South West Euros
The South West European region covers Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and the British Overseas territory of Gibraltar. It currently returns 7 members of the European Parliament, but this will reduce to 6 at the next election, meaning the Conservatives notionally lose a seat.
In 2004 the region returned 3 Conservative MEPs, 2 UKIP MEPs, 1 Lib Dem MEP and 1 Labour MEP.
Sitting MEPs and 2004 Results
| 1. |  |
Neil Parish (Conservative) | 457,371 (31.6%) | (Will stand down at next election) |
| 2. |  |
Trevor Colman (UKIP) | 326,684 (22.6%) | (Replaced Graham Booth 2008) |
| 3. |  |
Graham Watson (Liberal Democrat) | 265,619 (18.3%) | |
| 4. |  |
Caroline Jackson (Conservative) | (228,686) | (Will stand down at next election) |
| 5. |  |
Glyn Ford (Labour) | 209,908 (14.5%) | |
| 6. |  |
Roger Knapman (UKIP) | (163,342) | (Will stand down at next election) |
| 7. |  |
Giles Chichester (Conservative) | (152,457) | |
| -. | Green | 103,821 (7.2%) | ||
| -. | BNP | 43,653 (3.0%) | ||
| -. | Countryside | 30,824 (2.1%) | ||
| -. | Respect | 10,437 (0.7%) |
2009 Candidates
| 1. | Glyn Ford. Sitting MEP. Born 1950, Gloucester. Educated at Reading University. Former research fellow at Manchester University. Former Tameside councillor. First elected as MEP for Greater Manchester East 1984. MEP for South West England since 1999. |
| 2. |  Isabel Owen. Educated at Egglscliffe Comprehensive and Bristol University. Former political consultant. Has worked as head of Glyn Ford’s office. Contested Tiverton and Honiton 2001, Forest of Dean 2005. |
| 3. |  Keir Dhillon. Contested Tewkesbury 2001. Contested 2004 European elections. |
| 4. |  Dorothea Hodge. Former special advisor now working for the Social Market Foundation and Westminster Foundation for Democracy. |
| 5. |  Dafydd Emlyn Williams. |
| 6. | Elizabeth Liago. |
| 1. | Giles Chichester. Sitting MEP. Born 1946, London. Formerly worked for his family business, publishing maps and guides. First elected as MEP for Devon and East Plymouth 1994. MEP for the South West since 1999. Former leader of the Conservative group in the European parliament, he stood down in 2008 after it was revealed he had claimed Parliamentary expenses for a family business. He was later cleared of a conflict of interest by the European Parliament. |
| 2. |  Julie Girling. Cotswold District councillor. Gloucestershire County councillor. Contested South West in 2004 European elections. |
| 3. |  Ashley Fox. Born 1969. Educated at the Kings School, Worcester and Bristol Polytechnic. Solicitor. Contested Bath 2001. Bristol councillor since 2002. |
| 4. |  Mike Dolley. Campaign director for the Conservative party. |
| 5. |  Don Collier. Former commodities dealer and owner of a diving school, now working as an IT consultant. Poole councillor since 1999. |
| 6. |  Zehra Zaidi. Educated at Warwick University. Solicitor. |
| 1. | Graham Watson. Sitting MEP. Born 1956, Rothesay. Educated at City of Bath Boys School and Heriot-Watt University. Prior to his elected worked as a university administrator, head of David Steel’s office and for HSBC. First elected as MEP for Somerset and North Devon 1994. Leader of the Liberal group in the European Parliament since 2002. |
| 2. |  Kay Barnard. Farmer and director of a publishing company. Former Somerset County Councillor. Contested Bristol South 2005. |
| 3. |  Justine McGuinness. Educated at London University. PR Consultant who represented the parents of Madeleine McCann. Contested Holborn and St Pancras 1997, West Dorset 2005. |
| 4. |  Humphrey Temperley. Torridge councillor, South Somerset councillor 1981-1999. Devon County councillor since 2005, former Somerset county councillor. |
| 5. |  Paul Massey. Cheltenham councillor. |
| 6. |  Jonathan Stagnetto. Educated at King College. Director of a family business. Member of the Liberal Party of Gibraltar. |
| 1. | Trevor Colman. Sitting MEP. Born 1941, St Breward. Former police officer and television script advisor. MEP for the South West since 2008, suceeding Graham Booth upon his retirement. Contested Teignbridge 2005. |
| 2. |  William Legge, the Earl of Dartmouth. Born 1949. Conservative member of the House of Lords until the exclusion of hereditary peers. Defected to UKIP in 2007. |
