At the Cambridge No2ID, Amnesty International Cambridge and Cambridge Oxfam Group hustings held on the 22nd of April 2010 Cambridge’s candidates were asked where they disagree with their parties. They responded saying:
Tony Juniper – Green
Mr Juniper said that in the past the Green party were too anti-Europe, but now that’s changed.
Juniper also said that banning fishing is in the Green manifesto but he didn’t agree with that policy as he thought that people getting close to nature, as they do when fishing, is a good thing.
Daniel Zeichner – Labour
Daniel Zeichner said he had been at odds with his party over council housing (he thinks it ought be owned by councils, not housing associations). He also disagrees with his party on Trident. The Labour manifesto says: “we will maintain our independent nuclear deterrent”, it doesn’t mention Trident specifically so quite what Zeichner’s view is unclear.
Nick Hillman – Conservative
Mr Hillman would like to see votes for 16 and 17 year olds. He is also in favour of more expansion in the fraction of the population going to university, he said that while Labour 50% target was arbitrary it was encouraging movement in the right direction.
Julian Huppert – Liberal Democrat
Julian Huppert described the Liberal Democrats as a “relaxed unwhipped party” saying that you only needed to agree with about two thirds of their policies to join up. He said his position of being against the UK maintaining a nuclear deterrent at odds with that held by his party (The Lib Dem manifesto is unclear on the subject).
Peter Burkinshaw – UKIP
Mr Burkinshaw flicked through his copy of the UKIP manifesto as the question was being asked, and concluded he had no areas of disagreement with it. He said he would like his party to take a tougher line, a stronger stance, with respect to some of its policies though.
Independent OldHolborn and Cambridge Socialist Martin Booth were not present at the hustings as attendance was limited to those with over 1% of the votes in 2005.
One response to “Where Parliamentary Candidates in Cambridge Disagree With Their Parties”
Thanks Richard. The point about younger voters is fair. But my party supports university expansion – we are even offering more places this coming academic year!