Conservatives last minute targeted appeal for support in Brunswick Park

Below is the Conservative's letter to supporters to come out and vote for their candidate on Thursday.

Curiously not only has the claim that the car park charges have been scrapped been dropped but the claim that Mrs Mahmood is not a 'professional politician' has morphed into her not being a 'politician'. We're not sure from her very senior and highly political position in the Conservative Muslim Forum that that is a more accurate, or even truthful, statement.

Our correspondent informs us that they are suspicious over the accuracy of the database the Conservatives are using as both husband and wife are known Conservatives but only one of them received this letter.

Eleftheria : "Andreas Ioannides for Brunswick Park by-election"

This week's edition of London Greek newspaper Eleftheria carries Labour's candidate for the Brunswick Park by-election on the front page...

...with a big endorsement inside (in English and Greek). Update: we've been bombarded with emails telling us the Greek version is a different to the English version and 'much more punchy'. We have put out several requests for a translation, none have yet come through.

Andreas Tambourides must be over the moon....

Centre for Policy Studies reminds us small goverment is best (Cartoon video)

The well reknowned think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), has issued a new report today highlighting how economies with small government tend to grow faster than those with big governments. The study focussed on 34 countries, defined by the IMF as 'advanced' over a ten year period.

Watch the great 'small is best' infotoon below

Some bullet points from the report

• Econometric analysis of advanced OECD countries for the period 1965-2010 finds that a higher tax to GDP ratio has a statistically significant, negative effect on growth. For example, an increase in the tax to GDP ratio of 10 percentage points is found to lower annual per capita GDP growth by 1.2 percentage points. A similarly statistically significant negative effect on growth is found with a higher spending to GDP ratio. Detailed regression analysis stripped out the impact of variables such as investment as a proportion of GDP, the growth rate of the labour force, and the growth rate of human capital.
• For the last 10 years, advanced small government countries have, on average, seen significantly higher growth rates than advanced big government countries. Between 2003 and 2012, real GDP growth was 3.1% a year for small government countries (i.e. where both government outlays and receipts were on average below 40% of GDP for the years 1999 to 2009), compared to 2.0% for big government countries.
• There is little evidence that small government countries have worse social outcomes:
• Health outcomes are mixed: in the past 10 years, life expectancy in small government countries has been higher than in big government countries. Infant mortality has been lower in big government countries.
• Statistical evidence from the last 10 years suggests that small government countries achieve higher academic outcomes in reading, maths and science.
• Employment growth and youth unemployment are not statistically different.

CPS Small is Best report

The Returning Officer for the Brunswick Park by-election requests Conservatives cease making "incorrect" free parking claims

The Bugle has reported here and here on the row in the Brunswick Park by-election centering on claims in a Conservative leaflet that a decision that parking at Osidge Lane and Brunswick Park Road car parks "will remain free".

We remained slightly baffled as to what the Labour Party meant when it claimed on 22nd May that the Conservatives had "withdrawn" a leaflet that had already been delivered and why and how they knew this and on what basis. So we asked the Returning Officer, Mr Nick Walkley.

Below is the response, in full, to our enquiry from Barnet Council:

The Returning Officer’s concerns with the leaflet related to the following statement.

“Following a successful campaign by your local Conservatives, parking will remain free at the Ward’s two car parks”

No such decision had been published by the Council on this matter and, as that is the only decision which can be relevant for these purposes, the statement was incorrect. In that regard, he requested that no further leaflets were distributed, or otherwise published, incorporating this particular statement or any other which might convey or imply that the Council has confirmed a decision in relation to free parking at the car parks in the ward.

The concern was that a wrong perception may arise that the Council has assisted others with regard to publicity and, as such, acted contrary to the law regarding local authority publicity during the “purdah” period.

We have put in several emails to the Conservative agent for the by-election but none have even received an acknowledgement.

Mike Freer MP takes on the Prime Minister : gay marriage is not a matter of conscience

Openly gay Mike Freer MP, who himself is in a civil partnership, is involved in an increasingly acrimonious public row with his neighbouring Conservative MP for Hendon, Matthew Offord, over the Prime Minister's consultation as to whether to allow those who are eligible for civil partnerships to marry.

With pressure from Conservative MPs mounting Leader of the House, George Young MP told MPs earlier this afternoon,

Along with other isssues that involve matters of conscience, it seems to me perfectly proper that this should be subject to a free vote on this side of the House.

Later in the afternoon, Mr Freer tweeted his strong opposition to this approach by the Prime Minister

Who is right? Mr Freer or the Prime Minister? Is moving from 'civil partnerships' to 'gay marriage' a matter of conscience - therefore being something each MP can make their own mind up on? Or should Conservative MPs be dragooned through the lobbies on a three line whip to support a 'matter of equality'?

Disqus below.

Large Labour Campaign Team Spotted In Arlington Road, Brunswick Park

Labour's former Councillor for Brunswick Park, Geof Cooke, now representing Woodhouse Ward, makes a return visit to his old stomping ground to campaign in the by-election.

"Barnet Alliance for Public Services" Brunswick Park By-Election Special Leaflet

This has been distributed quite widely across Brunswick Park by the unabashedly left wing BarnetAlliance.org

BAPS Brunswick Park Leaflet May 2012

We at Bugle Towers had more reports of this leaflet being delivered than any other leaflet! Some very commited folk there from B.A.P.S.! (our photographed copy replaced by pdf supplied by B.A.P.S.)

Another article highlighting the Labour Brunswick Park candidate in Parikiaki

This week's edition of Greek Cypriot paper Parikiaki has been published today. It contains another very suportive and detailed article on Labour's Brunswick Park by-election candidate Andreas Ioannides. See pictures of article below.