| 3. |  Gawain Towler. Educated at Clayesmore School and University of York. Former journalist, now working for the Ind/Dem group in the European Parliament. Contested Glasgow Maryhill for the Conservatives in 2001. |
| 4. |  Julia Reid. Will contest Chippenham at the next general election. |
| 5. | Alan Wood. |
| 6. |  Stephanie McWilliam. Former radiographer, now runs a private air travel company. |
| 1. |  Ricky Knight. Modern languages teacher. Contested North Devon 2005, will contest North Devon at the next general election.. |
| 2. |  Roger Creagh-Osborne. Electronic engineer. |
| 3. |  David Taylor.Contested South West region in 1999, 2004 European Elections. |
| 4. |  Molly Scott Cato.Born 1963, Wales. Educated at Oxford University. Reader in Green Economics at Cardiff University. Contested Preseli Pembrokeshire 1997, 2005. |
| 5. |  Chloe Somers.Educated at University of East Anglia. |
| 6. |  Richard Lawson.Semi retired GP. |
| 1. |  Jeremy Wotherspoon. Retired estate agent and sales negotiator. Contested Watford F1974, O1974, Cambridge by-election 1976, all for the National Front. |
| 2. |  Barry Bennett. Born Bournemouth. IT tutor. Contested South West region in 2004 European elections. |
| 3. |  Adrian Romilly. Born Kent. Educated at University College London. |
| 4. |  Sean Twitchin. Born Aldershot 1965. Educated at East London University. Surveyor. |
| 5. |  Lawrence West. Unemployed construction site manager. |
| 6. |  Peryn Parsons. Born London. |
| 1. |  Dick Cole. Archaelogist. Restormel borough councillor since 1999. Leader of Mebyon Kernow. |
| 2. |  Conan Jenkin. born Cornwall. College lecturer. Contested Truro and St Austell 2001, 2005. Deputy leader of Mebyon Kernow. |
| 3. |  Loveday Jenkin. Lecturer. Kerrier councillor since 1996. |
| 4. |  Simon Reed. Former Penwith councillor for the Liberal Democrats. |
| 5. |  Glenn Renshaw. Caradon District councillor. Defected from the Liberal Democrats in 2008. |
| 6. | Joannie Willet. |
| 1. |  Robin Matthews Former lieutenant colonel in the Light Dragoons. Leader of Libertas in the UK. |
| 2. Peter Morgan-Barnes | 3. Chloe Gwynne |
| 4. Christopher Charnock | 5. Nicholas Carlton |
| 6. Nicholas Charles |
| 1. |  Alex Gordon Member of the RMT executive. |
| 2. | Roger Davey Health worker. Member of the Socialist Party. |
| 3. | Rachel Lynch Special needs teacher. |
| 4. |  Nick Quirk Member of the RMT executive. |
| 5. | John Chambers Retired union official |
| 6. | Paul Dyer |
| 1. |  Sally Smith PR agent and former journalist. |
| 2. |  Martin Paley Citizens Advice Bureau manager and former retail manager. Former Liberal Democrat. |
| 3. |  Michael Clayton Project manager |
| 4. | Brian Underwood Educated at Clifton College. Semi-retired court reporter, formerly ran a structural steel company. |
| 5. |  Roger Whitfield IT technician and consultant. |
| 6. |  William Barnett Business development manager. |
| 1. | William Capstick. |
| 2. Katherine Mills | 3. Diana Ofori |
| 4. Larna Martin | 5. Peter Vickers |
| 6. Adenike Williams |
| 1. | Robert Hawkins. Contested Plymouth Devonport 2005. |
| 2. Brian Corbett | 3. Alison Entwhistle |
| 4. David Marchesi | 5. Rob Hawkins |
| 6. James Bannister |
| 1. |  Michael Turner. |
| 2. Sara Box | 3. Keith Riley |
| 4. Stephen Wright | 5. Raymond Carr |
| 6. Lee Pickering |
| 1. |  Nicola Guagliardo. |
| 2. |  Joy Skey. |
Pensioners Party
| 1. |  Jonathan Cockburn. Born 1956. Educated at Emanuel School and London University. Managing director of a facilities management company. Contested Sedgefield 2005 as a “Blair Must Go” candidate. |
| 2. Barry Hodgson | 3. Derek Wharton |
| 4. Roger Edwards | 5. Stuart Baker |
| 6. Berry Egerton |
Fair Pay Fair Trade
| 1. | David Michael. Cohousing property developer. |
| 2. | Judy Foster. |
There is also one independent candidate standing:
Katie Hopkins (Independent) Born 1975, Barnstaple. Educated at Exeter University. Former contestant on The Apprentice and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
NB - Candidates lists are provisional, based on candidates declared before the campaign. They will be updated to reflect the final list of candidates as soon as possible following the close of nominations.
