Thursday, July 27, 2006

EXCLUSIVE: Keith Simpson Adopted for Broadland Seat

Good news from Norfolk this evening. My friend Keith Simpson has been unanimously adopted for the new Broadland seat by the local Association (Shadow) Executive. Keith's Mid Norfolk seat is being split in two. The Broadland seat comprises 60% of his current seat plus the Fakenham, Walsingham and Melton Constable areas from my old stamping ground of North Norfolk. Very confusingly the new Mid Norfolk seat only has 40% of the old Mid Norfolk seat in it, but takes in parts of South West Norfolk and South Norfolk, including Wymondham, where I lived when I was at university. (And that's not a hint that I want to apply for it, before you infer anything). The Broadland seat has a notional Conservative majority of around 5,000. It's a huge, narrow seat - even longer than North Norfolk. It stretches right from Fakenham almost to Great Yarmouth. Keith's a very lucky man and I'm delighted for him.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah Wymondham, the town where I spent a good few of my childhood years. It was there in 1997 at the polling station (Opposite the abbey) that I was told how Blair was going to make the country better... my mother lied to me!

Anonymous said...

do we need an mp for broadband?

Anonymous said...

Looks like a Jehovah's Witness, or one of those "background bureacrats" they used to have in Doctor Who or Monthy Python. Are you sure he's real Iain? Might be an alien plant.

Tim J said...

You're all wrong. He is quite clearly the re-incarnation of Kingsley Wood, Churchill's wartimes chancellor

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Tim J said...

Incidentally if any of you doubt my word for it, take a look here:

http://partyreptile.blogspot.com/2006/07/political-dynasties.html

Anonymous said...

Dont forget Drayton and Taverham


PT

thermalsatsuma said...

I keep reading it as 'broadband' as well ... :-)

Perhaps an mp to represent the online community isn't such a daft idea? Why do politicians have to represent geographical areas anyway?

Hughes Views said...

Gosh what a picture, surely taken from a 1940s public information film? Does anyone really look like that now?

strapworld said...

phone cam foolery...you promised me and you are drifting back into bad habits.

It has got to be a joke. He is the typical 1950's conservative.

Perhaps this is a sign that Cameron will have to listen to the grass roots!
They obviously want a return to the past tory fortunes of Churchill, Macmillan and Douglas-Hume! Heath and dear blessed Maggie.

Cameron must look at the Daily Telegraph poll. His popularity is waning!

Anonymous said...

Yes he's the first shot in the Campaign for Real Tories.

Anonymous said...

They do different there up in Norfolk.

Anonymous said...

With all your Norfolk links what are the odds Iain on you being the Tory candidate for Mid Norfolk? Go on Iain we need a few chracters like you in Parliament, can you resist the temptation of a plum seat????

Anonymous said...

This character looks like the archetypal Man from Whitehall, who really does know best.

But I predict problems with his huge narrow seat. MPS only get standard-issue government chairs.

Anonymous said...

I don't really understand why Simpson didn't go for Mid Norfolk, which is a much better seat really. North Norfolk Lib Dems see Broadland as the new battle front and Iain knows only too well what that juggernaut can do. By contrast, Mid Norfolk (the old seat) has never been seriously contested - Labour nearly edged it in 1997 but nobody put out any leaflets and it was never followed up.