I do have genuine hatred for some political parties & figures.
Barnaby
My initial comment was an ironic mirror inage of that of James, which I point out you seemed to agree with.
I agreed with the spirit of James’s remarks, not necessarily the precise arithmetic he used.
Interesting that James seems to be looking forward to attending ‘Thatcher death parties’.
I think that says more about James than about Thatcher.
Revealing also that he makes up opinion poll ‘facts’ starting with his claim that the Conservatives and Labour are ‘currently neck and neck’.
The fact is if the Conservatives were so hated then Labour would now be massively ahead as they would have absorbed all the LibDem voters.
That hasn’t happened thus proving that over 60% of the public do not hate the Conservatives.
James seems to have rather hate filled economic views as well. Here’s some ONS number’s on industrial production to get him even angrier:
1979Q1 77.6
1997Q1 99.4 +28%
2010Q1 87.8 -12%
Which gives a clue as to why it was constituencies filled with skilled working class voters such as Cannock and Hemel Hempstead that swung strongest against Labour.
Perhaps Labour should rename itself the ‘Welfare Party’ to better relate to its present voters.
As I said James should stop looking at things through his hate goggles. Hatred does more damage to the person who hates than the person who is hated.
You talk about hate goggles, but your remark about Labour renaming itself the Welfare Party is intemperate and seems hardly to be devoid of hatred.
That’s despisal not hatred.
Visceral is defined as a) characterized by or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect: b) characterized by or dealing with coarse or base emotions; earthy; crude
Therefore perhaps it is the case that the more tribal Labour supporters and some other opponents of the Tories do feel this kind of hatred, whereas the feelings of the more numerous opponents of the Labour party may feel something more akin to disdain or contempt, based on a more intellectual assessment of the failings of that party. James’s characteristic frothing at the mouth in contrast with Richards measured responses is a case in point.
Of course James’s attempts to argue that everybody who doesn’t vote Tory is motivated by the same extreme emotional response as motivates him are laughable. Likewise that those who do vote Tory consist almost exlcusively of the wealthy in the Home counties or West London who vote only out of self interest while anyone who votes Labour does so out of some sense of philanthropy (such as highly paid (even wealthy) public sector employees for example who no doubt vote Labour only in order to protect the service they provide to the public and with no consideration of protecting their generous salaries)
I don’t hate the Labour party (or any other party other than the BNP/NF) – there are certain figures in the Labour party I hate (eg Ed Balls, Dennis Skinner), though there are others (eg Caroline Flint, Jack Straw) who are decent
There a few Conservatives I can’t stand (not a fan of Jacob R-M for example),
I was most disappointed that Ms Blears was re-elected here. Financial irregularities from her seemed to rival father Ted.
But Matt, Dennis Skinner is ten times the politicians that Jack Straw is, while Caroline Flint isn’t hateworthy, just inept.
Would this be a likely seat for a ConDem pact? Along the lines of that in Bolton West, not so far away, in the 1950s.
Hazel Blears would have been unlikely to survive at the last election if AV had been in operation.
FS – If all of the Others had voted LD this time she could have lost.
I’m not sure it’s worth introducing AV just in order to unseat Hazel Blears.
I have met Ms Blears on several occasions and I can echo that I wish shed lost this seat. She is one of the beyond-reality-Blairite-clique who Chris Mullin speaks about in the diary. She should think her self lucky Brown included her. It was her greed issues that undone her.
Had she been a Bolton MP she might have lost. Salford & Eccles just doesn’t do non-Labour MPs.
Interesting that 60 school children from a local grammar school were enlisted to help count the votes in Salford West in 1970!
Which seats has Pendlebury been in?
In Eccles from 1885 to 2010
Boundaries of the old Eccles constituency:
1885-1918: The civil parishes of Barton-upon-Irwell, Clifton, Flixton, Urmston, and Worsley, and part of the parish of Pendlebury.
1918-83: The Municipal Borough of Eccles and the Urban District of Swinton and Pendlebury.
1983-97: The Salford City Council wards of Barton, Eccles, Pendlebury, Swinton North, Swinton South, Weaste and Seedley, and Winton.
1997-2010: The Salford City Council wards of Barton, Cadishead, Eccles, Irlam, Pendlebury, Swinton North, Swinton South, and Winton.
Interesting that Blears, Balls & Burnham all now admit that immigration rose too much under Labour. The BNP vote was high in their 3 seats.
Hazel has thrown herself behind the “Save Salford” campaign, and even found the time to thank (and it seemed very genuine) both Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties for coming up with counter-proposals to the bizarre BCE plan which sees Manchester gobble Salford up without so much as a mention in the name.
“Manchester Central” indeed….
Its good to see some cross -party agreement against some of the whackier proposals. Same thing with the City of London and Islington which all parties argued against at the hearing in London this monday. There must be a very good chance that in these cases the initial proposals will be binned, but of course it does depend on there being workable alternatives
Absolutely – though there is different between all three parties we all have Salford “saved”. The controversy with us is how we’ve attached Irwell to Stretford; with the Tories is how they’re considering splitting Old Trafford.
“Hazel has thrown herself behind the “Save My Seat” campaign…sorry “Save Salford” campaign”
One of the more surprising outcome of the boundary proposals then
Notice that the referendum on Salford having an elected mayor resulted in a yes vote, but on a turnout if just 18%. Why on earth didn’t they have the vote in May in the same day as the local elections, as Manchester, Sheffield and others plan to do?
Blears would make a good mayor of Salford.
It’s not like she’s going to get anywhere at Westminster now.