It will be a fascinating contest with a choice between down to earth truly local man, Dan Norris, Labour MP for Wansdyke since 1997, and Tory candidate Jacob Rees-Mogg, old Etonian London-based banker, son of the former Times editor Lord William Rees-Mogg.
Boundary changes in this seat, which will now form a ring-shape around the city of Bath, promise to help the Tories, who have been spending big on:
– Royal Mail-delivered tabloid newspaper mailings (posted, not delivered by volunteers)
– Glossy ‘People Talk’ magazines featuring a tweed-clad Rees-Mogg
– Posted voter surveys, and more
Mr Rees-Mogg’s style tends to attract interest from the national media, and his old Etonian accent and attitude (he indicated a belief that people who didn’t attend Oxbridge universities are ‘potted plants’) has led to Tory high command deliberately limiting his media appearances.
You can donate directly to Dan Norris’s campaign
Money raised from this campaign will be used to remind local voters in this semi-rural constituency about Dan’s firm and principled stance against hunting with dogs, despite physical attacks and intimidation. For example Dan was the subject of a well-publicised physical attack on him on the eve of Labour’s hunting ban coming into force.
It will also go towards communications reminding people in local North East Somerset communities about neighbourhood campaigns Dan has run with them and on their behalf over recent years to improve communities.
All this happened at a time when Dan was working hard for the people of North East Somerset: the same time Rees-Mogg was making money in his London-based investment company (Rees-Mogg is the man who, in 2006, said “It is about time we had a recession” on the basis that he has lots of gold, and gold keeps its value during a recession).
One other interesting dividing line is this: Local man Dan Norris picks out the one thing, more than anything else, that made him want to devote himself to work for a fairer, more just society: it was the tragedy of watching his grandfather suffer a slow and lingering death, caused by working underground in North East Somerset coal mines. These were the same mines that were OWNED by the Rees-Mogg family.
To find out more about Dan Norris’s work at helping improve North East Somerset communities go to www.dannorris.org.uk
The semi-satirical website www.jacobreesmogg.org.uk includes many more cuttings and quotes from the Tory candidate.