Forget the Tories, there is only one threat to Labour
Published: 23 April, 2010
• WITH every poll, newspaper (including the Tribune) and political pundit acknowledging that Islington South and Finsbury is a Labour marginal seat vulnerable to the Lib Dems, Labour and the Tories must either be deluded to think it is a contest between the two of them or we are witnessing a classic case of political manoeuvring in an attempt to bamboozle the public without actually lying.
Since 2006, there have been four elections with different purposes. The only one in which the Tories provided real competition for Labour was the election of the Mayor together with the London Assembly. With two huge, charismatic and well-known personalities, Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson, against each other it was not surprising that the Lib Dem candidate did not get much of a look in.
To use the results of the mayoral election to set the scene for the council and parliamentary elections is disingenuous. The Tories may well have been increasing their share of the vote over the years in Islington, but there is no evidence they are a threat to Labour at this time. However, I can see why the Labour candidate would like everyone who is not going to vote for her to vote for the Tories rather than the Lib Dems, who are the real threat.
DARIAN MITCHELL
Lloyd Baker Street, WC1
• THE Lib Dems are disseminating misleading information about the Conservatives again. We all know that “Conservatives can’t win round here” is old news – not based on the results from the last two elections.
We can and will win seats on the council. Lib Dem and Labour leaflets are also stating that it is Conservative policy to remove secure tenancies from social housing residents. This is wrong again.
The Conservative Party has pledged to “respect” the tenures and rents of social housing tenants if it wins power.
The main reason why the Conservatives won an absolute majority at the Islington Council elections in 1968 was because tenants were fed up with rent rises.
ORIEL HUTCHINSON
Conservative candidate, Canonbury ward