Euro stars

With allegations of fraud, treachery and racism, who dares say that the European Elections in the North West are boring?

Quite apart from the fact that an increasing number of laws affecting business are made in Brussels, some great stories surround the list of candidates being offered up to you for next month’s poll.

In case you don’t follow these things as closely as a political anorak like me, I need to explain the strange way we will elect eight representatives from this region to the European Parliament.

The whole of the North West from the Scottish border to Crewe is treated as one giant constituency. You vote for a party, not a candidate. The parties get MEPs according to their total percentage vote. Pecking orders for which individuals get on the gravy train have already been established within the parties.

With salaries of £81,000, staff cost allowances of £180,000, offi ce expenses of £40,000 and a daily living allowance of £263, you can imagine that competition was intense to be near the top of the lists.

At the last European elections the North West returned three Labour and three Tory MEPs along with two Liberal Democrats and one member of UKIP. Only eight places are on offer this time as the UK has had to give up some seats to new EU countries.

It’s expected that Labour will do badly next month so we can be pretty sure that the Tories will take at least three seats, with Labour only certain of two and the Lib Dems one.

The Tory list is much-changed from 2004. David Sumberg, the former Bury MP, is retiring having rarely been seen north of his London home in the last five years. Den Dover has been expelled from the party following allegations that he paid his £750,000 staff allowance to a company run by his wife and daughter.

In pole position for the Tories is Sir Robert Atkins. Elected a Preston MP 30 years ago his pro- European views are at odds with the Euro-sceptics in his party.

Also certain of re-election is Saj Karim, the Great Defector. Elected last time as the Lib Dem runner up, Mr Karim became aware that he was really a Conservative just after fi nishing runner-up in a bitterly contested battle with Chris Davies for number one slot on the Lib Dem list.

The pro-Tory tide should also see a return to Brussels for Jackie Foster. This former airline hostess once served the coffee on the hop to Europe; soon she’ll be able enjoy a cuppa in business class. The Conservatives could conceivably get their fourth candidate, Trafford councillor Alex Williams, elected as well.

Labour, which had a clean sweep of the North West just 15 years ago winning ten seats, may be reduced to just two this time. Gary Titley is retiring so the hard working Arlene McCarthy will be returned along with transport specialist Brian Simpson.

Then it could be a question of which Griffi n gets one of the last places. Former Liverpool councillor Theresa Griffi n is in third place on the Labour list but the British National Party is putting up its leader Nick Griffin.

If, as seems likely, there is a low turnout his chances should not be underestimated. The BNP have pockets of support all around the region – they nearly won a Whitehaven council byelection last November.

Chris Davies will benefit from the proportional representation system to win a seat for the Lib Dems, but they will be struggling to get the platinum blonde Stockport councillor Helen Foster-Grime to accompany him.

The UK Independence Party has been damaged by a series of scandals affecting some of the MEPs who were elected last time. John Whittaker is retiring as a North West MEP and his successor Paul Nuttall may struggle to get a seat.

The Green Party got nearly 12 per cent of the vote in the North West in 1989. If it can repeat that under the proportional representation system that is now in operation, Peter Cranie will be off to Brussels.

Libertas is fi elding candidates across the EU. In the North West its representative is the son of leading philosopher Ray Tallis. Ben Tallis wants to bring transparency to European politics.

Good luck with that Ben!

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