Why all eyes will be on South Norwich in 2010
Like it or not, 2010 will see a general election. As the electioneering begins, Norwich South will be one to watch for a number of reasons.
First off, it’s the seat of the former Home Secretary, Charles Clarke. Since winning it in 1997, he’s held a comfortable lead ahead of the other parties, gaining 37.7% of the vote in the last election. But a lot has happened since that election, enough to suggest it’s no longer a safe Labour hold. Watching how hard Charles Clarke fights to keep his seat will be interesting.
And then, rewind to last summer. Labour’s Dr Ian Gibson resigned his Norwich North seat, after becoming tangled up in the MP’s expenses scandal. The Conservatives won the by-election with Chloe Smith, who at 27 became the youngest member of the House of Commons. In 2005 the Tories were pushed into third place in Norwich South, with their candidate, Antony Little. If the by-election is anything to go by, this could be the year for the 30 year old high school teacher, although Norwich North has a different demographic.
But that’s not to forget the Liberal Democrats. They came second in the last election, making the seat a top target for them in 2010. Their candidate Simon Wright, is a former agent for Norman Lamb MP and helped him win his North Norfolk seat in 2005.
And a further reason south Norwich will be interesting to watch, is because it’s one of just three seats in the country which might elect the UK’s first Green MP. Following impressive gains in local elections, their candidate Adrian Ramsay is another young politician with considerable experience, having been involved in local politics since the age of 21. While they have strong local support, transferring that into election victory is a tall order.
In the run-up to the 2009 by-election, we saw many high profile politicians visit Norwich, including David Cameron. Expect more in the months ahead. Each of the parties will do all they can to persuade you to vote for them.
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