Carlisle Labour Party

Carlisle CLP nominate Andy Burnham for party leader

cw.harden@gmail.com — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:32:00 GMT

Carlisle CLP nominated the Leigh MP Andy Burnham for the leader of the Labour Party. The former minister was nominated by local party members at a meeting in Carlisle of Friday. Constituencies are invited to nominate a candidate as part of the selection process which will be completed in September when individual members will cast their votes.

Carlisle deserves better than a part time MP says Boaden

cw.harden@gmail.com — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 09:50:00 GMT

Michael Boaden, Labour’s candidate for Carlisle at the General Election has criticised Tory MP, John Stevenson for his decision to continue working as a solicitor in the City.

Michael said ‘I am very surprised that John Stevenson has chosen to be a Part Time MP. Carlisle is facing a massive set of challenges over the coming months and years, not least because of the cuts programme announced by the Government last week. In those circumstances I would have thought Mr Stevenson would want to spend all his time working on behalf of the City and those who elected him.

Mr Stevenson has claimed that he will be continuing with a ‘limited role’ within his legal firm but I think he needs to be defining that and also the range of work that he will be involved with as constituents have a right to assess the impact this will have on his work as their MP.

The new Government has claimed that they will be operating in a transparent and open way and on various occasions Mr Cameron has said that he does not approve of MPs having more than one job.

I hope Carlisle’s new MP will now ensure such transparency having missed the opportunity provided by a recent newspaper interview to clarify the position.’

Boaden stands down as Labour group leader

cw.harden@gmail.com — Sat, 15 May 2010 08:23:00 GMT

Michael Boaden has resigned from the position of leader of the Labour group on Carlisle City Council.

This comes after his narrow defeat in the general election by a 2% margin and fulfils a promise he made that he would stand down whatever the election result. He is succeeded by Cllr Reg Watson. Michael said,

"I decided a few weeks ago that whatever the outcome of the parliamentary contest in Carlisle, I would stand down as leader of the Labour Group on Carlisle City Council.

I have been proud to serve in that position for the last four years, but believe now is the right time for new leadership of the group. I wish Reg Watson well, he is a councillor of great experience and determination and I am sure that he will do a very good job."

Cllr Watson said, "The Carlisle City Council Labour group would like to give thanks to our former group leader for his effective leadership over the last four years, especially his work in pointing out the disgraceful waste of money on the Renaissance Project and the City Council's financial black hole"

Michael defeated by 2% margin

cw.harden@gmail.com — Sun, 09 May 2010 08:45:00 GMT

Michael has fallen victim to the general swing to the Tories. He lost to Conservative John Stevenson by just 853votes with a swing of 7.7% from Labour to the Tories. Michael said,

"Ultimately, it's been an unsuccessful campaign to me but I do wish John the very best of luck as MP for Carlisle. He, like me, shares a vision and passion for this city and I am sure he will do an excellent job. We went into this election with the Tories saying we were going to be smashed. We fought a good positive campaign but we came up short. That's the nature of democracy, you have to accept it.

I think Carlisle needs a Labour MP. It needs someone to stand up for ordinary people and public services. If you look at the record of Labour's investment in Carlisle, John Stevenson has a very difficult act to follow. We will see. He will be judged on what he achieves and how he goes about his job. We will support him when he does the right things and challenge him when he does the wrong things."

Boaden supports electoral reform

cw.harden@gmail.com — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:59:00 GMT

Michael Boaden, Labour’s candidate for Carlisle has reacted to the news that David Cameron has again ruled out action on Electoral reform.

Michael said ‘I have for a long time believed that our electoral system needs changing and I am delighted that Labour has committed to holding a referendum in the next parliament on electoral reform. The Conservatives, on the other hand, remain implacably opposed to any change in the voting system.

There is now clear support for electoral reform in the country and a Labour government will let the people decide. A Tory government, on the other hand, would set the cause back years.

Michael concluded ‘In Carlisle, it is a straight fight between Labour and Conservative. Voting for electoral reform means voting Labour.’

