Zac v Susan

2010 sees the local council elections for Richmond borough but also at some point between now and June we face a general election. On the local council level and at constituency level the Labour Party does not have a hold in the area, and if we are to go with national opinion polls are unlikely to win the next election. Consequently it is even more unlikely that The Labour Party will make any gains in this area. The electoral fight will be between (as is always the case in the area) the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

The electoral system in Britain is open to question. Approximately 70% of parliamentary seats in the country remain unchanged in a general election and the determining factor of a general election is the swing voters and the 30% of parliamentary seats that might change hands. Depending on the voting pattern, 30% of the constituencies determine either a modest majority, a hung Parliament or a landslide for the winning government. Proponents of the system, argue that the country should have a strong government using our "first past the post" electoral system. Historically, this is usually the case, with the winning party usually holding a majority. There have been exceptions of course but not in recent history.

The Richmond Park constituency is currently held by Susan Kramer of the Liberal Democrats. Her rival for the seat is Zac Goldsmith of the Conservatives. In many ways this is a key electoral seat. If the Conservatives are going to achieve a large majority at the next election it is gaining seats like this that will count in the final results of the general election. The Richmond Park constituency at the moment has a Lib Dem MP (Susan Kramer) a Lib Dem led council in Richmond and a Lib Dem led council in Kingston. In short in recent years the area is a Lib Dem stronghold.

Will it last? The results from the Richmond Park constituency in the 2005 election produced the following results.

Candidate----------------------------------- -----Vote--------Share

Susan Kramer, Liberal Democrat --------------------- 24,011---------46.7%
Marco Forgione, Conservative --------------------------20,280 ---------39.5%
James Butler, Labour ---------------------------------------4,768 ---------- 9.3%
James Page, Green Party ----------------------------------1,379 -----------2.7%
Peter Dul, UK Independence Party -------------------------458----------- 0.9%
Peter Flower, Christian People's Alliance ---------------288 -----------0.6%
Margaret Harrison, Independent -----------------------------83------------0.2%
Rainbow George Weiss, Rainbow Dream Ticket ---------63------------0.1%
Richard Meacock, Independent --------------------------------44----------- 0.1%

Liberal Democrat majority:
3,731

Turnout:
72.8%

The Lib Dem majority is fragile. Susan Kramer has been a decent MP. In the expenses scandal she did not attract undue attention and has served her constituents well. Arcadian Times has been told of intervention by Susan Kramer on behalf of constituents over unfair parking fines, and she has been readily available to listen to constituents. Zac Goldsmith is a resident of the area and chose specifically to fight for the position of MP for Richmond Park, when he could have been "parachuted" to a safe constituency seat. In short his roots are in the area and it is the area he wants to represent. As a former editor of the "The Ecologist magazine" his Green credentials are perhaps his electoral strength in attracting floating voters.

In many ways the constituents of Richmond Park are lucky to have these two fighting for the privilege of representing them at Parliament. There can not be many constituencies where the candidates attract supporters who are not necessarily completed opposed to their nearest rival.

Susan Kramer may not have been helped with the politics across the water in Twickenham. Whilst Twickenham is a separate parliamentary constituency it shares the council with parts of the Richmond Park constituency. Consequently, the residents of Richmond Park will be aware of the Twickenham Riverside saga and the publicity it has attracted in the local press. They will also be weighing up Twickenham MP, Dr. Vincent Cable's proposal for the mansion tax which would affect many in the Richmond Park constituency. Of course this really would only be an issue if a Lib Dem government was to be returned in the national election, but nonetheless it is issues such as these that can influence a voter. If the Lib Dems are to hold onto the Richmond Park constituency, there has to be a determined effort at the local council level by the Lib Dems not to alienate voters. In a worst case scenario for the Lib Dems they could lose the council and the Richmond Park constituency.

In many ways the Richmond Park constituency represents a good old fashioned parliamentary electoral battle. As stated both candidates are very credible and neither are what could be described as very unpopular. The Richmond Park constituency will go some way in determining the political complexion of the country. The seat is in the balance and every vote is vital. This is good for democracy and gives the Richmond Park constituents the opportunity to completely analyse the policies of their candidates. The next election will determine the country's future. Never has it been so important for the voters to lobby their candidate relentlessly to determine their exact policies. Most importantly the candidates need to display a sense of fair play and avoid unseemly mud slinging. They are both respected people and unseemly spats regarding wealth or expenses do neither justice. One thing is for sure, within 9 months either Susan Kramer or Zac Goldsmith will be representing Richmond Park in Westminster.

Article: Arcadian Times, October 27, 2009