Tory party funding doubled in North

William Hague shows midas touch

So the Conservative Party is having a great time raising funds for it’s campaigns in the north of England under the captaincy of former leader William Hague and ex MP  Michael Bates.

Which is all good news, but local Labour parties in places like South Shields are well honed and practised electoral fighting machines which take some beating! However, it should be remembered that seats such as Tynemouth, Stockton South, Keighley, Leeds North East, Leeds North West, Bolton West, Bradford West, Bury North, Cleethorpes, Colne Valley, Corby, and a host of others could all change hands at the next election with swings of up to but under 10% Labour to Conservative. Depending upon local conditions this could be achievable. Blair’s third term win in 2005 saw a swing from Labour to Conservative of 3% nationwide with wider variations in the marginals, but the turnout in the North East and the North West was the poorest in the country at only 57%.

With the marginals likely to decide the issue, Labour will not wish to see turnout continue to fall in it’s key heartlands, but with selective campaigning, the Conservatives could reap some rewards by retaking seats they once held in the north of England during the terms of the Thatcher and Major landslides.

Michael Bates will be a key operator as the party attempts to regain a much needed foothold in the region, he is the former MP for Langbaurgh and he knows this area well. He lives in Durham and is a Director of the Vardy Group of Companies, he was last in South Shields in 2007 for the local association’s AGM in St. Peter’s Church Hall. I wonder if they can manage to entice William Hague to make the journey to South Shields some time in the future?

Hague needs to be seen in and around the northern region, he has an infectious sense of humour, is easy for most people to get along with, and has an understanding of northern issues via his Yorkshire upbringing. By being so instrumental in building a Conservative Party “war chest” for the north he is showing his true credentials as a leading political figure, and setting forward a plan that hopefully will turn a few more more constituencies “blue” when Gordon Brown plucks up the courage to take his party to the polls.