Boaden takes questions on WebChat today

cw.harden@gmail.com — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:58:00 GMT

Carlisle Labour candidate Michael Boaden will be taking questions on a Cumbrian Newspapers WebChat session today. More here

Stevenson millionaire backer makes another £60m this year

cw.harden@gmail.com — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:39:00 GMT

Lord Ballyedmond, the owner of Corby Castle at Great Corby and Tory supporter who is backing Carlisle candidate John Stevenson has made another £60m this year. The peer who donated £28,000 to the Tory candidates election campaign appears as 132rd in the Sunday Times Rich List. More here

Emmerdale star joins Boaden campaign

cw.harden@gmail.com — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 08:23:00 GMT

Emmerdale's most put upon vicar Ashley Thomas will be supporting Michael Boaden, Labour's candidate for Carlisle in a personal appearance in Carlisle City Centre this week.

Taking time off from the love triangle that has gripped soap fans everywhere actor John Middleton will be coming to Carlisle on Tuesday 27 April. John will be in the City Centre with Michael from 12 noon - 2 p.m. meeting fans and explaining why the people of Carlisle should support Michael in the forthcoming election.

Michael said today, "We have known that John was keen to come and help our campaign for a while and we are absolutely delighted that he has been able to take time off from his exacting filming schedule to join us on Tuesday.

We hope his many fans will come and meet John in the City Centre. After all the trouble he has experienced of late with Sally we are sure he will receive a very warm welcome from Carlisle."

Boaden ready to challenge opponents at local hustings

cw.harden@gmail.com — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:18:00 GMT

Parliamentary candidates for the Carlisle Constituency have been invited to take part in hustings.

The main debate will take place at the Learning Gateway, University of Cumbria, Fusehill Street Campus, CA1 2HH on Thursday 29 April at 7pm. The hustings have been arranged in association with the Carlisle One World Centre.

An initial debate will take place today, Wednesday 21 April, at Cumbria Park Hotel when candidates will face representatives from the Carlisle business community.

Labour parliamentary candidate Michael Boaden says he is relishing the opportunity to debate face to face with his general election opponents.

‘I am particularly keen to challenge Tory candidate John Stevenson on his party’s record in Carlisle. Mr Stevenson seems less keen to remind voters that he has been a member of the ruling Tory council since 1999 and supported the failed Renaissance project which has wasted £6.6 million of taxpayers’ money.’

Michael Boaden, as leader of the Labour opposition on the City Council, has consistently opposed this folly. Michael says ‘this sorry and shameful mess has added not one jot to Carlisle's prospects for economic development.’

In contrast, the Labour government has shown its commitment to the city by providing £38million for the construction of flood defences, in supporting local Sure Start children’s centres, which the Tories would abolish, has provided £8 million for the new police headquarters, and has given financial support to Eden Valley Hospice.

Michael also says that Liberal Democrat candidate Neil Hughes needs to explain why his party has routinely supported the minority Tory council for more than a decade.

Sure Start Minister visits Carlisle

cw.harden@gmail.com — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 07:59:00 GMT

Michael Boaden, Labour’s candidate for Carlisle at the General Election has welcomed the visit to the city by Dawn Primarolo, the Government Minister with responsibility for Sure Start.

Mr Boaden said ‘I am absolutely delighted that the Minister is visiting Sure Start in Carlisle South today. It is a superb example of what Sure Start achieves for families, with a range of nationally recognised good practice in the ways it works with parents and children.’

The Minister will begin her visit by touring facilities in Petteril Bank School meeting parents, children and staff on the site which is part of Petteril Bank extended school, before travelling to Harraby Community Centre and seeing the soft play area, crèche and toy library and meeting parents involved in delivery of the service.

Sure Start Carlisle South children's centre covers approx 2100 children under 5 and their families living in Harraby, Botcherby, Upperby, St Aidans and Currock. It is managed by Barnardos and aims to work together with local parents, communities and providers to offer the best possible opportunities to all of those children.

Mr Boaden concluded ‘The visit today is a wonderful example of support for Sure Start, at a moment when the Conservative Party would like to cut funding and close many centres across the country.

I am campaigning hard to ensure that all the excellent provision we have across the City is maintained and strengthened and the visit of the Minister is a massive boost to our campaign.’

