The 2005 General Election page

The following candidates stood for election in Swindon.

We e-mailed Bristol Stop the War Coalition's 10 questions to all these candidates (except for John Williams - we cannot find an e-mail address for him). You can click on the names of candidates who have replied to see their answers. Election results taken from the Evening Advertiser: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/election/news/ind...

Michael Wills , Labour, http://www.labour.org.uk/maps/locinfo.phtml?ctid=2...
MP for Swindon North since 1997, voted in favour of the invasion of Iraq.
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
Voting record, performance data, parliamentary appearances and more from TheyWorkForYou.com: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/michael_wills/nor...
19,612 votes

Justin Tomlinson , Conservative, http://www.northswindonintouch.com/
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
17,041 votes

Mike Evemy , Liberal Democrats, http://www.swindon-libdems.org.uk/contact/
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
6,831 votes

Robin Tingey , UKIP, http://www.ukip-swindon.org/rose_candidates_s.html
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
998 votes

Andy Newman , Socialist Unity, http://www.socialistunitynetwork.co.uk/swindon/fro...
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
208 votes

Ernest Reynolds , Independent, http://www.abolishmoneynow.com/
For some reason, this candidate is not listed on the Newsquest list of Wiltshire candidates, but he is listed on the BBC's interactive constituency map.
195 votes

Anne Snelgrove , Labour, http://www.labour.org.uk/maps/locinfo.phtml?ctid=2...
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
Read the letter we sent her when she was selected by the Labour party as their candidate for Swindon South. We're still waiting for a reply.
17,534 votes

Robert Buckland , Conservative, http://www.southswindonintouch.com/
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
16,181 votes

Sue Stebbing , Liberal Democrats, http://www.swindon-libdems.org.uk/contact/
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
Sue Stebbing on ID cards: http://www.swindon-libdems.org.uk/news/5.html
Sue Stebbing has also sent us this statement: "I first got involved in politics as a way of helping to make my community a better place for my family and for everyone else. Now I am passionately committed to social justice and to trying to ensure that we do not destroy the planet that sustains us. I have been a member of Amnesty International and a regular supporter of CAAT and Oxfam for more than 20 years. I am a fierce opponent of the Iraq war and took part in both the London anti-war march and a smaller one in Exeter."
7,322 votes

Bill Hughes , Green, http://www.greenparty.org.uk/
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
1,234 votes

Stephen Halden , UKIP, http://www.ukip-swindon.org/rose_candidates_n.html
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
955 votes

Alan Hayward , Independent, http://www.SouthSwindon.org.uk
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
Alan Hayward on the elected dictatorship and laws that come out of nowhere: http://www.southswindon.org.uk/dictatorship.htm
193 votes

John Williams , Independent
Profile by Newsquest: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...
53 votes

Note that Julia Drown , Labour MP for Swindon South since 1997, who voted in favour of the invasion of Iraq, is not standing for re-election. See her goodbye speech to parliament here: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2005-03-2...

Profiles of candidates standing in Wiltshire constituencies (Devizes, Salisbury, Swindon North, Swindon South, Westbury and Wiltshire North), courtesy of Newsquest, publishers of the Evening Advertiser: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/electio...

Bristol Stop The War Coalition believes that voters in Bristol deserve the fullest possible information on all candidates' views on this issue. We drew up 10 questions covering the main areas of the debate & circulated these to all candidates in Bristol East , Bristol North-West , Bristol South , Bristol West , Kingswood & Northavon constituencies.

(1.) Did you believe Tony Blair's 45 minute claim?
(2.) Do you believe the invasion of Iraq was legal?
(3.) Do you think the world is a safer place since the invasion & occupation of Iraq?
(4.) Do you support Military Families Against The War's call to bring the British troops home?
(5.) Do you think the Iraqi people have the right to resist the occupation?
(6.) Would you believe Tony Blair if he said he had secret information that Syria or Iran was a threat to Britain?
(7.) Would you support military action against Syria or Iran?
(8.) Do you approve of evidence obtained under torture being used in British courts?
(9.) Do you think the USA & Britain have the right to decide who can & can't have weapons of mass destruction?
(10.) Do you think George Bush is a threat to world peace?