The LDs are maybe up to some sort of trick putting former MEP Robin Teverson third on the list, hoping that he will pull in the two candidates above him in the list. I don’t think they’ll win more than one seat though.
Andy,
I am not sure that many electors will be paying much attention of the biographies of candidates on the lists, or will be working out that they have to vote LD in vast numbers to send Lord Teverson back to Strasbourg.
If there is any trickery going on, it may be an attempt to put the Teverson name in front of the electors in Truro and Falmouth in advance of the GE.
This list (the LD one) is wrong. Robin Teverson withdrew some time ago. They move up one place, and Jeremy Willcocks (hope I have the spelling right) is at number 6.
That could be right as Lord Teverson is standing for the new Cornwall Council somewhere near St Austell I think
Andrew, I am not usually in the habit of stating something as true when I don’t actually know it to be so!
Why do the Lib Dems do so poorly in the Europeans here given
1) The reduced turn-out in these elections would be expected to assist them
2) This is probably their best region in Westminster elections
There may be other reasons but I can think of two main ones. Firstly the Lib Dems are known to be the most Euro-fanatical of the main three parties and this is perhaps the most Eurosceptic region. A large number of people who vote for them in Westminster elections do so inspite of their European policy and because of the popularity of incumbent LD MPs. In European elections they do not have their local LD MP on the ballot paper and they are inclined to vote for a party that better reflects their position on Europe, this being a European election after all and many therefore vote for UKIP.
The second reason I think is that a large part of the LD vote in Westminster elections is effectively a second (or third) preference. There would clearly be a higher Labour vote in many of the semi-rural seats of Devon and Somerset for example but many of these kind of voters – and ‘anti-Tory’ voters in general coalesce around the LD candidate as the one most likely to defeat the Conservatives in each of the constituencies. Under the system of PR that operates for European elections such tactical considerations are rendered unnecessary therefore these kind of voters go with their first preference.
Pete does have a point there.
UKIP appear to succeed when there is a single issue of Europe – and they appear to borrow votes from most of the London parties. As we have seen in countless local council by-elections, they cannot transfer that level of support into local politics. They also benefit from a historically low turnout – which also inflates their apparent level of support.
I suspect that the turnout will be larger this year in Cornwall especiallz because of the piggybacking of the One Cornwall elections – which have created a lot of interest as one might expect.
It will be interesting to see how the LD´s get on with this higher turnout, and also the inclusion of MK this time. Also it will be interesting when the constituency splits are known to see how the Labour vote in Cornwall holds up – given the crash in their vote in the District 07 vote.
Could be an interesting year!
Andy – it would take a great deal of co-ordination to “fix” the Lib Dem list as you suggest (though Lord T has since pulled out) as, like all LD internal elections, the Euro lists were decided by an all-member ballot.
It just seemed a bit strange to have their most well-known MEP 3rd on the list, but as you say he’s pulled out now anyway.
“it would take a great deal of co-ordination to “fix” the Lib Dem list ”
I would suggest that even the best coordination in the world could not fix it. In general, people stand because they want to stand, not because they represent any faction etc, and certainly not because the powers that be want certain outcomes! As you say, Andy S, Robin Teverson has massive support in the party (he came top of a ballot for nominations to the Lords – the party has an advisory ballot on that, to give the party leader a steer when making his nominations), and had Robin wanted to continue and stand again, Liberal Democrats would have been delighted. However, he did not, and so withdrew.
Tim
As I understand it Robin would have been ineligible to stand, thanks to the inordinate delays in House of Lords Reform.
At this election the rule that MEPs cannot be also members of their national parliaments comes into play, and as member of the Lords Robin would have been disqualified, even though he is not an elected member of the legislature.
You can’t get round this by resigning from the HoL – there is no mechanism – and an undertaking not to take part in its proceedings during the duration of one’s tenure as an MEP is not sufficiently binding.
At the time the Lib Dem list went to members to vote, it was expected that a provision would be put into the Lords reform which would allow Lords to suspend their membership for the duration, which would have met the legal requirements, but when it became clear that would not be enacted in time, Lord Teverson withdrew.
Or at least that is my understanding (it is in line with the undertakings he gave when submitting himself for selection).
Ian,
I’d be surprised if that was the reason, as Sarah, Baroness Ludford appears to still be standing as an MEP in London
It is noted that there is not a Cornishman or Woman on the Party Listings
Well Terry there is now – we can confirm that Mebyon Kernow – The Party for Cornwall’s list of candidates is as follows : -
Dick Cole
Conan Jenkin
Loveday Jenkin
Simon Reed
Glenn Renshaw
Loic Rich
All resident in this fair land!!