Boaden calls for improved access for disabled voters

cw.harden@gmail.com — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:01:00 GMT

Voting is a right that many of us probably take for granted - but for thousands of disabled people that is not the case and they are denied the opportunity to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

Disabled people still face discrimination when it comes to voting because of a number of different access barriers. These can include polling stations without ramps for wheelchair users or voting information which is not available in alternative formats such as Braille.

That’s why Labour’s candidate for Carlisle Michael Boaden is supporting disability charity Scope’s Polls Apart campaign in the run-up to the General Election.

Polls Apart is a campaign to ensure that disabled people have the same access to voting as everyone else.

Michael is calling on Carlisle City Council to ensure that all local polling stations are fully accessible to disabled people. This could include changes such as installing temporary ramps or ensuring that polling station staff have disability equality training.

He will also be taking part in a survey of local polling stations produced by Scope on polling day looking at access.

Michael said ‘I have written to the Chief Executive of the Council to seek reassurance that all disabled people will be able to exercise their vote in the same way as everybody else, independently and in secret at the forthcoming election.

In a modern democracy anything else is simply unacceptable.

In addition I hope as many people as possible will take part in this survey to raise awareness about this issue. Disabled people must be treated equally and fairly when it comes to voting.’

Labour finds positive feedback on doorstep

cw.harden@gmail.com — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:28:00 GMT

Labour candidate Michael Boaden has said that his campaign is getting positive feedback from voters. He and the Labour team have been out on the doorsteps of Carlisle and have found that people are thinking very hard about the issues. Michael said:

"The feedback we're getting is generally very positive. Clearly, there are a lot of people who are still considering what to do but that isn't just Labour voters, it's Conservative voters as well who are taking a long hard look at the Tory approach, particularly to the economy.

We feel very positive and confident. The vast majority of people I meet realise that this election is a straight choice between Labour and Conservative, between a party securing our recovery and a party putting it at risk."

Boaden slaps down immigration claims by UKIP

cw.harden@gmail.com — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:54:00 GMT

Carlisle Labour candidate Michael Boaden took the the UKIP candidate Micheal Owen to task over his claims that Labour had allowed uncontrolled immigration to take place in the UK during an all party candidate debate in Carlisle today. More here

Stevenson dithers again over web chat sessions

cw.harden@gmail.com — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:31:00 GMT

Carlisle Labour candidate Michael Boaden and other General Election candidates across Cumbria have joined in the Cumbrian Newspaper's web chat question and answer sessions which begin on April 14.

Significantly missiing is Carlisle Conservative candidate John Stevenson. More here

Top Tory impressed with Labour achievements in city

cw.harden@gmail.com — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 08:37:00 GMT

Michael Boaden, Labour’s candidate for Carlisle at the General Election has welcomed the visit of Shadow Justice Secretary, Dominic Grieve in the City as the General Election campaign got underway.

‘Apparently Mr Grieve was very impressed with the state of the art new Police Headquarters in Carlisle’ said Mr Boaden adding

‘This HQ only came about because the Labour Government invested over £8 million in providing it. No doubt Mr Grieve will have also welcomed the news that crime across Cumbria, including Carlisle, has fallen by 10% in the last quarter.

All this has only come about because Labour has taken a tough line on crime and invested in neighbourhood policing.

Sadly the Tories refuse to match our commitment to protect frontline policing. Instead of supporting the police as they fight the crime on our streets, the Conservatives have undermined the hard work of the police by wrongly claiming that violent crime in the country has doubled when in reality it is down by 41 per cent. They have deliberately and wilfully misinterpreted crime statistics so they can continue to talk Britain down as ‘broken’.

Since 1997 the Conservatives have voted against key measures like tougher sentences for murder, sexual and violent offences; the banning of handguns; five year minimum sentences for carrying an illegal gun; allowing new trials for murder if new evidence comes to light, tougher measures to tackle terrorism; and allowing police more powers to take DNA from suspects.

Mr Grieve himself when asked to expand recently on television as to how the Conservative proposals for instant community based punishments might work explained them merely as “ideas that people might have to do voluntarily.’

Mr Boaden concluded ‘I am glad that Mr Grieve has visited Carlisle where the police are doing a superb job, equipped with the tools, facilities and support to ensure the very best service for the people of the City.

All in all he has seen an approach that is working.

The Tories promise a change that nobody in Carlisle can afford.