Read the answers at http://www.swindonstopwar.org.uk/2005election/

Conservative Party . http://www.conservatives.com/
Manifesto: http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=manifesto...
Immigration policy: http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=policy.to...
Billboard campaign and backlash: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/03/307812.html

Green Party . http://www.greenparty.org.uk/
Manifesto: http://manifesto.greenparty.org.uk/
Policy on peace, justice and security, plus Iraq, 9-11 / the war on terror, asylum, human rights, bombing of Yugoslavia and defence: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/index.php?nav=issues&...

Labour party . http://www.labour.org.uk/
Manifesto: http://www.labour.org.uk/manifesto
Defence policy: http://www.labour.org.uk/defence04/
Foreign affairs policy: http://www.labour.org.uk/foreignaffairs04/
Asylum and immigration policy: http://www.labour.org.uk/asylumandimmigration04/

Liberal Democrat Party . http://www.libdems.org.uk/
Manifesto: http://www.libdems.org.uk/party/policy/manifesto.h...
International affairs policy: http://www.libdems.org.uk/internationalaffairs/ including Iraq policy: http://www.libdems.org.uk/internationalaffairs/iss...
Justice and crime policy: http://www.libdems.org.uk/justice/ including the case against ID cards: http://www.libdems.org.uk/justice/issues/idcards.h...
Lib Dem advice on answering the four questions drawn up by the national Stop the War office

Respect, the Unity Coalition . http://www.respectcoalition.org/
Manifesto: http://www.respectcoalition.org/pdf/f325.pdf
International policy, including War and imperialism, Iraq, international justice, nuclear disarnament, Sudan, Palestine, the Kurdish question, Kashmir and third world debt: http://www.respectcoalition.org/index.php?ite=512
Policy on civil liberties, asylum seekers and refugees: http://www.respectcoalition.org/index.php?ite=511

Socialist Unity Network . http://www.socialistunitynetwork.co.uk/electiion20...
Socialist Unity Network is a banner under which independent socialists can stand for election, and they don't have a hard-and-fast party line. See the grassroots articles on their web site to see what they stand for.

UK Independence Party . http://www.ukip.org/
Manifesto: http://www.ukip.org/index.php?menu=manifesto&p...
Defence and foreign affairs policy: http://www.ukip.org/index.php?menu=manifesto2005&a...

Dr Elsayed Omar Selim. independent candidate for Basingstoke and Deane: http://www.indvoice.com/

Craig Murray, former ambassador to Uzbekistan, is standing against foreign minister Jack Straw in Blackburn: http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/

Reg Keys, a father bereaved by the war, is standing in Sedgefield against Tony Blair: http://www.keysforsedgefield.org.uk/

BBC News election 2005 web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/d...
Includes a scrollable, zoom-in, zoom-out, interactive map of constituencies listing the candidates in each at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/flash_map/...

The Blair Ditch Project are campaigning to end Tony Blair's reign as Prime Minister by lobbying in his own constituency of Sedgefield, drawing attention to his own poor record, both nationally and locally. http://www.blairditchproject.com/

Every week, a dozen or so times, your MP votes in the UK parliament. This is their crucial, visible exercise of power. The Public Whip data-mines their voting record to help you hold them to account. http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/

How They Voted 2005 (and so how you should vote): http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/election.php - compare your opinions on some hot topics with those of your current or outgoing MP, and some kind of average of the opinions of the MPs of the other parties.

TheyWorkForYou.com is a non-partisan, volunteer-run website which aims to make it easy for people to keep tabs on their elected representatives. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/

Vote4Peace is an independent campaign helping elect pro-peace MPs on May 5th. We are supporting almost 40 mainstream candidates in marginals where a few votes will make a difference. Most are Labour or Lib Dem, some Plaid Cymru or SNP. All have opposed the Iraq war. All are committed to peace and legitimacy. http://www.vote4peace.org.uk/

Who should you vote for is a web site where you can agree or disagree with 23 questions on issues where party policies differ most, and see which parties' policies coincide most with your own views. http://www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com/

See http://www.voteagainstwar.org.uk for a non-comprehensive list of anti-war candidates around the UK.

Links to more voting-related web sites: http://www.filmmakersagainstwar.org/voting/links.h...